Northfield is a town in Washington County, Vermont, in the United States. It lies in a valley within the Green Mountains, and has been the home of Norwich University since 1866. The town contains the village of Northfield, where over half of its population lives. The total population of the town was 6,207 at the 2010 census.HistoryNorthfield was chartered in 1781, and incorporated in 1855. The community was named after Northfield, Massachusetts.GeographyAccording to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 113.0sqkm, of which 112.7sqkm is land and 0.3sqkm, or 0.29%, is water.The geographic center of Vermont is located within the town, with markers on the university campus of the geographical and magnetic centers.DemographicsAs of the census of 2000, there were 5,791 people, 1,819 households, and 1,224 families residing in the town. The population density was 132.5 people per square mile (51.2/km2). There were 1,958 housing units at an average density of 44.8 per square mile (17.3/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 95.41% White, 1.02% Black or African American, 0.36% Native American, 1.33% Asian, 0.43% from other races, and 1.45% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.21% of the population.