Swanton (town), Vermont

Swanton
Town
Missisquoi Valley Rail Trail in Swanton
Swanton, Vermont
Swanton Location in the United States
Coordinates:
Country	United States
State	Vermont
County	Franklin
Population (2010)
• Total	6,427
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	05488

Swanton is a town in Franklin County, Vermont. The population was 6,427 at the 2010 census.

History

The town of Swanton was chartered in 1763 as one of the New Hampshire Grants by Benning Wentworth, the Governor of the Province of New Hampshire. It was named for Captain William Swanton, an officer in the British Army who had traveled through the area during the French and Indian War.

There were French land grants in the area beginning in 1734, and small French settlements including a Catholic mission in what is now Swanton from as early as 1740, when settlers in Quebec used a water route from Quebec City and Montreal to reach the banks of the Missisquoi River near what are now known as Swanton Falls.

None of the original grantees who received the charter from Governor Wentworth settled or resided in Swanton, opting instead to sell or trade their shares. Because of its proximity to the Canadian border, it was not populated by anyone from the British colonies in the 1760s and 1770s, the newly independent United States in the 1770s and 1780s, or the Vermont Republic in the early 1780s. As late as 1786, Ira Allen owned 59 of the original 64 shares.

In 2013, human artifacts dating from 7,000 years ago were found near the Missisquoi River, including a Neville type stone object that might have been attached to a spear.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 61.7 square miles (159.7 km²), of which 48.4 square miles (125.4 km²) is land and 13.3 square miles (34.3 km²) (21.50%) is water.

Within the town is located the villages of Swanton and Fonda, as well as most of the Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1790	74		—
1800	858		1,059.5%
1810	1,657		93.1%
1820	1,607		−3.0%
1830	2,158		34.3%
1840	2,313		7.2%
1850	2,824		22.1%
1860	2,678		−5.2%
1870	2,866		7.0%
1880	3,079		7.4%
1890	3,231		4.9%
1900	3,745		15.9%
1910	3,628		−3.1%
1920	3,343		−7.9%
1930	3,433		2.7%
1940	3,543		3.2%
1950	3,740		5.6%
1960	3,946		5.5%
1970	4,622		17.1%
1980	5,141		11.2%
1990	5,636		9.6%
2000	6,203		10.1%
2010	6,427		3.6%
Est. 2014	6,442		0.2%
U.S. Decennial Census

As of the census of 2000, there were 6,203 people, 2,329 households, and 1,700 families residing in the town. The population density was 128.1 people per square mile (49.5/km²). There were 2,689 housing units at an average density of 55.6/sq mi (21.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 93.10% White, 0.42% Black or African American, 3.40% Native American, 0.45% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.18% from other races, and 2.43% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.44% of the population.

There were 2,329 households, out of which 35.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.4% were married couples living together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.0% were non-families. 20.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.05.

In the town the population was spread out with 27.7% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 29.4% from 25 to 44, 23.3% from 45 to 64, and 12.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 95.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.9 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $41,086, and the median income for a family was $45,810. Males had a median income of $32,789 versus $25,579 for females. The per capita income for the town was $18,228. About 7.2% of families and 9.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.8% of those under age 18 and 9.5% of those age 65 or over.

Missisiquoi Council Abenaki Nation

The Missisiquoi Council Abenaki Nation, an unrecognized tribe, is based in Swanton.

Missisquoi is a distinct Native “town-resident” community historically associated with portions of modern Swanton, Alburgh and Highgate towns in Franklin County, VT. Specifically, Missisquoi is a historically well-known Abenaki village located about a mile to the northwest of Swanton, Vermont; which figures prominently in the many ethnohistories ... its specific location has been known and mapped as a Euroamerican determination of Indigenous ethnicity (i.e. the “Indian Castle” of the 1762 Brassier and 1763 Collins and Murray maps).

Notable people

• Stephen F. Brown, Union Army officer in the American Civil War
• Lucien B. Caswell, US congressman from Wisconsin
• James Fisk, Member of the United States House of Representatives and United States Senate
• Oscar Clark Hathaway, Wisconsin State Senator

External links

• Town of Swanton home page
• Swanton Historical Society
• Swanton Chamber of Commerce