Geography
St. Johnsbury is located at 44°26' North, 72°01' West, elevation 212.4m (697 ft.) 1. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 95.44 km² (36.85 mi²). 4.3 km² (36.72 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.1 mi²) of it is water. The total area is .35% water.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there are 7,571 people, 1,169 households, and 648 families residing in the town. The population density is 205.4/km² (601.1/mi²). There are 3,482 housing units at an average density of 289.0/km² (94.49/mi²). The racial makeup of the town is 96.5% White, 0.5% African American, 0.7% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.2% from other races, and 1.5% from two or more races. 1.2% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 1,169 households out of which 28.8% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.5% are married couples living together, 11.8% have a female householder with no husband present, and 40.0% are non-families. 32.9% of all households are made up of individuals and 15.2% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.25 and the average family size is 2.85.
In the town the population is spread out with 12.8% under the age of 18, 19.1% from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 23.6% from 45 to 64, and 18.5% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 39.5 years. For every 100 females there are 93.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 90.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town is $20,269, and the median income for a family is $41,961. Males have a median income of $30,846 versus $22,131 for females. The per capita income for the town is $16,807. 14.7% of the population and 12.0% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 37.8% are under the age of 18 and 11.1% are 65 or older.
History
The town was originally granted in 1760 as part of the New Hampshire Grants and named "Bessborough." However, it was regranted by Vermont in 1786 as Dunmore, and the town's first settlers of European descent were led by Dr. Jonathan Arnold, a member of the Continental Congress and the author of Rhode Island's act of secession from the United Kingdom in May, 1776. Arnold left Rhode Island in 1787 and he and six other families built their homes in what is now the center of town. By 1790 the town had grown to 143 inhabitants, and the first town meeting took place in Arnold's home that year, where the name St, Johnsbury was adopted. According to local lore, Vermont founder Ethan Allen himself proposed naming the town "St. John" in honor of his friend Jean de Crèvecoeur, a French-born author and agriculturist and a friend of Benjamin Franklin (he was known in the United States as J. Hector St. John). According to this account, de Crèvecoeur suggested instead the unusual St. Johnsbury to differentiate it from Saint John, New Brunswick.
In the mid-1800s, St. Johnsbury became a minor manufacturing center, with the main products being scales -- the platform scale was invented there in 1830 -- and maple syrup and related products. With the coming of the railroad line from Boston to Montreal in the 1850s, St. Johnsbury grew quickly and was named the shire town (county seat) in 1856, replacing Danville.
One of the two founders of Alcoholics Anonymous in 1935, Robert Holbrook Smith -- better known as ""Dr. Bob" Smith" -- was a native of St. Johnsbury.
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