Guilford, Connecticut

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Guilford, Connecticut
Location in Connecticut
Location in Connecticut
Coordinates: 41°19′42″N, 72°41′16″W
NECTA New Haven
Region South Central Region
Settled 1639
Government type Selectman-town meeting
First selectman Carl A. Balestracci, Jr.
Area  
 - City 128.7 km²  (49.7 sq mi)
Population  
 - City (2005) 22,307[1]
 - Density 183/km² (474/sq mi)
Time zone Eastern (UTC-5)
 - Summer (DST) Eastern (UTC-4)
ZIP code 06437
Website: http://www.ci.guilford.ct.us/

Guilford is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, that borders Madison, Branford, North Branford and Durham, and is situated on I-95 and the coast. The population was 21,398 at the 2000 census. It was named one of the top 100 places to live in the United States by Money magazine in 2005.

First settled in 1639, Guilford has the third largest collection of historic homes in New England, with important buildings from the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. There are five historic house museums, including Dudley Farm, which hosts a farmers' market on Saturdays.

There is a sizable arts community in Guilford, with the Guilford Arts Center offering workshops, a school, a gallery, and a shop.

For recreation, the town offers two public beaches, three public marinas, two private yacht clubs (Sachem's Head Yacht Club and Guilford Yacht Club), both public and private tennis courts, the Guilford Lakes Golf Course, and many trails for hiking or riding. The town hosts free concerts on the green in August, and boasts an enchanting tree-lighting ceremony in the Christmas season as well as many other community holiday activities.

Contents

[edit] Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 128.8 km² (49.7 mi²). 121.9 km² (47.0 mi²) of it is land and 6.9 km² (2.7 mi²) of it (5.39%) is water. The rocky shoreline has been compared to that of Maine.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there were 21,398 people, 8,151 households, and 6,039 families residing in the town. The population density was 175.6/km² (454.8/mi²). There were 8,724 housing units at an average density of 71.6/km² (185.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.04% White, 0.93% African American, 0.05% Native American, 1.65% Asian, 0.41% from other races, and 0.93% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.13% of the population.

There were 8,151 households out of which 35.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.4% were married couples living together, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.9% were non-families. 21.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.04.

In the town the population was spread out with 25.4% under the age of 18, 4.4% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 31.2% from 45 to 64, and 12.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 92.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.5 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $76,843, and the median income for a family was $87,045. Males had a median income of $60,623 versus $40,307 for females. The per capita income for the town was $37,161. About 2.3% of families and 3.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.4% of those under age 18 and 3.8% of those age 65 or over.

Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of October 25, 2005[2]
Party Active Voters Inactive Voters Total Voters Percentage
Democratic 4,275 82 4,357 27.69%
Republican 3,837 85 3,922 24.92%
Unaffiliated 7,280 148 7,428 47.20%
Minor Parties 29 0 29 0.18%
Total 15,421 315 15,736 100%

[edit] Principal communities in Guilford

  • Guilford Center
  • Leete's Island
  • North Guilford
  • Nut Plains
  • Sachem's Head (named after three Pequot chiefs who were captured and decapitated there by Mohegans)
  • Indian Cove

[edit] References

  1. ^ U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates
  2. ^ Registration and Party Enrollment Statistics as of October 25, 2005 (PDF). Connecticut Secretary of State. Retrieved on 2006-10-02.

[edit] External links

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