Stowe, Vermont

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Stowe is a town in Lamoille County, Vermont, United States. The population was 5,223 at the 2020 census.<ref name="Census 2020">Template:Cite web</ref> The town lies on Vermont Routes 108 and 100. It is nicknamed "The Ski Capital of the East" and is home to Stowe Mountain Resort, a ski facility with terrain on Mount Mansfield, the highest peak in Vermont, and Spruce Peak.

File:2004-02-25 - 07 - Stowe Town Hall.jpg

Stowe Town Hall

History

Template:See also The indigenous people who lived in the area now called Vermont were primarily Abenaki, who spoke Algonquian. They were forced aside by strategies of displacement after primarily British settlers flooded into the area after the French and Indian War.<ref name="Long Trail News">Template:Cite web</ref> There are no surviving names from the original language, which was most likely Mahican, an Algonquian dialect akin to Abenaki.<ref name="Long Trail News"/>

Stowe was chartered on June 8, 1763, by Royal Governor Benning Wentworth of the Province of New Hampshire.<ref>History of Stowe Vermont to 1869 by Mrs. M.N. Wilkins, As originally published in THE VERMONT HISTORICAL GAZATEER, a Magazine Embracing a History of Each Town Civil, Ecclesiastical, Biographical and Military. Vol.II (Burlington, VT 1871). Edited and published by Miss A. M Hemenway: Stowe Historical Society, Stowe, Vermont 1987</ref> Vermont became a U.S. state in 1791. Two years later more settlers arrived in Stowe. By the turn of the nineteenth century, the majority of the town's property had been sold, and its population had risen to 316.

Stowe's early years were dominated by the farm and lumber industries. Over 75 percent of the land in Stowe and most of Vermont used to be open terrain cleared by lumber production and used for agriculture, particularly sheep farming. In those days, up to 8000 sheep grazed the Stowe hills and valleys.<ref name="A Brief History of Stowe">Template:Cite web</ref>

Stowe's agricultural fortunes changed alongside those of the rest of New England. Most of Vermont eventually switched from sheep to dairy farms, with more than 100 farms in Stowe alone. Only nine of these farms are still operational today.Template:When Template:Cn This move allowed 75 percent of the cleared area to reforest over time.<ref name="A Brief History of Stowe"/>

Unlike much of the rest of Vermont, Stowe's past was not centered solely on agriculture. It had become a well-known summer resort by the mid-nineteenth century, thanks to its mountain scenery.<ref name="A Brief History of Stowe"/>

The Summit House atop Mt. Mansfield was constructed just before the American Civil War broke out. The Toll Road to reach it followed by 1870. At that time the 300-room Mansfield House occupied the majority of the settlement. The latter, often known as the "Big Hotel," burned down in 1889. Behind it lay a vast stable with over 100 horses, equipment, carriages, and stable hands. In 1953, the barn was demolished over fire concern, and several of the original beams were repurposed in the construction of The Whip Bar & Grill. The Depot Building located next to the Green Mountain Inn was erected in 1897 for the Mt. Mansfield Electric Railway. Running the 11 miles between Waterbury and Stowe, it carried both passengers and freight until 1932.<ref name="A Brief History of Stowe"/>

Through the First World War, summer tourism remained crucial to Stowe's economy. Stowe had its inaugural Winter Carnival in 1921, including ski jumping, skating, and a variety of other enjoyable activities. The Civilian Conservation Corps erected camps and began clearing ski tracks on Mt. Mansfield during the Great Depression, leading to Stowe becoming an early mecca for downhill skiing in the United States. The Bruce Trail, which ran from the current site of the Octagon to Ranch Camp, was the first built in 1933. The Mt. Mansfield Ski Touring trail system now includes this trail as well. The Nose Dive, the next ski trail, was created in 1934. Skiers used to trek the 2.5 miles to the summit in the early days. Chairlifts, which began with a single chair in 1940, overtook rope tows as the more convenient way. The chair was in service until 1986, when it was replaced with a high-speed detachable quad.<ref name="A Brief History of Stowe"/>

The Vermont Ski Museum was founded in 1988, and relocated to Stowe in 2000. It contains information and artifacts on the history of skiing and snowboarding in Vermont.<ref name="A Brief History of Stowe"/>

Stowe remains a premier Eastern resort town, summer and winter.

Geography

File:Topographic map example.png

Topographic map of the region around Stowe

Stowe is in southern Lamoille County, lying in a broad, fertile valley between Mount Mansfield and other peaks of the Green Mountains to the west, and the Worcester Range to the east. The town is bordered by Chittenden County to the west and Washington County to the south and east. The village of Stowe sits in the east-central part of the town, along the Little River where it is joined by its West Branch. The Little River, a tributary of the Winooski, flows southward past the village of Moscow and into Waterbury Reservoir, a large reservoir created by a flood control dam in Waterbury but which extends north into the Stowe town limits.<ref>Stowe, Vermont, 7.5 Minute Topographic Quadrangle, USGS, 1968 (1972 rev.)</ref>

Transportation

Vermont Route 100 crosses the town from north to south, passing through the village of Stowe. VT 100 leads north Template:Convert to Morrisville and south Template:Convert to Waterbury. Vermont Route 108 has its southern terminus in Stowe village and leads northwest through Smugglers Notch Template:Convert to Jeffersonville in the Lamoille River valley.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert are land and Template:Convert, or 0.23%, are water.<ref name="CenPopGazetteer2019"/> By area, it is the second-largest town in the state of Vermont after Chittenden in Rutland County.

Climate

According to the Trewartha climate classification system:

Mount Mansfield

Mount Mansfield has a temperate continental climate (Dc) with mild summers (l), very cold winters (c) and year-around precipitation (Dclc). Dclc climates are characterized by at least one month having an average mean temperature ≤ Template:Convert, four to seven months with an average mean temperature ≥ Template:Convert, all months with an average mean temperature < Template:Convert and no significant precipitation difference between seasons. Although most summer days are humid on Mount Mansfield, episodes of warmth and high humidity can occur with heat index values > Template:Convert. Since 1981, the highest air temperature was Template:Convert on 07/08/1988, and the highest daily average mean dew point was Template:Convert on 08/01/2006. July is the peak month for thunderstorm activity which correlates with the average warmest month of the year. Since 1981, the wettest calendar day was Template:Convert on 09/16/1999. During the winter months, the plant hardiness zone is 4a with an average annual extreme minimum air temperature of Template:Convert.<ref name="USDA">Template:Cite web</ref> Since 1981, the coldest air temperature was Template:Convert on 01/27/1994. Episodes of extreme cold and wind can occur with wind chill values below Template:Convert. Ice storms and large snowstorms depositing ≥ Template:Convert of snow are frequent from late-fall to early-spring.

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The Lodge at Spruce Peak

The Lodge at Spruce Peak has a temperate continental climate (Dc) with warm summers (b), cold winters (o) and year-around precipitation (Dcbo). Dcbo climates are characterized by at least one month having an average mean temperature ≤ Template:Convert, four to seven months with an average mean temperature ≥ Template:Convert, all months with an average mean temperature < Template:Convert and no significant precipitation difference between seasons. Although most summer days are humid at The Lodge at Spruce Peak, episodes of warmth and high humidity can occur with heat index values > Template:Convert. Since 1981, the highest air temperature was Template:Convert on 07/08/1988, and the highest daily average mean dew point was Template:Convert on 08/01/2006. July is the peak month for thunderstorm activity which correlates with the average warmest month of the year. Since 1981, the wettest calendar day was Template:Convert on 09/16/1999. During the winter months, the plant hardiness zone is 4b with an average annual extreme minimum air temperature of Template:Convert.<ref name="USDA"/> Since 1981, the coldest air temperature was Template:Convert on 01/27/1994. Episodes of extreme cold and wind can occur with wind chill values < Template:Convert. Ice storms and large snowstorms depositing ≥ Template:Convert of snow are somewhat frequent from December through March.

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Stowe village

Stowe village has a temperate continental climate (Dc) with warm summers (b), cold winters (o) and year-around precipitation (Dcbo). Dcbo climates are characterized by at least one month having an average mean temperature ≤ Template:Convert, four to seven months with an average mean temperature ≥ Template:Convert, all months with an average mean temperature < Template:Convert and no significant precipitation difference between seasons. Although most summer days are comfortably humid at Stowe village, episodes of heat and high humidity can occur with heat index values > Template:Convert. Since 1981, the highest air temperature was Template:Convert on 07/09/1988, and the highest daily average mean dew point was Template:Convert on 07/01/2018. July is the peak month for thunderstorm activity which correlates with the average warmest month of the year. Since 1981, the wettest calendar day was Template:Convert on 08/28/2011. During the winter months, the plant hardiness zone is 4a with an average annual extreme minimum air temperature of Template:Convert.<ref name="USDA"/> Since 1981, the coldest air temperature was Template:Convert on 01/27/1994. Episodes of extreme cold and wind can occur with wind chill values < Template:Convert. Ice storms and large snowstorms depositing ≥ Template:Convert of snow occur once or twice per winter.

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Ecology

According to the A. W. Kuchler U.S. potential natural vegetation types:

Mount Mansfield

Mount Mansfield has a dominant vegetation type of Northeast Spruce/Fir (96) with a dominant vegetation form of Northern Conifer forest (22).<ref name="Conservation Biology Institute">Template:Cite web</ref> The peak spring bloom typically occurs in late-May and peak fall color usually occurs in late-September. The plant hardiness zone is 4a with an average annual extreme minimum air temperature of Template:Convert.<ref name="USDA" />

The Lodge at Spruce Peak

The Lodge at Spruce Peak has a dominant vegetation type of Northeast Spruce/Fir (96) with a dominant vegetation form of Northern Conifer forest (22).<ref name="Conservation Biology Institute"/> The peak spring bloom typically occurs in mid-May and peak fall color usually occurs in late-September. The plant hardiness zone is 4b with an average annual extreme minimum air temperature of Template:Convert.<ref name="USDA" />

Stowe village

Stowe village has a dominant vegetation type of Northern [Hardwood]s/[Spruce] (108) with a dominant vegetation form of Northern Hardwoods (23).<ref name="Conservation Biology Institute"/> The peak spring bloom typically occurs in early-May and peak fall color usually occurs in late-September. The plant hardiness zone is 4a with an average annual extreme minimum air temperature of Template:Convert.<ref name="USDA" />

Demographics

Template:US Census population As of the census<ref name="GR2" /> of 2000, there were 4339 people, 1905 households, and 1129 families residing in the town. The population density was 59.7 people per square mile (23.1/km²). There were 2,728 housing units at an average density of 37.5 per square mile (14.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.51% White, 0.28% African American, 0.37% Native American, 0.44% Asian, 0.23% from other races, and 1.18% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.06% of the population.

There were 1,905 households, out of which 26.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.0% were married couples living together, 6.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.7% were non-families. 29.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.83.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 21.1% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 28.3% from 25 to 44, 30.3% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.2 males.

Economy

There has been some manufacturing in Stowe, such as the Tubbs Snowshoe factory, but it closed in 2009 and moved its manufacturing overseas.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The median income for a household in the town was $52,378, and the median income for a family was $64,700. Males had a median income of $37,788 versus $31,689 for females. The per capita income for the town was $35,474. About 3.7% of families and 6.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.8% of those under age 18 and 5.3% of those age 65 or over.<ref name="GR2" /> The median house value was $412,183 in 2012.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Points of interest

Trapp Family Lodge
Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum
Stowe Mountain Resort – Stowe, "The Ski Capital of the East", has long been known for its winter recreation. Its ski area was purchased by Vail Resorts in 2017 for $41 million.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It has 117 ski runs spread over Mount Mansfield and Spruce Peak, and boasts 13 lifts.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Stowe Recreation Path – a recreation trail<ref>Map of Path, SuperPages.com</ref> that runs Template:Convert, and was completed in 1989 at a total cost of Template:Gaps. The path stretches from the Village downtown all the way to the TopNotch Lodge. It has received several awards and honors.<ref>"History of the Stowe Recreation Path", Town of Stowe</ref>
Cady Hill Forest on the western edge of Stowe village was conserved by the Stowe Land Trust in 2012 and transferred to the town of Stowe. It offers more than Template:Convert of hiking and mountain bike trails, with an access point off Route 108 (Mountain Road). The Stowe Mountain Bike Club is currently responsible for maintaining the trail network.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Education

File:Stowe Middle High School Sign.jpg

The middle and high school are adjacent.

There are three public schools in town: Stowe Elementary School, Stowe Middle School, and Stowe High School. The Mount Mansfield Winter Academy is located in Stowe, which has a focus on snow sport athletes.

Stowe Land Trust

Stowe Land Trust is a local land conservation nonprofit that was founded in 1987 and has conserved 35 properties and over Template:Convert, many of which are available to the public. One is Wiessner Woods, conserved by the trust in 1992 through a donation from the Wiessner family.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Media

The Stowe Reporter, covering local politics, business, arts, and personalities, has been the weekly newspaper of record for the town of Stowe since its founding in 1958. The Vermont Community Newspaper Group, owner of the Stowe Reporter and four other community weekly newspapers in Vermont, is based in Stowe.

Radio station WCVT is licensed to Stowe, and programs a classic hits format.