Tinmouth is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

in Rutland County,

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

, United States. The population was 553 at the 2020 census.

History

Tinmouth was established in 1761 in a region that came to be known as the

New Hampshire Grants The New Hampshire Grants or Benning Wentworth Grants were land grants made between 1749 and 1764 by the colonial governor of the Province of New Hampshire, Benning Wentworth. The land grants, totaling about 135 (including 131 towns), were made ...

. At the first U.S. census, the town had a population of 935. Tinmouth's population peaked in 1820, and for the next 150 years the town's population gradually declined, reaching its lowest (268) in

1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 1970 Tonghai earthquake, Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli ...

. The town reached a population of 567 at the 2000 census, the first time since the 1880 census that it was above 500. In early 2007 the citizens of Tinmouth undertook what turned into an "acrimonious" debate about switching from

town meeting Town meeting, also known as an "open town meeting", is a form of local government in which eligible town residents can directly participate in an assembly which determines the governance of their town. Unlike representative town meeting where ...

to the

Australian ballot The secret ballot, also known as the Australian ballot, is a voting method in which a voter's identity in an election or a referendum is anonymous. This forestalls attempts to influence the voter by intimidation, blackmailing, and potential v ...

; two separate votes were held, both close, but ending in the decision to make the switch. The first vote was 97–95 in favor of the switch, the second was 112–104.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.42%, is water. According to one estimate, 40% of the town's land has been protected from development by

conservation easement In the United States, a conservation easement (also called conservation covenant, conservation restriction or conservation servitude) is a power invested in a qualified land conservation organization called a "land trust", or a governmental (muni ...

s, which includes those held by the Vermont Land Trust and state land set aside in a to safeguard Tinmouth Channel, the Tinmouth Channel Wildlife Management Area; an additional 26% is acreage enlisted in the Vermont Land Use Tax program, which also limits development.

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 567 people, 231 households, and 167 families residing in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was 20.0 people per square mile (7.7/km²). There were 332 housing units at an average density of 11.7 per square mile (4.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.83%

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

, 1.41% Native American, 0.35% Asian, 0.18% from other races, and 1.23% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 0.35% of the population. There were 231 households, out of which 32.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.5% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 8.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.7% were non-families. 23.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.86. In the town, the population was spread out, with 22.0% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 28.0% from 45 to 64, and 13.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.6 males. The median income for a household in the town was $32,604, and the median income for a family was $34,792. Males had a median income of $25,313 versus $22,708 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $16,583. About 7.6% of families and 11.1% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 11.1% of those under age 18 and 20.7% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The Tinmouth School had 54 children (

Pre-K Pre-kindergarten (also called pre-K or PK) is a voluntary classroom-based preschool program for children below the age of five in the United States, Canada, Turkey and Greece (when kindergarten starts). It may be delivered through a preschool ...

to grade 6) in 2008, with some grades sharing a classroom. Older students typically attend Mill River Middle School and

Mill River Union High School Mill River Union High School, commonly known as Mill River or MRU is a public junior-senior high school in Clarendon, Vermont, in the United States. It is part of the Mill River Unified Union School District. MRUUSD includes the towns of Clar ...

. Tinmouth is in the Mill River Unified Union School District, which includes areas formerly in the Rutland South Supervisory Union. Tinmouth formally switched to the Rutland South supervisory union from the Rutland Southwest supervisory union circa 2013. Prior to the school district merger Tinmouth residents could choose which high school to attend tuition-free, with the majority choosing Mill River. Post-merger residents are no longer permitted to attend independent high schools tuition-free.

Notable people

Nathaniel Chipman Nathaniel Chipman (November 15, 1752February 13, 1843) was an American politician who served as a United States Senator from Vermont and Chief Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court. A Yale College graduate and Continental Army veteran of ...

, US senator, federal judge, and chief justice of the

Vermont Supreme Court The Vermont Supreme Court is the highest judicial authority of the U.S. state of Vermont. Unlike most other states, the Vermont Supreme Court hears appeals directly from the trial courts, as Vermont has no intermediate appeals court. The court ...

* John Mattocks, 16th

governor of Vermont The governor of Vermont is the head of government of the U.S. state of Vermont. The officeholder is elected in even-numbered years by direct voting for a term of two years. Vermont and bordering New Hampshire are the only states to hold guberna ...

Samuel Mattocks Samuel Mattocks (December 30, 1739 – January 18, 1804) was a Connecticut and Vermont Continental Army officer and political figure who served as Vermont State Treasurer during the state's early years. Early life Samuel Mattocks was born in Midd ...

, father of John Mattocks and

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 th ...

Tom Peters Thomas J. Peters (born November 7, 1942), an American writer on business management , business-management practices, became best-known for his 1982 book ''In Search of Excellence'' (co-authored with Robert H. Waterman Jr.) Life and education ...

, writer on business management practices *

Stephen Royce Stephen Royce (August 12, 1787November 11, 1868) was an American lawyer, judge and politician. Originally a Democratic-Republican, and later a Whig, he became a Republican when the party was formed in the mid-1850s. Royce served as an associat ...

, 23rd

* Bert L. Stafford,

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

Rutland Rutland is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It borders Leicestershire to the north and west, Lincolnshire to the north-east, and Northamptonshire to the south-west. Oakham is the largest town and county town. Rutland has a ...

References

{{Authority control Towns in Vermont Towns in Rutland County, Vermont