Stowe, Vermont
Town
Stowe Community Church
Seal
Nickname:  The Ski Capital of the East
Stowe, Vermont
Stowe, Vermont Location in the United States
Coordinates: 44°28′31″N 72°42′8″W / 44.47528°N 72.70222°W / 44.47528; -72.70222
Country	United States
State	Vermont
County	Lamoille
Communities	Stowe Lower Village Moscow Stowe Fork West Branch
Government
• Type	Select board
Area [1]
• Total	72.76 sq mi (188.45 km2)
• Land	72.60 sq mi (188.03 km2)
• Water	0.16 sq mi (0.42 km2)
Elevation [2]	889 ft (271 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	5,223
• Density	72/sq mi (27.8/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	05672
Area code	802
FIPS code	50-70525[3]
Website	www.townofstowevt.org

Stowe is a town in Lamoille County, Vermont, United States. The population was 5,223 at the 2020 census.^[4] The town lies on Vermont Routes 108 and 100. It is nicknamed "The Ski Capital of the East" and is home to Stowe Mountain Resort, a ski facility with terrain on Mount Mansfield, the highest peak in Vermont, and Spruce Peak.

History

The indigenous people who lived in the area now called Vermont were primarily Abenaki, who spoke Algonquian. They were forced aside by strategies of displacement after primarily British settlers flooded into the area after the French and Indian War.^[5] There are no surviving names from the original language, which was most likely Mahican, an Algonquian dialect akin to Abenaki.^[5]

Stowe was chartered on June 8, 1763, by Royal Governor Benning Wentworth of the Province of New Hampshire.^[6] Vermont became a U.S. state in 1791. Two years later more settlers arrived in Stowe. By the turn of the nineteenth century, the majority of the town’s property had been sold, and its population had risen to 316.

Stowe's early years were dominated by the farm and lumber industries. Over 75 percent of the land in Stowe and most of Vermont used to be open terrain cleared by lumber production and used for agriculture, particularly sheep farming. In those days, up to 8000 sheep grazed the Stowe hills and valleys.^[7]

Stowe's agricultural fortunes changed alongside those of the rest of New England. Most of Vermont eventually switched from sheep to dairy farms, with more than 100 farms in Stowe alone. Only nine of these farms are still operational today.^{[when?][citation needed]} This move allowed 75 percent of the cleared area to reforest over time.^[7]

Unlike much of the rest of Vermont, Stowe's past was not centered solely on agriculture. It had become a well-known summer resort by the mid-nineteenth century, thanks to its mountain scenery.^[7]

The Summit House atop Mt. Mansfield was constructed just before the American Civil War broke out. The Toll Road to reach it followed by 1870. At that time the 300-room Mansfield House occupied the majority of the settlement. The latter, often known as the "Big Hotel," burned down in 1889. Behind it lay a vast stable with over 100 horses, equipment, carriages, and stable hands. In 1953, the barn was demolished over fire concern, and several of the original beams were repurposed in the construction of The Whip Bar & Grill. The Depot Building located next to the Green Mountain Inn was erected in 1897 for the Mt. Mansfield Electric Railway. Running the 11 miles between Waterbury and Stowe, it carried both passengers and freight until 1932.^[7]

Through the First World War, summer tourism remained crucial to Stowe's economy. Stowe had its inaugural Winter Carnival in 1921, including ski jumping, skating, and a variety of other enjoyable activities. The Civilian Conservation Corps erected camps and began clearing ski tracks on Mt. Mansfield during the Great Depression, leading to Stowe becoming an early mecca for downhill skiing in the United States. The Bruce Trail, which ran from the current site of the Octagon to Ranch Camp, was the first built in 1933. The Mt. Mansfield Ski Touring trail system now includes this trail as well. The Nose Dive, the next ski trail, was created in 1934. Skiers used to trek the 2.5 miles to the summit in the early days. Chairlifts, which began with a single chair in 1940, overtook rope tows as the more convenient way. The chair was in service until 1986, when it was replaced with a high-speed detachable quad.^[7]

The Vermont Ski Museum was founded in 1988, and relocated to Stowe in 2000. It contains information and artifacts on the history of skiing and snowboarding in Vermont.^[7]

Stowe remains a premier Eastern resort town, summer and winter.

Geography

Stowe is in southern Lamoille County, lying in a broad, fertile valley between Mount Mansfield and other peaks of the Green Mountains to the west, and the Worcester Range to the east. The town is bordered by Chittenden County to the west and Washington County to the south and east. The village of Stowe sits in the east-central part of the town, along the Little River where it is joined by its West Branch. The Little River, a tributary of the Winooski, flows southward past the village of Moscow and into Waterbury Reservoir, a large reservoir created by a flood control dam in Waterbury but which extends north into the Stowe town limits.^[8]

Transportation

Vermont Route 100 crosses the town from north to south, passing through the village of Stowe. VT 100 leads north 9 miles (14 km) to Morrisville and south 10 miles (16 km) to Waterbury. Vermont Route 108 has its southern terminus in Stowe village and leads northwest through Smugglers Notch 17 miles (27 km) to Jeffersonville in the Lamoille River valley.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 72.8 square miles (188.5 km²), of which 72.6 square miles (188.0 km²) are land and 0.15 square miles (0.4 km²), or 0.23%, are water.^[1] By area, it is the second-largest town in the state of Vermont after Chittenden in Rutland County.

Climate

According to the Trewartha climate classification system:

Mount Mansfield

Mount Mansfield has a temperate continental climate (Dc) with mild summers (l), very cold winters (c) and year-around precipitation (Dclc). Dclc climates are characterized by at least one month having an average mean temperature ≤ −10.0 °C (14.0 °F), four to seven months with an average mean temperature ≥ 10.0 °C (50.0 °F), all months with an average mean temperature < 72.0 °F (22.2 °C) and no significant precipitation difference between seasons. Although most summer days are humid on Mount Mansfield, episodes of warmth and high humidity can occur with heat index values > 27 °C (81 °F). Since 1981, the highest air temperature was 31.9 °C (89.5 °F) on 07/08/1988, and the highest daily average mean dew point was 21.0 °C (69.8 °F) on 08/01/2006. July is the peak month for thunderstorm activity which correlates with the average warmest month of the year. Since 1981, the wettest calendar day was 5.74 inches (146 mm) on 09/16/1999. During the winter months, the plant hardiness zone is 4a with an average annual extreme minimum air temperature of −32.6 °C (−26.7 °F).^[9] Since 1981, the coldest air temperature was −37.6 °C (−35.6 °F) on 01/27/1994. Episodes of extreme cold and wind can occur with wind chill values below −41 °C (−42 °F). Ice storms and large snowstorms depositing ≥ 12 inches (30 cm) of snow are frequent from late-fall to early-spring.

The Lodge at Spruce Peak

The Lodge at Spruce Peak has a temperate continental climate (Dc) with warm summers (b), cold winters (o) and year-around precipitation (Dcbo). Dcbo climates are characterized by at least one month having an average mean temperature ≤ 0.0 °C (32.0 °F), four to seven months with an average mean temperature ≥ 10.0 °C (50.0 °F), all months with an average mean temperature < 22.2 °C (72.0 °F) and no significant precipitation difference between seasons. Although most summer days are humid at The Lodge at Spruce Peak, episodes of warmth and high humidity can occur with heat index values > 31 °C (88 °F). Since 1981, the highest air temperature was 32.1 °C (89.8 °F) on 07/08/1988, and the highest daily average mean dew point was 20.9 °C (69.7 °F) on 08/01/2006. July is the peak month for thunderstorm activity which correlates with the average warmest month of the year. Since 1981, the wettest calendar day was 5.62 inches (143 mm) on 09/16/1999. During the winter months, the plant hardiness zone is 4b with an average annual extreme minimum air temperature of −30.9 °C (−23.7 °F).^[9] Since 1981, the coldest air temperature was −37.7 °C (−35.8 °F) on 01/27/1994. Episodes of extreme cold and wind can occur with wind chill values < −39 °C (−38 °F). Ice storms and large snowstorms depositing ≥ 30 centimetres (12 in) of snow are somewhat frequent from December through March.

Stowe village

Stowe village has a temperate continental climate (Dc) with warm summers (b), cold winters (o) and year-around precipitation (Dcbo). Dcbo climates are characterized by at least one month having an average mean temperature ≤ 32.0 °F (0.0 °C), four to seven months with an average mean temperature ≥ 50.0 °F (10.0 °C), all months with an average mean temperature < 72.0 °F (22.2 °C) and no significant precipitation difference between seasons. Although most summer days are comfortably humid at Stowe village, episodes of heat and high humidity can occur with heat index values > 92 °F (33 °C). Since 1981, the highest air temperature was 94.7 °F (34.8 °C) on 07/09/1988, and the highest daily average mean dew point was 71.9 °F (22.2 °C) on 07/01/2018. July is the peak month for thunderstorm activity which correlates with the average warmest month of the year. Since 1981, the wettest calendar day was 4.65 inches (118 mm) on 08/28/2011. During the winter months, the plant hardiness zone is 4a with an average annual extreme minimum air temperature of −25.2 °F (−31.8 °C).^[9] Since 1981, the coldest air temperature was −35.1 °F (−37.3 °C) on 01/27/1994. Episodes of extreme cold and wind can occur with wind chill values < −40 °F (−40 °C). Ice storms and large snowstorms depositing ≥ 12 inches (30 cm) of snow occur once or twice per winter.