Norwich

History

The boundaries of Norwich were established on July 4, 1761, when Governor Benning Wentworth of New Hampshire defined the boundaries of townships in Vermont. The first settlers reached the area in 1763 and began to clear the wilderness and erect the first hand-hewn log buildings, wintering over for the first time in 1765. Early settlements occurred along the Ompompanoosuc River. Later, the current village site became settled. The first town meeting occurred in April 1768. The first Congregational church was founded in 1770 and a structure built in 1778. The population grew from 206 in 1771 to 1,158 in 1791 and 2,316 in 1830. In the original charter, the name was spelled "Norwhich", but the additional 'h' was dropped shortly after the town was chartered. Originally pronounced "Norritch" (similar to the English pronunciation of the city of Norwich, England), the town name has in more recent times become more commonly pronounced "Nor-wich". In 1819 native son, Alden Partridge, a former Superintendent of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, founded the private "American Literary, Scientific and Military Academy" in Norwich. He hoped to establish a new "American system" for training cadets that included both humanities and science topics in the curriculum, in addition to military science. In his six years of Norwich residency, Partridge achieved an academy population of nearly 500 "cadets". He moved that school back to Middletown, Connecticut, in 1825, but returned in 1835 with a charter from the U.S. Congress to found another military academy, which remained in Norwich until 1866, when it burned to the ground. The school then relocated to Northfield, Vermont, where it exists today as Norwich University.

Geography

Norwich lies on the western bank of the Connecticut River, which forms Vermont's boundary with New Hampshire, opposite its companion town, Hanover, New Hampshire. The Ledyard Bridge connects the two towns. The Vermont towns bordering Norwich are Thetford to the north, Sharon to the west, and Hartford to the south. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.05%, is water. The Ompompanoosuc River flows into the Connecticut River in the northeastern part of the town. The landscape is hilly and wooded. The elevation of the town center is . The hills in the town include the Griggs Mountain in the southwestern section and the Gile Mountain in the northwestern section.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  28,326
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  26,329
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  23,489
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  18,961
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  18,379
• American Goldfinch

  Spinus tristis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  18,147
• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  17,525
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  15,631

Largest nearby schools

• Hartford High School
  High · White River Junction · 518 students · 10.2:1 ratio
• Marion W. Cross School
  Elementary · Norwich · 351 students · 11:1 ratio
• Hartford Memorial Middle School
  Middle · White River Junction · 294 students · 9.5:1 ratio
• Dothan Brook School
  Elementary · White River Junction · 246 students · 10.7:1 ratio
• Ottauquechee School
  Elementary · Quechee · 203 students · 10.2:1 ratio
• White River School
  Elementary · White River Junction · 198 students · 9:1 ratio
• Sharon Elementary School
  Elementary · Sharon · 170 students · 13.1:1 ratio
• Hartford Area Career & Technology Center
  High · White River Junction

Most recent

• M 2.6 — 2024-06-18
  3 km SE of Haverhill, New Hampshire
• M 2.7 — 2023-12-23
  5 km SW of Chichester, New Hampshire
• M 2.9 — 2023-04-25
  4 km SW of Center Sandwich, New Hampshire
• M 2.8 — 2016-03-21
  4 km ESE of Warner, New Hampshire
• M 2.61 — 2013-10-11
  New Hampshire
• M 2.51 — 2011-07-08
  4 km NE of Newbury, Vermont