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Rochester is a town in Windsor County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,099 at the 2020 census. The central village is delineated as the Rochester census-designated place.

History

Rochester was granted in 1780, chartered in 1781 to Dudley Chase, Asa Whitcomb and 63 others, then organized in 1788. It was first settled in the winter of 1781–1782 by David Currier and his family. Rochester's boundaries expanded through annexation of part of Pittsfield town in 1806, annexation of an additional area from Pittsfield town plus a part of Braintree town in 1824, a part of Hancock town in 1834, and finally an annexation of part of Goshen town in 1847.

The surface of the town is mountainous and broken, but the intervales along the White River provided good farmland. There were sites supplying water power for mills. By 1859, when the population was 1,493, industries included one gristmill, several sawmills, one tub factory, and a variety of mechanic shops.

In 2018, Rochester High School and Middle School closed due to Act 46. The school had been in Rochester since 1886 and the current building had been used since 1974.

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Image:Main Street, Rochester, VT.jpg|Main Street in 1912

Image:Pierce Residence, Rochester, VT.jpg|Pierce residence

Image:View of Rochester, VT.jpg|Street scene

Image:PostcardBirdsEyeViewRochesterVTCirca1900to1910.jpg|The village, early 1900s

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Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.53%, is water. Rochester is drained by the White River.

The town is crossed by Vermont Route 73 and Vermont Route 100.

Climate

Rochester has a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb).

Demographics

As of the census

  • Stephen Huneck, folk artist
  • Jeremiah Ingalls, early American composer
  • William B. Martin, Iowa Secretary of State
  • Edna Chaffee Noble, elocutionist
  • Steve Reich, American composer
  • James Whitcomb, US senator and the eighth governor of Indiana
  • Tom Wicker, US journalist

References

  • Town of Rochester official website
  • Rochester Public Library
  • Rochester Historical Society
  • Rochester School District
  • Rochester at Virtual Vermont
  • Historic Pierce Hall