Coventry, Vermont

Coventry, Vermont
Town

Located in Orleans County, Vermont

Location of Vermont with the U.S.A.
Coordinates: 44°52′54″N 72°13′3″W / 44.88167°N 72.21750°W / 44.88167; -72.21750Coordinates: 44°52′54″N 72°13′3″W / 44.88167°N 72.21750°W / 44.88167; -72.21750
Country United States
State Vermont
County Orleans
Organized July 7, 1920
Area
 • Total 27.7 sq mi (71.7 km2)
 • Land 27.5 sq mi (71.1 km2)
 • Water 0.2 sq mi (0.6 km2)
Elevation 218 ft (276 m)
Population (2000)
 • Total 1,014
 • Density 36.9/sq mi (14.3/km2)
 • Households 379
 • Families 286
Time zone EST (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code 05825
Area code(s) 802
FIPS code 50-16150[1]
GNIS feature ID 1462077[2]

Coventry /ˈkɒvəntri/ is a town in Orleans County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,086 at the 2010 census.

Local government

A waste system company paid the town about $800,000 in "tipping fees" in 2009. This allows the town property tax rate to be zero. However, the town still pays school taxes.[3]

Town

School District

History

Etymology

Town was named for the birthplace of one of the founders, Major Elias Buel, who was born in Coventry, Connecticut.[5][6]

Post bellum

A record exists from 1860, showing that the "Artillery Company" of the 3rd Regiment mustered for annual drill on June 5. An inventory shows they possessed one six pound brass cannon.[7]

In 1861, the 3rd Vermont Infantry, Company B, was recruited in part from Coventry.

Coventry Festival

In 2004, what was billed as the final concert of the band Phish was held in Coventry on August 14–15. The concert was the single largest gathering of people in the town's history. Some fans had to be turned back due to heavy rains. Even so, with 65,000 attendees Coventry's augmented population was the largest in the state at that time, outranking Burlington, Vermont, which had around 39,000 people in the 2000 census.[8]

The Phish concert was a two-day event (August 14–15, 2004), held near the airport that borders Coventry and Newport. People began arriving early Friday morning and shortly after the roads became congested. On Friday morning, it had rained. The soft land in the parking area had turned to mud. Cars were then turned away. Instead of driving home, they parked their cars on the median of Interstate 91, choosing to walk the rest of the way to the concert.[9]

Dozens of pairs of shoes, sandals and boots were lost due to the thick mud. On Sunday, at the end of the concert, tractors were brought over to help pull cars out of the mud.[9][10]

In the 9/24/77 episode Hee Haw saluted Coventry, Vermont population 300

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 27.7 square miles (71.7 km2), of which 27.5 square miles (71.1 km2) is land and 0.2 square mile (0.6 km2) (0.80%) is water. It contains the smallest area of any town in the county. However, the city of Newport is smaller in area.[11]

The Black River flows an east-northeasterly course through the central part of the town until it joins the South Bay of Lake Memphremagog in Newport. For approximately the last 4.7 miles (7.6 km), the river is part of the state’s South Bay Wildlife Management Area.[12]

South Bay Wildlife Management Area is located mostly in Coventry but also in the adjacent town of Newport at the southern part of Lake Memphremagog. This is a large wetland and floodplain forest, red maple and white cedar swamp, along the Black River.[13]

The Barton River flows through Coventry, east of the Black River, and then into Lake Memphremagog.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
18007—
18101782,442.9%
182028258.4%
1830729158.5%
18407969.2%
18508678.9%
18609145.4%
18709140.0%
1880911−0.3%
1890879−3.5%
1900728−17.2%
1910616−15.4%
19206688.4%
1930610−8.7%
1940549−10.0%
1950497−9.5%
1960458−7.8%
19704927.4%
198067437.0%
199080619.6%
20001,01425.8%
20101,0867.1%
Est. 20141,059[14]−2.5%
U.S. Decennial Census[15]

As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 1,014 people, 379 households, and 286 families residing in the town. The population density was 36.9 people per square mile (14.3/km2). There were 435 housing units at an average density of 15.8 per square mile (6.1/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 97.63% White, 0.30% African American, 0.99% Native American, 0.10% Asian, and 0.99% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.89% of the population.

There were 379 households out of which 35.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.3% were married couples living together, 11.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.3% were non-families. 17.2% 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 2.68 and the average family size was 2.96.

In the town the population was spread out with 26.8% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 29.1% from 25 to 44, 25.9% from 45 to 64, and 9.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 102.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.3 males.

Economy

Personal income

The median income for a household in the town was $33,487, and the median income for a family was $37,500. Males had a median income of $26,528 versus $18,250 for females. The per capita income for the town was $13,788. About 11.9% of families and 17.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.8% of those under age 18 and 11.7% of those age 65 or over.

Industry

The Washington Electric Cooperative has four electric generators at Vermont’s largest landfill in Coventry. The methane generation facility provides a third to one half of WEC’s members’ electricity needs.[16] This facility supplies power to 6,000 households and businesses.[17] In 2008, the coop applied to expand the plant to 8 megawatts. This increase is expected to cost $3 million.

The New England Waste Services of Vermont (Waste USA), a subsidiary of Casella Waste Systems,[18] owns the landfill which serves much of Orleans County. It accepts over 250,000 short tons (230,000 t) of waste annually.[19]

Infrastructure

Airport

The town is served by the Newport State Airport, which, despite its name, is located within the town of Coventry. It contains two runways of 4,000 feet (1,200 m) each 05-23, and 18-36.

Cultural activities

The Vermont Roots Reggae Fest has been held here the last Saturday in August for several years. It was attended by 2000 people in 2006. Past problems with unruly crowds and drugs have been addressed by the organizers.[20] A fest is planned for 2007.

Footnotes

  1. 1 2 "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on September 11, 2013. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  2. ↑ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  3. ↑ Braithwaite, Chris (17 February 2010). "Coventry still complains about property taxes". Barton, Vermont: the Chronicle. p. 24.
  4. ↑ Diaz resoundingly re-elected as town clerk,The Chronicle,March 7, 2007, page 1
  5. ↑
  6. ↑
  7. ↑ Huegenin, Joan (June 2010). "Records". North East Kingdom Civil War Round Table: 9.
  8. ↑ Gary E. Lindsley (August 16, 2004). "Throngs Of Phish Heads Walk Into Festival Site". The Caledonian-Record News. St. Johnsbury, VT: Caledonian-Record Publishing Company, Inc. Retrieved 16 February 2010. VSP Sgt. Bruce Melendy said Sunday afternoon that between 65,000 and 68,000 fans made it into the Phish festival.
  9. 1 2 "Mud Stops Fans Headed To Phish Farewell". Billboard.com. 14 August 2004. Archived from the original on 21 November 2015. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
  10. ↑ Palmer-Benson, Timothy (22 August 2004). "Phish fans were stuck on Interstate 91 on Friday afternoon. Traffic was at a standstill 15 miles south of the concert site.". ScenesOfVermont.com. Archived from the original on 29 September 2006. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
  11. ↑ http://www.virtualvermont.com/index.php?loc=http://www.virtualvermont.com/towns/barton.html[]
  12. ↑ retrieved July 17, 2008 Archived August 29, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.
  13. ↑ Vermont Fish & Wildlife Archived June 20, 2008, at the Wayback Machine.
  14. ↑ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2014". Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  15. ↑ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on May 11, 2015. Retrieved June 19, 2015.
  16. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on June 23, 2008. Retrieved July 2, 2008. retrieved July 18, 2008
  17. ↑ Associated Press (July 17, 2008). Co-op to expand methane plant. Burlington Free Press.
  18. ↑
  19. ↑ Gresser, Joseph (February 13, 2013). "Landfill wants more trash". the Chronicle. Barton, Vermont. p. 12.
  20. ↑ Vermont Roots Reggae Fest. Seven Days. July 25 – August 1, 2007. page 29A
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