Vermontville, Michigan

Vermontville, Michigan
—  Village  —
Seal
Motto: Home of the Original Maple Syrup Festival in Michigan
Location of Vermontville, Michigan
Coordinates: 42°37′37″N 85°1′25″W / 42.62694°N 85.02361°W / 42.62694; -85.02361
Country	United States
State	Michigan
County	Eaton
Founded	1836
Area
- Total	1.2 sq mi (3.1 km2)
- Land	1.2 sq mi (3.1 km2)
- Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	935 ft (285 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	789
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	49096
Area code(s)	517
FIPS code	26-81960[1]
GNIS feature ID	1615548[2]
Website	Village of Vermontville

Vermontville is a village in Eaton County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 789 at the 2000 census. It is located within Vermontville Township. Vermontville is home to the original maple syrup festival in Michigan, held the last full weekend in April.

Vermontville is served by Maple Valley Schools.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 1.2 square miles (3.1 km²), all land.

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 789 people, 287 households, and 216 families residing in the village. The population density was 651.8 per square mile (251.8/km²). There were 316 housing units at an average density of 261.1 per square mile (100.8/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 97.21% White, 0.76% Native American, 0.25% Asian, 0.25% from other races, and 1.52% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.51% of the population. 23.5% were of German, 17.8% English, 15.1% American, 7.8% Dutch and 6.5% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 287 households out of which 41.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.7% were married couples living together, 13.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.7% were non-families. 20.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.73 and the average family size was 3.14.

In the village the population was spread out with 33.2% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 30.0% from 25 to 44, 20.4% from 45 to 64, and 10.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 92.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.5 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $40,441, and the median income for a family was $43,393. Males had a median income of $40,625 versus $25,156 for females. The per capita income for the village was $17,582. About 7.0% of families and 9.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.2% of those under age 18 and 12.9% of those age 65 or over.

History

The Village of Vermontville was organized in 1836 by the Reverend Sylvester Cochrane, a Congregational minister from East Poultney, Vermont and the Union Colony. The village was incorporated on March 11, 1867 by an act of the Legislature.

The Village of Vermontville is served by the Vermontville Township Public Library, which opened its doors on opened February 12, 1949. The library is located on the first floor of the Opera House.

The Fire Department was established in 1836 with a cooperative effort between the Village of Vermontville and Vermontville Township. It is now under the control of the Township.

Vermontville Academy & Museum (erected 1844 owned by Vermontville First Congregational Church; original First Congregational Church)

Vermontville Opera House (erected 1893 or 1896; completed 1898 by Village of Vermontville and Vermontville Township; joint ownership)

Vermontville First Congregational Church (erected 1864)

Vermontville United Methodist Church (erected 1862 / moved to Village of Vermontville 1877)

Vermontville Maple Syrup Festival

Vermontville is home to the original maple syrup festival in Michigan held the last full weekend in April. This year, 2011, the festival will be held on April 29, 30, and May 1. This is because Easter falls on Sunday of the last full weekend this year.

History

In 1940, during a conversation at the local barber shop, the Maple Syrup Festival was proposed. It began as a way to sell Maple Syrup and to promote the village, but has become so much more than that today..

Queen and Court

Currently, all young women in their junior year (grade 11) at Maple Valley Schools are eligible to compete for the title of Vermontville Maple Syrup Festival Queen and her court. The festival is held the last full weekend in April.

Recreation/Parks

Vermontville contains three public parks:

• In the center of the Village as part of the Public Square. A Vietnam Veteran's memorial is located here. This park includes playground equipment and picnic tables.

• Third Street at the Water Tower lot. This park includes 1 pee wee ball field, 1 T-ball field, playground equipment, picnic pavilion, and basketball court.

• East First Street. This park is used by a Youth Baseball League in May and June and is available the remainder of the time. This park contains a ball field.

• The town is the terminus of the Thornapple Trail.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
2. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 

External links

• Official Website of the Village of Vermontville
• Vermontville Maple Syrup Festival, Home of the Original Maple Syrup Festival in Michigan
• Official Website of Vermontville Township

Coordinates: 42°37′44″N 85°01′27″W / 42.62889°N 85.02417°W / 42.62889; -85.02417