Colchester, Vermont

Colchester is a town in Chittenden County, Vermont, United States. The population was 17,067 at the 2010 census. It is the fourth-largest municipality and second-largest town in Vermont by population.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 58.6 square miles (151.9 km2), of which 36.9 square miles (95.5 km2) is land and 21.8 square miles (56.3 km2) (37.10%) is water.

History
About 2000 years ago, during the Early Woodland period, pre-Columbians natives lived in the area. Chartered June 7, 1763, the town was named for the Earl of Colchester.

In 1922, the city of Winooski broke away from the town and formed its own city.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 16,986 people, 6,144 households, and 4,184 families residing in the town. The population density was 460.5 people per square mile (177.8/km2). There were 6,727 housing units at an average density of 182.4 per square mile (70.4/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 96.53% White, 0.63% African American, 0.17% Native American, 1.58% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.25% from other races, and 0.80% from two or more races. 1.11% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 6,144 households out of which 34.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.2% were married couples living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.9% were non-families. 22.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.96.

In the town the population was spread out with 22.6% under the age of 18, 16.2% from 18 to 24, 32.1% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 6.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 96.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.0 males.

Economy
One measure of economic activity is retail sales. Colchester was fourth in the state in 2007 with $245.8 million.

Personal income
The median income for a household in the town was $51,429, and the median income for a family was $58,358. Males had a median income of $38,268 versus $30,880 for females. The per capita income for the town was $22,472. About 5.4% of families and 6.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.2% of those under age 18 and 9.7% of those age 65 or over.

Tourism
There has been an annual "Lake Champlain International Father's Day Fishing Derby" (LCI) since 1981. In 2009, 6,000 fishermen entered.

The lakeshore areas of Colchester get an influx of vacationers every summer from southern New England and the New York City area. Traffic, especially around the Fourth of July holiday, increases by a substantial margin.

Public safety
In 2008, property crimes increased by 36.9%. Overall, the number of crimes rose 28.9% to 1,486 incidents.

Transportation
In the southeastern part of Colchester, bus service is provided by Chittenden County Transportation Authority.

Notable people

 * Tom Brennan, men's basketball coach at the University of Vermont
 * Ray Collins, pitcher with the Boston Red Sox (1909–1915)
 * Donato Giancola, science fiction and fantasy illustrator
 * Lucy Wheelock, Founder and First President of Wheelock College and Early Childhood pioneer
 * Gretel-Ann Fischer, contestant and finalist on Next Great Baker (season 3)

Education
Saint Michael's College is located here. Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences- Vermont Campus, the first Pharmacy School in Vermont, is located here on Water Tower Hill.

Public school system
Around 2,200 children attend the five schools in Colchester's school district. The district consists of one high school, Colchester HS, one middle school, Colchester Middle School, an elementary school Malletts Bay School, and two young schools Porters Point School and Union Memorial School.

Colchester High School is home to the award-winning Colchester Theatre Company.

The Colchester School District underwent a teacher strike during October, 2005. The strike began over pay increases but quickly escalated to include many other aspects of the system. The strike ended on October 23, 2005, with an agreement on pay between teachers and board, and school re-opened on Monday the 24th. Negotiations took place for around five hours on October 18, 2005, but resulted in no settlement, and again on the 23rd, resulting in the conclusion to the strike.

Radio

 * WWPV (The Mike) - 88.7 FM (Saint Michael's College, Variety)
 * WVMT - 620 AM
 * WXXX "95 Triple X" - 95.5 FM