| Woodbury, Connecticut | |||
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| — Town — | |||
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| Location in Litchfield County, Connecticut | |||
| Coordinates: | |||
| Country | United States | ||
| State | Connecticut | ||
| Region | Central Naugatuck Valley | ||
| Named | 1673 | ||
| Government | |||
| • Type | Selectman-town meeting | ||
| • First selectman | Gerald D. Stomski | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 36.7 sq mi (95.1 km2) | ||
| • Land | 36.5 sq mi (94.4 km2) | ||
| • Water | 0.3 sq mi (0.7 km2) | ||
| Elevation | 243 ft (74 m) | ||
| Population (2005)[3] | |||
| • Total | 9,734 | ||
| • Density | 267/sq mi (103/km2) | ||
| Time zone | Eastern (UTC-5) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | Eastern (UTC-4) | ||
| ZIP code | 06798 | ||
| Area code(s) | 203 | ||
| FIPS code | 09-87910 | ||
| GNIS feature ID | 0213540 | ||
| Website | http://www.woodburyct.org/ | ||
Woodbury is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 9,198 at the 2000 census. The town center is also designated by the U.S. Census Bureau as a census-designated place (CDP). Woodbury was founded in 1672.
The center of Woodbury is distinctive because, unlike many New England towns, it is not nucleated. In Woodbury, the older buildings are arrayed in linear fashion along both sides of a road that stretches for over a mile. The public buildings in the National Register Historic District include the First Congregational Church (1818,) the Old Town Hall (1846,) the United Methodist Church, the St. Paul's Episcopal Church (1785,) and the North Congregational Church (1816.) The most notable of the public buildings, however, is the Masonic Temple (1839.) It is a modest, clapboard, Greek Revival Temple, notable less for its architecture than for its dramatic location, situated atop a high cliff accessed by a long flight of steps (there is a modern road at the rear.) It is visible from a distance and is especially dramatic at night, when it is illuminated by spotlights. The Woodbury Temple echoes the many temples of the Greek world that were perched at the edge of high places from which they could be seen from miles around and from far out at sea.
Originally, the many historic houses on the street were residential. In the late twentieth century they were occupied by a series of antique shops.
Woodbury is one of the two towns in Litchfield County served by the area code 203/area code 475 overlay. The other is the Town of Bethlehem.
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According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 36.7 square miles (95 km2), of which, 36.5 square miles (95 km2) of it is land and 0.3 square miles (0.78 km2) of it (0.74%) is water. The CDP has a total area of 1.9 square miles (4.9 km2), all land.
The founders of Ancient Woodbury came from Stratford in the 1670s. Ancient Woodbury consisted of the present towns of Woodbury, Southbury, Roxbury, Bethlehem, most of Washington and parts of Middlebury and Oxford. [2]
Two groups of settlers came from Stratford. One, a group of religious dissidents unhappy with the church in Stratford, was led by Woodbury’s first minister, Reverend Zachariah Walker. The second group, led by Deacon Samuel Sherman, had been given approval by the general court to purchase land from local Native Americans in order establish a new settlement. The two groups, consisting of fifteen families (about fifty people), arrived in Ancient Woodbury, known as “Pomperaug Plantation, early in 1673. [2]
In 1673 the original settlers of Woodbury drew up an agreement called the “Fundamental Articles,” which proclaimed that as many settlers as could be accommodated would be welcomed to the new settlement. The Fundamental Articles stated that expenses of establishing the settlement would be shared by its inhabitants, and that no one was to be given more than twenty-five or less than ten acres of land. Other sections of the articles provided for common land and land saved to be divided up for future inhabitants of the settlement. [1]
Signers of the Fundamental Articles:
The settlement was named Woodbury, which means a “dwelling place in the woods” and first recognized as a town in 1674. [2] Deacon and captain John Minor was the first leader of the community during Woodbury’s early years. Minor was the first town clerk and along with Lieutenant Joseph Judson served as the first deputy to the Connecticut General Court from the town of Woodbury. [1]
On March 25, 1783, a meeting of ten Episcopal clergy in Woodbury, Connecticut, elected Samuel Seabury (1729–1796) the first American Episcopal bishop, the second Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, USA, and the first Bishop of Connecticut.
As of the census[4] of 2000, there were 9,198 people, 3,715 households, and 2,574 families residing in the town. The population density was 252.2 people per square mile (97.4/km²). There were 3,869 housing units at an average density of 106.1 per square mile (41.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.25% White, 0.53% African American, 0.22% Native American, 1.15% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 0.22% from other races, and 0.57% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.65% of the population.
There were 3,715 households out of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.9% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.7% were non-families. 25.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the town the population was spread out with 24.0% under the age of 18, 4.4% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 29.3% from 45 to 64, and 13.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 95.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.8 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $68,322, and the median income for a family was $82,641. Males had a median income of $53,246 versus $35,298 for females. The per capita income for the town was $37,903. About 2.3% of families and 4.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.9% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.
As of the census of 2000, there were x people, 618 households, and 336 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 668.8 inhabitants per square mile (258.3/km²). There were 644 housing units at an average density of 331.8 per square mile (128.2/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 98.07% White, 0.85% African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.39% Asian, 0.31% from other races, and 0.23% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.16% of the population.
There were 618 households out of which 25.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.9% were married couples living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.5% were non-families. 39.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.10 and the average family size was 2.82.
In the CDP the population was spread out with 20.6% under the age of 18, 5.2% from 18 to 24, 30.2% from 25 to 44, 28.1% from 45 to 64, and 15.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 85.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.1 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $51,136, and the median income for a family was $65,227. Males had a median income of $50,625 versus $40,729 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $30,277. None of the families and 4.6% of the population were living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and 8.9% of those over 64.
Woodbury is part of the Region 14 School District consisting of Nonnewaug High School, Woodbury Middle School, Bethlehem Elementary School, and Mitchell Elementary School.
US 6 is the main thorougfare in the town. Route 64 is a main highway connecting the town directly to Waterbury. Other highways in the town include Route 47, Route 61, Route 132, and Route 317.
Poet and critic Hayden Carruth grew up in the town. It was also the residence of surrealist painters Kay Sage and Yves Tanguy from 1946 until each one's death. The composer Leroy Anderson who wrote the Christmas classic Sleigh Ride as well as many other well known compositions, also lived in Woodbury from 1948 until his death in 1975.[5] His widow Eleanor Anderson still lives in Woodbury today. Jazz guitarist Joe Beck also lived in Woodbury until his death in 2008. Musician and Movie Director Rob Zombie also recently moved to the town in January 2009 and resides in a residence off Route 317. Henry Shelton Sanford (1823–1891), was born in Woodbury. He was an American Diplomat, and the founder of Sanford, Florida. Reverend Alexander Hamilton was the rector of St. Paul's Episcopal Church.
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