Springfield, Vermont

Springfield is a town located in Windsor County, Vermont. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 9,078.

Economy & History

Springfield is the center of the Precision Valley region, which was the home of the Vermont machine tool industry.

The Fellows Gear Shaper company was located here, taking advantage of water power on the Black River.

As knowledge and infrastructure grew to support precision machining, other companies such as the Bryant Chucking Grinder Company and Jones and Lampson Machine Tool formed, grew, and provided much of the economic engine.

Local Government

Schools

Springfield's public school system [[1]] consists of three elementary schools, one middle school and one high school. The schools are overseen by a five member school board elected to three year terms.

Elementary Schools

There are three elementary schools (grades k-5):

• Elm Hill School[[2]]

• Park Street School[[3]]

• Union Street School[[4]]

Riverside Middle School

Riverside Middle School[[5]] is the town's only public middle school (grades 6-8).

Springfield High School

Springfield High School[[6]] is the town's only high school.

The high school also is home to the Howard Dean Education Center [[7]] which teaches vocational and technical courses to the students of Springfield and surrounding areas.

Sports

• Team Name: Cosmos.

• School Colors: Green and White.

Other Schools

• Holy Family School[[8]] is a Roman Catholic grades k-8 parochial school.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 128.1 km² (49.5 mi²). 127.7 km² (49.3 mi²) of it is land and 0.4 km² (0.2 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.30% water.

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there are 9,078 people, 3,886 households, and 2,498 families residing in the town. The population density is 71.1/km² (184.1/mi²). There are 4,232 housing units at an average density of 33.1/km² (85.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the town is 97.60% White, 0.24% African American, 0.14% Native American, 0.77% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.18% from other races, and 1.01% from two or more races. 0.72% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 3,886 households out of which 28.5% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.9% are married couples living together, 10.2% have a female householder with no husband present, and 35.7% are non-families. 30.5% of all households are made up of individuals and 15.1% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.31 and the average family size is 2.84.

In the town the population is spread out with 23.3% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 25.4% from 45 to 64, and 19.0% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 42 years. For every 100 females there are 91.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 87.9 males.

The median income for a household in the town is $34,169, and the median income for a family is $42,620. Males have a median income of $31,931 versus $23,019 for females. The per capita income for the town is $18,452. 9.8% of the population and 8.3% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 10.3% of those under the age of 18 and 11.4% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.