Historical U.S. Census totals for Caledonia County, Vermont

This article shows U.S. Census totals for Caledonia County, Vermont, broken down by municipality, from 1900 to 2000.

Like most areas of New England, Caledonia County is (and has been at all times since well before the 20th century) entirely divided into incorporated municipalities. There is no unincorporated territory.

There are three types of incorporated municipalities in Vermont: towns, cities and villages. As in the other New England states, towns are the basic unit of municipal government. Cities are independent of and equivalent to towns, but differ in their form of government. Villages overlay towns and assume responsibility for some municipal services within their boundaries. Incorporated villages are not found in any of the other New England states, and are less common in Vermont today than they have been in the past. A number of villages have disincorporated over the years, choosing to revert back to full town control; most of those that remain are very small.

The main tables below show municipalities at the town level. For any census, adding up the totals for each town-level municipality should yield the county total. The tables in the New England Historical U.S. Census Totals series differentiate between towns and cities; however, there have never been any cities in Caledonia County. A separate section follows with population totals for villages from 1930 to 2000.

For more information on the New England municipal system, see New England town.

Corporate changes since 1900

There have been no changes in Caledonia County’s town-level municipality roster since 1900.

1900

County Total: 24,381

*St. Johnsbury 7,010
*Lyndon 2,956
*Hardwick 2,466
*Barnet 1,763
*Danville 1,628
*Burke 1,184
*Groton 1,059
*Ryegate 995
*Peacham 794
*Walden 764
*Sheffield 724
*Waterford 705
*Sutton 694
*Wheelock 567
*Newark 500
*Kirby 350
*Stannard 222

1910

County Total: 26,031

*St. Johnsbury 8,098
*Lyndon 3,204
*Hardwick 3,201
*Barnet 1,707
*Danville 1,564
*Ryegate 1,194
*Burke 1,183
*Groton 915
*Peacham 777
*Walden 739
*Sutton 711
*Sheffield 691
*Waterford 629
*Wheelock 500
*Newark 415
*Kirby 297
*Stannard 206

1920

County Total: 25,762

*St. Johnsbury 8,708
*Lyndon 3,558
*Hardwick 2,641
*Barnet 1,685
*Danville 1,494
*Ryegate 1,188
*Burke 1,041
*Groton 902
*Walden 674
*Sutton 659
*Peacham 657
*Sheffield 594
*Waterford 574
*Wheelock 526
*Newark 364
*Kirby 324
*Stannard 173

1930

County Total: 27,253

*St. Johnsbury 9,696
*Lyndon 3,285
*Hardwick 2,720
*Barnet 2,604
*Danville 1,600
*Ryegate 1,216
*Burke 1,016
*Groton 803
*Waterford 712
*Walden 664
*Peacham 620
*Sutton 596
*Sheffield 543
*Wheelock 412
*Kirby 311
*Newark 301
*Stannard 154

1940

County Total: 24,320

*St. Johnsbury 9,095
*Lyndon 3,144
*Hardwick 2,605
*Barnet 1,596
*Danville 1,472
*Ryegate 1,105
*Burke 998
*Groton 764
*Sutton 561
*Walden 547
*Peacham 543
*Waterford 498
*Sheffield 465
*Wheelock 293
*Kirby 252
*Newark 242
*Stannard 140

1950

County Total: 24,049

*St. Johnsbury 9,292
*Lyndon 3,360
*Hardwick 2,629
*Barnet 1,425
*Danville 1,312
*Burke 1,042
*Ryegate 996
*Groton 712
*Sutton 528
*Peacham 501
*Walden 481
*Waterford 468
*Sheffield 451
*Wheelock 287
*Kirby 257
*Newark 192
*Stannard 116

1960

County Total: 22,786

*St. Johnsbury 8,869
*Lyndon 3,425
*Hardwick 2,349
*Barnet 1,445
*Danville 1,368
*Burke 922
*Ryegate 894
*Groton 631
*Sutton 476
*Waterford 460
*Peacham 433
*Walden 427
*Sheffield 342
*Wheelock 246
*Kirby 235
*Newark 151
*Stannard 113

1970

County Total: 22,789

*St. Johnsbury 8,409
*Lyndon 3,705
*Hardwick 2,466
*Danville 1,405
*Barnet 1,342
*Burke 1,053
*Ryegate 830
*Groton 666
*Waterford 586
*Peacham 446
*Walden 442
*Sutton 438
*Sheffield 307
*Wheelock 238
*Kirby 224
*Newark 144
*Stannard 88

1980

County Total: 25,808

*St. Johnsbury 7,938
*Lyndon 4,924
*Hardwick 2,613
*Danville 1,705
*Burke 1,385
*Barnet 1,338
*Ryegate 1,000
*Waterford 882
*Groton 667
*Sutton 667
*Walden 575
*Peacham 531
*Wheelock 444
*Sheffield 435
*Kirby 282
*Newark 280
*Stannard 142

1990

County Total: 27,846

*St. Johnsbury 7,608
*Lyndon 5,371
*Hardwick 2,964
*Danville 1,917
*Barnet 1,415
*Burke 1,406
*Waterford 1,190
*Ryegate 1,058
*Groton 862
*Sutton 854
*Walden 703
*Peacham 627
*Sheffield 541
*Wheelock 481
*Newark 354
*Kirby 347
*Stannard 148

2000

County Total: 29,702

*St. Johnsbury 7,571
*Lyndon 5,448
*Hardwick 3,174
*Danville 2,211
*Barnet 1,690
*Burke 1,571
*Ryegate 1,150
*Waterford 1,104
*Sutton 1,001
*Groton 876
*Walden 782
*Sheffield 727
*Peacham 665
*Wheelock 621
*Newark 470
*Kirby 456
*Stannard 185

Villages

This section lists census totals for incorporated villages for 1930 through 2000.

As of 1930, Caledonia County contained eight incorporated villages:

*The village of Groton (inc. 1907), within the town of the same name

*The village of Hardwick, within the town of the same name

*The village of Lyndon Center, within the town of Lyndon

*The village of Lyndonville (inc. 1880), within the town of Lyndon

*The village of South Ryegate (inc. 1909), within the town of Ryegate

*The village of St. Johnsbury, within the town of St. Johnsbury

*The village of West Barnet (inc. 1922), within the town of Barnet

*The village of West Burke (inc. 1902), within the town of Burke

Six of the villages have since disincorporated or otherwise been dropped from the Census:

*The village of South Ryegate apparently disincorporated sometime between 1940 and 1950 (it was last reported in the 1940 Census)

*The village of Lyndon Center disincorporated in 1951

*The village of West Barnet disincorporated in 1961

*The village of St. Johnsbury disincorporated in 1965

*The village of Groton was apparently removed from the rolls of Census-recognized incorporated villages sometime between 1970 and 1980. According to information on the Vermont state archives web site, village residents had voted to abandon the village government in 1924, but no action was taken at the state level to formally dissolve the village, so it technically remained in existence, at least on paper (it still holds this status today). One other village which had similarly been abandoned (Townshend, in Windham County) was also dropped from the Census between 1970 and 1980. It appears that Census officials elected to stop recognizing these inactive villages for Census purposes. The non-coextensive city of Winsted, Connecticut seems to have been dropped by the Census at the same time for similar reasons.

*The village of Hardwick disincorporated in 1988

Note: complete data for 1900, 1910 and 1920 are not available, but the population of the village of St. Johnsbury was in 5,666 in 1900, 6,693 in 1910, and 7,164 in 1920.

1930

*St. Johnsbury 7,920
*Hardwick 1,667
*Lyndonville 1,559
*Groton 437
*West Burke 359
*South Ryegate 337
*Lyndon Center 297
*West Barnet 99

1940

*St. Johnsbury 7,437
*Hardwick 1,607
*Lyndonville 1,444
*Groton 419
*South Ryegate 346
*West Burke 316
*Lyndon Center 283
*West Barnet 131

1950

*St. Johnsbury 7,320
*Hardwick 1,696
*Lyndonville 1,506
*Groton 435
*West Burke 414
*Lyndon Center 321
*West Barnet 88

1960

*St. Johnsbury 6,809
*Hardwick 1,521
*Lyndonville 1,477
*Groton 387
*West Burke 369
*West Barnet 113

1970

*Hardwick 1,503
*Lyndonville 1,415
*Groton 438
*West Burke 358

1980

*Hardwick 1,476
*Lyndonville 1,401
*West Burke 338

1990

*Lyndonville 1,255
*West Burke 353

2000

*Lyndonville 1,227
*West Burke 364

Notes

1960 Census

The original 1960 Census reports show the population of the village of Lyndon Center as 1,477 and the population of the village of Lyndonville as 274. The 1970 reports show the reverse, however. This seems much more logical given the historical population levels of each village (as well as their 1970 totals). The 1960 reports appear to have the totals transposed in error.

That Lyndon Center was reported at all in 1960 was itself an error. The village had disincorporated in 1951. It was reported in 1970 as well (see below). According to the Vermont state archives web site, Lyndon Center actually did not cease to exist, but converted from a general-purpose incorporated village into a special-purpose fire district. This may have been the source of the confusion.

1970 Census

The 1970 Census reported a population of 246 for the village of Lyndon Center. This was in error, however, as the village had disincorporated in 1951. It had been reported in 1960 as well (see above). According to the Vermont state archives web site, Lyndon Center actually did not cease to exist, but converted from a general-purpose incorporated village into a special-purpose fire district. This may have been the source of the confusion.

ee also

*United States Census
*Caledonia County, Vermont