Brattleboro, Vermont

Brattleboro, Vermont
View of downtown Brattleboro from Mount Wantastiquet in New Hampshire
View of downtown Brattleboro from Mount Wantastiquet in New Hampshire
Location in Vermont
Location in Vermont
Coordinates: 42°51′0″N 72°34′56″W / 42.85, -72.58222
Country United States
State Vermont
County Windham
Area
 - Total 32.4 sq mi (84.0 km2)
 - Land 32.0 sq mi (82.9 km2)
 - Water 0.5 sq mi (1.2 km2)
Elevation 633 ft (193 m)
Population (2000)
 - Total 12,005
 - Density 375.3/sq mi (144.9/km2)
Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
 - Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP codes 05301-05304
Area code(s) 802
FIPS code 50-079001
GNIS feature ID 14620492

Brattleboro is a town in Windham County, Vermont, United States, located in the southeast corner of the state, along the state line with New Hampshire. The population was 12,005 at the 2000 census. It is situated along the Connecticut River, at the mouth of the West River.3

The town was chartered on 26 December 1753.

Contents

History

 Please help improve this section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page. (May 2008)

Brattleboro originated with the founding of Fort Dummer in 1724. The town was chartered in 1753.citation needed

The Brattleboro postmaster issued the first postal stamps in the United States in 1846.

The town was the home of Rudyard Kipling's wife. Kipling himself lived for a time in the town.4

The first person ever to receive a Social Security benefit check, issued on January 31, 1940 to Ida Fuller from Brattleboro. Her check number was 00-000-001 and it was for $22.54.5

In 1950, Brattleboro had a population of 11,522.citation needed

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 32.5 square miles (84.0 km²), of which, 32.0 square miles (82.9 km²) is land and 0.5 square miles (1.2 km², 1.42%) is water. Brattleboro is located at 42°51′15″N 72°33′31″W / 42.85417, -72.55861.

Topography

Harris Hill, the jumping hill of Brattleboro

The town is in the Connecticut River Valley; the eastern boundary (and Vermont state line) is the western bank of the Connecticut River. Hills and mountains surround the town.

Development

The town's densely populated center, is at the very bottom of the valley. Because of the area's hilly terrain, and relatively little flat land, many buildings are on steep grades, closely bunched together; the topography has helped to create an semi-urban atmosphere.

Downtown Brattleboro, as seen looking across the Connecticut River from New Hampshire.

Since the 1950s, there was suburban development outside of the traditional downtown in the west, south, and north of the township. The southern section of the town is predominantly one or two family houses with a mix of triple deckers. Commercial and industrial operations are concentrated on the U.S. Route 5/Canal Street artery that cuts through the area. The town's high school and the Regional Career Center are located in this section.

The western section of town, which formally became a village in 2005, is mostly residential, with the state's largest mobile home park and several large planned developments.

The northern section of Brattleboro developed in the 1960s and 1970s. The area has little residential development and is dominated by large commercial and industrial establishments along Putney Road, including about seven hotels located within a short distance of each other. C&S Wholesale Grocers made its headquarters in this section until moving to Keene, New Hampshire in 2005; because of close proximity to Interstate 91, C&S has kept shipping operations in Brattleboro.

The outskirts of Brattleboro have a decidedly rural feel, with little housing development and boasting the last farms left in Brattleboro after the collapse of the dairy industry in the 1970s. At its peak, the area had over 170 farms; there are now only nine left.citation needed Brattleboro is also the headquarters of the Holstein Association.

Demographics

As of the census1 of 2000, there were 12,005 people, 5,364 households, and 2,880 families residing in the town. The population density was 375.3 people per square mile (144.9/km²). There were 5,686 housing units at an average density of 177.7/sq mi (68.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 94.06% White, 1.13% Black or African American, 0.26% Native American, 1.67% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.55% from other races, and 2.28% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.67% of the population.

There were 5,364 households out of which 27.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.8% were couples living together and joined in either marriage or civil union, 12.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.3% were non-families. 37.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.15 and the average family size was 2.84.

In the town the population was spread out with 22.3% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 29.2% from 25 to 44, 25.3% from 45 to 64, and 16.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 84.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.9 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $31,997, and the median income for a family was $44,267. Males had a median income of $31,001 versus $25,329 for females. The per capita income for the town was $19,554. About 9.2% of families and 13.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.0% of those under age 18 and 9.2% of those age 65 or over.

The ethnic population (non-white and single race, with Hispanic included) comprises 3.4% of the population, according to the 2000 U.S. Census. While this percentage is by comparison small to that of any major U.S. city, it is considered high for a traditionally white state and puts Brattleboro second to Vermont's largest city Burlington in this respect. This large ethnic influence has given Brattleboro the most diverse establishments and institutions of any city in the state.

Government

Brattleboro's citizens are represented by a Select Board and Town Manager. Five members are elected to fill three one-year positions and two three-year positions. The Select Board, in cooperation with the Town Manager, are in responsible for addressing town issues brought to them. In the "town manager" form of government the Town Manager is appointed by the Selectboard.6 The town has three districts and representatives from those districts gather on Town Meeting Day to discuss and vote on issues.

Petition against Bush and Cheney

On January 25, 2008, the town council by a 3-2 vote approved a petition to be placed on a March 4 ballot, calling for the indictment of President George W. Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney for crimes against the United States Constitution. The petition reads: "Shall the Selectboard instruct the Town Attorney to draft indictments against President Bush and Vice President Cheney for crimes against our Constitution, and publish said indictments for consideration by other authorities and shall it be the law of the Town of Brattleboro that the Brattleboro Police, pursuant to the above-mentioned indictments, arrest and detain George Bush and Richard Cheney in Brattleboro if they are not duly impeached, and prosecute or extradite them to other authorities that may reasonably contend to prosecute them?"7

The town council issued a statement on the petition, which the town voted on as a town meeting article on March 4, and passed.8

“ On January 25 the Town Clerk’s office received a petition from Brattleboro resident Kurt Daims. Per Town Charter, a petition containing signatures from 5% of Brattleboro voters can be placed on the ballot for a Town-wide vote. Mr. Daims’ petition did contain the required number of signatures. At a meeting on January 25, the Brattleboro Selectboard voted 3-2 to place the petition on the ballot. Reasons given by Board members voting in the affirmative centered on the belief that if a petition contained the required signatures, the voters should have the opportunity to vote on the matter. Reasons given by Board members voting on the dissent centered on the belief that articles outside the scope and authority of the Town should not go before the voters of the Town. The Brattleboro Town Attorney has stated that the petition has no legal standing, as the Town Attorney has no authority to write an indictment and the Town Police Department has no authority to attempt an arrest of the President of the United States. ”

Shopping and dining

T.J. Buckley's restaurant in uptown Brattleboro.

Brattleboro, being the first major town over the Vermont border on Interstate 91, offers a mix of a rural atmosphere and urban amenities such as a large number of hotels. Brattleboro is a host to a number of art galleries and stores.

In 2007, Brattleboro passed the Fairtrade town resolution, clearing the way to become the second Fairtrade certified town in the nation, joining Media, Pennsylvania.citation needed

Transportation

Rail

Main Street Bridge over the Hill Brook.
See also: Brattleboro (Amtrak station)

Amtrak, the national passenger rail system, operates its Vermonter service daily through Brattleboro, between Washington, D.C. and St. Albans, Vermont.

Bus

The Brattleboro BeeLine operates throughout the town between 6:00 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., and is composed of the Red Line and Blue Line buses, which work in conjunction with each other to move residents throughout the T shaped layout of town. Bus services also run daily between Brattleboro and Bellows Falls, and between Brattleboro and Whitingham. In addition, Brattleboro is serviced daily by the national bus service Greyhound, which operates out of its terminal just south of the exit three interchange.

Highway

Brattleboro is served by two highways and one Interstate route. New England Interstate Route 9 runs from the New York border with Vermont, west of Bennington, traveling east through downtown Brattleboro, then running north to the New Hampshire border. Route 9's local names within Brattleboro include Molly Stark Trail, Marlboro Road, Western Avenue, High Street, Main Street, and Putney Road. Route 9 runs concurrently with U.S. Route 5 from the intersection of Main and High Streets north to meet Interstate 91 Exit 3.

U.S. Route 5 enters Brattleboro at its border with the town of Guilford and runs northerly, through downtown, and eventually exits Brattleboro at its border with Dummerston, Vermont. Route 5's local names are as follows (from beginning to end in Brattleboro) Canal Street, Main Street, Putney Road. Southbound, Route 5 also runs along Park Place and a part of Linden Street, following a one-way triangle at the north end of Main Street.

Interstate 91, originating in Connecticut and terminating at the Canadian border, runs through town in a semi-circumferential north-south manner around the town center. Exit one serves the southern part of town; exit two serves the western section of town connecting to local ski areas via Route 9; exit three serves the northern section of town and New Hampshire.

Culture

Print media

The town is home to the Brattleboro Reformer, a daily newspaper with a circulation of about 11,000, and the Commons, a nonprofit community monthly newspaper with a circulation of 5,000. The Parent Express, a community newspaper circulates in Brattleboro, Keene, New Hampshire, and throughout Windham County, Vermont and Cheshire County, New Hampshire.9

Radio

There are several radio stations which broadcast in Brattleboro.

FM

AM

Other area stations

Arts

Brattleboro has a thriving arts community. The town is listed in John Villani’s book The 100 Best Small Art Towns in America, in which it ranks number nine among towns with a population of 30,000 or under.citation needed

On the first Friday of every month, an event known as the Gallery Walk14 is held, in which galleries, artists, and arts organizations open their doors to the public to display new work or hold performances. Included in the organizations that participate are the Brattleboro Museum and Art Center,15 the Hooker-Dunham Theater and Gallery,16 the In-Sight Photography Project,17 River Gallery School,18 Through the Music,19 and the Windham Art Gallery.20

Other notable arts organizations in Brattleboro include the Brattleboro Music Center,21 the Vermont Theatre Company,22 the New England Youth Theater,23 the Brattleboro Women's Chorus,24 the Brattleboro School of Dance,25 Luminz Studio dance and performing arts center,26 and the Nimble Arts Trapeze & Circus School.27

Annual events in Brattleboro include:

  • The Winter Carnival in February.citation needed
  • Harris Hill ski-jumping competition in February.28
  • Women's Film Festival in March.29
  • Easter Egg Hunt in April (for residents only).
  • Maple Open House Weekend in March.30
  • River Gallery School benefit auction in March.31
  • Taste of the Town in May.32
  • Strolling of the Heifers in June.33
  • Brattleboro Fest music festival in mid-June.citation needed
  • Vermont Theatre Company's Shakespeare-in-the-Park in June and July.34
  • Brattleboro Animation Festival on the first Friday in July.citation needed
  • Brattleboro Free Folk Festival, begun in 2003.citation needed
  • Brattleboro Literary Festival in September.35
  • World Solstice Celebration in December.citation needed

Literary

Brattleboro's first bookstore opened in 1795. The first Bible to be printed in Vermont was printed in the town, in 1812.citation needed The Brattleboro Literary Festival has been held every fall since 2001.citation needed

Cultural references

Public nudity

Public nudity, although not always welcomed by the denizens of the town, was not forbidden by any Vermont statute or Brattleboro ordinance until July 17, 2007. The town has drawn national attention when nudists make a visit to take advantage of the situation.3738 On July 17, 2007, Brattleboro town officials passed an emergency rule by a 3–2 margin, temporarily "banning nudity on the main roads and within 250 feet of any school or place of worship, among other places" due to a number of complaints.3940

On August 22, 2007, the Brattleboro Selectboard decided not to make the ban on nudity permanent, once again allowing nudity in the town when the temporary statute ran out in September.41 However, on 4 December, 2007 the Selectboard made the ban permanent. Nudity is now banned, and one faces a $100 charge if cited.42

Notable natives and residents

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  2. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey (2007-10-25). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  3. ^ DeLorme (1996). Vermont Atlas & Gazetteer. Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme. ISBN 0-89933-016-9.
  4. ^ Kipling, Rudyard (1935). "Something of myself". public domain. Retrieved on 2008-09-06.
  5. ^ Social Security Online. "The First Social Security Beneficiary". Social Security Administration. Retrieved on June 28, 2007.
  6. ^ Brattleboro Town Charter. "Town Charter". Retrieved on June 29, 2007.
  7. ^ Vermont Anti-Bush Petition Sparks Anger, Associated Press, January 30, 2008.
  8. ^ Reuters. "Vermont Towns vote to arrest Bush and Cheney". Retrieved on March 06, 2008.
  9. ^ Parent Express
  10. ^ a b WKVT radio station.
  11. ^ WRSI radio station.
  12. ^ a b WTSA radio station.
  13. ^ WVEW radio station.
  14. ^ Gallery Walk, Brattleboro, Vermont - a Monthly First-Friday Celebration!
  15. ^ Brattleboro Museum & Art Center » home
  16. ^ Hooker-Dunham Theater - Great Stuff's Happening!
  17. ^ http://www.insight-photography.org
  18. ^ http://rivergalleryschool.org
  19. ^ Welcome to Through the Music
  20. ^ Windham Art Gallery - May, 2008
  21. ^ Brattleboro Music Center - Music School, Summer Music Camps, Chamber Music, Music For Hire, Southeastern Vermont
  22. ^ Vermont Theatre Company - Home
  23. ^ New England Youth Theater
  24. ^ Brattleboro Women's Chorus
  25. ^ School of Dance
  26. ^ [1]
  27. ^ Nimble Arts, a circus production company
  28. ^ Harris Hill Ski Jump
  29. ^ Women's Film Festival 2008 - Home
  30. ^ Annual Maple Open House Weekend - Vermont Maple Sugar Makers' Association & Vermont Maple Foundation
  31. ^ Benefit Auction at the Brattleboro Museum and Art Center
  32. ^ The Winston Prouty Center for Child Development
  33. ^ Strolling of the Heifers: Friday, June 6 – Sunday, June 8, 2008
  34. ^ Vermont Theatre Company - Home
  35. ^ Welcome to the 2007 Brattleboro Literary Festival
  36. ^ Infinite Jest, pp.901: “C.T. was the infant son she’d brought to the new union, his father a ne’er-do-well killed in a freak accident playing competitive darts in a Brattleboro tavern just as they were trying to adjust the obstetric stirrups for the achondroplastic Mrs. Tavis’s labor and delivery.”
  37. ^ Associated Press. "Spring Thaw Brings Out Nudity in Small Vermont Town". Fox News. Retrieved on May 17, 2007.
  38. ^ Daily Telegraph newspaper, pp.15, 07-16-07.
  39. ^ Reuters. "Vermont town bans public nudity after brash displays". Reuters. Retrieved on 2007-07-18.
  40. ^ Bob Audette. "Cover up: Anti-nudity rule passes". Brattleboro Reformer. Retrieved on 2007-07-18.
  41. ^ Associated Press. "Go Ahead, Drop Those Drawers". Retrieved on 22 August, 2007.
  42. ^ 2007 Year in Review [1] - Brattleboro Reformer

External links

v • d • e
Municipalities and communities of
Windham County, Vermont
Shire town: Newfane
Towns
Map of Vermont highlighting Windham County
Villages
CDPs
Other
communities
Footnotes

‡ Disincorporated

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