Pomfret, Connecticut
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| Pomfret, Connecticut | |
| Motto: Picturesque Pomfret | |
  Pomfret, Connecticut
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| Coordinates: | |
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| NECTA | Danielson |
| Region | Northeastern Connecticut |
| Incorporated | 1713 |
| Government | |
| - Type | Selectman-town meeting |
| - First selectman | James S. Rivers |
| Area | |
| - Total | 105.2 km² (40.6 sq mi) |
| - Land | 104.4 km² (40.3 sq mi) |
| - Water | 0.7 km² (0.3 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 131 m (430 ft) |
| Population (2005) | |
| - Total | 4,142 |
| - Density | 40/km² (103/sq mi) |
| Time zone | Eastern (UTC-5) |
| - Summer (DST) | Eastern (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 06259, 06258 |
| Area code(s) | 860 |
| FIPS code | 09-61030 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0213490 |
| Website: http://www.pomfretct.com/ | |
Pomfret is a town in Windham County, Connecticut, United States.
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[edit] Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 40.6 square miles (105.0 km²), of which, 40.3 square miles (104.4 km²) of it is land and 0.3 square miles (0.7 km²) of it (0.64%) is water.
[edit] Historical Hamlets
- Abington
- Elliotts
- Pomfret Center
- Pomfret Landing
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 3,798 people, 1,433 households, and 1,053 families residing in the town. The population density was 94.2 people per square mile (36.4/km²). There were 1,503 housing units at an average density of 37.3/sq mi (14.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.24% White, 0.39% African American, 0.16% Native American, 0.74% Asian, 0.37% from other races, and 1.11% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.61% of the population.
There were 1,433 households out of which 36.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.2% were married couples living together, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.5% were non-families. 20.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.07.
In the town the population was spread out with 26.7% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 29.4% from 25 to 44, 26.6% from 45 to 64, and 10.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 96.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.2 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $57,938, and the median income for a family was $64,650. Males had a median income of $43,333 versus $28,901 for females. The per capita income for the town was $26,029. About 1.7% of families and 4.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.7% of those under age 18 and 8.9% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Pomfret Today
The principal roads through the town are U.S. Route 44 (running east-west) and Routes 169 (running north-south), and 101 (running east-west).
Mashamoquet State Park and Wolf Den State Park are both located in Pomfret, near the intersection of US 44 and CT 101. Wolf Den State Park is the alleged site of General Israel Putnam's slaying of the last wolf in Connecticut. Rocky paths connect join the small cave which is the actual wolf den with a glacially-positioned boulder called the Indian Chair. Camping and cook-out facilities are available for a nominal fee.
The Airline Trail, a former railroad bed, joins the town of Pomfret with its neighbor to the east, Putnam. The Airline Trail runs seven miles (11 km), much of it through an Audubon Society property named the Bafflin Sanctuary, a 700-acre (2.8 km²) nature preserve.
Pomfret has no formal town center; the town office is located on US Route 44. The Congregational Church stands on the eastern edge of the old town green on Pomfret Hill, across from the Pomfret School, founded in 1894. About a mile north of the Congregational Church is Christ Episcopal Church, which contains several windows designed and constructed by Louis Comfort Tiffany. Across from Christ Church on the west side of Route 44 is The Rectory School, founded in 1920. At the divergence point of US 44 and CT 169 is Most Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church, and the Vanilla Bean Café, a small restaurant. It was in this very café that the Coca-Cola company first launched its Vanilla Coke beverage in 2002.
Town House Road is the location of the former Town House, a location that was chosen by a committee of Selectmen from neighboring towns when Pomfret citizens could not agree on a location. The geography and lack of traditional center can be best understood by remembering after its initial founding, Pomfret was expanded southward significantly, first around Mortlake, later absorbing the town. Pomfret First Church was established in today's Pomfret Hill area; Pomfret Second Church covered what is largely today's Town of Brooklyn; while Pomfret Third Church was established in today's Abington area.
[edit] Notable people, past and present
- Jim Calhoun (b. 1942), head coach of the University of Connecticut's men's basketball team, which won two national championships, and who was enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2005, lives in town.
- Rivers Cuomo (b.1970), lead singer, guitarist and songwriter of Weezer, lived in the town.
- Bertram Goodhue (1869-1924), an architect renowned for his work in the neo-gothic style and the designer of notable type fonts, including the Cheltenham font and the Merrymount font, was born in town.
- Asa Lyon (1763-1841) a United States Representative from Vermont was born in town.
- Louise Chandler Moulton (1835-1908), poet, story-writer and critic, was born in town.
- Ernest Flagg (1857-1947), designer of such great buildings as the Singer Building in New York City and the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington designed the main buildings of the Pomfret School Campus.
- Swami Satchidananda (1914-2002), Indian religious figure, lived in the town.
- Liev Schreiber (b. 1967), Tony award winning actor, lived in the town.
- Renée Zellweger (b. 1969), Academy Award-winning actress, lives in the town.
- Major General Israel Putnam (1718-1790), General to George Washington, lived in the town.
[edit] On the National Register of Historic Places
- Brayton Grist Mill — US 44 (added July 13, 1986)
- Israel Putnam Wolf Den — Off Wolf Den Road (added June 2, 1985)
- Pomfret Street Historic District — Roughly along Pomfret Street and state Route 169, from Bradley Road to Woodstock Road (added May 23, 1998)
- Pomfret Town House — Town House Road (added February 19, 1989)
[edit] Education
.png/90px-Pomfret_School_Crest_(Certa_Viriliter).png)
Pomfret residents are zoned to the Pomfret Community School [1] for grades Kindergarten through 8. Pomfret students are eligible to attend Woodstock Academy [2]; Woodstock Academy became Pomfret's zoned high school in 1987 [3].
Two private schools, the Pomfret School and the The Rectory School, are also located in Pomfret.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Town government Web site
- Pomfret Community School
- Pomfret School Web site
- Rectory School Web site
- Pomfret Connecticut Postcard Archive
- The Vanilla Bean Café
- Connecticut Audubon Sociey Center at Pomfret -- Bafflin Sanctuary
- Mystic Country: The Eastern Regional Tourism District
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