Randolph, Vermont

History

Vermont granted the town on November 2, 1780, when the New Hampshire settlers could not locate the original grantees, whose patents were issued by New York. It was chartered on June 29, 1781 to Aaron Storrs and 70 others, and was originally named "Middlesex."

The town was first settled circa 1778, when Vermont was an unrecognized state whose government existed in defiance of the government of New York, which claimed Vermont was a part of New York. To encourage recognition of the state by the United States, the town was renamed in honor of Edmund Randolph.

With productive soil for cultivation, farming became an intensive industry. By 1830, when the population reached 2,743, between twelve and thirteen thousand sheep grazed its pastures. Randolph was noted for its good butter, cheese and mutton.

Two branches of the White River provided water power for watermills. By 1859, the town had three gristmills, one oil mill, and one carding mill. In 1848, the Vermont Central Railroad opened service through the town. Randolph's prosperity during the Victorian era endowed it with some fine architecture, including the Second Empire Randolph Railroad Depot and Renaissance Revival Kimball Public Library.

In 1921, Randolph was the setting for, and provided some of the cast of, a silent movie called The Offenders. In 1922 the same was true for the film Insinuation.

Today, Randolph is a thriving meeting-spot and shopping center for the surrounding area. The town is home to attractions such as the Porter Music Box Museum and the Chandler Music Hall. Also located in Randolph are the Gifford Medical Center, a hospital; Dubois & King, a civil and structural engineering firm; and Randolph Union High School, which also serves students from the neighboring towns of Braintree and Brookfield. Downtown Randolph hosts the Amtrak station, shops, restaurants, a movie theater, and several gas stations.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 47.9 square miles (124.1 km²), of which 47.9 square miles (124.0 km²) is land and 0.04 square mile (0.1 km²) (0.08%) is water. Randolph is drained by the second and third branches of the White River.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 4,853 people, 1,769 households, and 1,144 families residing in the town. The population density was 101.4 people per square mile (39.2/km²). There were 1,905 housing units at an average density of 39.8 per square mile (15.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.77% White, 0.21% African American, 0.14% Native American, 0.60% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 0.02% from other races, and 1.17% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.54% of the population.

There were 1,769 households out of which 31.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.9% were couples living together and joined in either marriage or civil union, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.3% were non-families. 27.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 3.00.

In the town, the population was spread out with 23.3% under the age of 18, 15.9% from 18 to 24, 23.8% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 13.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 103.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.4 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $41,283, and the median income for a family was $50,756. Males had a median income of $31,353 versus $25,160 for females. The per capita income for the town was $20,591. About 5.3% of families and 7.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.7% of those under age 18 and 7.5% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The main campus of Vermont Technical College is located here. Two public schools operated by the Orange Southwest Supervisory Union serve Randolph.

Roads and highways

Randolph is served by five state-maintained routes. Interstate 89 passes through Randolph and has one exit near the center of town. Paralleling the Interstate are Vermont Route 12, which passes through downtown Randolph and the western half of town, and Vermont Route 14, which passes through the eastern half of town. East-west Vermont Route 66, which is located entirely within Randolph, connects all three of those north-south routes. Vermont Route 12A splits from Vermont Route 12 just north of downtown Randolph and heads to the northwest to enter Braintree.

Public transportation

Amtrak, the national passenger rail system, provides daily service to Randolph, operating its Vermonter between Washington, D.C. and St. Albans, Vermont. Stagecoach Transportation Services provides local bus transportation across town, Orange County and to and from the White River Junction and Lebanon, New Hampshire areas.

Weekly newspaper

The Herald of Randolph

Radio

Sites of interest

International relations

Randolph is twinned with: