| West Hartford, Connecticut | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| — New England town — | |||
| A View of West Hartford Center/Blue Back Square | |||
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| Motto: Where City Style meets Village Charm | |||
| Location within Hartford County, Connecticut | |||
| Coordinates: | |||
| Country | United States | ||
| State | Connecticut | ||
| NECTA | Hartford | ||
| Region | Capitol Region | ||
| Incorporated | 1854 | ||
| Government | |||
| • Type | Council-manager | ||
| • Town manager | Ronald F. Van Winkle; | ||
| • Town council | Scott Slifka, Mayor Steve Adler Tim Brennan, Deputy Mayor Shari Cantor Charles Coursey Leon S. Davidoff, Minority Leader Carolyn Thornberry Joseph Verrengia Joseph Visconti |
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| Area | |||
| • Total | 22.4 sq mi (58.0 km2) | ||
| • Land | 22.0 sq mi (56.9 km2) | ||
| • Water | 0.4 sq mi (1.0 km2) | ||
| Elevation | 164 ft (50 m) | ||
| Population (2010)[1] | |||
| • Total | 63,268 | ||
| • Density | 2,876/sq mi (1,265/km2) | ||
| Time zone | Eastern (UTC-5) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | Eastern (UTC-4) | ||
| ZIP code | 06107, 06117, 06119, 06110 | ||
| Area code(s) | 860 | ||
| FIPS code | 09-82590 | ||
| GNIS feature ID | 0213529 | ||
| Website | http://www.west-hartford.com/ | ||
West Hartford is a town located in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The town was incorporated in 1854. Prior to that date, the town was a parish of Hartford.
The population was estimated at 63,268 in 2010.[1] The town is primarily an upmarket inner-ring suburb of Hartford. The town has a downtown area called West Hartford Center. This area is centered around Farmington Avenue and South/North Main Street. West Hartford Center has been the community's hub since the late 17th century.
In 2010, Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine listed West Hartford as one of the nation's "10 Great Cities for Raising Families."[2] In 2010, Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine ranked West Hartford #9 on its "10 Best Cities for the Next Decade" list.[3] In 2010, CNN Money ranked West Hartford as the 55th best small city in America.[4] In 2010, the national online magazine travelandleisure.com cited West Hartford as one of 10 "coolest" suburbs in the nation. The magazine called the West Hartford Reservoir off Farmington Avenue "West Hartford’s version of Central Park,"[5] and it also noted the town's "vacation-worthy hot spots, with cutting-edge restaurants, great shopping, and plenty of parking."[6]
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According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 22.4 square miles (57.9 km²), of which 22.0 square miles (56.9 km²) is land and 0.4 square miles (1.0 km² or 1.70%) is water.
The west side of West Hartford is flanked by the Metacomet Ridge, a mountainous trap rock ridgeline that stretches from Long Island Sound to nearly the Vermont border. Notable features of the Metacomet Ridge in West Hartford include Talcott Mountain and a number of highland water reservoirs belonging to the Metropolitan District, which maintains watershed and recreation resources on the property. The 51-mile (82 km) Metacomet Trail traverses the ridge. The Town's web site indicates that the highest point in town is 778 feet above sea level on Talcott (Avon) Mountain. The altitude at Town Hall is 120 feet.
West Hartford is adjacent to and west of Hartford, the State capital, and neighbors Bloomfield, Newington, Farmington, and Avon. West Hartford is approximately 100 miles (160 km) southwest of Boston, Massachusetts and 100 miles (160 km) northeast of New York City. I-84 runs through West Hartford.
| Historical population of West Hartford[7] |
|
| 1850 | 4,411[8] |
| 1860 | 1,296 |
| 1870 | 1,533 |
| 1880 | 1,828 |
| 1890 | 1,930 |
| 1900 | 3,186 |
| 1910 | 4,808 |
| 1920 | 8,854 |
| 1930 | 24,941 |
| 1940 | 33,776 |
| 1950 | 32,402 |
| 1960 | 32,382 |
| 1970 | 38,031 |
| 1980 | 41,301 |
| 1990 | 50,110 |
| 2000 | 61,046 |
| 2010 | 63,268 |
As of the census[9] of 2000, there were 63,589 people, 24,576 households, and 15,925 families residing in the town. The population density was 2,892.6 people per square mile (1,117.0/km²). There were 25,332 housing units at an average density of 1,152.3/square mile (445.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 85.96% White, 4.78% African American, 0.12% Native American, 4.80% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 2.61% from other races, and 1.66% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.27% of the population.
There were 24,576 households out of which 29.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.9% were married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.2% were non-families. 29.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 3.00.
In the town the population was spread out with 22.1% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 22.9% from 45 to 64, and 19.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 85.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.6 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $61,665, and the median income for a family was $77,865 (these figures had risen to $79,443 and $97,873 respectively as of a 2007 estimate[10]). Males had a median income of $52,450 versus $39,051 for females. The per capita income for the town was $33,468. About 2.9% of families and 4.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.4% of those under the age of 18 and 5.1% ages 65 or older.
West Hartford is accessible by major thoroughfares including I-84/US 6 which passes through the mid-southern portion of town. U.S. Route 44, Albany Avenue, passes through the town from Hartford over Talcott Mountain to Avon, CT. The northern section of town is traversed by CT Route 218 along North Main Street, which starts at the intersection of U.S. Route 44 in Bishops Corner and leads to Bloomfield, CT.
West Hartford is served by several bus routes of Connecticut Transit Hartford. Major roads served are Albany Avenue (Route 58), New Britain Avenue (Routes 37 and 39), Park Street (Routes 31 and 33), Farmington Avenue (Routes 60, 62, 64, and 66), Asylum Avenue (Route 72), Hillside Avenue (Route 63), and Boulevard/South Quaker Lane (Route 69).
Amtrak's Union Station in Hartford is approximately ten minutes from the center of town by way of Farmington Avenue.
According to the town's 2010 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,[11] the top employers in the city are:
| # | Employer | # of Employees |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Town of West Hartford | 1,000–2,000 |
| 2 | University of Hartford | 1,000–2,000 |
| 3 | Hebrew Health Care | 500–999 |
| 4 | Wiremold | 500–999 |
| 5 | Goodrich | 250–499 |
| 6 | University of Connecticut | 250–499 |
| 7 | American Medical Response | 250–499 |
| 8 | The Cheesecake Factory | 250–499 |
| 9 | Saint Mary Home | 250–499 |
| 10 | Colt's Manufacturing Company | 250–499 |
In 2006 Moneymagazine ranked West Hartford as the 10th most educated town in the United States, as measured by the percentage of town residents holding graduate or professional degrees.[12] Connecticut Magazine 2006 rankings put West Hartford Public School education in the top three be among all the cities and towns in Connecticut and for its population class of greater than 50,000 people behind only Greenwich and Fairfield.[13]
The town is home to two public high schools, Conard High School and Hall High School, as well as 11 elementary schools and three middle schools in the West Hartford Public Schools. The elementary schools are Aiken, Braeburn, Bugbee, Charter Oak, Duffy, Morley, Norfeldt, Smith, Webster Hill, Whiting Lane and Wolcott. The three middle schools are King Philip, Sedgwick, and the newest Bristow Middle School, located where Kingswood-Oxford Middle school was formerly located. The eleven elementary schools are evenly distributed to either King Philip or Sedgwick, and those that enroll at Bristow are chosen by lottery. After middle school students continue onto high school with their same student body. Those at Sedgwick go on to Conard High School, while those at King Philip go to Hall High School, and students at Bristow return to the same school district they were in during elementary school.
Institutions of higher learning located in town include the following colleges and universities:
In alphabetical order:
| Avon, Connecticut | Bloomfield, Connecticut | |||
| Farmington, Connecticut | Hartford, Connecticut | |||
| West Hartford, Connecticut | ||||
| Newington, Connecticut |
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