Royalton, Vermont

The population was 2,750 at the 2020 census. It includes the villages of Royalton, South Royalton, and North Royalton. Vermont Law School, the state's only accredited law school, is located in South Royalton.

Royalton, Vermont
Town
Village of South Royalton from Interstate 89
Location in Windsor County and the state of Vermont.
Coordinates: 43°48′58″N 72°32′50″W / 43.81611°N 72.54722°W / 43.81611; -72.54722
Country	United States
State	Vermont
County	Windsor
Chartered	1769
Settled	1771
Organized	1774
Area
• Total	40.9 sq mi (106.0 km2)
• Land	40.4 sq mi (104.7 km2)
• Water	0.5 sq mi (1.3 km2)
Elevation	492 ft (150 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	2,750
• Density	67/sq mi (26/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	05068
Area code	802
FIPS code	50-60850
GNIS feature ID	1462191
Website	www.royaltonvt.com

 

The town was chartered on November 23, 1769 by Cadwallader Colden, Royal Lieutenant Governor of New York. The first permanent settlers were Robert Havens and his family, who arrived in 1771. Royalton was re-chartered by the Independent Republic of Vermont on December 20, 1781. The 1780 Royalton Raid was the last major British raid of the American War of Independence in New England. In 1848, the Vermont Central Railroad opened to South Royalton, which developed as a freight depot.

During the Revolutionary War Royalton was visited by Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette

Although Joseph Smith, founder of Mormonism, was born in the adjacent town of Sharon near the Royalton boundary, the Joseph Smith Birthplace Memorial lies in the town.

In June 1974, the now-defunct Royalton College hosted the Institute for Humane Studies' Conference on Austrian Economics. The conference is considered the "single most important catalyst in this revival of Austrian economics", an economic theory also known as "The Austrian School", the "Vienna School" or the "Psychological School". Edwin G. Dolan hosted the conference. Notable presenters included Israel M. Kirzner, Ludwig M. Lachmann, and Murray N. Rothbard. The edited version of the conference proceedings appears in Professor Dolan's The Foundations of Modern Austrian Economics.

A landscape photo of Royalton stands in as the fictional town of Stars Hollow in the opening credits of Gilmore Girls. In the mid-20th-century, Royalton had an economy largely built around lumbering, dairy production, poultry raising, the raising of fresh produce vegetables and maple sugar production.

The town is located on the east side of the Green Mountains, and the White River cuts through its center. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 40.9 square miles (106.0 km²), of which 40.4 square miles (104.7 km²) is land and 0.5 square mile (1.3 km²) (1.25%) is water.

The town is crossed by Interstate 89 and Vermont routes 14, 107 and 110. It is bordered by the town of Bethel to the northwest, Randolph to the north, Tunbridge to the northeast, Strafford to the east, Sharon to the southeast, Pomfret to the south, and Barnard to the southwest.

As of the census of 2000, there were 2,602 people, 1,155 households, and 622 families residing in the town. The population density was 64.4 people per square mile (24.9/km²). There were 1,281 housing units at an average density of 31.7 per square mile (12.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.20% White, 0.77% African American, 0.42% Native American, 0.77% Asian, and 0.85% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.88% of the population.

There were 1,155 households, out of which 26.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.8% were couples living together and joined in either marriage or civil union, 6.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 46.1% were non-families. 34.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.95.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 22.3% under the age of 18, 10.5% from 18 to 24, 35.5% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 10.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.7 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $30,943, and the median income for a family was $42,898. Males had a median income of $29,708 versus $26,667 for females. The per capita income for the town was $16,755. About 7.6% of families and 15.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.3% of those under age 18 and 11.6% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census Royalton had a population of 2,773. The median age was 36.

The population was 94.4% non-Hispanc white, 0.9% black, 0.4% Native American, 1.2% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.1% reporting some other race, 1.7% reporting two or more races and 1.5% Hispanic or Latino.

• Joseph Smith Birthplace Memorial
• Royalton Historical Society & Museum