Burlington, Vermont

Burlington is the largest city in the U.S. state of Vermont and is the Shire town of Chittenden County, Vermont. The city is the core of one of the nation's smaller metropolitan areas. The urbanized area consists of the cities of Burlington, South Burlington, and Winooski; the towns of Colchester, Essex, and Williston; and the village of Essex Junction. As of 2000, the metropolitan area contained the three northwestern counties of Chittenden, Franklin, and Grand Isle, with a 2000 confirmed population of 198,889, and an estimated 2003 population of 203,503. ^*

History

The town of Burlington (comprising what are now the cities of Burlington and South Burlington) was chartered in 1763, but settlement did not begin until the 1770s when the Allen brothers built a fort at the falls of the Winooski River. After the Revolutionary War a few settlers cleared land and began farming, and in 1787, Ethan Allen settled in the bottomland near the mouth of the Winooski and built his home, which stands today. The first town meeting was held in 1787. The University of Vermont was established in Burlington in 1791 as the Agricultural College of Vermont on land donated by Ira Allen. Soon after the town common was set aside as public land and has survived as City Hall Park. By 1812, Burlington had become one of the leading ports in the nation, primarily as the main point for importing Canadian lumber, and had a population of 2000.

During the War of 1812 Burlington was the site of an army post and a major military hospital, but did not play as important a role as other Lake Champlain cities such as Vergennes, Vermont and Plattsburgh, New York despite being so close to the Canadian border. Burlington was, however, the home of the United States fleet on Lake Champlain.

In 1823, the Lake Champlain Canal was opened and provided a continuous water route from New York City to Montreal via the Hudson River and Lake Champlain. With the opening of the canal, Burlington and Plattsburgh became important ports, shipping lumber and farm products south to Albany and New York City and manufactured goods to the farmlands of Vermont and northeast New York State. By 1830, Burlington had begun to grow rapidly, and soon became the state's pre-eminent city. The large number of potential mill sites and its location on Lake Champlain at the western end of the main east-west travel route in northern Vermont meant that it was a natural site for the state's major industrial and commercial center and international commerce with Canada.

With the completion of the Rutland and Burlington Railroad to Rutland in 1849, Burlington's lumber industry continued to grow, and in 1862, when the Central Vermont Railroad reached Winooski, the dairy industry began in the area as farmers could now sell milk to other parts of New England and to Quebec. In 1864 the northwestern portion of the town became the City of Burlington — the state's first incorporated city — and the more rural portion of the original town was established as the new town of South Burlington. In 1885, the Winooski & Burlington Horse Railroad Company began the first streetcar service in the city, traveling from downtown across the river into Winooski, where there was access to the major railroad line traveling east.

In 1929, the end of streetcar service in Burlington was marked by an unusual "Abandonment Celebration", culminating in a trolley car being burned in the center of downtown. In 1935 The Philadelphia, one of Benedict Arnold's gunboats, was discovered after resting on the bottom of the lake since 1776. In the 1980s and 1990s, under the leadership of Bernie Sanders and other members of the Vermont Progressive Party, Burlington began to reclaim its waterfront, which was dominated by underused and abandoned industrial buildings, by building parks, trails, and other recreational resources, and returning the focus of the city to its beautiful waterfront with its stunning views of the Adirondacks.

Geography and climate

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 15.5 square miles (40.1 km²). Of that, 10.6 square miles (27.4 km²) is land and 4.9 square miles (12.7 km²) of it is water. The total area is 31.78% water. Burlington is located at 44° 28' N 73° 9' W.

Burlington lies roughly 40 miles (65 km) northwest of the state capital in Montpelier, about 70 miles (110 km) north of Rutland, and 95 miles (150 km) southeast of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Downtown Burlington is situated on a hillside overlooking Lake Champlain – the sixth-largest lake in the United States. The Winooski River lies along the city's northern boundary.

Burlington's climate is moderate for Vermont. Its northerly latitude assures the variety and vigor of a true New England climate, while thanks to the modifying influence of the lake, the many rapid and marked weather changes are tempered in severity. Due to its location in the path of the St. Lawrence Valley storm track and the lake effects, the city is one of the cloudiest in the United States. There are four frost-free months in the summer and three months of almost entirely below-freezing weather in the winter. Annual precipitation is around 1 meter of rainfall equivalent distributed fairly equally over the year. Total annual snowfall is generally slightly over 78.8 inches (2 m).

Demographics

As of the census ² of 2000, there were 38,889 people, 15,885 households, and 7,052 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,682.0 people per square mile (1,421.9/km²). There were 16,395 housing units at an average density of 1,552.3 per square mile (599.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 92.27% White, 1.78% Black or African American, 0.47% Native American, 2.65% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.54% from other races, and 2.27% from two or more races. 1.40% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 15,885 households out of which 21.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 31.4% were married couples living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 55.6% were non-families. 35.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.86.

In the city the population was spread out with 16.3% under the age of 18, 25.4% from 18 to 24, 31.0% from 25 to 44, 16.8% from 45 to 64, and 10.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 29 years. For every 100 females there were 93.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $33,070, and the median income for a family was $46,012. Males had a median income of $30,144 versus $25,270 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,011. About 10.4% of families and 20.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.4% of those under age 18 and 10.5% of those age 65 or over.

Law and government

The city has a city council-mayor form of government, which is generally in a state of tension between left-of-center moderate Democrats and the left-of-center Progressive Party. U.S. Congressman Bernard Sanders was mayor of Burlington from 1981 to 1989. Bob Kiss, the current Mayor, is a Progressive who was elected in 2006. The City Council has 14 seats, which are currently occupied by 6 Democrats, 4 Progressives, 2 Republicans, and 2 Independents. Peter Clavelle, Burlington's longest serving Mayor, held that Office from 1989 to 1993, and again from 1995 to 2006.

Culture and landmarks

Burlington is a college town, home to the University of Vermont (UVM), Burlington College, and to Champlain College, as well as a Community College of Vermont campus. The Vermont Lake Monsters, formerly the Vermont Expos baseball club of the New York-Penn League plays on the campus of UVM in Centennial Field. Saint Michael's College is in nearby Colchester. The only large industrial facility in Vermont is IBM's semiconductor plant a few kilometers east in Essex Junction, but many small industrial and service companies are located in the Burlington area.

Burlington is home to Vermont's lively, arts-focused alternative weekly, Seven Days. It is also home to the corporate headquarters of Bruegger's Bagels, the chain of 250 bagel bakeries, and Lake Champlain Chocolates. The Magic Hat Brewing Company is located in South Burlington just outside of city limits

The city is known for its thriving arts culture. Events such as the South End Art Hop and public galleries such as The Firehouse Gallery showcase the visual arts.

Burlington is also the birthplace of the legendary ice cream giant Ben & Jerry's, founded in 1978 in a renovated gas station, which was at that time located at the southwest corner of College and Saint Paul Streets. The company is now headquartered in nearby South Burlington, with major factories in Waterbury and St. Albans.

Local Music

Burlington has had a long and varied history of local music. The city has over the years, supported a number of local bands as various "scenes" waxed and waned, and has even launched a handful of national acts. The most famous of these was Phish, which originated at the University of Vermont circa 1983 (they also attended Vermont's Goddard College), and which gave its final performance in 2004.

Other notable acts with ties to the city include The Samples, Strangefolk, Raq, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals,Big Joe Burrell and The Unknown Blues Band, The Chrome Cowboys, Pine Island, Tammy Fletcher, Guppyboy, The Pants, Chin Ho, The Decentz, Pinhead, Ninja Custodian, Chuch, Pork Tornado, Nose Bleed Island, Crypt Kicker Five, From the Ground Up, Archer in Jeopardy, Crusty Futon, Deep Soda, The Skamaphrodites, Crapital Shit, Son, The Middle Eight, and the Pulse Prophets.

Transportation

Burlington is the central focus of the Chittenden County Transportation Agency, proving bus service to and from the surrounding communities (and the shopping districts of South Burlington and Williston). Burlington is also the headquarters of the Lake Champlain Transportation Company with seasonal service provided between Burlington's King Street ferry terminal and Port Kent, New York.

Burlington International Airport provides the area with commercial service to major regional hubs and international airports. Vermont Transit provides intercity bus service while Amtrak rail service is provided via the nearby village of Essex Junction.

Sister cities

Burlington has four sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International, Inc. (SCI):

Yaroslavl, Russia
Arad, Israel
Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua
Bethlehem, Palestinian territories
Moss Point, Mississippi -- In the fall of 2005, the city decided to help out this town devastated by Hurricane Katrina, they held a concert to raise money called Hurricane Benefete. There is currently a fund where you can donate money called the Moss Point Relief Fund.

Notable residents

Warren Austin, U.S. Senator from Vermont.
Ralph Abraham, mathematician.
Ben Bagley, musical theater producer and innovator.
Orson Bean, film and stage actor.
Alison Bechdel, cartoonist best known for the comic strip Dykes To Watch Out For.
Harry Blanchard, Formula One driver who raced for the Porsche team.
Murray Bookchin, Environmentalist and noted Anarchist philosopher.
Ted Bundy, serial killer and rapist.
Peter Clavelle, former Mayor of Burlington.
Grace Coolidge, wife of Calvin Coolidge and First Lady of the U.S.
Howard Dean, U.S. politician and governor of Vermont.
Judith Steinberg Dean, physician
John Dewey, philosopher, psychologist, and educational reformer.
John Chipman Farrar, writer and publisher.
Jon Fishman, musician (drummer for Phish).
Mike Gordon, musician (bass player for Phish).
Paul Hackett, football coach.
Henry Hitchcock, the first Attorney General of the State of Alabama.
Philip H. Hoff, governor of Vermont.
Oliver O. Howard, U.S. Army officer and general in the American Civil War.
Horatio Nelson Jackson, the first person to drive an automobile across the United States.
Madeleine M. Kunin, diplomat and governor of Vermont.
Page McConnell, musician (keyboardist for Phish)
William Hepburn Russell, founder of the Pony Express.
Bernie Sanders, U.S. Representative from Vermont.
Birdie Tebbetts, Major League baseball player.

External links

Burlington, Vermont | Chittenden County, Vermont | Cities in Vermont

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