Essex, Vermont

Essex is a town in Chittenden County, Vermont, United States. Vermont Route 289 crosses the town from east to west. The city of Essex Junction, with a population as of 2020 of 10,590, was located within the town as an incorporated village until 2022.

History

{| class="wikitable" align="right" style="margin-left: 8px; text-align:right"

! colspan="3" | Town vote to merge !! colspan="2" | Revote

! rowspan="2" | District

! colspan="2" | 2006-11-07

! colspan="2" | 2007-01-23

! Yes !! No

|align="left"| 6–1 (outside village)

| 1,283 || 2,319

| rowspan="2" | 690

| rowspan="2" | 2,528

|align="left"| 6–3 (outside village)

| 365 || 822

|align="left"| 6–2 (within village)

| 2,728 || 1,026

| 2,009 || 362

| Townwide totals

| 4,376 || 4,167

| 2,699 || 2,890

! colspan="3" | Village vote to accept

! colspan="2" rowspan="2" style="font-size: 80%; line-height: 100%;"| No revote <br>required, <br>result was <br>uncontested.

| 2,922

| 1,085

The town was incorporated on June 7, 1763,

The Village of Essex Junction was formed within the town of Essex on November 15, 1892. The village was formed to provide additional services (such as sidewalks, water, and sewers) to its residents. The rural areas of the town did not want the services or the needed taxes.

As the town outside the village developed, it gradually added its own similar services, and by 1958, merger proposals appeared via voter petition. Over the years, various votes (often contentious) regarding a merger occurred in the village and the town, but never passing in both communities. - a requirement by the state legislature for a merger.

On November 7, 2006, a merger passed in both the town (as a whole) and village. The town as a whole (including the village) voted once on the merger, while the village, separately, voted in a second ballot to accept the merger if it passed the townwide vote. Complicating the matter, the regional paper misreported the merger failed based solely on results outside the village. The next day the correct results were reported in both the town's paper, and as a correction in the regional paper.

On December 6, 2006, a petition to reconsider the merger was submitted to the town. The petition contained signatures totaling more than 5 percent of registered voters, the threshold required for a re-vote. The re-vote was held on January 23, 2007. Those results overturned the merger by 191 votes, rejecting the current merger proposal.

An approval result would have triggered a multi-year merger process creating a new "Town of Essex Junction" and replacing the current governments of the town of Essex and the village of Essex Junction.

On November 2, 2021, voters in the village of Essex Junction voted to separate from the town of Essex, citing an unfair tax burden. The vote was 3,070 to 411 in favor of separation. Essex Junction separated on July 1, 2022.

Geography

Essex is located in central Chittenden County, bordered on the south by the Winooski River. Neighboring municipalities are Colchester to the west, Milton at the northwest corner, Westford to the north, Underhill at the northeast corner, Jericho to the east, Williston to the south, and the cities of South Burlington and Essex Junction to the southwest.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town of Essex in 2010 had a total area of , of which was land and , or 1.26%, was water.

The 575 acre Indian Brook Town Conservation Area and 335 acre Saxon Hill Town Forest are located within the town.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the census

Government

Until 2022, Essex comprised three Vermont Legislature districts (seats) within Chittenden County: District 8–1, the central portion of the town of Essex; District 8–2, the former village of Essex Junction; and District 8–3, northern town of Essex and the town of Westford. The town of Essex and the city of Essex Junction continued to share municipal services until July 1, 2023.

Education

The Essex Westford School District (EWSD)—unified on July 1, 2017—serves 4,500 Pre-K to grade 12 students in Essex, Essex Junction, and Westford, Vermont. EWSD operates ten schools in the two towns—Albert D. Lawton Intermediate School, Essex Center for Technology, Essex Elementary School, Essex High School (EHS), Essex Middle School, Founders Memorial School, Hiawatha Elementary School, Summit Street School, Thomas Fleming School, and Westford School. Previously, the three communities had separate Pre-K to grade 8 school districts that fed the already unified EHS.

EWSD provides busing for students in Essex and Westford, as well as students in Essex Junction, who did not have buses prior to 2018. EWSD also provides busing to students from South Hero, Grand Isle, North Hero and Georgia who choose to attend EHS.

Media

The Essex Reporter is a weekly newspaper published in town, covering news in Essex and the surrounding communities in Chittenden County. It has a weekly circulation of 8,800 copies.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Vermont's Circumferential Highway (Vermont Route 289 or "The Circ") courses through Essex, and the section within Essex's jurisdiction has been completed. However, further construction of the highway was halted in surrounding communities by court action from environmental protesters.

Bus service is provided by Green Mountain Transit.

Rail

Amtrak, the national rail passenger system, provides daily service via its station in neighboring Essex Junction, operating the Vermonter train between St. Albans, Vermont and Washington, D.C. In 2008, a study indicated that the cheapest method for one person to get to New York City from the Burlington area was by train, at $48. It was also the longest, taking an estimated 9 hours and 25 minutes.

Notable people

<!-- Note:

· Only people who already have a Wikipedia article may appear here. This establishes notability.

· The article must mention how they are associated with Essex, whether born, raised, or residing.

· The fact of their association should have a reliable source cited.

· Alphabetical by last name please.

· All others will be deleted.

-->

Bert Abbey (1869–1962), pitcher with three teams
William B. Castle, mayor of Cleveland, Ohio
Linda K. Myers, member of the Vermont House of Representatives

References

External links

Town of Essex official website
City-Data.com
ePodunk: Profile for Essex, Vermont