Litchfield, Connecticut

Litchfield, Connecticut
Town

Seal

Location in Litchfield County, Connecticut
Coordinates: 41°44′50″N 73°11′23″W / 41.74722°N 73.18972°W / 41.74722; -73.18972Coordinates: 41°44′50″N 73°11′23″W / 41.74722°N 73.18972°W / 41.74722; -73.18972
Country United States
State Connecticut
NECTA None
Region Litchfield Hills
Incorporated 1719[1]
Government
 • Type Selectman-town meeting
 • First selectman Leo Paul, Jr. (R)
 • Selectmen Paul J. Parsons (R)
Jonathan E. Torrant (R)
Diane Knox (D)
Jeffrey J. Zullo (D)
Area
 • Total 56.8 sq mi (147.1 km2)
 • Land 56.1 sq mi (145.2 km2)
 • Water 0.7 sq mi (1.9 km2)
Elevation 495 ft (151 m)
Population (2010)[2]
 • Total 8,466
 • Estimate (2016)[3] 1,213
 • Density 200/sq mi (60/km2)
Time zone Eastern (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) Eastern (UTC-4)
ZIP code 06750, 06759
Area code(s) 860
FIPS code 09-43370
GNIS feature ID 0213452
Website www.townoflitchfield.org/Pages/index

Litchfield is a town in and former county seat of Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States.[4] The population was 8,466 at the 2010 census. The boroughs of Bantam and Litchfield are located within the town. There are also three unincorporated villages: East Litchfield, Milton, and Northfield.

Geography

Located southwest of Torrington, Litchfield also includes part of Bantam Lake. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 56.8 square miles (147.1 km²), of which, 56.1 square miles (145.2 km²) of it is land and 0.7 square miles (1.9 km²) of it (1.3%) is water.

Litchfield is about 95 mi (153 km) from Central Park in New York, about 50 mi (80 km) from the Hudson River valley, and about 40 mi (64 km) from the nearest sea coast, on Long Island Sound.

Principal communities

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
179020,342—
18004,285−78.9%
18104,6398.3%
18204,610−0.6%
18304,456−3.3%
18404,038−9.4%
18503,953−2.1%
18603,200−19.0%
18703,113−2.7%
18803,4109.5%
18903,304−3.1%
19003,214−2.7%
19103,005−6.5%
19203,1805.8%
19303,57412.4%
19404,02912.7%
19504,96423.2%
19606,26426.2%
19707,39918.1%
19807,6052.8%
19908,36510.0%
20008,316−0.6%
20108,4661.8%
Est. 20161,213[3]−85.7%
U.S. Decennial Census[5]

As of the census[6] of 2000, there were 8,316 people, 3,310 households, and 2,303 families residing in the town. The population density was 148.4 people per square mile (57.3/km²). There were 3,629 housing units at an average density of 64.7 per square mile (25.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.99% White, 0.75% Black or African American, 0.23% Native American, 0.47% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.46% from other races, and 1.09% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.56% of the population.

There were 3,310 households out of which 31.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.9% were married couples living together, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.4% were non-families. 26.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the town, the population was spread out with 25.2% under the age of 18, 3.6% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 28.6% from 45 to 64, and 17.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 92.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.3 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $58,418, and the median income for a family was $70,594. Males had a median income of $50,284 versus $31,787 for females. The per capita income for the town was $30,096. About 2.8% of families and 4.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.6% of those under age 18 and 5.2% of those age 65 or over.

Voter registration and party enrollment as of October 25, 2005[7]
Party Active voters Inactive voters Total voters Percentage
Republican 2,044 90 2,134 33.59%
Democratic 1,384 67 1,451 22.84%
Unaffiliated 2,596 165 2,761 43.45%
Minor Parties 8 0 8 0.13%
Total 6,032 322 6,354 100%

Government and infrastructure

Litchfield County Jail, 1907

The town houses the 1812 Litchfield County Jail, the town's oldest public building and a former jail.[8] The facility, controlled by the Connecticut state government, historically held inmates convicted of minor offenses.[9] Governor of Connecticut Lowell P. Weicker Jr. ordered the facility closed for financial reasons in 1993. It was converted into the McAuliffe Manor, a substance abuse treatment center for women operated by Naugatuck Valley HELP Inc.,[9] but in 2009 the contract between Naugatuck Valley HELP Inc. and the state expired, leading to the closure of McAuliffe Manor.[10]

Transportation

Route 202 is the main east-west road connecting Bantam and Litchfield center to the city of Torrington. Route 63 runs north-south through the town center. The Route 8 expressway runs along the town line with Harwinton. It can be accessed from the town center via Route 118. The town is also served by buses from the Northwestern Connecticut Transit District connecting to the city of Torrington. The Shepaug Valley Railroad opened a Litchfield terminal in 1872, but passenger service ended in 1930 and freight service in 1948.[11]

Education

Litchfield Public Schools operates public schools. Litchfield High School is the area high school.

Notable people

On the National Register of Historic Places

Ethan Allen birthplace in Litchfield

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Litchfield Connecticut". City-Data.com. Retrieved November 4, 2012.
  2. ↑ U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates
  3. 1 2 "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  4. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  5. ↑ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  6. ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  7. ↑ "Registration and Party Enrollment Statistics as of October 25, 2005" (PDF). Connecticut Secretary of State. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 23, 2006. Retrieved October 2, 2006.
  8. ↑ Cooper, Anneliese (2014-06-06). "'Orange Is the New Black's Prison Location Isn't Real, But It's Not Entirely Fictional Either". Retrieved 2017-08-04. Unknown parameter |publiher= ignored (|publisher= suggested) (help)
  9. 1 2 Ryan, Bill (1994-10-16). "Litchfield's Jail Begins Another Era With Women Hoping for New Lives". The New York Times. Retrieved 2017-08-05.
  10. ↑ Taylor, Alex (2009-05-22). "Rehab center closing: McCauliffe Manor's contract expires". The Register Citizen. Retrieved 2017-08-05.
  11. ↑ Alfred S. Dillistin (June 1949). "Shepaug Epic". The Lure of the Litchfield Hills. Retrieved April 30, 2014.
  12. ↑ "ADAMS, Andrew, (1736–1797)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved November 4, 2012.
  13. ↑ "Isabella Beecher Hooker". Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame. Retrieved May 23, 2014.
  14. ↑ Skinner, Charles. "Bell Casting in Troy". Meneeley Bell Online Museum. Retrieved July 12, 2013.
  15. ↑ "HOLMES, Uriel, (1764–1827)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved November 4, 2012.
  16. ↑ "Madeleine L'Engle". IMDb. Retrieved November 4, 2012.
  17. ↑ "MINER, Phineas, (1777–1839)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved November 4, 2012.
  18. ↑ "PHELPS, Samuel Shethar, (1793–1855)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved November 4, 2012.
  19. ↑ Austin M. Purves, Jr.
  20. ↑ "Susan Saint James". Connecticut Women's Hall of Fame. Retrieved May 23, 2014.
  21. ↑ "Biography, Richard Skinner". The Ledger: A Database of Students of the Litchfield Law School and the Litchfield Female Academy. Litchfield, CT: Litchfield Historical Society. 2010. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
  22. ↑
  23. ↑ "TALLMADGE, Benjamin, (1754–1835)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved November 4, 2012.
  24. ↑ "Connecticut Governor Oliver Wolcott Jr.publisher=National Governors Association". Retrieved November 4, 2012.

Further reading


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