Peru, Vermont, New England USA
About Peru, Vermont
Bennington County
Chartered: October 13, 1761 (New Hampshire Grant)
Area: 23,991 Acres = 37.49 Square Miles [ Size Rank: 164* ]
Coordinates (Geographic Center): N 43° 15′ W 72°54′
Altitude: 1,660 feet ASL
Population (US Census, 2010): 375 [ Population Rank: 220* ]
Population Density (persons per square mile): 10 [ Density Rank: 226* ]
Full Census Info: Town County State
*Area, Population and Density rankings refer to Peru’s relative position among Vermont’s 255 civic entities (9 cities, 242 towns, 4 gores and grants). Complete rankings are here.
Granted as Bromley, though the origin of the name is uncertain. It is a popular surname in England, but only minor personages are evident (e.g., a Thomas who was the judge at the trial of Mary Queen of Scots, and various Williams who represented Warwickshire in the House of Commons) ; there are several English towns named Bromley, one of which was the location of a home for clergymen’s widows. At any rate, by 1804, the residents apparently felt that the name was associated with a poor and poverty-stricken place, and asked the Legislature to change it to the present Peru, which was at the time associated with South American wealth. Oddly, the town commenced to grow, the population more than trebling in six years (from 72 to 239). A peak of 600 was reached in the 1840’s, and has been on a fairly steady decline since.
The western part of the town is taken up entirely by mountains, only the three highest of which are identified by name. Mount Tabor from the town of the same name, but which got left behind in Peru when the boundary was adjusted, and Styles Peak comes from a family that once owned it. Perhaps best known of all because of the ski resort there is Bromley Mountain, the only remaining evidence of the town’s original name.
Activities & Points of Interest
Goings-on in and near Peru
Calendar of Events provided by the Vermont Department of Tourism & Marketing.
Contact Info
Emergency Services (Statewide): 911
Hospital: Southwestern Medical Center (Bennington) 802-442-6361
Town Clerk: Margaret Cobb PO Box 127 Peru, VT 05152
802-824-3065
T Th 8:30-4
Churches, Ministries, Charitables
United Church of Christ : United Church of Christ
Neighboring Towns
This is a basic geographic reference, intended to show relative location of adjacent towns. Directional accuracy is limited to 16 compass points. There isn’t even the slightest suggestion that one can necessarily travel directly from one town to the next (as in “You can’t get there from here”).
Peru
Utilities
Notes about utilities:
- One electric or phone company indicates that company serves the entire town. More than one of either indicates each serves different areas of town.
- A listed cable company MIGHT mean the entire town is covered, but not necessarily. More than one listed indicates each serves different areas of town.
- Unless your area is one served by Vermont’s only gas utility, your only option is bottled gas (any dealer).
Cable Comcast 800-266-2278
Electric Green Mountain Power 888-835-4672
Telephone Fairpoint 866-984-2001