Most of Killington was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1983. 2 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 8 buildings between them. Below: maps from 1891 on and the census since 1790.
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1828.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Killington’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Killington is more historic than 70% of U.S. towns. Its age holds the grade up; its share of homes from before 1940 pulls it down.
B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Killington’s overall grade.
Vermont towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Vermont town has 147 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Killington’s 102 sits near the middle of its state (59% of Vermont towns have fewer) while its 8 historic buildings outnumber those of 74% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikipedia alone; no second source gives 1761.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to A. The pre-1940 share (±1.5 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: Wikipedia (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Killington’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The town of Killington was chartered on July 7, 1761, by a New Hampshire grant. In 1800, it was renamed Sherburne after landholder Colonel Benjamin Sherburne. The town voted to revert to its original name of Killington on March 2, 1999; which was approved by the Vermont General Assembly and became effective July 1, 1999.
The 2007 town meeting considered a proposal to impose a three-cent surcharge on every dollar of property tax revenue. The proceeds would have been used to fund a town economic development group. The surcharge was not approved by the voters.
Killington was one of thirteen Vermont towns isolated by flooding caused by Hurricane Irene on August 28, 2011. Killington was cut off for 19 days.
Passages that mention Killington, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Rutland County, Vermont, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers1886 · page 303Read the page →
Read the text
marble deposits will be properly treated a little farther on. In natural picturesqueness and beauty of situation, the town can scarcely be surpassed. Lying at the foot of the loftiest peaks of the Green Mountains, the towering summits of Killington, Pico and Shrewsbury look down upon the valley of the Otter ; the beautiful and thriving village of Rutland and its surroundings rest almost in their shadows and are apparently surrounded by an amphitheatre of hills or mountains ; but there are winding valleys that break away among the ranges, giving access to highways and railroads from various directions. Over
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of Rutland County, Vermont, with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers1886 · page 418Read the page →
Read the text
Killington Steamer Engine Company No. 3 was organized in October, 1868, and at the same time a second class Amoskeag steamer was purchased by the village. The officers for the first two years were N. L. Davis, foreman ; H. M. Bates, secretary; L. G. Kingsley, treasurer. In 1870 Chester Kingsley was elected foreman. Beginning with the year 1871 L. G. Kingsley was elected foreman and has held the oflfice ever since. Following are the present officers of the company, and there lias been no change for several }'ears past : L. G.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Timeline
Killington, 1761 to 2020
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
In 1761, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Killington’s post office opened in 1828, and the first U.S. census counted 32 people here in 1790.
How does Killington rank for history?
Killington is more historic than 70% of U.S. towns. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Killington?
Two places: the Mission of the Church of Our Savior (listed 1992) and the Gifford Woods State Park (2002).
How old are the homes in Killington?
3% of Killington’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.5 points), against a typical 22% for a Vermont town; the median home was built in 1983.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (11), Wikidata (1), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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