Springfield (Vermont)

Springfield
Premiere cinema of " The Simpsons Movie "
Location in Vermont
Springfield
Basic data
Foundation :	August 20, 1761
State :	United States
State :	Vermont
County :	Windsor County
Coordinates :	43 ° 17 ′  N , 72 ° 29 ′  W Coordinates: 43 ° 17 ′  N , 72 ° 29 ′  W
Time zone :	Eastern ( UTC − 5 / −4 )
Residents :	9,373 (as of 2010)
Population density :	73.8 inhabitants per km 2
Area :	128.0 km 2  (approx. 49 mi 2 ) of which 127.0 km 2  (approx. 49 mi 2 ) are land
Height :	162 m
Postal code :	05156
Area code :	+1 802
FIPS :	50-69550
GNIS ID :	1462214
Website :	www.springfieldvt.govoffice2.com
The Stellafane Observatory

Springfield is a town in Windsor County , Vermont , United States with 9,373 residents (2010 census).

geography

Geographical location

The village is located on the west bank of the Connecticut River , whose west bank is the border to New Hampshire , in the eastern foothills of the Green Mountains . The main settlement of Springfield lies in a side valley through which the Black River flows. The highest point in the area is Skitchewaug Mountain (265 m).

Neighboring communities

All distances are given as straight lines between the official coordinates of the places from the 2010 census.

• North: Weathersfield , 2.3 mi
• Northeast: Claremont, New Hampshire , 17 mi
• East: Charlestown, New Hampshire , 7 mi
• Southeast: Walpole , 7.1 mi
• South: Rockingham , 2.8 miles
• Southwest: Grafton , 9.4 mi
• West: Chester , 10 miles
• Northwest: Baltimore , 5.5 mi

Note: There is no common border between Springfield and Walpole. The two towns are so close to each other that it makes sense to include them in the list above.

climate

Average monthly temperatures for Springfield, Vermont Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Max. Temperature ( ° C ) −1.6 0.8 6.3 13.7 20.7 25.5 27.9 27.0 22.7 15.1 8.1 1.5 O 14th Min. Temperature (° C) −14.0 −12.3 −7.8 −0.5 5.2 10.9 13.8 12.3 7.7 1.3 −3.2 −8.9 O 0.4 Source: www.weatherbase.com

The mean mean temperature in Springfield is between −7.8 ° C in January and 20.9 ° C in July; the annual mean temperature is 7.2 ° C. This means that the place is around 1 ° C colder than the long-term mean of Vermont. The snowfall between October and May is more than two meters (with a peak in January of about 45 cm) about twice as high as the mean snow depth in the USA. The daily sunshine duration is at the lower end of the range in the USA.

history

The place was proclaimed on August 20, 1761 by the governor of the British colony New Hampshire for settlement on an area of ​​26,400 acres (about 110 hectares). The main settlement was built on the Black River, about 3 miles from the confluence of the river in the Connecticut River, at a point with very many rapids; the river drops here about 25 meters to 400 meters, so that there is enough water power for a large number of mills and, later, mechanical workshops built. While agriculture dominated in the first 80 years and especially sheep-raising, which was widespread in Vermont, the picture changed fundamentally with the construction of the railway line on the west bank of the Connecticut River in 1847. The previously existing small precision engineering workshops that used the hydropower of the Black River opened up additional markets, in particular through the good connection to the metropolises on the east coast. The companies located in precision valley quickly formed a local economic center that was known for the precision of its products.

After the general growth spurt in Vermont's economy from the 1950s, which also affected Springfield, the city essentially remained at the level it had reached. In contrast to many other towns in Vermont, there was also no realignment towards tourism. Machine tool factories in particular determine the economic life of the town in the years after the turn of the millennium. In 2007, however, Springfield once again received national attention when the world-wide cinema release of the Simpsons film took place here. The city had won a competition advertised by 20th Century Fox as Springfield's closest city.

Religions

The religious life in Springfield, as is often observed in the settlements on the west bank of the Connecticut River, was pronounced from the beginning. The congregationalists built a first meeting house in 1792 and hired their first priest in 1802. By 1834 their congregation had grown enough that they built a new meeting house. Also in 1834, the episcopal and universalist congregations built a joint meeting house, and the Baptists followed in 1836.

By 1840, five parishes were active in Springfield.

Even today, Springfield is home to a variety of denominations. In addition to the two Catholic congregations, Holy Trinity Orthodox Church and Maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary , this also includes a Methodist and an Episcopal congregation, three nondemotional, one Unitarian and one each of the Assemblies of God , the United Church of Christ and the Church of Christ .

Population development

Census Results - Town of Springfield, Vermont
year	1700	1710	1720	1730	1740	1750	1760	1770	1780	1790
Residents										1097
year	1800	1810	1820	1830	1840	1850	1860	1870	1880	1890
Residents	2032	2556	2702	2749	2625	2762	2958	2937	3144	2881
year	1900	1910	1920	1930	1940	1950	1960	1970	1980	1990
Residents	3432	4784	7202	6955	7720	9190	9934	10,063	10.190	9579
year	2000	2010	2020	2030	2040	2050	2060	2070	2080	2090
Residents	9078	9373

Culture and sights

theatre

The Springfield Community Players , an amateur drama group, founded in 1920 , performs their plays in their own theater hall with 80 seats.

Museums

The American Precision Museum , housed in a former precision engineering factory, exhibits a variety of ancient tools and products that made the valley famous.

Buildings

The Eureka dwarf school from 1790

The Stellafane Observatory , an astronomical site, opened in 1924 , is now a listed building and is one of the area's tourist magnets.

Springfield also houses the Eureka Schoolhouse , completed in 1790 , the oldest dwarf school in Vermont. It is now used as a visitor center for tourists.

In the vicinity of the Eureka School House there is also the properties also listed covered bridge Baltimore Covered Bridge 1870, on about 11 meters (37 feet) spans an unnamed watercourse.

Economy and Infrastructure

The valley of the Black River has been known as the precision valley from the beginning due to its many precision engineering operations . Even today these companies are the main employers: 20% of all employees work here. Other important sectors are wholesale and healthcare.

traffic

Springfield is North-South direction by the in along the western shore of the Connecticut River leading 91 Interstate connected to the American highway system. The place does not have its own train station; the nearest Amtrak train stop is in Claremont (approximately 15 km away). An airport with two taxiways for private aircraft, Hartness Airport , is located east of the main settlement.

media

Two VHF transmitters and a medium wave radio are located in the village. However, you cannot find your own newspaper or a television station.

Public facilities

In addition to the usual municipal administrative facilities, public schools and library listed below, Springfield also operates a central hospital with an emergency department, Springfield Hospital .

education

Springfield has several public elementary schools that run through fifth grade. One middle school, Riverside School , offers more than 300 places up to eighth grade, and Springfield High School and the Tech Center at Springfield High School continue to offer up to 12th grade. There is also a branch of the private Community College of Vermont in town . The nearest public college is across the river at Keene , and nearby universities are in Middlebury and Rutland .

Personalities

sons and daughters of the town

• Charles B. Hoard (1805–1886), politician and New York State representative in the US House of Representatives
• Dudley C. Haskell (1842-1883), politician and Kansas State representative in the US House of Representatives
• Russell W. Porter (1871-1949), polar explorer and astronomer
• George M. Darrow (1889–1983), pomologist, co-discoverer of the boysenberry

Personalities who have worked on site

• James Hartness (1861-1934), governor of the state of Vermont; President of an engineering company in Springfield
• Ralph Flanders (1880–1970), entrepreneur and US Senator; President of an engineering company in Springfield
• Frederick M. Reed (1924-2012), Vermont Attorney General ; worked in a machine factory in Springfield

literature

• Zadock Thompson: History of Vermont, natural, civil and statistical, in Three Parts . Part 3. Chauncey Goodrich, Burlington 1842, p. 163 f . ( Digitized version ).

Web links

Commons : Springfield (Vermont)  - Collection of images, videos, and audio files

• Homepage of the municipality (English)
• Profile of the municipality on the official portal www.Vermont.gov
• Entry on VirtualVermont ( Memento from March 26, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Springfield in the United States Geological Survey's Geographic Names Information System , accessed October 1, 2014
2. ↑ Population data from the 2010 US Census in the American Factfinder
3. ↑ Entry of Skitchewaug Mountain at Peakery.com (English)
4. ↑ Coordinates of the locations of the Census Authority 2010
5. ↑ ^{a b c d} climate, economic and media data at www.City-Data.com (English)
6. ↑ The real Springfield is in Vermont (accessed November 14, 2009)
7. ↑ Population 1790–2010 according to the census results
8. ↑ History of the Springfield Community Players on their website
9. ↑ Self-description of the American Precision Museum on their homepage (English)
10. ↑ History of the Stellafane Observatory on the website of the operator association (English)
11. ↑ Entry of the Eureka Schoolhouse on the Vermont.gov website
12. ↑ Entry in the bridge directory of VirtualVermont.com (English)
13. ↑ Homepage of Springfield Hospital (English)
14. ↑ Entry of the branch of the private Community College of Vermont (English)