Editing Colchester, Vermont

{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name            = Colchester, Vermont
|settlement_type          = [[List of towns in Vermont|Town]]
|nickname                 =
|motto                    =

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|image_skyline            = Colch2.JPG
|imagesize                = 
|image_caption            = View of Malletts Bay (part of [[Lake Champlain]]) from Bayside Park near the center of Colchester
|image_flag               =
|image_seal               =

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|image_map                = Chittenden County Vermont incorporated and unincorporated areas Colchester highlighted.svg
|mapsize                  = 
|map_caption              = Location in [[Chittenden County, Vermont|Chittenden County]] and the state of [[Vermont]]
| pushpin_map = USA
| pushpin_map_caption = Location in the United States
<!-- Location -->
|subdivision_type         = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
|subdivision_name         = United States
|subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
|subdivision_name1        = [[Vermont]]
|subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in Vermont|County]]
|subdivision_name2        = [[Chittenden County, Vermont|Chittenden]]
|parts_type               = Communities
|parts                    = Colchester<br>Malletts&nbsp;Bay<br>Walnut&nbsp;Ledge

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|government_footnotes     =
|government_type          =
|leader_title             =
|leader_name              =
|leader_title1            =
|leader_name1             =
|established_title        =
|established_date         =

<!-- Area -->
|unit_pref  =  Imperial
|area_footnotes           =
|area_magnitude           =
|area_total_km2           = 151.7
|area_land_km2            = 94.1
|area_water_km2           = 57.6
|area_total_sq_mi         = 
|area_land_sq_mi          = 
|area_water_sq_mi         =

<!-- Population -->
|population_as_of         = [[2020 United States Census|2020]]
|population_footnotes     =
|population_total         = 17524
|population_density_km2   = auto
|population_density_sq_mi =

<!-- General information -->
|timezone                 = [[Eastern Time Zone|Eastern (EST)]]
|utc_offset               = -5
|timezone_DST             = EDT
|utc_offset_DST           = -4
|elevation_footnotes      =
|elevation_m              = 29
|elevation_ft             = 95
|coordinates              = {{coord|44|32|31|N|73|11|48|W|region:US-VT|display=inline,title}}
|postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]s
|postal_code              = 05439, 05446, 05449
|area_code                = [[Area code 802|802]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 50-14875<ref name="GR2">{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=January 31, 2008 |title=U.S. Census website }}</ref>
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info              = 1462073<ref name="GR3">{{cite web|url=http://geonames.usgs.gov|access-date=January 31, 2008|title=US Board on Geographic Names|publisher=[[United States Geological Survey]]|date=October 25, 2007}}</ref>
|website                  = {{URL|www.colchestervt.gov}}
|footnotes                =
}}

'''Colchester''' is a [[New England town|town]] in [[Chittenden County, Vermont|Chittenden County]], [[Vermont]], United States. As of the [[2020 United States Census|2020 census]], the population of Colchester was 17,524.<ref name="Census 2020">{{cite web| url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?g=0600000US5000714875| title=Census - Geography Profile: Colchester town, Chittenden County, Vermont| publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]| access-date=December 29, 2021}}</ref> It is the third-most populous municipality and [[List of municipalities in Vermont|most populous town]] in the state of Vermont.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/G001/0400000US50.06000| title=Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Census Summary File 1 (G001): All County Subdivisions within Vermont| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder| access-date=August 18, 2015| archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213100952/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/G001/0400000US50.06000| archive-date=February 13, 2020| url-status=dead}}</ref> Colchester borders [[Burlington, Vermont|Burlington]], Vermont's most populous municipality and is part of its [[Burlington, Vermont metropolitan area|metropolitan area]]. The town is directly to Burlington's north on the eastern shore of [[Lake Champlain]], to the west of the [[Green Mountains]]. The [[Vermont National Guard]] is based in the town, and it is also home to [[Saint Michael's College]] and the Vermont campus of [[Southern New Hampshire University]].

==History==
Chartered June 7, 1763,<ref>{{cite web| url=http://colchestervt.gov/historical/history_of_colchester.htm| title=History of Colchester| access-date=May 19, 2010| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100613011546/http://colchestervt.gov/historical/history_of_colchester.htm| archive-date=June 13, 2010| url-status=dead}}</ref> the town was named for the Earl of Colchester.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.epodunk.com/cgi-bin/genInfo.php?locIndex=25106|title=Profile for Colchester, Vermont|publisher=[[ePodunk]]|access-date=May 8, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110609004632/http://www.epodunk.com/cgi-bin/genInfo.php?locIndex=25106|archive-date=June 9, 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Winooski Falls separated from the town of Colchester in 1922, causing Colchester to lose a large percentage of its population to the newly founded city of [[Winooski, Vermont|Winooski]].<ref>Chase, Kim (June 10, 2016) [http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/story/news/2016/06/10/history-space-winooski-ptit-canada/85671566/ History Space: Winooski – a ‘p’tit Canada’] Burlington Free Press</ref>

==Geography==
Colchester is located on the shore of Malletts Bay, part of Lake Champlain. The westernmost part of the town touches the [[New York (state)|New York]] state border in the middle of the lake. To the northwest, across the eastern arm of the lake, lies the town of [[South Hero, Vermont|South Hero]] in [[Grand Isle County, Vermont|Grand Isle County]]. Chittenden County communities bordering Colchester are [[Milton, Vermont|Milton]] to the northeast, [[Westford, Vermont|Westford]] touching the easternmost point of Colchester, [[Essex, Vermont|Essex]] to the southeast, and the cities of [[South Burlington, Vermont|South Burlington]], [[Winooski, Vermont|Winooski]], and [[Burlington, Vermont|Burlington]] to the south.

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], Colchester has a total area of {{convert|151.7|sqkm|order=flip}}, of which {{convert|94.1|sqkm|order=flip}} is land and {{convert|57.6|sqkm|order=flip}}, or 38.0%, is water.<ref name="Census 2010">{{cite web| url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/G001/0600000US5000714875| title=Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Census Summary File 1 (G001): Colchester town, Chittenden County, Vermont| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder| access-date=August 18, 2015| archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213120551/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/G001/0600000US5000714875| archive-date=February 13, 2020| url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1790= 137
|1800= 347
|1810= 657
|1820= 960
|1830= 1489
|1840= 1739
|1850= 2575
|1860= 3041
|1870= 3911
|1880= 4421
|1890= 5143
|1900= 5352
|1910= 6450
|1920= 6627
|1930= 2638
|1940= 3031
|1950= 3897
|1960= 4718
|1970= 8776
|1980= 12629
|1990= 14731
|2000= 16986
|2010= 17067
|2020= 17524
|align-fn=center
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html |title=U.S. Decennial Census |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=May 16, 2015 }}</ref>
}}
[[File:Malletsbaycauseway.JPG|thumb|The [[Island Line Trail]] travels from Colchester across Lake Champlain to [[Grand Isle County]]; it is a former railroad line.]]

As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2" /> of 2010, there were 17,067 people, 6,576 households, and 4,184 families residing in the town.  The [[population density]] was 470 people per square mile.  There were 6,727 housing units at an average density of 182.4 per square mile (70.4/km<sup>2</sup>).  The racial makeup of the town was 94.6% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 1.5% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.1% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 1.9% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.0% [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 0.25% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 1.8% from two or more races.  1.7% of the population were [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race. 6.1% spoke a language other than English at home.

As of the 2000 census, 34.1% of households had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.2% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.9% were non-families. 22.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.  The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.96.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 22.6% under the age of 18, 16.2% from 18 to 24, 32.1% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 6.4% who were 65 years of age or older.  The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.0 males.  For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.0 males.

==Economy==
One measure of economic activity is retail sales. Colchester was fourth in the state in 2007 with $245.8 million.<ref>{{cite book | author = McLean, Dan |title = Retail Sales by the numbers | publisher = Burlington Free Press | date = July 13, 2008}}</ref> Major employers in the town include the VNA of Chittenden & Grand Isle Counties, Saint Michael's College, Costco Wholesale Corporation, Green Mountain Power, Shaw's Supermarket, and Champlain Cable Corporation.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://colchestervt.gov/DocumentCenter/View/944|title=Statistical Background Data of Colchester, Vermont|date=2015|website=Economic Development|publisher=Town of Colchester|access-date=December 12, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170108021650/http://colchestervt.gov/DocumentCenter/View/944|archive-date=January 8, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Personal income===
In 2014, the median household income for Colchester was $68,440; the per capita income was $30,877. Males had a median income of $38,268 versus $30,880 for females. About 5.4% of families, 8.2% of those under age 18, and 9.7% of those age 65 or over (total of 10.6% of the population) were below the [[poverty line]]. In 2011, the median home value was $246,269.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://colchestervt.gov/DocumentCenter/View/944|title=Statistical Background Data of Colchester, Vermont|date=2015|website=Colchester|publisher=Town of Colchester|access-date=December 12, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170108021650/http://colchestervt.gov/DocumentCenter/View/944|archive-date=January 8, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Tourism===
There has been an annual "Lake Champlain International Father's Day Fishing Derby" (LCI) since 1981. In 2009, 6,000 fishermen entered.<ref>Burlington Free Press, June 26, 2009, page 1B, "LCI Derby winners vetted," Joel Banner Baird</ref>

The lakeshore areas of Colchester get an influx of vacationers every summer from southern New England and the [[New York City]] area.  Traffic, especially around the Fourth of July holiday, increases by a substantial margin.

[[Niquette Bay State Park]] offers hiking and swimming in Lake Champlain.

==Government==
=== Elected officials ===
In the Vermont state legislature, Colchester residents were represented by Senator [[Richard Mazza]] (D) and Representatives [[Curt Taylor]] (D), Seth Chase (D), Sarita Austin (D), and [[Patrick Brennan (politician)|Patrick Brennan]] (R) as of June 2021.

==Education==

[[File:Aerial shot of Saint Michael's College.jpg|thumb|alt=Aerial view of Saint Michael's College campus|Saint Michael's College]]

*[[Saint Michael's College]] is located here.
*[[Southern New Hampshire University]] – Vermont Center, home of the field-based graduate program in education.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.snhuvt.org/program_history|title=Program History|publisher=Southern New Hampshire University|access-date=July 5, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170915220228/https://www.snhuvt.org/program_history|archive-date=September 15, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Public school system===
Around 2,200 children attend the five schools in [[Colchester School District (Vermont)|Colchester's school district]]. The district consists of one high school, [[Colchester High School (Vermont)|Colchester High School]]; one middle school, Colchester Middle School; and three elementary schools: Malletts Bay School, Porters Point School, and Union Memorial School.

==Media==

===Radio===

<!---Note: list should match Wikipedia article, List of radio stations in Vermont. Not New York stations that are popular. nor stations located in nearby towns--->
* [[WVTX (FM)|WVTX]] – 88.7 FM
* [[WVMT]] – 620 AM
* [[WXXX]] "95 Triple X" – 95.5 FM

===Television===

* [[WFFF-TV]] – "Fox 44"
* [[WVNY]] – "ABC 22"

==Infrastructure==
===Transportation===
[[Interstate 89]] passes through the area, with exits 16 and 17 serving Colchester. Exit 16 connects to the concurrency of US Routes 2 and 7 (Roosevelt Highway), just north of Winooski. Exit 17 connects to US 2, which goes west to the Champlain Islands, and also to US 7, which heads north toward the town of Milton.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://vtransmaps.vermont.gov/staticmaps/interstate.pdf|title=Interstate 89|date=2016|website=VTrans Online Map Center|publisher=Vermont Department of Transportation|access-date=December 12, 2016}}</ref>

In the southeastern part of Colchester, and also along the [[U.S. Route 7 in Vermont|US Route 7]] corridor, bus service is provided by [[Green Mountain Transit]].

[[Vermont Translines]] provides scheduled bus service to [[Albany, New York]] via [[Burlington, Vermont|Burlington]], as well as [[Hanover, New Hampshire]] and [[Lebanon, New Hampshire]] via a transfer at [[Rutland (city), Vermont|Rutland]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.vttranslines.com/vermont-bus-routes/|title=Bus Routes|work=Vermont Translines|access-date=February 22, 2018|language=en-US}}</ref>

== Notable people ==
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· The article must mention how they are associated with Colchester, whether born, raised, or residing.
· The fact of their association should have a reliable source cited.
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* [[Alfred Elisha Ames]], physician and politician
* [[Tom Brennan (basketball coach)|Tom Brennan]], former men's basketball coach at the [[University of Vermont]] 
* [[Ray Collins (baseball)|Ray Collins]], pitcher with the [[Boston Red Sox]] (1909–1915)
* [[Roger Enos]], [[Major General (United States)|Major General]] and commander of the Vermont Militia in the later stages of the [[American Revolutionary War|American Revolution]]
* [[Mat Fraser (athlete)|Mat Fraser]], [[CrossFit]] athlete
* [[Donato Giancola]], science fiction and fantasy illustrator
* [[Richard Tarrant (politician)|Richard Tarrant]], American businessman and politician
* [[Lucy Wheelock]], founder and first president of [[Wheelock College]] and early childhood pioneer

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20040226192750/http://town.colchester.vt.us/ Town of Colchester official website]
* {{cite EB1911|wstitle=Colchester (Vermont)|volume=6|page=661|short=1}}

{{Chittenden County, Vermont}}
{{Vermont}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Colchester, Vermont| ]]
[[Category:Towns in Vermont]]
[[Category:Burlington, Vermont metropolitan area]]
[[Category:Towns in Chittenden County, Vermont]]