Williston

Williston is a town in Chittenden County, Vermont, United States. Originally rural and laid out with many farms, in recent decades it has developed into a thriving suburb of Burlington, the largest city in the state of Vermont. The population of Williston was 8,698 at the 2010 census, an increase of over 1,000 people since the 2000 census. The estimated population in 2015 estimate was 9,409. Williston is one of the fastest-growing towns in Vermont, and while becoming more populated, it has also developed as a major retail center for the Burlington area as well as much of central and northern Vermont. The town contains the village of Williston, which is unincorporated.HistoryThe town was named for Samuel Willis, a landholder.During the night of July 7, 1984, an Amtrak train with 287 people aboard hit a landslide and derailed, killing five people and injuring about two hundred. Although the accident triggered one of Vermont's most intensive emergency responses, the final victims were not rescued until the end of the day.A private, boarding high school, Pine Ridge, was founded in 1968 to serve learning-disabled students. It closed in June 2009.GeographyWilliston is in central Chittenden County, bordered on the north by the Winooski River. The city of South Burlington is to the west. According to the United States Census Bureau, Williston has a total area of 79.2sqkm, of which 77.9sqkm is land and 1.3sqkm, or 1.65%, is water.