ISLAND POND, VERMONT

:''"Island Pond" is also the name of several bodies of water. See Island Pond (disambiguation).''
'Island Pond' is a census-designated place and village located in the town of Brighton, Vermont. The population was 849 at the 2000 census.

Contents
Geography
Demographics
Economy
Personal Income
The Twelve Tribes
History
Controversy
Notable natives
Notes

Geography


According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 11.7 km² (4.5 mi²). 10.8 km² (4.2 mi²) of it is land and 0.9 km² (0.3 mi²) of it (7.32%) is water.
Bluff Mountain overlooks the lake and the island.
The Saint Mary's Catholic church is a historic building.

Demographics


As of the census2 of 2000, there were 849 people, 374 households, and 228 families residing in the village. The population density was 78.4/km² (202.9/mi²). There were 556 housing units at an average density of 51.4/km² (132.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the village was 94.23% White, 0.12% African American, 1.06% Native American, 0.59% Asian, and 4.00% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.12% of the population.
There were 374 households out of which 28.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.4% were couples living together and joined in either marriage or civil union, 13.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.8% were non-families. 32.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.88.
In the village the population was spread out with 24.0% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 22.6% from 25 to 44, 25.3% from 45 to 64, and 19.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 94.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.1 males.

Economy


Personal Income

The median income for a household in the village was $25,547, and the median income for a family was $31,250. Males had a median income of $25,577 versus $23,542 for females. The per capita income for the village was $13,207. About 14.9% of families and 19.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.8% of those under age 18 and 18.0% of those age 65 or over.

The Twelve Tribes


Island Pond became the home of the Twelve Tribes when the religious movement relocated to Island Pond from Tennessee in 1977. Though the group sought shelter from the opposition it met elsewhere, it continually faced opposition, which culminated in the Island Pond raid in 1984, where State Police and state social workers seized 112 children due to allegations of child abuse. The subsequent trial found no evidence of child abuse, and the children were returned. Nevertheless, the Island Pond Raid retains its notoriety.[1]

History


Island Pond became an important railroad center in 1853 when the Grand Trunk Railway established international connections between Montreal, Canada and Portland, Maine. The half-way point in the Portland-Montreal railroad line, this town became a booming railroad center with a roundhouse, shops, and all the facilities associated with train operations. In 1923 the Grand Trunk Railway of Canada was bankrupt and taken over by the Canadian government and operated as the Canadian National Railways. With the Canadian government directing the railroad, political considerations soon outweighed the economics of the railroad; commerce was displaced from the Port of Portland, Maine to the Canadian ports of Halifax and St. John. The importance of the Portland line then began a decline which was never to be reversed. Island Pond's days as a major railroad town were over by the late 1950s due to the elimination of steam locomotives. By 1960 passenger train service to Portland had ended, and three years later the diesel locomotive shop was closed. In 1966 the roundhouse closed, and barely a skeleton staff of people worked in Island Pond. Through freight train service between Montreal and Portland lasted until 1988; the line was sold to a short line operator the following year.
Today, only the passenger station remains and is used by a bank. An historical society is housed on the upper floors.

Controversy


The constable is believed by some to strictly enforce speed limits and other traffic infractions, using novel interpretations such as "Stop Not Sincere" at a stopsign - ticket $200. For this reason, some people have deemed the town one of the top "speed traps" in New England.[2] In Vermont, the towns elect their constable and the incumbent has been returned to office every year since 1983.

Notable natives



Porter H. Dale, U.S. Representative and a Senator from Vermont.

Rudy Vallée, popular American singer, actor, bandleader, and entertainer.

Notes


1. http://religiousmovements.lib.virginia.edu/nrms/tribes.html article on the website of the University of Virginia, note: the articles on individual religious groups were mostly written by students with as a result highly varying degrees of quality
2. http://www.speedtrap.org/speedtraps/comments.asp?state=VT&city=Brighton%20(Island%20Pond)&st=23824


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