St. Albans (city), Vermont

St. Albans or Saint Albans of Franklin County, Vermont, United States. At the 2020 census, the city population was 6,877. St. Albans City is completely surrounded by Saint Albans Town, which is a separate municipality. The city is in Northwestern Vermont, approximately 15 miles south of the Canadian border and 30 miles north of Burlington.

History

thumb|left|Main Street in 1909

thumb|left|St. Albans City Hall and Welden Theatre on Main Street

One of the New Hampshire grants, St. Albans was chartered by Colonial Governor Benning Wentworth on August 17, 1763, to Stephen Pomeroy and 63 others. Named after St Albans, Hertfordshire, England, it was first settled during the Revolution by Jesse Welden. The war delayed further settlement until 1785, when other pioneers began to arrive from lower New England.

Farmers found the rich, dark loam suitable for cultivation, as well as for the raising of cattle, horses and sheep. Butter and cheese were produced in great quantities. St. Albans also became known as " The Rail City," home to a major depot, operations center and repair shop of the Vermont and Canada Railroad. When the village was incorporated in 1859, it had an iron foundry, a manufacturer of freight cars, and a large number of mechanic shops.

St. Albans is a research focus for genealogists, as European immigrants heading for the United States would sometimes land in Canada at Halifax, Nova Scotia or Montreal, Quebec, then take a train through the border crossing to this city. Some persons traveled to other parts of Vermont, New York or points west. The National Archives (NARA) lists for St. Albans cover the period 1895–1954.

Culture

In late April St. Albans hosts the annual Vermont Maple Festival. The festival includes various food-related contests, as well as the Sap Run, a footrace from Swanton, to the north. It was home to the Vermont Voltage, a semi-professional men's soccer team, which folded in 2014.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 2.0 square miles (5.3 km<sup>2</sup>), all land. The city is surrounded by the town of St. Albans, with its lush farmland across gently rolling hills. The city is drained by Stevens Brook.

St. Albans is crossed by Interstate 89, U.S. Route 7, as well as Vermont Route 36, 38, 104 and 105. It is about from Vermont's border with Quebec.

Climate

St Albans has a warm-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb), bordering on a hot-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa).

Demographics

At the 2020 census, the racial makeup was 91.1% White, 1.2% Black, 1.3% Native American, 0.0% Asian and 1.9% Latino of any race.

At the 2010 census,

The USCIS has a service center in St. Albans; the majority of the 1,100 USCIS employees in Vermont are based in St. Albans, and the federal agency is the city's largest employer. The Dairy Farmers of America, a major dairy cooperative, has a manufacturing plant in St. Albans that produces cream, condensed skim milk, and milk powder. The chocolate and cocoa supplier Barry Callebaut has a facility in the city.

Infrastructure

Health care

The Northwestern Medical Center is a hospital serving the city and the Franklin County area.

Buses

Greyhound Lines stops four times daily (twice in each direction) on its Montreal to Boston route. The Saint Albans stop is on Main Street, next to Taylor Park.

Railways

thumb|right|Central Vermont Railroad Station

Saint Albans is the northern terminus of the Vermonter, a coach/business class train operated by Amtrak, the national passenger rail system. The train operates daily between Saint Albans and Washington, D.C.

The train formerly continued from Saint Albans to Montreal and was named the Montrealer, but that connection was discontinued in 1995.

Education

It is in the Maple Run Unified School District.

St. Albans is home to St. Albans City School, an elementary school for students in kindergarten through eighth grade, and Bellows Free Academy, St. Albans, a public high school serving students from many towns in the southern half of Franklin Country.

Notable people

References

External links

City of St. Albans, Vermont
Saint Albans Museum