A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government , or capital city of a county or civil parish . The term is in use in five countries: Canada , China , Hungary , Romania , and the United States . An equivalent term, shire town , is used in the U.S. state of Vermont and in several other English-speaking jurisdictions, such as Venezuela .
38-587: Middlebury is the shire town (county seat) of Addison County, Vermont , United States. As of the 2020 census , the population was 9,152. Middlebury is home to Middlebury College and the Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont History and the adjacent hardware store. One of the New Hampshire Grants , Middlebury was chartered by Colonial Governor Benning Wentworth on November 2, 1761. The name "Middlebury" came from its location between
76-531: A Superior Court and Sheriff (as an officer of the court ), both located in a designated "shire town". Bennington County, Vermont has two shire towns; the court for "North Shire" is in the shire town Manchester , and the Sheriff for the county and court for "South Shire" are in the shire town Bennington. In 2024, Connecticut , which had not defined their counties for anything but statistical, historical and weather warning purposes since 1960, along with ending
114-739: A subrange of the Appalachian Mountains . The range runs primarily south to north and extends approximately 250 miles (400 km) from the border with Massachusetts to the border with Quebec , Canada . The part of the same range that is in Massachusetts and Connecticut is known as The Berkshires or the Berkshire Hills (with the Connecticut portion, mostly in Litchfield County , locally called
152-410: A county seat may be an independent city surrounded by, but not part of, the county of which it is the administrative center; for example, Fairfax City is both the county seat of Fairfax County, Virginia and completely surrounded by Fairfax County, but the city is politically independent of the county. When the county seat is in the independent city, government offices such as the courthouse may be in
190-413: A family was $ 46,691. Males had a median income of $ 32,645 versus $ 25,994 for females. The per capita income for the town was $ 17,926. About 5.3% of families and 9.6% of the population were below the poverty line , including 8.2% of those under age 18 and 6.1% of those aged 65 or over. Middlebury and the surrounding area are served by Porter Medical Center . Middlebury State Airport , located east of
228-636: A group of Patriote refugees from the Lower Canada Rebellion met in Middlebury to plan their future course of action. It was attended by two major Patriote leaders, Louis-Joseph Papineau and Robert Nelson , but they were not able to agree on a unified plan. On October 22, 2007, central Middlebury was evacuated for a short time because of a train derailment ; the Middlebury Union Middle School served as
266-647: A major field of research in Chinese historical geography, especially from the 1960s to the 1980s. There are 1,355 counties in Mainland China out of a total of 2,851 county-level divisions. In Taiwan , the first counties were first established in 1661 by the Kingdom of Tungning . The later ruler Qing empire inherited this type of administrative divisions. With the increase of Han Chinese population in Taiwan,
304-547: A shortcut and alleviate traffic through downtown. The village of East Middlebury is located in the southern part of the town, east of U.S. Route 7. This climatic region is typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Middlebury has a humid continental climate , abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps. As of
342-409: Is known as the seat of its county. Generally, the county legislature, county courthouse, sheriff's department headquarters, hall of records, jail and correctional facility are located in the county seat, though some functions (such as highway maintenance, which usually requires a large garage for vehicles, along with asphalt and salt storage facilities) may also be located or conducted in other parts of
380-517: Is land and 0.39 square miles (1.0 km), or 1.00%, is water. Middlebury is crossed by U.S. Route 7 , Vermont Route 23 , Vermont Route 30 , Vermont Route 116 , and Vermont Route 125 . It is bordered by the towns of New Haven and Bristol to the north, Ripton to the east, Cornwall and Weybridge to the west, and Salisbury to the south. A new bridge over Otter Creek connecting Cross Street to Bakery Lane opened in November 2010 to serve as
418-502: The Green Mountain Flyer (New York City - Montreal) and the overnight Mount Royal, making stops in the city. County seat In Canada , the provinces of Ontario , Quebec , New Brunswick , Prince Edward Island , and Nova Scotia have counties as an administrative division of government below the provincial level, and thus county seats. In the provinces of Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia
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#1732801620534456-550: The Long Trail and Appalachian Trail ), or with ski resorts or towns nearby—in the range include: The Green Mountains are part of the Appalachian Mountains , a range that stretches from Quebec in the north to Alabama in the south. The Green Mountains are part of the New England/Acadian forests ecoregion . Three peaks—Mount Mansfield, Camel's Hump, and Mount Abraham—support alpine vegetation . Some of
494-564: The Republic of China took over. There are 13 county seats in Taiwan, which function as county-administered cities , urban townships , or rural townships . In most of the United States , a county is an administrative or political subdivision of a state that consists of a geographic area with specific boundaries and usually some level of governmental authority. The city, town, or populated place that houses county government
532-582: The census of 2010, there were 8,494 people, 2,860 households, and 1,642 families residing in the town. The population density was 209.7 people per square mile (80.9/km). There were 2,805 housing units at an average density of 71.9 per square mile (27.7/km). The racial makeup of the town was 90.3% White , 4.3% Asian , 3.0% Hispanic or Latino of any race, 3.0% from two or more races, 1.3% Black or African American , 0.66% from other races , 0.2% Native American and 0.02% Pacific Islander . There were 2,657 households, out of which 27.7% had children under
570-517: The Eastern Han dynasty , the number of counties increased to above 1,000. About 1400 existed when the Sui dynasty abolished the commandery level (郡 jùn), which was the level just above counties, and demoted some commanderies to counties. In Imperial China, the county was a significant administrative unit because it marked the lowest level of the imperial bureaucratic structure; in other words, it
608-612: The Green Mountain Republic, existed from 1777 to 1791, at which time Vermont became the 14th state. Vermont not only takes its state nickname ("The Green Mountain State") from the mountains, it is named after them. The French Monts Verts or Verts Monts is literally translated as "Green Mountains". This name was suggested in 1777 by Dr. Thomas Young , an American revolutionary and Boston Tea Party participant. The University of Vermont and State Agricultural College
646-1017: The Northwest Hills or Litchfield Hills) and the Quebec portion is called the Sutton Mountains, or Monts Sutton [ fr ] in French. All mountains in Vermont are often referred to as the "Green Mountains". However, other ranges within Vermont, including the Taconic Mountains in southwestern Vermont and the Northeastern Highlands , are not geologically part of the Green Mountains. The best-known mountains—for reasons such as high elevation, ease of public access by road or trail (especially
684-947: The United States, followed by Towson , the county seat of Baltimore County, Maryland . Likewise, some county seats may not be incorporated in their own right, but are located within incorporated municipalities. For example, Cape May Court House, New Jersey , though unincorporated, is a section of Middle Township , an incorporated municipality. In some states, often those that were among the original Thirteen Colonies , county seats include or formerly included "Court House" as part of their name, such as Spotsylvania Courthouse, Virginia . Most counties have only one county seat. However, some counties in Alabama , Arkansas , Georgia , Iowa , Kentucky , Massachusetts , Mississippi , Missouri , New Hampshire , New York , and Vermont have two or more county seats, usually located on opposite sides of
722-403: The age of 18 living with them, 44.6% were couples living together and joined in either marriage or civil union , 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.3% were non-families. 35.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.4% 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 2.90. In
760-678: The center of the village. The Middlebury River flows west to Otter Creek out of the mountains. Chipman Hill, a hill of glacial till , rises 450 feet (140 m) above the village just to the northeast. Foothills of the Green Mountains border the town to the east, with the Champlain Valley to the west. According to the United States Census Bureau , the town has a total area of 39.2 square miles (101.6 km), of which 38.8 square miles (100.6 km)
798-418: The county, especially if it is geographically large. A county seat is usually an incorporated municipality . The exceptions include the county seats of counties that have no incorporated municipalities within their borders, such as Arlington County, Virginia , where the county seat is the entire county. Ellicott City , the county seat of Howard County, Maryland , is the largest unincorporated county seat in
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#1732801620534836-420: The county. Examples include Harrison County, Mississippi , which has both Biloxi and Gulfport as county seats, and Hinds County, Mississippi , which has both Raymond and the state capital of Jackson . The practice of multiple county seat towns dates from the days when travel was difficult. There have been few efforts to eliminate the two-seat arrangement, since a county seat is a source of civic pride for
874-480: The evacuation headquarters. Today, as the largest town by population in Addison County, Middlebury serves as the commercial and business center for the region. Downtown hosts a three-screen movie theater, the post office, and two historic inns, as well as many shops and restaurants. There is considerable development along U.S. Route 7 heading south of town, including two supermarkets, two drugstores, most of
912-625: The independent city under an agreement, such as in Albemarle , or may in be enclaves of the county surrounded by the independent city, such as in Fairfax . Others, such as Prince William , have the courthouse in an enclave surrounded by the independent city and have the county government, the Board of Supervisors, in a different part of the county, far from the county seat. The following counties have their county seat in an independent city: Bedford
950-657: The lucrative honor of having the village center grow on their properties. A survey dispute with Salisbury led to the forfeiture of Gamaliel Painter's farm to that town, and his transition from farming to developing Middlebury Village near his and Abisha Washburn's mill, together with other mills that surrounded the Otter Creek falls. Industries would include a cotton factory, sawmill , gristmill , pail factory, paper mill , woolen factory, iron foundry , and marble quarry . The Rutland & Burlington Railroad first arrived on September 1, 1849. Around 1830, Middlebury
988-545: The mountains are developed for skiing and other snow-related activities. Others have hiking trails for use in summer. Mansfield, Killington, Pico, and Ellen have downhill ski resorts on their slopes. All of the major peaks are traversed by the Long Trail , a wilderness hiking trail that runs from the southern to northern borders of the state and is overlapped by the Appalachian Trail for roughly 1 ⁄ 3 of its length. The Vermont Republic , also known as
1026-551: The number of counties also grew by time. By the end of Qing era, there were 11 counties in Taiwan. Protestant missionaries in China first romanized the term as hien . When Taiwan became a Japanese colony in 1895, the hierarchy of divisions also incorporated into the Japanese system in the period when Taiwan was under Japanese rule. By September 1945, Taiwan was divided into 8 prefectures ( 州 and 廳 ), which remained after
1064-777: The state's area, has no borough government or borough seat. One borough, the Lake and Peninsula Borough , has its borough seat located in another borough, namely King Salmon in Bristol Bay Borough . In Louisiana , which is divided into parishes rather than counties, county seats are referred to as "parish seats". In New England , counties have served mainly as dividing lines for the states' judicial systems. Rhode Island has no county level of government and thus no county seats, and Massachusetts has dissolved many but not all of its county governments. In Vermont , Massachusetts , and Maine county government consists only of
1102-723: The term "shire town" is used in place of county seat. County seats in China are the administrative centers of the counties in the People's Republic of China . Xian have existed since the Warring States period and were set up nationwide by the Qin dynasty . The number of counties in China proper gradually increased from dynasty to dynasty. As Qin Shi Huang reorganized the counties after his unification, there were about 1,000. Under
1140-405: The town's gas stations, and several fast-food spots. Of note is Middlebury's A&W , Vermont's only remaining car-hop restaurant and a popular spot with both locals and Middlebury College students. Middlebury is located near the center of Addison County in western Vermont. The town is drained by Otter Creek , which flows from south to north along the western edge of the town, with the falls at
1178-551: The town, is for private aviation. Bus service is provided by Tri Valley Transit. Premier Coach provides an intercity bus line in a joint venture effort with Greyhound via Vermont Translines. Amtrak's Ethan Allen Express serves the city's station , connecting it to Burlington to the north and New York City to the south. Service began in the city in July 2022. Until 1953, the Rutland Railroad ran passenger service on
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1216-407: The town, the population was spread out, with 17.5% under the age of 18, 31.4% from 18 to 24, 18.6% from 25 to 44, 19.3% from 45 to 64, and 13.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 27 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.7 males. For every 100 females aged 18 and over, there were 87.5 males. The median income for a household in the town was $ 37,723, and the median income for
1254-416: The towns involved, along with providing employment opportunities. There are 33 counties with multiple county seats in 11 states: Alaska is divided into boroughs rather than counties; the county seat in these case is referred to as the "borough seat"; this includes six consolidated city-borough governments (one of which is styled as a "municipality"). The Unorganized Borough, Alaska , which covers 49% of
1292-618: The towns of Salisbury and New Haven . It was awarded to John Evarts and 62 others. The French and Indian Wars ended in 1763; the first settlers arrived in 1766. John Chipman was the first to clear his land, Lot Seven. During the Revolutionary War , much of the town was burned in Carleton's Raid on November 6, 1778. After the war concluded in 1783, settlers returned to rebuild homes, clear forests and establish farms. The principal crops were grains and hay . Landowners vied for
1330-544: The use of county seats in particular, will fully transition with the permission of the United States Census Bureau to a system of councils of government for the purposes of boundary definition and as county equivalents. Two counties in South Dakota , Oglala Lakota and Todd , have their county seat and government services centered in a neighboring county. Their county-level services are provided by Fall River County and Tripp County , respectively. In Virginia ,
1368-429: Was an independent city from 1968 to 2013, while also being the county seat of Bedford County . Bedford reverted to an incorporated town, and remains the county seat, though is now part of the county. The state with the most counties is Texas, with 254, and the state with the fewest counties is Delaware, with 3. Green Mountains The Green Mountains are a mountain range in the U.S. state of Vermont and are
1406-583: Was the lowest level that the government reached. Government below the county level was often undertaken through informal non-bureaucratic means, varying between dynasties. The head of a county was the magistrate , who oversaw both the day-to-day operations of the county as well as civil and criminal cases. The current number of counties mostly resembled that of the later years of the Qing dynasty . Changes of location and names of counties in Chinese history have been
1444-453: Was the second-largest town in Vermont. Middlebury College , one of the United States' elite liberal arts colleges , was founded in 1800. It is a member of the NESCAC . In the summer, the town plays host to the annual Middlebury College Language Schools , as well as the college's Bread Loaf Writers' Conference , the oldest surviving conference of its kind in the nation. On January 2, 1838,
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