Foreclosure Homes in Shaftsbury, VT

Shaftsbury is a town in Bennington County, Vermont, United States. The population was 3,590 at the 2010 census.

History

The town was chartered on August 20, 1761. It was named after the Earl of Shaftesbury.

In June 1843, escaped slaves hid at a Shaftsbury farm, in the first recorded instance in Vermont of the Underground Railroad.

Geography

Shaftsbury is located in Bennington County along the western border of Vermont. To the north is the town of Arlington, to the east is the unincorporated town of Glastenbury, to the south is the town of Bennington, the county seat, and to the west are the towns of Hoosick and White Creek in New York.

Shaftsbury includes the communities of Shaftsbury Center and South Shaftsbury. Lake Shaftsbury State Park is located in the northern part of the town, around Lake Shaftsbury.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 43.2 square miles (111.8 km²), of which 43.1 square miles (111.6 km²) is land and 0.08 square miles (0.2 km²), or 0.21%, is water. Most of the town drains southward to the Walloomsac River, while the northeast corner, including Lake Shaftsbury, drains north to the Batten Kill. Both rivers are part of the Hudson River watershed.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 3,767 people, 1,450 households, and 1,078 families residing in the town.