St. Johnsbury, Vermont facts for kids

Quick facts for kids St. Johnsbury, Vermont
Town
St. Johnsbury Welcome sign
Nickname(s):  St. J
Motto(s):  Very Vermont
St. Johnsbury, Vermont
St. Johnsbury, Vermont Location in the United States
Country	United States
State	Vermont
County	Caledonia
Chartered	1786
Settled	1786
Organized	1790
Communities	St. Johnsbury St. Johnsbury Center East St. Johnsbury
Area
• Total	36.8 sq mi (95.2 km2)
• Land	36.4 sq mi (94.3 km2)
• Water	0.3 sq mi (0.9 km2)
Elevation	614 ft (187 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	7,364
• Density	200.34/sq mi (77.35/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP Codes	05819, 05838, 05863
Area code(s)	802
FIPS code	50-62200
GNIS feature ID	1462199

St. Johnsbury (known locally as "St. J") is the shire town (county seat) of Caledonia County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 7,364. St. Johnsbury is situated on the Passumpsic River and is located approximately six miles northwest of the Connecticut River and 48 miles (77 km) south of the Canada–U.S. border.

St. Johnsbury is the largest town by population in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont and has long served as a commercial center for the region. In 2006, the town was named "Best Small Town" in National Geographic Adventure's "Where to live and play" feature. The more densely settled southern one-third of the town is defined by the U.S. Census Bureau as the St. Johnsbury census-designated place, where over 81% of the population resides.

Economy

Industry

• 

  Caledonia Superior Court on Main Street
  E.T. & H.K. Ide Company, a grain wholesaler founded in 1813, was the oldest continuously operating business in town when the family stopped operations in 2003. It is no longer operational.
• Fairbanks Scales, precision machinery and manufacturing company still in business after more than 190 years, employs 160 workers.
• Maple Grove Farms of Vermont was founded by Katharine Ide Gray in 1915. It is the largest packer of pure maple syrup in the United States. In 2006, they employed 100 and had sales of $75 million. They are a subsidiary of B&G Foods.

Retail

Green Mountain Mall is a shopping mall north of downtown St. Johnsbury on U.S. Route 5. The anchor store is JCPenney. On December 16, 2020, it was announced that JCPenney would be closing as part of a plan to close 15 stores nationwide. The store closed in May 2021.

Medical

The Northeast Kingdom Human Services aids mental health needs. The Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital is located in the town.

Demographics

North Congregational Church on Main Street

As of the census of 2010, there were 7,604 people, 3,236 households, and 1,917 families residing in the town. The population density was 209 people per square mile (79.7/km²). There were 3,482 housing units at an average density of 94.49/sq mi (36.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 94.5% White, 0.8% African American, 0.7% Native American, 1.2% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.2% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races. 1.5% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 3,197 households, out of which 28.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.5% were married couples living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.0% were non-families. 32.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.85.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 12.8% under the age of 18, 19.1% from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 23.6% from 45 to 64, and 18.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.5 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $20,269, and the median income for a family was $41,961. Males had a median income of $30,846 versus $22,131 for females. The per capita income for the town was $16,807. 14.7% of the population and 12.0% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 37.8% are under the age of 18 and 11.1% are 65 or older.

Town center

Railroad Street in downtown St. Johnsbury

The U.S. Census Bureau refers to the most developed portion of the town as a census-designated place (CDP).

As of the census of 2000, there were 6,319 people, 2,726 households, and 1,561 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 486.8 people per square mile (188.0/km²). There were 2,985 housing units at an average density of 230.0 per square mile (88.8/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 96.23% White, 0.47% Black or African American, 0.74% Native American, 0.65% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.27% from other races, and 1.60% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.35% of the population.

There were 2,726 households, out of which 27.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.6% were married couples living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.7% were non-families. 35.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.18 and the average family size was 2.83.

In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 22.3% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 19.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.4 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $26,702, and the median income for a family was $39,890. Males had a median income of $31,454 versus $21,283 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $16,561. About 12.8% of families and 15.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.3% of those under age 18 and 9.1% of those age 65 or over.

Education

St. Johnsbury Academy – Colby Hall

• St. Johnsbury Academy is a private high school founded by the Fairbanks family in 1842. The town of St. Johnsbury does not operate a public school for grades 9–12, but Vermont law requires towns not operating schools to pay tuition to other approved schools for students in the grades not provided, an amount up to the Average Announced Tuition for union schools. A majority of St. Johnsbury secondary school students choose to be educated at St. Johnsbury Academy at the town's expense.
• St. Johnsbury Trade School opened in September 1918, offering the only four year vocational education in the area. The school's founders, Fairbanks, Morse and Company, wanted to provide young people with the opportunity to learn a trade while providing them a base for earning more money and high school courses. After serving the community for over 50 years, the Trade School was closed, and the building then became the junior high. In 1981, it became the St. Johnsbury Middle School. After consolidating the local school system, the old trade school became the site of the St. Johnsbury School serving students from K–8th grade.
• St. Johnsbury School now serves pre-kindergarten through 8th grade.
• Good Shepherd School is operated by St. John the Evangelist Roman Catholic Church and serves pre-school through 8th grade.

Infrastructure

Transportation

The following roads facilitate traffic: Interstate 91, Interstate 93, U.S. Route 2, U.S. Route 5 and Vermont Route 2B. Three exits from Interstate 91 serve the town. The northern terminus of Interstate 93 is at I-91 at the southern border of the town, and I-93 Exit 1, while just over the line in the town of Waterford, serves the eastern side of St. Johnsbury.

Notable people

Images for kids

• 

  This monument, located in Courthouse Park, honors those volunteers who died in the Civil War.

• 

  The St. Johnsbury Athenaeum is the only National Historic Landmark in the Northeast Kingdom.

See also

In Spanish: St. Johnsbury para niños