Burlington, Vermont

Burlington is a city located in Chittenden County, Vermont of which it is the county seat. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 38,889 making it the largest city in Vermont. The city is the core of one of the nation's smaller metropolitan areas. The formal metropolitan area covers most of the three Northwestern counties of Vermont and includes a number of rural towns where the moose population may outnumber the human population. As a practical matter, the urban area consists of the city of Burlington and the towns of Colchester, Essex Jct, Winooski[?], Williston, and South Burlington. The year 2000 population of the metropolitan area is roughly 150,000.

Burlington lies roughly 30 miles (55km) west of the state capital in Montpelier and about 45 miles (80km) north of Rutland and 55 miles (100km) southeast of Montréal, in the Canadian province of Quebec. Burlington is a college town, home to the University of Vermont[?] and to Champlain College. St. 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.

Downtown Burlington is situated on a hillside overlooking Lake Champlain. The Winooski River[?] lies along the city's northern boundary. Burlington has regular ferry service to New York State during the summer and autumn and an international airport with commercial service to major regional hubs. Train service to Boston and New York is available from Essex Jct.

Table of contents 1 History 2 Geography 3 Demographics 4 Law and Government 5 Climate

History Burlington was chartered in 1763, but settlement did not commence until the 1770s when the Allen brothers built a fort at the falls of the Winooski. A few settlers cleared farms in the 1770s and 1780s. In 1787, Ethan Allen settled in the bottomland near the mouth of the Winooski River. The first town meeting was held in 1787. The University of Vermont was established in Burlington in 1791. By 1812, Burlington had become a significant port with a population of 2000. With the opening of the Lake Champlain Canal[?] in 1823, Burlington and Plattsburg[?] in New York 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.

Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 40.1 km² (15.5 mi²). 27.4 km² (10.6 mi²) of it is land and 12.7 km² (4.9 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 31.78% water.

Demographics As of the census of 2000, there are 38,889 people, 15,885 households, and 7,052 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,421.9/km² (3,682.0/mi²). There are 16,395 housing units at an average density of 599.4/km² (1,552.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 92.27% White, 1.78% 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 are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

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

In the city the population is 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 are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 29 years. For every 100 females there are 93.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 90.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $33,070, and the median income for a family is $46,012. Males have a median income of $30,144 versus $25,270 for females. The per capita income for the city is $19,011. 20.0% of the population and 10.4% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 19.4% are under the age of 18 and 10.5% are 65 or older.

Law and Government The city has a city council-mayor form of government, which is generally in a state of tension between right-of-center moderate Republicans and a left-of-center "progressive coalition".

Climate Burlington's climate is moderate for Vermont. 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 2 meters.