| Suffield, Connecticut | |||
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| — Town — | |||
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| Location within Hartford County, Connecticut | |||
| Coordinates: | |||
| Country | United States | ||
| State | Connecticut | ||
| NECTA | Springfield MA | ||
| Region | Capitol Region | ||
| Incorporated (Massachusetts) | 1674 | ||
| Annexed by Connecticut | 1749 | ||
| Government | |||
| • Type | Selectman-town meeting | ||
| • First selectman | Tom Frenaye | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 42.9 sq mi (111.1 km2) | ||
| • Land | 42.2 sq mi (109.3 km2) | ||
| • Water | 0.7 sq mi (1.9 km2) | ||
| Elevation | 197 ft (60 m) | ||
| Population (2005) | |||
| • Total | 14,704 | ||
| • Density | 348/sq mi (135/km2) | ||
| Time zone | Eastern (UTC-5) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | Eastern (UTC-4) | ||
| ZIP code | 06078, 06093 | ||
| Area code(s) | 860 | ||
| FIPS code | 09-74540 | ||
| GNIS feature ID | 0212351 | ||
| Website | http://www.suffieldtownhall.com/ | ||
Suffield is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. It had once been within the boundaries of Massachusetts. The town is located in the Connecticut River Valley with the town of Enfield neighboring to the east. In 1900, 3,521 people lived in Suffield; and in 1910, 3,841. As of the 2000 Census, the population was 13,552. The town center was designated as a census-designated place known as Suffield Depot in the 2000 census.
Bordering Massachusetts, Suffield, Connecticut is considered part of the City of Springfield, Massachusetts NECTA. Suffield is only 8 miles (13 km) from the City of Springfield, Massachusetts, and considered more oriented toward it than the City of Hartford, Connecticut which lies 16 miles (26 km) to the south.
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According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 42.9 square miles (111 km2), of which 42.2 square miles (109 km2) is land and 0.7 square miles (1.9 km² or 1.68%) is water. The town center (Suffield Depot CDP) has a total area of 2.0 square miles (5.2 km2), of which, 1.9 square miles (4.9 km2) of it is land and 0.51% is water.
Suffield is on the west bank of the Connecticut River, 8 miles (13 km) south of the Connecticut River's largest city, Springfield, Massachusetts, and 16 miles (26 km) north of Connecticut's capital, Hartford, Connecticut. Two bridges span the river to the town of Enfield: the Amtrak/Springfield Terminal Railroad Bridge and the Enfield-Suffield Veterans Bridge.
The Metacomet Ridge, a mountainous trap rock ridgeline that stretches from Long Island Sound to nearly the Vermont border, runs through the center of Suffield from south to north as West Suffield Mountain. The 51-mile (82 km) Metacomet Trail traverses the ridge.
Suffield was originally known as Southfield—which was pronounced Suffield. On May 20, 1674, the committee for settling the town petitioned "that the name of the place may be Suffield, it being the southernmost town that either at present is, or like to be in that Countrey, and neere adjoining to the south border of our Patent in those parts." The petition was granted by the Massachusetts Court on June 3, 1674. Suffield was incorporated as a town in March 1682.[1] Suffield was part of the Equivalent lands.
For a town its size, Suffield has had a remarkable effect on the history of the region and the nation. Its native and adopted sons include Rev. Ebenezer Gay, a renowned Congregational minister; U.S. Postmaster General Gideon Granger; real estate speculator Oliver Phelps, once the largest landowner in America; composer Timothy Swan; architect Henry A. Sykes; sculptor Olin Levi Warner; Seth Pease, surveyor of the Western Reserve lands in Ohio, most of which were controlled by Suffield financiers and speculators; and Thaddeus Leavitt,[2] inventor of an early cotton gin, merchant and patentee of the Western Reserve lands.[3] Thanks to the town's early prominence and wealth, it boasts an astonishing collection of early New England architecture.[4] The Kent family, for whom the town's library is named, originated in Gloucester, Massachusetts, and boasted relations to many prominent early New England families, including the New England Dwight family of Northampton, Massachusetts, the Hooker family of Hartford, the Dudleys of Guilford, Connecticut and the Leavitts of Suffield.[5][6] Descendants of Robert Olds, who arrived from Sherborne, Dorset, in 1667, include automotive pioneer Ransom Eli Olds, Copperhead Ohio politician Edson Baldwin Olds, his great-grandson USAAF General Robert Olds, and his son, iconic USAF fighter pilot Robin Olds.
Slavery was not unknown in early New England, where slaves were sold on the town green in New Haven. In Suffield some residents also owned slaves. 'Princess,' a slave belonging to early Suffield settler Lieut. Joshua Leavitt, died November 5, 1732.[7] Ironically, some of Leavitt's descendants became ardent abolitionists, including Joshua Leavitt and his cousin Roger Hooker Leavitt, who operated an Underground Railroad station in Charlemont, Massachusetts.
One of the earliest graduates of the Yale Medical School was one of Suffield's earliest physicians. Dr. Asaph Leavitt Bissell, born in 1791 at Hanover, New Hampshire to parents originally from Suffield,[8] attended Dartmouth College, and later graduated in the second class of the Yale Medical School. Bissell moved to Suffield, where he rode horseback to make house calls on patients. Bissell's saddlebags are today in the collection of the Yale Medical School's Historical Society.[9]
As of the census[10] of 2000, there were 13,552 people, 4,660 households, and 3,350 families residing in the town. The population density was 321.0 people per square mile (124.0/km²). There were 4,853 housing units at an average density of 115.0 per square mile (44.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 88.67% White, 6.95% African American, 0.24% Native American, 0.94% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 2.03% from other races, and 1.13% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.25% of the population.
There were 4,660 households out of which 32.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.2% were married couples living together, 6.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.1% were non-families. 23.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.04.
In the town the population was spread out with 22.1% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 31.7% from 25 to 44, 24.1% from 45 to 64, and 14.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 116.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 121.1 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $66,698, and the median income for a family was $79,189. Males had a median income of $52,096 versus $35,188 for females. The per capita income for the town was $28,171. About 1.8% of families and 3.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.5% of those under age 18 and 6.2% of those age 65 or over.
| Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of October 25, 2005[11] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Active Voters | Inactive Voters | Total Voters | Percentage | |
| Democratic | 1,904 | 119 | 2,023 | 24.3% | |
| Republican | 2,323 | 107 | 2,430 | 29.2% | |
| Unaffiliated | 3,598 | 267 | 3,865 | 46.44% | |
| Minor Parties | 4 | 1 | 5 | 0% | |
| Total | 7,829 | 494 | 8,323 | 100% | |
As of the census[10] of 2000, there were 1,244 people, 569 households, and 298 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 640.9 people per square mile (247.6/km2). There were 598 housing units at an average density of 308.1 per square mile (119.0/km2). The racial makeup of the CDP was 95.26% White, 3.38% African American, 0.08% Native American, 0.32% Asian, 0.80% from other races, and 0.16% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.25% of the population.
There were 569 households out of which 26.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.5% were married couples living together, 6.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 47.5% were non-families. 40.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 26.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 3.05.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 23.9% under the age of 18, 4.7% from 18 to 24, 27.8% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 19.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 81.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 73.1 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $42,043, and the median income for a family was $75,098. Males had a median income of $50,375 versus $32,411 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $25,290. About 4.6% of families and 9.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.1% of those under age 18 and 7.9% of those age 65 or over.
The town's public school system, Suffield Public Schools [1], includes Spaulding Elementary School, McAlister Intermediate School, Suffield Middle School, and Suffield High School.
Suffield is also the home of Suffield Academy, Connecticut Culinary Institute, and the International College of Hospitality Management
| Representative | Party | Years | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roland Dowd | Suffield Community Party | 1996–2000 | Did not seek reelection |
| Robert Skinner | Republican | 2000–2002 | Did not seek reelection |
| Elaine Sarsynski | Republican | 2002–2006 | Did not seek reelection |
| Scott Lingenfelter | Republican | 2006–2010 | Defeated for reelection |
| Thomas Frenaye | Democratic | 2010 – present | Incumbent |
Main Street, a designated historic district with the Green, three churches, Suffield Academy and vintage colonial and Victorian homes, typifies a New England town. Named for the Kent family of Suffield, the Kent Memorial Library is an important research center for source materials, records, and documents from north central Connecticut. A walk along Main Street reveals many examples of 18th and 19th century architecture. The Dr. Alexander King House, on the corner of Kent Avenue, and the Phelps-Hatheway House, a little farther north on Main Street, are museums open to the public from May to October.
The town includes 11 historic sites that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places:[12]
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