Cheshire, Connecticut

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Cheshire, Connecticut
Coordinates: 41°30′44″N, 72°54′13″W
NECTA New Haven
Region Central Naugatuck Valley
Incorporated 1780
Government
 - Type Council-manager
 - Town manager Michael A. Milone
 - Council Matt Hall, Mayor
Elizabeth Esty, D-1
Thomas Ruocco, R-2
Diane Visconti, D-3
Tim White, R-4
Matthew Altieri D-at large
Michael Ecke D-at large
David Orsini, R-at large
David Schrumm, R-at large
Area
 - City 86.5 km²  (33.4 sq mi)
Population (2005)
 - City 29,097
 - Density 341/km² (884/sq mi)
Time zone EST (UTC-5)
 - Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code 06410
Website: http://www.cheshirect.org/

Cheshire is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 28,543 at the 2000 census. The center of population of Connecticut is located in Cheshire [1].

Contents

[edit] History

When Cheshire was originally settled by Europeans, it was part of the town of Wallingford and known locally as "Northfarms". In 1780, Cheshire separated from Wallingford to become its own town, and for the next 170 years, Cheshire remained a small but prosperous farming town.

In the post-war period, Cheshire began to suburbanize as residents of New Haven began moving outwards from the urban core. Several industrial plants also located themselves in one of the town's many planned industrial parks. Despite significant residential development, Cheshire has remained a highly agricultural town that has found an economic niche in producing bedding plants for local and national consumers. The town's slogan is "The Bedding Plant Capital of Connecticut".

[edit] On the National Register of Historic Places

  • Cheshire Historic District — Roughly bounded by Main Street, Highland Avenue, Wallingford Road, South Main, Cornwall, and Spring streets (added September 29, 1986)
  • Farmington Canal Lock — 487 N. Brooksvale Road (added March 16, 1973)
  • First Congregational Church of Cheshire — 111 Church Drive (added March 16, 1973)

[edit] Notable people, past and present

[edit] Culture and notable features

Every June, the town celebrates its annual Strawberry Festival on the First Congregational Church green.

Cheshire Academy (originally The Episcopal Academy of Connecticut) was founded in Cheshire in 1794.

Cheshire is home to two large state prison facilities located in the northern section of town. The largest of these facilities is the Cheshire Correctional Institution, which opened in 1910. In 1982, the Manson Youth Institution opened adjacent to the CCI. These prisons explain the skewed male/female ratios listed below.

The Barker Character, Comic and Cartoon Museum, located in the northern section of Cheshire, holds a large collection of memorabilia, novelties and ephemera such as lunch boxes and PEZ dispensers bearing the likenesses of characters from television, cartoons and comics.[2]

Cheshire High School's extracurricular programs are both numerous and somewhat well-known. The Marching Ram Band has won several competitions since its creation.[citation needed] The Rams football team was once ranked as one of the Top 25 in the nation by USA Today.[citation needed] Richard Pulusciano was named the 2002 Coach of the Year for High School Lacrosse programs.[citation needed]

[edit] Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 86.5 km² (33.4 mi²). 85.2 km² (32.9 mi²) of it is land and 1.3 km² (0.5 mi²) of it (1.50%) is water.

Cheshire is situated in the midst of several major cities of Connecticut. It lies fourteen miles north of New Haven, twenty-five miles south of the capital Hartford, and is adjacent to Waterbury. Hamden, Connecticut borders the town to the south.

[edit] Transportation

Transportation within Cheshire is largely by car. Interstate 691 skirts the northern edge of the town. Interstate 84 passes through the northwest part of the town. The main north-south artery is Route 10, a difficult passage that is busy, sometimes congested, and includes many stoplights. There are three east-west routes: Route 42, Route 68, and Route 70. Route 10 is by far the busiest road in Cheshire, with the worst Route 10 traffic occurring between Routes 68-70 and Route 42 every weekday during the morning commute, evening commute, and after the high school gets out at 2 pm. West Main Street and Main Street, Route 68-70 between Route 10 and Waterbury Road, is the next busiest road in town. The intersection of Route 10 and Route 68-70 is the busiest intersection in town. The second busiest intersection is the Cheshire High School and Route 10 intersection right before school starts and right after school ends.

Connecticut Transit's J line from Waterbury to New Haven travels through Cheshire on Routes 70 and 10. A commuter express bus also runs from the commuter lot near Interstate 84 to Hartford.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there were 28,543 people, 9,349 households, and 7,254 families residing in the town. The population density was 334.9/km² (867.4/mi²). There were 9,588 housing units at an average density of 112.5/km² (291.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 89.40% White, 4.67% African American, 0.22% Native American, 2.63% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.91% from other races, and 1.15% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.84% of the population. The largest ethnic groups in the town are Italian Americans and Irish Americans.

There were 9,349 households out of which 39.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.5% were married couples living together, 6.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.4% were non-families. 19.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.14.

In the town the population was spread out with 25.2% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 29.4% from 25 to 44, 25.0% from 45 to 64, and 12.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 113.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 114.4 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $80,466, and the median income for a family was $90,774. Males had a median income of $60,078 versus $38,471 for females. The per capita income for the town was $33,903. About 1.6% of families and 3.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.4% of those under age 18 and 4.3% of those age 65 or over.

Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of October 25, 2005[3]
Party Active Voters Inactive Voters Total Voters Percentage
Republican 4,402 133 4,535 25.09%
Democratic 3,792 113 3,905 21.60%
Unaffiliated 9,292 332 9,624 53.24%
Minor Parties 11 1 12 0.07%
Total 17,497 579 18,076 100%

[edit] References

  1. ^ Hughes, Paul. "Rowland: Ford visit key to 1st major win", Waterbury Republican-American, American-Republican, Inc., 2006-12-28, p. 2. Retrieved on March 23, 2007.
  2. ^ "TRAVEL ADVISORY; The Golden Days Of Lunch Boxes and Pez", New York Times, 1997-12-07. Retrieved on March 23, 2007.
  3. ^ Registration and Party Enrollment Statistics as of October 25, 2005 (PDF). Connecticut Secretary of State. Retrieved on October 2, 2006.

[edit] External links


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