Northfield is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an o ...

in Washington County, Vermont, United States. The town lies in a valley within the

Green Mountains The Green Mountains are a mountain range in the U.S. state of Vermont. The range runs primarily south to north and extends approximately from the border with Massachusetts to the border with Quebec, Canada. The part of the same range that is i ...

and has been home to

Norwich University Norwich University – The Military College of Vermont is a private senior military college in Northfield, Vermont. It is the oldest private and senior military college in the United States and offers bachelor's and master's degrees on-campu ...

since 1866. It contains the village of Northfield, where over half of the population lives. The town's total population was 5,918 at the 2020 census.

History

Northfield was chartered in 1781, and incorporated in 1855. The community was named after

Northfield, Massachusetts Northfield is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. Northfield was first settled in 1673. The population was 2,866 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The Connecticut R ...

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of th ...

, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.29%, is water. The geographic center of Vermont is located within the town, with markers on the university campus of the geographical and magnetic centers.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 5,791 people, 1,819 households, and 1,224 families residing in the town. The population density was 132.5 people per square mile (51.2/km²). There were 1,958 housing units at an average density of 44.8 per square mile (17.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 95.41%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

, 1.02%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.36% Native American, 1.33% Asian, 0.43% from other races, and 1.45% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race were 2.21% of the population. There were 1,819 households, out of which 32.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.5% were couples living together and joined in either marriage or

civil union A civil union (also known as a civil partnership) is a legally recognized arrangement similar to marriage, created primarily as a means to provide recognition in law for same-sex couples. Civil unions grant some or all of the rights of marriage ...

, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.7% were non-families. Of all households 24.3% were made up of individuals, and 9.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.95. In the town, the population was spread out, with 19.4% under the age of 18, 27.2% from 18 to 24, 22.8% from 25 to 44, 18.9% from 45 to 64, and 11.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 122.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 122.5 males. The median income for a household in the town was $41,523, and the median income for a family was $51,818. Males had a median income of $32,168 versus $24,781 for females. The per capita income for the town was $15,592. About 3.2% of families and 6.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.4% of those under age 18 and 6.2% of those age 65 or over.

Education

enrolls undergraduate students, and has a large online graduate program. NorwichUniversityWinter

Media

Published locally is the ''

Northfield News & Transcript The ''Northfield News'' is a weekly newspaper available in Northfield, Williamstown and Roxbury, Vermont, as well as some other local towns. The ''Northfield News'' has been continually published since 1878. The paper is owned by Northfield N ...

''. It is a weekly newspaper and was established in 1878 by George Richmond.

Economy

The town's largest employer is Norwich University, followed by

Cabot Hosiery Mills Cabot Hosiery Mills is a textile manufacturer located in Northfield, Vermont, that makes sock A sock is a piece of clothing worn on the feet and often covering the ankle or some part of the calf. Some types of shoes or boots are typically wor ...

Infrastructure

Transportation

Bus Northfield is served by Green Mountain Transit Agency's commuter route 93 between Montpelier and Northfield.

Roads

Vermont Route 12 – Northfield to Montpelier. Northfield to Brookfield. * Vermont 64

Vermont Route 64 Vermont Route 64 (VT 64) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Vermont, United States. It connects VT 12 in Northfield to VT 14 in Williamstown. Along the way it intersects Interstate 89 (I-89) in Williamstown. Route descrip ...

– Northfield to Williamstown.

Notable people

Ida A. T. Arms Ida A. T. Arms (, Taggard; August 27, 1856 – October 30, 1931) was an American missionary-educator and temperance leader. She served as principal of Concepción College in Concepción, Chile and as president of the Woman's Christian Temperance U ...

, missionary, educator, and temperance leader * Henry M. Bates,

Vermont State Treasurer The State Treasurer's Office is responsible for several administrative and service duties, in accordance with Vermont Statutes. These include: investing state funds; issuing state bonds; serving as the central bank for state agencies; managing the ...

* Murdock A. Campbell,

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, ...

Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of ...

and

Adjutant General An adjutant general is a military chief administrative officer. France In Revolutionary France, the was a senior staff officer, effectively an assistant to a general officer. It was a special position for lieutenant-colonels and colonels in staf ...

, Vermont National Guard * John P. Connarn,

Vermont House of Representatives The Vermont House of Representatives is the lower house of the Vermont General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Vermont. The House comprises 150 members, with each member representing around 4,100 citizens. Representatives are ...

, 1957–1965;

Vermont Attorney General The Vermont Attorney General is a statewide elected executive official in the U.S. state of Vermont who is elected every two years. It was created by an act of the Vermont General Assembly in 1790, repealed in 1797, and revived in 1904. The office ...

, 1965–1967; Judge, Vermont District Court, 1967–1985 * Beatrice Corliss, first woman mayor of

Gloucester, Massachusetts Gloucester () is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It sits on Cape Ann and is a part of Massachusetts's North Shore. The population was 29,729 at the 2020 U.S. Census. An important center of the fishing industry and a ...

and member of the

Massachusetts House of Representatives The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from 14 counties each divided into single-member ...

* Reginald M. Cram,

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Si ...

and

of the Vermont National Guard * Joseph H. Denny,

Speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives The Speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives is the Speaker or presiding officer of the Vermont House of Representatives, the lower house of the Vermont Legislature. The Speaker presides over sessions of the Houses, recognizes members so ...

and

President pro tempore of the Vermont State Senate The President ''pro tempore'' of the Vermont Senate presides over the Senate of the U.S. state of Vermont in the absence of the Lieutenant Governor. The President ''pro tempore'' also sets the policy priorities and legislative agenda for the Senate ...

Alonzo Jackman Alonzo Jackman (March 20, 1809 – February 24, 1879) was a Vermont educator and military officer. He is prominent for developing and implementing a system for receiving and training troops for the Union Army during the American Civil War, and fo ...

professor and

Brigadier General Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointe ...

of the Vermont Militia in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and t ...

Hollis Latham Hollis Latham (March 12, 1812 – February 22, 1886) was a Wisconsin farmer and politician. Born in Northfield, Vermont, where he went to school, Latham moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin Territory, in 1836. In 1837, he moved to the town of Sprin ...

, Wisconsin state legislator and farmer (born in Northfield) * George Nichols, Secretary of State of Vermont and president of

* Charles Paine, president of the

Vermont Central Railroad The Central Vermont Railway was a railroad that operated in the U.S. states of Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont, as well as the Canadian province of Quebec. It connected Montreal, Quebec, with New London, Conne ...

and 15th

governor of Vermont The governor of Vermont is the head of government of Vermont. The officeholder is elected in even-numbered years by direct voting for a term of 2 years. Vermont and bordering New Hampshire are the only states to hold gubernatorial elections every ...

* Charles Plumley, congressman from Vermont * Frank Plumley, congressman from Vermont * Francis V. Randall,

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

officer during the

* Susanne R. Young, Vermont Attorney General beginning in June 2022

References

External links

Town of Northfield official website
* {{authority control Towns in Vermont Towns in Washington County, Vermont