Lamoille County, Vermont facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lamoille County
U.S. county
Lamoille County Courthouse in Hyde Park
Location within the U.S. state of Vermont
Vermont's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Vermont
Founded	1836
Named for	Lamoille River
Shire Town	Hyde Park
Largest town	Morristown
Area
• Total	464 sq mi (1,200 km2)
• Land	459 sq mi (1,190 km2)
• Water	4.9 sq mi (13 km2)  1.1%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	25,945
• Density	55.92/sq mi (21.589/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	At-large

Lamoille County (/ləˈmɔɪl/) is a county located in the U.S. state of Vermont. As of the 2020 census, the population was 25,945, and it is the third-least populous county in Vermont. Its shire town (county seat) is the town of Hyde Park, while Morristown is the county's largest town by population as well as its main commercial center. The county was created in 1835 from portions of Orleans, Franklin, Washington, and Chittenden Counties and organized the following year.

History

The area was buried in a mile of ice during the Ice Age. As the ice melted, Lake Stowe was formed. When the ice melted completely, the water from the lake ran out through the Lamoille River valley.

This area was long occupied by the Algonquian-speaking indigenous Abenaki people and their ancestors. During French colonization of what is now Canada, fur traders began to trade with the Abenaki. There were also French who settled here, coming down from the settlements in Quebec, and named the Lamoille River. The French later enlisted the Abenaki as allies in the frontier raiding and wars with English colonists in the lower New England colonies. For decades there was no border and peoples passed freely through this area.

After the American Revolutionary War and Vermont's admission as a separate state, the county was settled in the 19th century by American migrants from other parts of New England and French-Canadian immigrants from across the border. Some developed small farms. Some came to work in the asbestos mine on Belvidere Mountain, which operated into the 20th century. Some gradually moved to other counties where there were cotton mills, weaving cotton from the South both before and after the Civil War. In the United States, many of the French immigrants were forced to accept anglicization of their names, such as New City for Villeneuve, or Senton for St. Onge. Some of their descendants have reclaimed their family's original names.

20th century to present

Mining continued through the 20th century. By the late 20th century, environmental hazards were better understood, but many of the miners contracted asbestosis and other diseases of the lungs from their work.

In 1972, the Lamoille Community College was the fifth of the several community colleges that became part of the Vermont State Colleges system. At the time, they were renamed as Community College of Vermont.

In 2008, the state notified residents of Belvidere, Eden, Hyde Park, Johnson, Waterville and eight towns in the adjacent counties of Orleans and Franklin, that a review of health records from 1995 to 2006 had revealed that residents within ten miles (16 km) of the former asbestos mine on Belvidere Mountain had higher than normal rates of contracting asbestosis. The state and federal government continued to study this problem.

In April 2009 the Vermont Department of health released a revised study which found that all of deaths related to the asbestos mine were caused by individual occupational exposure. The report concluded that people living near the mines had no more increased risk of asbestos-related illness than people living anywhere else in Vermont.

In 2008, the county appeared to have disproportionate power in the legislature with the House Speaker, Shap Smith, from Morrisville, Floyd Nease, house majority leader, Senator Susan Bartlett, from Hyde Park, chair of the House Appropriations Committee, and Richard Westman, chair of the House Transportation Committee and the sole Republican.

According to a 2020 study by ProPublica, Lamoille County, Vermont may be the safest county in the U.S. from climate-induced disasters such as rising sea levels, wildfires, crop depletion, and extreme heat and humidity.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 464 square miles (1,200 km²), of which 459 square miles (1,190 km²) is land and 4.9 square miles (13 km²) (1.1%) is water. It is the second-smallest county in Vermont by area, as well as one of only two Vermont counties that does not share a border with another state or with Quebec.

Lamoille County is the only county in Vermont that does not have at least one of Vermont's five U.S. Routes passing through it, although all ten of the Lamoille County towns are served by Vermont state routes.

Adjacent counties

• Orleans County — northeast
• Caledonia County — east
• Washington County — south
• Chittenden County — west
• Franklin County — northwest

Demographics

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 24,475 people, 10,014 households, and 6,274 families living in the county. The population density was 53.3 inhabitants per square mile (20.6/km²). There were 12,969 housing units at an average density of 28.3 units per square mile (10.9 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 96.7% white, 0.6% black or African American, 0.5% Asian, 0.4% American Indian, 0.3% from other races, and 1.5% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.3% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 18.3% were English, 16.5% were Irish, 15.2% were French, 10.2% were German, 7.7% were French Canadian, and 4.6% were American.

Of the 10,014 households, 30.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.3% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 37.3% were non-families, and 27.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.87. The median age was 39.7 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $52,232 and the median income for a family was $62,364. Males had a median income of $41,761 versus $31,250 for females. The per capita income for the county was $27,164. About 8.7% of families and 12.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.0% of those under age 18 and 8.4% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Northern Vermont University-Johnson Library and Learning Center

Northern Vermont University-Johnson is a Vermont State College located in Johnson in Lamoille County. It was established in 1828 as Johnson Academy. It was among the original colleges to come together to form the Vermont State College system.

The Community College of Vermont (CCV) is located in Morrisville in Lamoille County.

Communities

Towns

Villages

• Cambridge
• Hyde Park
• Jeffersonville
• Johnson
• Morrisville

Census-designated places

• North Hyde Park
• Stowe
• Wolcott

Unincorporated communities

• Belvidere Center
• Eden Mills
• Moscow

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Lamoille para niños