Irasburg, Vermont
Encyclopedia
Irasburg is a town
Vermont municipality
A Vermont municipality is a particular type of New England municipality. It is the basic unit of local government.-Background:Vermont contains 246 incorporated towns and cities. Nine are cities and 237 are towns. Collectively, these 246 municipalities cover the vast majority of, but not all of,...

 in Orleans County
Orleans County, Vermont
Orleans County is one of the four northernmost counties in the U.S. state of Vermont. It borders Canada. In 2010, the population was 27,231. Its county seat is Newport. As in the rest of New England, few governmental powers have been granted to the county...

, Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...

, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. The population was 1,077 at the 2000 census.

Town

  • Moderator - David Turner
  • Selectman - Randy Wells, Roger Gagnon (2010)
  • Town Clerk - Barbara Lawson
  • Town Treasurer - Barbara Lawson
  • Tax Collector - Alan Butler
  • Auditor (2007–2010) - Carmen Lamarche
  • Auditor (2007–2009) - Angela Goodrich
  • Lister (2007–2010) - Mark Fontaine
  • Lister (2007–2009) - Alice Couture
  • Lister (2007–2008) - Todd Rivers
  • First Constable (2010)- Ronald Pray


Budget - $370,576

School District

  • Director - Amy Leroux
  • Director (2007–2010) - Kimico Perry
  • Member, Orleans Central Supervisory Union
    Orleans Central Supervisory Union
    The Orleans Central Supervisory Union is a school district responsible for the education of students in the Vermont towns of Albany, Barton, Brownington, Glover, Irasburg, Orleans, and Westmore. This requires maintaining one elementary schools in each of the towns mentioned, plus the Lake Region...

      - Renee Fontaine (2007–2010)
  • Budget - $1,803,259 plus assessment for Lake Region Union High School
  • Number of students - 154
  • Special Needs students - 20%
  • Per student - "over $16,000"

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...

, the town has a total area of 40.6 square miles (105.1 km2), of which 40.5 square miles (105.0 km2) is land and 0.1 square mile (0.2 km2) (0.15%) is water.

The Black River flows through the town in a northerly direction, receiving a number of small streams. It enters east of Potters Pond. It continues northeast, then east to the village of Irasburg. Just upstream of the village, Lords Creek enters. This creek is about 10 miles (16 km) long and drains a watershed that is 17 square miles (44 km²). Downstream of Irasburg, the Black River continues north. It then flows into the town of Coventry.

The Barton River
Barton River
The Barton River is a tributary of Lake Memphremagog, over long, in northern Vermont in the United States.It runs north from Glover through Barton, Brownington, Coventry and drains through Newport into Lake Memphremagog's South Bay.-Course:...

, after leaving Orleans, flows through eastern Irasburg, and enters Coventry.

Demographics

As of the census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

of 2000, there were 1,077 people, 405 households, and 317 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 was 26.6 people per square mile (10.3/km2). There were 493 housing units at an average density of 12.2 per square mile (4.7/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 98.61% White, 0.74% Native American, 0.09% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 0.19% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, and 0.28% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.28% of the population.

There were 405 households out of which 40.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.9% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...

 living together, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.7% were non-families. 16.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the town the population was spread out with 28.3% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 29.7% from 25 to 44, 23.6% from 45 to 64, and 11.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 95.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.9 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $36,154, and the median income for a family was $39,167. Males had a median income of $27,802 versus $22,240 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...

 for the town was $16,315. About 5.9% of families and 9.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.2% of those under age 18 and 14.5% of those age 65 or over.

History

Vermont granted this town on February 23, 1781, to Ira Allen
Ira Allen
Ira Allen was one of the founders of Vermont, and leaders of the Green Mountain Boys; and was the brother of Ethan Allen.-Biography:...

 and sixty-nine others.

The Old Heerman Mill was located here.

In 1812, the legislature voted to change the shire town of Orleans County to Irasburg. Supporting buildings were completed in 1816.

In 1862, Company E of the 9th Vermont Infantry
9th Vermont Infantry
The 9th Regiment, Vermont Volunteer Infantry was a three years' infantry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It served in the Eastern Theater, from July 1862 to December 1865...

 was recruited, in part, from Irasburg.

In 1877, the town was still spelled "Irasburgh."

In 1886, the legislature moved the shire town to Newport.

The Irasburg town hall was built in 1911 and remodeled in 1990.

The town was in the national news in 2010 when it appeared that a moose was going to be destroyed for theoretically carrying disease; but mostly because "tamed" wildlife is not allowed in Vermont. The Vermont legislature crafted a law that spared the moose's life.

Landmarks

There is a round barn
Round barn
A round barn is a historic barn design that could be octagonal, polygonal, or circular in plan. Though round barns were not as popular as some other barn designs, their unique shape makes them noticeable. The years from 1880–1920 represent the height of round barn construction. Round barn...

 on Vermont Route 58
Vermont Route 58
Vermont Route 58 is an east–west state highway in northern Vermont, United States. The western terminus of the route is at VT 118 in Montgomery. The eastern terminus of VT 58 is at VT 5A north of Westmore and Lake Willoughby. In Orleans, VT 58 runs concurrent to U.S...

 about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) west of the village of Irasburg.

Notable people

  • Howard Frank Mosher
    Howard Frank Mosher
    Howard Frank Mosher is a contemporary author of eleven books: ten fiction and one non-fiction. Much of his fiction takes place in the mid-20th century and all of it is set in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont, a region loosely defined by the three counties in the northeastern corner of the state...

    , author.
  • Theodore Robinson
    Theodore Robinson
    Theodore Robinson was an American painter best known for his impressionist landscapes. He was one of the first American artists to take up impressionism in the late 1880s, visiting Giverny and developing a close friendship with Claude Monet...

    , impressionist landscape painter.
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