Killingly, Connecticut
Killingly is a town in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 16,472 at the 2000 census. It consists of the borough of Danielson and the villages of Attawaugan, Ballouville, Dayville, East Killingly, Rogers, and South Killingly.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 50.0 square miles (129 km2), of which, 48.5 square miles (126 km2) of it is land and 1.5 square miles (3.9 km2) of it (2.94%) is water.
Principal communities
- Attawaugan
- Ballouville
- Chestnut Hill
- Danielson (borough)
- Dayville
- East Killingly
- Elmville
- Goodyear
- Killingly Center
- Rogers
- South Killingly
On the National Register of Historic Places
Demographics
As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 16,472 people, 6,359 households, and 4,279 families residing in the town. The population density was 339.5 people per square mile (131.1/km²). There were 6,909 housing units at an average density of 142.4 per square mile (55.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 93.73% White, 1.40% African American, 0.51% Native American, 1.59% Asian, 0.77% from other races, and 2.00% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.25% of the population.
The borough of Danielson, as well as the town of Killingly, is also home to a small but significant Laotian community. Both Danielson and Killingly are on the nation's list of top 50 cities with the highest percentage of citizens claiming Laotian ancestry.
There were 6,359 households out of which 33.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.2% were married couples living together, 12.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.7% were non-families. 25.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.02.
In the town the population was spread out with 25.7% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 30.2% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 13.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 96.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.8 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $41,087, and the median income for a family was $46,645. Males had a median income of $35,367 versus $24,600 for females. The per capita income for the town was $19,779. About 6.2% of families and 8.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.9% of those under age 18 and 10.4% of those age 65 or over.
| Voter registration and party enrolment as of October 25, 2005[3] |
| Party |
Active voters |
Inactive voters |
Total voters |
Percentage |
| |
Democratic |
2.335 |
110 |
2,445 |
26.40% |
| |
Republican |
1,543 |
69 |
1,612 |
17.41% |
| |
Unaffiliated |
4,935 |
260 |
5,195 |
56.10% |
| |
Minor parties |
8 |
0 |
8 |
0.09% |
| Total |
8,821 |
439 |
9,260 |
100% |
Notable people, past and present
- Mary Dixon Kies (1752–1837), the first woman in the United States to receive a patent (in 1809, for a method of weaving straw with silk or thread). Kies was born and lived in South Killingly, an unincorporated village in the Town of Killingly.
- Francis Alexander, (1800–1881), born in Killingly, was a portrait painter[4]
- William Torrey Harris (1835–1909), a philosopher who introduced reindeer to Alaska, educator (and later U.S. Commissioner of Education) who introduced the first permanent kindergarten, and lexicographer who introduced the "divided page" into dictionaries (the 1909 edition of Webster's New International Dictionary). He was born in North Killingly. He also founded the first philosophical journal in the country.
- Sidney P. Marland, Jr. (1914–1992), U.S. Commissioner of Education from 1970 to 1972 and then the first Assistant Secretary of Education in the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare from 1972 to 1973, under President Nixon. Marland was born in Danielson, a borough of the Town of Killingly. Killingly may be the only town in the nation to be the birthplace of two U.S. Commissioners of Education.
- Charles Tiffany (1812–1902) born in town, owner of Tiffany and Company (and father of the more famous Louis Comfort Tiffany, a designer)
- Ebenezer Young (1783–1851) was a United States Representative from Connecticut.
References
- ^ U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "Registration and Party Enrolment Statistics as of October 25, 2005" (PDF). Connecticut Secretary of State. Archived from the original on September 23, 2006. http://web.archive.org/web/20060923151511/http://www.sots.ct.gov/ElectionsServices/lists/2005OctRegEnrollStats.pdf. Retrieved 2006-10-02.
- ^ Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607-1896. Marquis Who's Who. 1967.
External links