Colchester, Vermont

Colchester is located on the shore of Malletts Bay, part of Lake Champlain. The westernmost part of the town touches the New York state border in the middle of the lake. To the northwest, across the eastern arm of the lake, lies the town of South Hero in Grand Isle County. Chittenden County communities bordering Colchester are Milton to the northeast, Westford touching the easternmost point of Colchester, Essex to the southeast, and the cities of South Burlington, Winooski, and Burlington to the south.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Colchester has a total area of 58.6 square miles (151.7 km²), of which 36.3 square miles (94.1 km²) is land and 22.2 square miles (57.6 km²), or 38.0%, is water.[3]

Topographical map of Colchester (partial). US Geological Survey, 1987.

About 2,000 years ago, during the Early Woodland period, pre-Columbian natives lived in the area.[5] Chartered June 7, 1763,[6] the town was named for the Earl of Colchester.[7]

Winooski Falls separated from the town of Colchester in 1922, causing Colchester to lose a large percentage of its population to the newly founded city of Winooski.[8]

As of the census[1] of 2010, there were 17,067 people, 6,576 households, and 4,184 families residing in the town. The population density was 470 people per square mile. There were 6,727 housing units at an average density of 182.4 per square mile (70.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 94.6% White, 1.5% African American, 0.1% Native American, 1.9% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 0.25% from other races, and 1.8% from two or more races. 1.7% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 6.1% spoke a language other than English at home.

As of the 2000 census, 34.1% of households had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.2% were married couples living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.9% were non-families. 22.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.96.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 22.6% under the age of 18, 16.2% from 18 to 24, 32.1% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 6.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.0 males.

The Island Line Trail travels from Colchester across Lake Champlain to Grand Isle County; it is a former railroad line.

One measure of economic activity is retail sales. Colchester was fourth in the state in 2007 with $245.8 million.[11] Major employers in the town include the VNA of Chittenden & Grand Isle Counties, Saint Michael's College, Costco Wholesale Corporation, Green Mountain Power, Shaw's Supermarket, and Champlain Cable Corporation.[12]

In 2015, the town of Colchester made Fortune Magazine's list of "100 Best Places to Live" (ranked #100), along with Launch a Business and Money Magazine's list of "50 Best Places to Live" (ranked #40).[13] In 2017, Money Magazine listed Colchester In the top 100 places to live in America (ranked #86).

Interstate 89 passes through the area, with exits 16 and 17 serving Colchester. Exit 16 connects to the concurrency of US Routes 2 and 7 (Roosevelt Highway), just north of Winooski. Exit 17 connects to US 2, which goes west to the Champlain Islands, and also to US 7, which heads north toward the town of Milton.[17]

Interstate 89 Exit 17 in Colchester (June 5, 2015)

In the southeastern part of Colchester, and also along the US Route 7 corridor, bus service is provided by Green Mountain Transit.

Vermont Translines provides scheduled bus service to Albany, New York via Burlington, as well as Hanover, New Hampshire and Lebanon, New Hampshire via a transfer at Rutland.[18]

• Alfred Elisha Ames, physician and politician
• Tom Brennan, former men's basketball coach at the University of Vermont
• Ray Collins, pitcher with the Boston Red Sox (1909–1915)
• Roger Enos, Major General and commander of the Vermont Militia in the later stages of the American Revolution
• Donato Giancola, science fiction and fantasy illustrator
• Richard Tarrant, American businessman and politician
• Lucy Wheelock, founder and First President of Wheelock College and early childhood pioneer

• Saint Michael's College is located here.
• Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences - Vermont Campus, the first pharmacy school in Vermont, is located here on Water Tower Hill.
• Southern New Hampshire University - Vermont Center, home of the field-based graduate program in education.[19]

• Town of Colchester official website
• "Colchester (Vermont)" . Encyclopædia Britannica. 6 (11th ed.). 1911. p. 661.