Stowe is a town in Lamoille County, Vermont, United States. The population was 5,223 at the 2020 census. The town lies on Vermont Routes 108 and 100. It is nicknamed "The Ski Capital of the East" and is home to Stowe Mountain Resort, a ski facility with terrain on Mount Mansfield, the highest peak in Vermont, and Spruce Peak.

thumb|right|250px|Stowe Town Hall

History

thumb|[[Stowe Community Church]]

The indigenous people who lived in the area now called Vermont were primarily Abenaki, who spoke Algonquian. They were forced aside by strategies of displacement after primarily British settlers flooded into the area after the French and Indian War. There are no surviving names from the original language, which was most likely Mahican, an Algonquian dialect akin to Abenaki. Vermont became a U.S. state in 1791. Two years later more settlers arrived in Stowe. By the turn of the nineteenth century, the majority of the town's property had been sold, and its population had risen to 316.

Stowe's early years were dominated by the farm and lumber industries. Over 75 percent of the land in Stowe and most of Vermont used to be open terrain cleared by lumber production and used for agriculture, particularly sheep farming. In those days, up to 8000 sheep grazed the Stowe hills and valleys.

Stowe's agricultural fortunes changed alongside those of the rest of New England. Most of Vermont eventually switched from sheep to dairy farms, with more than 100 farms in Stowe alone. This move allowed 75 percent of the cleared area to reforest over time.

Transportation

Vermont Route 100 crosses the town from north to south, passing through the village of Stowe. VT 100 leads north to Morrisville and south to Waterbury. Vermont Route 108 has its southern terminus in Stowe village and leads northwest through Smugglers Notch to Jeffersonville in the Lamoille River valley.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which are land and , or 0.23%, are water. Since 1981, the coldest air temperature was on 01/27/1994. Episodes of extreme cold and wind can occur with wind chill values below . Ice storms and large snowstorms depositing ≥ of snow are frequent from late-fall to early-spring.

The Lodge at Spruce Peak

The Lodge at Spruce Peak has a temperate continental climate (Dc) with warm summers (b), cold winters (o) and year-around precipitation (Dcbo). Dcbo climates are characterized by at least one month having an average mean temperature ≤ , four to seven months with an average mean temperature ≥ , all months with an average mean temperature < and no significant precipitation difference between seasons. Although most summer days are humid at The Lodge at Spruce Peak, episodes of warmth and high humidity can occur with heat index values > . Since 1981, the highest air temperature was on 07/08/1988, and the highest daily average mean dew point was on 08/01/2006. July is the peak month for thunderstorm activity which correlates with the average warmest month of the year. Since 1981, the wettest calendar day was on 09/16/1999. During the winter months, the plant hardiness zone is 4b with an average annual extreme minimum air temperature of . The peak spring bloom typically occurs in late-May and peak fall color usually occurs in late-September. The plant hardiness zone is 4a with an average annual extreme minimum air temperature of .

As of the census

The median income for a household in the town was $52,378, and the median income for a family was $64,700. Males had a median income of $37,788 versus $31,689 for females. The per capita income for the town was $35,474. About 3.7% of families and 6.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.8% of those under age 18 and 5.3% of those age 65 or over.

Points of interest

  • Trapp Family Lodge
  • Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum
  • Stowe Mountain Resort – Stowe, "The Ski Capital of the East", has long been known for its winter recreation. Its ski area was purchased by Vail Resorts in 2017 for $41 million. It has 117 ski runs spread over Mount Mansfield and Spruce Peak, and boasts 13 lifts.
  • Stowe Recreation Path – a recreation trail that runs , and was completed in 1989 at a total cost of . The path stretches from the Village downtown all the way to the TopNotch Lodge. It has received several awards and honors.
  • Cady Hill Forest on the western edge of Stowe village was conserved by the Stowe Land Trust in 2012 and transferred to the town of Stowe. It offers more than of hiking and mountain bike trails, with an access point off Route 108 (Mountain Road). The Stowe Mountain Bike Club is currently responsible for maintaining the trail network.

Education

thumb|The middle and high school are adjacent.

There are three public schools in town: Stowe Elementary School, Stowe Middle School, and Stowe High School. The Mount Mansfield Winter Academy is located in Stowe, which has a focus on snow sport athletes.

Stowe Land Trust

Stowe Land Trust is a local land conservation nonprofit that was founded in 1987 and has conserved 35 properties and over , many of which are available to the public. One is Wiessner Woods, conserved by the trust in 1992 through a donation from the Wiessner family.

Media

The Stowe Reporter, covering local politics, business, arts, and personalities, has been the weekly newspaper of record for the town of Stowe since its founding in 1958. The Vermont Community Newspaper Group, owner of the Stowe Reporter and four other community weekly newspapers in Vermont, is based in Stowe.

Radio station WCVT is licensed to Stowe, and programs a classic hits format.

Notable people

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  • Walter J. Bigelow, mayor of Burlington
  • Jake Burton Carpenter, CEO of Burton Snowboards
  • W. H. H. Bingham, Vermont attorney and politician
  • Rusty DeWees, comedian, actor, and writer
  • Noah Dines, skier
  • Joseph Dutton, worked as a missionary with Father Damien
  • William "Billy" Kidd, first American man to earn an Olympic medal in alpine skiing
  • Joe Kirkwood Sr., golfer
  • Fr. Emmanuel Lemelson, activist investor and Greek Orthodox Priest
  • Graham Mink, former right wing for the Washington Capitals
  • Dean Roy, highschooler who was running for governor of Vermont at age 14
  • Tiger Shaw, Olympics alpine ski racer and President of U.S.S.A.
  • Joseph Skinger, artisan
  • Ken Squier, Lap-by-Lap commentator for NASCAR
  • Maria von Trapp, matriarch of the Trapp Family Singers
  • Ty Walker, youngest member of the 2014 US Olympic Slopestyle Snowboard team
  • Fritz Wiessner, pioneer of free climbing

<gallery widths="180px" class="center">

File:Stowe_Community_Church_2022.jpg|Stowe Community Church

File:2004-02-25 - 05 - Main Street, Stowe.jpg|Shaw's general store lies opposite the Town Hall

File:Mount mansfield 20040926.jpg|Mount Mansfield is the highest point in the state of Vermont, and home to the Stowe Mountain Resort

File:Trapp Family Lodge 2014.jpg|Trapp Family Lodge

</gallery>

References