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Vermont State...
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Vermont Counties
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Vermont Counties
There are fourteen counties in Vermont. Each county has a county seat, known in
Vermont as shire town. In 1777, Vermont had two counties. The western side of the state was called Bennington
County and the eastern was called Cumberland County. In 1781 Cumberland County was broken up into three counties
in Vermont, plus Washington County, which eventually became part of New Hampshire. Today's Washington County was
known as Jefferson County until 1814. Essex County, Orleans County, and Caledonia County are commonly referred
to as the Northeast Kingdom. |
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Bennington County, Vermont
Bennington County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education
County Seat: Bennington
Year Organized: 1779
Square Miles: 676 |
Court House: 207 South Street
County Courthouse
Bennington, VT 05201-2247
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Etymology - Origin of County Name
For the city of Bennington, which was named for Benning Wentworth, governor of the New Hampshire Grants. Demographics:
County QuickFacts:
Census Bureau Quick Facts
History
Established on February 11, 1779 as an original county. County Seat: Bennington. Its has the unusual distinction
of having two shire towns (sometimes called county seats). Bennington is known as the South Shire & Manchester is
the North Shire
Bennington County is a county in the U.S. state of Vermont. As of 2000, the population was 36,994. Its has the
unusual distinction of having two shire towns (sometimes called county seats). Bennington is known as the South Shire &
Manchester is the North Shire.
In 1749, New Hampshire Governor Benning Wentworth chartered the first town in the territory now known as Vermont,
and named it Bennington, in honor of himself. The town's original settlement was formed in the area known today as
Old Bennington in 1761 by Congregational Separatists from Connecticut and Massachusetts.
The independent spirit of these early settlers was reflected in their overt resistance to land claims from New York
colony and eventually led to the formation of a local citizen militia headed by Ethan Allen, which came to be known
as the Green Mountain Boys. This militia later played a crucial role at the Battle of Bennington on August 16, 1777.
That battle was a prelude to the surrender of British General John Burgoyne at Saratoga, which led directly to the
success of the Revolution.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 678 square miles (1,755 kmē), of which, 676
square miles (1,752 kmē) of it is land and 1 square miles (4 kmē) of it (0.21%) is water.
A county forming the S.W. extremity of Vermont, has an area of about 700 square miles. It is drained by the
headwaters of Battenkill, Hoosick, andDeerfield rivers, and other small streams, which furnish abundant water-power.
Although some good land is found within the limits of this county, a greater part of the surface is mountainous and
unfitted for cultivation. (Bennington, VT .......from the 1854 U.S. Gazetteer)
Neighboring Counties:
- Rutland County, Vermont - north
- Windsor County, Vermont - northeast
- Windham County, Vermont - east
- Franklin County, Massachusetts - southeast
- Berkshire County, Massachusetts - southwest
- Rensselaer County, New York - southwest
- Washington County, New York - northwest
Cities and Towns:
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- Arlington |
town |
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- Bennington
(County
Seat) |
town |
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- Dorset |
town |
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- Glastenbury |
town |
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- Manchester |
village |
Incorporated Area |
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- North Bennington |
village |
Incorporated Area |
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- Old Bennington |
village |
Incorporated Area |
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- Peru |
town |
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- Pownal |
town |
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- Readsboro |
town |
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- Rupert |
town |
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- Sandgate |
town |
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- Shaftsbury |
town |
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- Stamford |
town |
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- Sunderland |
town |
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- Winhall |
town |
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- Woodford |
town |
County Resources:
Enter County Resources and Information Here
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Online High Schools
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County Resource Guide
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The history of our nation can be seen as a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names we've given our counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic
features of our country!"
But age, size and colorful names of our counties isn't the only reason to explore counties' role in American history, or the history of county government itself. In fact, the story of county government reflects the larger meanings of American history.
Today's counties are the most flexible, locally responsive and creative governments in the US. They are the most diverse, varying in size, population, geography, and governmental structure. In their politics and policies, they express a 1990's political slogan "Think globally,
act locally." |
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