Editing Peru, Vermont

{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
| official_name      = Peru, Vermont
| settlement_type    = [[New England town|Town]]
| nickname           = 
| motto              = 
<!-- Images -->
| image_skyline      = PeruVT MainStreetMakery.jpg
| imagesize          = 
| image_caption      = 
| image_flag         = 
| image_seal         = 
<!-- Maps -->
| image_map          = peru_vt_highlight.png
| mapsize            = 200px
| map_caption        = Peru, Vermont
| image_map1         = 
| mapsize1           = 
| map_caption1       = 
| pushpin_map        = Vermont#USA
| pushpin_map_caption = Location in the United States

<!-- Location -->
| subdivision_type   = Country
| subdivision_name   = United States
| subdivision_type1  = State
| subdivision_name1  = [[Vermont]]
| subdivision_type2  = [[List of counties in Vermont|County]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[Bennington County, Vermont|Bennington]]

<!-- Government -->
| 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     = 96.7
| area_land_km2      = 96.4
| area_water_km2     = 0.3
| 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   = 531
| population_density_km2 = 5.5
| 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        = 502
| elevation_ft       = 1647
| coordinates        = {{Coord|43|14|38|N|72|53|54|W|region:US-VT_type:city|display=inline,title}}
| postal_code_type   = [[ZIP Code]]s
| postal_code        = 05152 (Peru)<br/>05148 ([[Londonderry, Vermont|Londonderry]])
| area_code          = [[Area code 802|802]]
| area_code_type     = [[North American Numbering Plan|Area code]]
| blank_name         = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info         = 50-55000<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        = 1462172<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            = [http://www.peruvt.org/ www.peruvt.org]
| footnotes          = 
}}

'''Peru''' is a [[New England town|town]] in [[Bennington County, Vermont|Bennington County]], [[Vermont]], United States. The population was 531 at the [[2020 United States Census|2020 census]].<ref name="Census 2020">{{cite web| url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?g=0600000US5000355000| title=Census - Geography Profile: Peru town, Bennington County, Vermont| publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]| access-date=January 4, 2022}}</ref> Originally known as '''Bromley''', the town name was changed to "Peru" by the land grantees as a way of attracting land buyers to an area that had been described as {{convert|36|sqmi|km2|sigfig=2}} of "trees, bears and mountain lions".

== History ==
The town was chartered with the name Bromley in 1761 by [[Benning Wentworth]], governor of the [[Province of New Hampshire]]. The first white settlement is said to have been in 1773, by William Barlow of [[Woodstock, Connecticut]].<ref name=Haynes>{{cite journal|last=Haynes |first=Nancy|title=Peru|pages=206–212|editor=Abby Maria Hemenway|journal=The Vermont Historical Gazetteer, A Magazine Embracing a History of Each Town|volume=1|url=https://archive.org/stream/vermonthistorica01heme|place= Burlington, Vermont| year=1867}}</ref> The town of Bromley was organized at a town meeting in March 1802.<ref name=Haynes/><ref>{{cite book|last=Batchelder|first=Ira K.|title=Reunion Celebration Together with an Historical Sketch, Peru, Bennington County, Vermont. Its Inhabitants from the First Settlement of the Town. |place=Brattleboro, Vermont|publisher=Phoenix Job Print, E. L. Hildreth & Co.|year=1891|pages=84–85|url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.32044025025628}}</ref> As of the autumn of 1802 there were 14 families living in the town.<ref name=Haynes/> In late 1803 or early 1804 the name of the town was changed to Peru. The new name was adopted to attract more people to the town by associating it with the South American country [[Peru]], which was considered to be a place of great wealth,<ref name=Haynes/> apparently due to the rich [[Mineral industry of Peru#Lead, silver, and zinc|silver mining industry there]].

==Geography==
Peru is located in northeastern Bennington County, bordered by [[Rutland County, Vermont|Rutland County]] to the north. The crest of the [[Green Mountains]] runs from north to the south through the western half of the town, traversed by the [[Long Trail]]/[[Appalachian Trail]]. {{convert|1000|m|ft|adj=mid|-high|order=flip}} [[Bromley Mountain]] and its ski area are in the southern part of the town, and {{convert|1034|m|adj=on|order=flip}} Styles Peak and {{convert|1045|m|adj=on|order=flip}} Peru Peak are to the north. The village or town center of Peru is in the southeastern part of town, at elevation {{convert|1706|ft}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.topoquest.com/place-detail.php?id=1920375|title=Peru Town Center|publisher=topoquest.com|access-date=August 14, 2020}}</ref> [[Vermont Route 11]] crosses the southeastern part of the town, through the town center and past Bromley Mountain Ski Area.

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the town has a total area of {{convert|96.7|sqkm|order=flip}}, of which {{convert|96.4|sqkm|order=flip}} is land and {{convert|0.3|sqkm|order=flip|1}}, or 0.32%, is water.<ref name="Census 2010">{{cite web| url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/G001/0600000US5000355000| archive-url=https://archive.today/20200212161258/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/G001/0600000US5000355000| url-status=dead| archive-date=February 12, 2020| title=Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Peru town, Bennington County, Vermont| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder| access-date=April 25, 2014}}</ref>

=== Climate ===
This [[climate|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, Peru has a [[humid continental climate]], abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather-summary.php3?s=533634&cityname=Peru,+Vermont,+United+States+of+America&units=|title=Peru, Vermont Köppen Climate Classification (Weatherbase)|website=Weatherbase}}</ref>

{{Weather box
|location = Peru, Vermont (1991–2020 normals)
|single line = Y
|Jan high F = 26.6
|Feb high F = 30.5
|Mar high F = 37.9
|Apr high F = 50.3
|May high F = 64.1
|Jun high F = 69.7
|Jul high F = 74.7
|Aug high F = 72.9
|Sep high F = 67.0
|Oct high F = 56.0
|Nov high F = 42.7
|Dec high F = 32.1
|year high F= 
|Jan mean F = 17.2
|Feb mean F = 20.5
|Mar mean F = 27.6
|Apr mean F = 40.1
|May mean F = 53.1
|Jun mean F = 60.5
|Jul mean F = 65.6
|Aug mean F = 63.8
|Sep mean F = 57.2
|Oct mean F = 46.4
|Nov mean F = 34.3
|Dec mean F = 24.0
|year mean F=
|Jan low F = 7.8
|Feb low F = 10.4
|Mar low F = 17.3
|Apr low F = 29.8
|May low F = 42.0
|Jun low F = 51.3
|Jul low F = 56.4
|Aug low F = 54.6
|Sep low F = 47.4
|Oct low F = 36.7
|Nov low F = 25.8
|Dec low F = 15.9
|year low F=
|Jan record high F =  67
|Feb record high F =  64
|Mar record high F =  88
|Apr record high F =  92
|May record high F =  96
|Jun record high F =  99
|Jul record high F =  99
|Aug record high F =  96
|Sep record high F =  94
|Oct record high F =  88
|Nov record high F =  82
|Dec record high F =  67
|year record high F= 99
|Jan record low F = −33
|Feb record low F = −29
|Mar record low F = −13
|Apr record low F =   5
|May record low F =  21
|Jun record low F =  32
|Jul record low F =  37
|Aug record low F =  31
|Sep record low F =  22
|Oct record low F =  14
|Nov record low F =   2
|Dec record low F = −23
|year record low F= −33
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation inch = 3.90
|Feb precipitation inch = 3.40
|Mar precipitation inch = 4.15
|Apr precipitation inch = 3.97
|May precipitation inch = 4.06
|Jun precipitation inch = 5.01
|Jul precipitation inch = 4.49
|Aug precipitation inch = 4.64
|Sep precipitation inch = 3.98
|Oct precipitation inch = 5.16
|Nov precipitation inch = 3.75
|Dec precipitation inch = 4.47
|Jan snow inch =  29.9
|Feb snow inch =  24.3
|Mar snow inch =  25.0
|Apr snow inch =  7.8
|May snow inch =  0.1
|Jun snow inch =  0
|Jul snow inch =  0
|Aug snow inch =  0
|Sep snow inch =  0
|Oct snow inch =  1.0
|Nov snow inch =  6.7
|Dec snow inch =  21.6
|unit precipitation days = 0.01 in
|unit snow days = 0.1 in
|Jan precipitation days = 11
|Feb precipitation days = 9
|Mar precipitation days = 11
|Apr precipitation days = 11
|May precipitation days = 13
|Jun precipitation days = 12
|Jul precipitation days = 12
|Aug precipitation days = 10
|Sep precipitation days = 9
|Oct precipitation days = 11
|Nov precipitation days = 10
|Dec precipitation days = 11
|year precipitation days= 130
|Jan snow days = 10
|Feb snow days = 8
|Mar snow days = 9
|Apr snow days = 3
|May snow days = 0
|Jun snow days = 0
|Jul snow days = 0
|Aug snow days = 0
|Sep snow days = 0
|Oct snow days = 1
|Nov snow days = 3
|Dec snow days = 8
|year snow days= 42
|Jan snow depth inch = 20
|Feb snow depth inch = 27
|Mar snow depth inch = 28
|Apr snow depth inch = 16
|May snow depth inch = 0
|Jun snow depth inch = 0
|Jul snow depth inch = 0
|Aug snow depth inch = 0
|Sep snow depth inch = 0
|Oct snow depth inch = 1
|Nov snow depth inch = 5
|Dec snow depth inch = 13
|year snow depth inch= 31
|source 1 = NOAA<ref name= NOAA>{{cite web |url = https://www.weather.gov/wrh/climate?wfo=aly |title = NowData – NOAA Online Weather Data |publisher = [[National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration]] |access-date = January 7, 2023}}</ref>
}}

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1790= 71
|1800= 130
|1810= 239
|1820= 314
|1830= 455
|1840= 578
|1850= 567
|1860= 543
|1870= 500
|1880= 556
|1890= 445
|1900= 373
|1910= 242
|1920= 216
|1930= 156
|1940= 142
|1950= 197
|1960= 194
|1970= 243
|1980= 312
|1990= 324
|2000= 416
|2010= 375
|2020= 531
|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>
}}

As of the census<ref name="GR2" /> of 2000, there were 416 people, 157 households, and 118 families residing in the town. The population density was {{convert|11.1|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|people&nbsp;|people|}}. There were 445 housing units at an average density of {{convert|11.9|/mi2|/km2|disp=preunit|units&nbsp;|units|}}. The racial makeup of the town was 97.84% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.24% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], and 1.92% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 0.72% of the population.

There were 157 households, out of which 35.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.2% were married couples living together, 5.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.8% were non-families. Of all households, 17.2% were made up of individuals, and 7.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.03.

In the town, the age distribution of the population shows 25.7% under the age of 18, 5.0% from 18 to 24, 26.4% from 25 to 44, 27.9% from 45 to 64, and 14.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.1 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $47,188, and the median income for a family was $54,063. Males had a median income of $31,000 versus $25,208 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the town was $28,546. None of the families and 0.7% of the population were living below the [[poverty line]], including no under eighteens and none of those over 64.

==Recreation==
[[Bromley Mountain]] ski area offers alpine skiing and snowboarding in the winter and an adventure park in the summer. Hapgood Pond Recreation Area, part of the [[Green Mountain National Forest]], has a developed campground, fishing, swimming, and a one-mile nature trail. Peru is also home to sections of the [[Appalachian Trail]], [[Long Trail]], and [[Catamount Trail]].

==In popular culture==
The town appeared as "Hadleyville" in the 1987 film [[Baby Boom (film)|''Baby Boom'']] starring [[Diane Keaton]].

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Commons category inline|Peru, Vermont}}
* {{Official website|http://www.peruvt.org}}
* [http://www.virtualvermont.com/towns/peru.html Virtual Vermont Peru page]

{{Bennington County, Vermont}}
{{authority control}}

[[Category:Peru, Vermont| ]]
[[Category:1761 establishments in the Thirteen Colonies]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1761]]
[[Category:Towns in Bennington County, Vermont]]
[[Category:Towns in Vermont]]