LaRiviere's records show how the ski resort that dominates the town changed hands twice in the 1990s and was renovated and gained new popularity. The documents also detail the construction of a new town garage. The paperwork records the controversy when mobile homes were removed to make room for an addition to Smilie Elementary School. Meeting minutes show the happiness of parents and teachers when work on the school addition finished. Of course, some things go unrecorded.
Nobody is sure how many people moved out of town, how many moved in, and how family size changed.
Some of those answers will come when more detailed census data come out this year. Changes are evident within Bolton families. Besse doesn't trust the census numbers. Residents such as Besse theorize condominiums near the Bolton Valley Holiday Resort Inc. might have influenced the flat census count. Maybe the condominiums are attracting smaller families or more single people.