Roxbury, Connecticut

Roxbury, Connecticut
Town
Seal
Location in Litchfield County, Connecticut
Coordinates: 41°33′07″N 73°18′09″W / 41.55194°N 73.30250°W / 41.55194; -73.30250Coordinates: 41°33′07″N 73°18′09″W / 41.55194°N 73.30250°W / 41.55194; -73.30250
Country	United States
State	Connecticut
NECTA	None
Region	Northwestern Connecticut
Incorporated	1796
Government
• Type	Selectman-town meeting
• First selectman	Barbara M. Henry
Area
• Total	26.3 sq mi (68.1 km2)
• Land	26.2 sq mi (67.9 km2)
• Water	0.1 sq mi (0.2 km2)
Elevation	541 ft (165 m)
Population (2005)
• Total	2,327
• Density	89/sq mi (34/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	Eastern (UTC-4)
ZIP code	06783
Area code(s)	860
FIPS code	09-65930
GNIS feature ID	0213498
Website	www.roxburyct.com

Roxbury is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 2,136 at the 2000 census.

History

Roxbury, whose Indian name was "Shepaug", a Mahican name signifiying "rocky water", was settled about the year 1713. Originally a part of Woodbury, the town was incorporated in October 1796.

Roxbury Station, ca. 1905

Mine Hill and its minerals have been associated with Roxbury since the middle of the 18th century. A silver mine was opened here and was later found to contain spathic iron, specially adapted to steel making and a small smelting furnace was built. The abundance of granite found in many of Mine Hill's quarries provided the building material for the ore roaster and blast furnace, as well as for such world wonders as the Brooklyn Bridge and Grand Central Terminal in New York City.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 26.3 square miles (68 km²), of which, 26.2 square miles (68 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km²) of it (0.23%) is water.

Principal communities

• Judd's Bridge
• Roxbury center
• Roxbury Falls
• Roxbury Station

On the National Register of Historic Places

Three places in Roxbury, Connecticut are included on the National Register of Historic Places listing.^[1] They are:

• Roxbury Center (CT 67, Weller's Bridge Rd., South and Church Streets); 32 buildings in designated local historic district.

• Roxbury Iron Mine and Furnace Complex

• Roxbury Station Historic District (added 2009) (CT 67, Botsford Hill, Hodge, and Mine Hill Roads)

Demographics

As of the census^[2] of 2000, there were 2,136 people, 848 households, and 620 families residing in the town. The population density was 81.4 people per square mile (31.4/km²). There were 1,018 housing units at an average density of 38.8 per square mile (15.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.24% White, 0.23% African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.94% Asian, 0.66% from other races, and 0.75% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.31% of the population.

There were 848 households out of which 29.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.5% were married couples living together, 4.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.8% were non-families. 20.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 2.95.

In the town the population was spread out with 22.8% under the age of 18, 3.7% from 18 to 24, 25.5% from 25 to 44, 34.3% from 45 to 64, and 13.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 104.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.0 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $87,794, and the median income for a family was $97,672. Males had a median income of $61,477 versus $45,417 for females. The per capita income for the town was $56,769. About 3.0% of families and 3.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.1% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

Route 67 is the main thoroughfare in the town, connecting it to New Milford and Southbury. The town is also served by secondary highways, Route 199 (to Washington) and Route 317 (to Woodbury).

Roads in Roxbury on the List of Connecticut State Scenic Highways

The following roads are Connecticut State Scenic Highways:^[3]

• Connecticut Route 317; 0.40 from Painter Hill Road, west to Route 67. (added November 14, 1990)
• Connecticut Route 67; 0.87 mile from Ranny Hill Road, south to 0.30 mile south of Route 317. (added November 14, 1990)
• Connecticut Route 67; 2.90 miles from the Roxbury/Bridgewater Town line, east to Ranny Hill Road. (added August 23, 1996)

Local media

• Waterbury Republican-American - A Waterbury based independent daily newspaper.
• The Danbury News-Times - A Danbury based daily newspaper.
• The Greater New Milford Spectrum - A MediaNews Group-owned weekly paper.
• Voices - A local newspaper serving Southbury, Middlebury, Oxford, Seymour, Naugatuck, Woodbury, Bethelhem, New Preston, Washington, Washington Depot, Roxbury, Bridgewater, Monroe, Sandy Hook and Newtown.
• Macaroni Kid - An events calendar for families in Bridgewater, Roxbury, Bethlehem, Woodbury, Southbury, Oxford, Watertown, Oakville, Middlebury, Waterbury, and western Naugatuck.

Notable people

• Ethan Allen (1738–1789) Early American revolutionary and guerrilla leader, Green Mountain Boys.^{[citation needed]}
• Robert Anderson (1917–2009) Playwright Tea and Sympathy^{[citation needed]}
• Alexander Calder (1898–1976) American sculptor and artist.^{[citation needed]}
• Graydon Carter Editor, Vanity Fair.
• Dustin Hoffman Actor.^{[citation needed]}
• Denis Leary Actor.^{[citation needed]}
• Mercer Mayer Children's book author (Little Critter)
• Frank McCourt Author, Angela's Ashes.
• Arthur Miller (1915–2005) American playwright.
• Inge Morath (1923–2002) American playwright.
• Rebecca Miller Actress and Filmmaker.
• Marilyn Monroe (1926–1962) Actress.
• Sylvia Sidney (1910-1999) Actress.^{[citation needed]}
• Stephen Sondheim Broadway playwright.^{[citation needed]}
• William Styron (1925–2006) Author, Sophie's Choice.^{[citation needed]}
• Seth Warner (1743–1784) Green Mountain Boys.
• Richard Widmark (1914–2008) Actor.

References

External links

• Roxbury official website
• Shepaug Regional School District # 12 official website
• Northwest Connecticut Convention and Visitors Bureau

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