One of the
New Hampshire Grants, Middlebury was chartered by Colonial Governor
Benning Wentworth on November 2, 1761. The name "Middlebury" came from its location between the towns of
Salisbury and
New Haven.[6] It was awarded to John Evarts and 62 others. The
French and Indian Wars ended in 1763; the first settlers arrived in 1766. John Chipman was the first to clear his land, Lot Seven.[7] During the
Revolutionary War, much of the town was burned in
Carleton's Raid on November 6, 1778. After the war concluded in 1783, settlers returned to rebuild homes, clear forests and establish farms. The principal crops were
grains and
hay.
Landowners vied for the lucrative honor of having the village center grow on their properties. A survey dispute with Salisbury led to the forfeiture of Gamaliel Painter's farm to that town, and his transition from farming to developing
Middlebury Village near his and Abisha Washburn's mill, together with other mills that surrounded the
Otter Creek falls. Industries would include a
cotton factory,
sawmill,
gristmill,
pail factory,
paper mill,
woolen factory,
ironfoundry, and
marblequarry. The
Rutland & Burlington Railroad first arrived on September 1, 1849. Around 1830, Middlebury was the second-largest town in Vermont.
On January 2, 1838, a group of Patriote refugees from the
Lower Canada Rebellion met in Middlebury to plan their future course of action. It was attended by two major Patriote leaders,
Louis-Joseph Papineau and
Robert Nelson, but they were not able to agree on a unified plan.[8]
On October 22, 2007, central Middlebury was evacuated for a short time because of a train
derailment; the Middlebury Union Middle School served as the evacuation headquarters.
Today, as the largest town by population in Addison County, Middlebury serves as the commercial and business center for the region. Downtown hosts a three-screen movie theater, the post office, and two historic inns, as well as many shops and restaurants. There is considerable development along
U.S. Route 7 heading south of town, including two supermarkets, two drugstores, most of the town's gas stations, and several fast-food spots. Of note is Middlebury's
A&W, Vermont's only remaining
car-hop restaurant and a popular spot with both locals and Middlebury College students.
Geography
Middlebury is located near the center of Addison County in western Vermont. The town is drained by
Otter Creek, which flows from south to north along the western edge of the town, with the falls at the center of the village. The
Middlebury River flows west to Otter Creek out of the mountains. Chipman Hill, a hill of
glacial till, rises 450 feet (140 m) above the village just to the northeast. Foothills of the
Green Mountains border the town to the east, with the
Champlain Valley to the west.
According to the
United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 39.2 square miles (101.6 km2), of which 38.8 square miles (100.6 km2) is land and 0.39 square miles (1.0 km2), or 1.00%, is water.[9]
This
climatic region is typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. According to the
Köppen Climate Classification system, Middlebury has a
humid continental climate, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps.[11]
As of the
census[1] of 2010, there were 8,494 people, 2,860 households, and 1,642 families residing in the town. The
population density was 209.7 people per square mile (80.9/km2). There were 2,805 housing units at an average density of 71.9 per square mile (27.7/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 90.3%
White, 4.3%
Asian, 3.0%
Hispanic or
Latino of any race, 3.0% from two or more races, 1.3%
Black or
African American, 0.66% from
other races, 0.2%
Native American and 0.02%
Pacific Islander.[13]
There were 2,657 households, out of which 27.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.6% were couples living together and joined in either
marriage or
civil union, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.3% were non-families. 35.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.90.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 17.5% under the age of 18, 31.4% from 18 to 24, 18.6% from 25 to 44, 19.3% from 45 to 64, and 13.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 27 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.7 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 87.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $37,723, and the median income for a family was $46,691. Males had a median income of $32,645 versus $25,994 for females. The
per capita income for the town was $17,926. About 5.3% of families and 9.6% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 8.2% of those under age 18 and 6.1% of those aged 65 or over.
Bus service is provided by Tri Valley Transit. Premier Coach provides an intercity bus line in a joint venture effort with
Greyhound via Vermont Translines.[20][21]
Highway
U.S. Route 7 is the primary north/south highway through the town. It is known as Court Street south of the village, and North Pleasant Street north of the village.
Vermont Route 23 is a north/south highway known as Weybridge Street and is located on the west side of town, crossing the college campus.
Vermont Route 30 is a north/south highway entering the town on the south town line with Cornwall and ends at Route 7. It is known as Main Street within the town.
Vermont Route 116 is a north/south highway located on the east side of town, ending near the East Middlebury village at Route 7. It is known as Case Street in Middlebury except for a short portion known as Ossie Road within the East Middlebury village.
Vermont Route 125 is an east/west highway entering the town on the west side through Middlebury College where it is known as College Street. East of Route 7, Route 125 is known as East Main Street up until it exits the town at the Ripton town line.
Rail
Amtrak's Ethan Allen Express serves the city's
station, connecting it to Burlington to the north and New York City to the south. Service began in the city in July 2022.[22]
Until 1953, the
Rutland Railroad ran passenger service on the Green Mountain Flyer (New York City - Montreal) and the overnight Mount Royal, making stops in the city.[23]
A shot of the
Waybury Inn in East Middlebury was used in the opening of the TV series Newhart. Scenes of the town are also occasionally shown in the series.
G. Stone Motors, A new and used car dealership in Middlebury, was the subject of
Game Show Network's television series Family Trade in 2013.[37]
^Ellingson, Barbara (1997).
"Biographical Sketch, Charles Linsley"(PDF). Charles and Emmeline Linsley Papers, 1827-1892. Montpelier, VT: Vermont Historical Society. p. 1. Retrieved July 3, 2018.