South Burlington is a city in Chittenden County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the population of the city was 20,292. It is home to the headquarters of Ben & Jerry's and Vermont's largest mall, the University Mall.

History

The area of South Burlington was first granted by the Province of New Hampshire as part of Burlington township on June 7, 1763.

The town of Burlington was organized circa 1785. In 1865, the unincorporated village of Burlington was chartered as a city. The remaining area of the town came to be organized as a separate town with the name South Burlington in the same year, 1865. The town of South Burlington was later incorporated as a city in 1971.

City Center Initiative

The City Center Initiative is a proposal to create a walkable downtown for the City of South Burlington. The public is investing in infrastructure to support gathering spaces, mobility and economic vitality. public infrastructure. The over 300-acre area targeted to be developed and redeveloped is zoned for mixed-use including residential, commercial, and cultural spaces. The main components under design or construction by the city are a city hall, senior center and public library, streets and parks. Two main streets, Market Street and Garden Street, will be constructed and/or reconstructed to form the central routes through "City Center". These streets will be outfitted with bicycle and walking facilities, lined with trees, and include stormwater infiltration surfaces. Along these streets will be mixed-use buildings primarily for use by lower-level retail and upper-level residential units. In addition, a 7+ acre plot has been redeveloped as a public park, with walking paths through a forest, a children's discovery area, and natural art landmarks.

Geography

Located in western Chittenden County, South Burlington is bordered by the municipalities of Burlington to the northwest, Winooski and Colchester to the north, Essex to the northeast, Williston to the east, Shelburne to the south, and Shelburne Bay on Lake Champlain to the west. A large portion of Lake Champlain west of Burlington, extending west to the New York state line, is also part of South Burlington. The Winooski River runs east–west through the north side of the city, at Burlington.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 29.6 square miles (76.6 km²), of which 16.5 square miles (42.7 km²) is land and 13.1 square miles (33.9 km²), or 44.25%, is water.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1800	65	—
1810	68	4.6%
1820	120	76.5%
1830	135	12.5%
1840	121	−10.4%
1850	127	5.0%
1860	121	−4.7%
1870	791	553.7%
1880	664	−16.1%
1890	845	27.3%
1900	971	14.9%
1910	927	−4.5%
1920	938	1.2%
1930	1,203	28.3%
1940	1,736	44.3%
1950	3,279	88.9%
1960	6,903	110.5%
1970	10,032	45.3%
1980	10,679	6.4%
1990	12,809	19.9%
2000	15,814	23.5%
2010	17,904	13.2%
2020	20,292	13.3%
U.S. Decennial Census

It is also one of the principal municipalities of the Burlington, Vermont metropolitan area.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, The population density was 1,121.2 people per square mile (670.5/km²). There were 8,429 housing units at an average density of 507.8 per square mile (150.8/km²).

2020 census

The 2020 census estimates that there were 19,578 people living in South Burlington. There were 8,764 households and the average number of persons residing in one household was 2.15.

Race and ethnicity as of the 2020 Census Estimates:

White	90.0% (87.6% non-Hispanic or Latino)
Black or African American	1.2%
Hispanic or Latino	3.7%
Asian	5.0%
Pacific Islander	0.0%
Two or more races	2.0%

The median income for a household in the city was $73,605.

Employment and income

Employment flow in South Burlington (2019)	Count	Share
Total jobs in South Burlington	20,252	100%
Employed in South Burlington, lives elsewhere	17,639	87.1%
Employed and lives in South Burlington	2,613	12.9%

70.9% of people 16 and older in South Burlington are in the labor force. By sector, the labor force in South Burlington is concentrated in a few main sectors:

34.2% employed in educational services, health care, and social assistance
11.4% employed in manufacturing
9.1% employed in arts, entertainment, and recreation, and accommodation and food services
9.0% employed in retail
9.0% employed in professional, scientific, and management, and administrative and waste management services

The median household income was $73,605 in 2019 and 25.2% of families have total annual income between $100,000–$150,000. The unemployment rate in 2019 was 4.4%.

Economy

South Burlington has a largely service-based economy. There are 191 businesses in retail trade, mainly concentrated around City Center near Dorset Street and Williston Road. There are 131 establishments in health care and assistance and 116 in professional, scientific, and technical service industries. In 2020, South Burlington was first in the state for gross retail and use sales with $1,385,886,972. Real estate, rental, and leasing operations had a sales value of $86,976,000 in 2012.

Some of the major employers in South Burlington are the Vermont National Guard, GE Healthcare, Ben & Jerry's, Fairpoint Communications, Lane Press, and Halyard Brewing Co. South Burlington is home to CommutAir, a regional airline, and is headquartered in the city by the airport. Other important economic forces in South Burlington include the University Mall, Vermont's largest mall, four grocery stores centrally located in City Center Healthy Living Market & Cafe, Price Chopper, Hannaford, and Trader Joe's, and the Development Plan for City Center.

Parks and recreation

The Fletcher-Caulkins House at Wheeler Nature Park

Red Rocks Park is a public park and beach on the shores of Lake Champlain.
Overlook Park is a scenic park overlooking Lake Champlain and the Adirondacks.
Veterans Memorial Park (also known as Dorset Park) is the city's most well-known park. It has two baseball fields, one basketball court, a playground, and Cairns Arena, the high school's hockey arena, is close by.
Jaycee Park has a playground, basketball court, and open space for people to use.
Wheeler Nature Park, a park located just south of Veterans Memorial Park, with one hiking trail and scenic views of Mount Mansfield.

Government

The city government is a council-manager form of government with five at-large city council members. Budgets must be approved by voters. The city budget for 2019 was $23,686,098. The city maintains roads, recreation paths and parks, and recreation, planning and zoning, fire and police departments as will as a city clerk's office and city manager's office. The city clerk is elected by the voters and the city manager is appointed by the city council. The city also has a sewer (water quality), stormwater, and water utility.

Education

South Burlington High School

Elementary schools

Chamberlin School (public)
Orchard School (public)
Rick Marcotte Central School (public)
The Schoolhouse (private, independent)

Middle schools

Frederick H. Tuttle Middle School (the city's only public middle school)
Vermont Commons School (private, independent)

High schools

Rice Memorial High School (private, Roman Catholic)
South Burlington High School (the city's only public high school)
Vermont Commons School (private, independent)

Media

Newspapers

The Other Paper, a weekly newspaper published since 1977. Now owned by the Vermont Community Newspaper Group.

Television

WCAX-TV
WPTZ – Although licensed to Plattsburgh, New York, the station relocated their main studio facility to the same building in South Burlington that contains the Ben & Jerry's headquarters in the fall of 2019.

Radio

WXXX – 95.5 FM (95 Triple X) (Top 40)

Infrastructure

Burlington International Airport in South Burlington

Transportation

Airport

Burlington International Airport provides the area with commercial service to major regional hubs and international airports. Despite its name, it is located in South Burlington, although the land it is located on is owned and operated by the neighboring City of Burlington, Vermont's most populous municipality. It originally did not offer scheduled commercial flights to destinations outside the United States, although it now has a Customs Port of Entry. The name dates to a time when it offered flights to Montreal. From 2011 to 2018, there were seasonal flights to Billy Bishop Airport in Toronto. Bus service is provided by Green Mountain Transit.

The airport is the base of the Vermont Air National Guard and an Army Aviation Support Facility (AASF) of the Vermont Army National Guard. The airport is the muster point for the Air Wing of the Vermont State Guard.

Major highways

US Route 7 in South Burlington is a major corridor in Vermont.

Interstate 89
Interstate 189
U.S. Route 2
U.S. Route 7
VT 116 (Vermont Route 116)

Interstate 89, Vermont's longest interstate highway, has two interchanges serving the city. Exit 13 merges with I-189, which ends at Shelburne Road (U.S. Route 7). The second interchange, Exit 14, is the state of Vermont's largest highway exit and merges onto U.S. Route 2. Exit 14E merges onto Williston Road and Dorset Street in South Burlington. Exit 14W is the main exit into Burlington and becomes Main Street in the Burlington city limits, by the University of Vermont.

Interstate 189 goes east–west, connecting two of the city's main commercial roads, Shelburne Road (U.S. Route 7) and Dorset Street.

VT 116 (Vermont Route 116) runs north–south into South Burlington, with the northern terminus being at a junction at U.S. Route 2 (Williston Road).

Notable people

Kerstin Anderson, stage actress
Harry Bliss, cartoonist and illustrator
Ronald Braunstein, conductor
Jim Condos, Secretary of State of Vermont and former member of the Vermont Senate and South Burlington City Council
Jason Chin, author of award-winning book Redwoods; resides in South Burlington
Garry Davis, world citizen, peace activist, founder of the World Service Authority and creator of the World Passport
John Dooley, former associate justice of the Vermont Supreme Court
Jack Du Brul, New York Times bestselling author; resides here
Benjamin N. Hulburd, former chief justice of the Vermont Supreme Court
Major Jackson, poet
Jack Leggett, collegiate baseball coach
Aaron Miller, Retired NHL Player & Olympic medalist (one silver and one bronze), resides in South Burlington
Mike Rochford, pitcher with the Boston Red Sox and Yakult Swallows; was raised and played high school baseball for South Burlington
Barbara Snelling, former Lieutenant Governor of Vermont, member of the Vermont Senate and First Lady of Vermont
Martin St. Louis, right wing formerly with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Calgary Flames, and New York Rangers; resides in South Burlington
Devon Teuscher, principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre

South Burlington, Vermont facts for kids

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