Killingworth, Connecticut

For other uses, see Killingworth (disambiguation).

Killingworth, Connecticut
Town
Country	United States
State	Connecticut
NECTA	New Haven
Region	Connecticut River Estuary
Named	1667
Government
• Type	Selectman-town meeting
• First Selectman	Catherine Iino
Area
• Total	35.8 sq mi (92.7 km2)
• Land	35.3 sq mi (91.5 km2)
• Water	0.5 sq mi (1.2 km2)
Elevation	390 ft (119 m)
Population  (2005)
• Total	6,403
• Density	181/sq mi (70/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (Eastern In)
ZIP code	06419
Area code	860
FIPS code	09-40710
GNIS feature ID	0213448
Website	http://www.killingworthct.com/

Killingworth is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. The town's name can easily be confused with another Connecticut town, Killingly; or a Vermont ski area, Killington. The population was 6,018 at the 2000 census.

History

Town historical marker along Route 81

Killingworth was established from the area called Hammonasset, taken from the local Native American tribe of the same name. The area originally incorporated the town of Clinton, which were separated along ecclesiastical borders.

It was named after Kenilworth, England in honor of one of the first settlers. Kenilworth's name was more similar to "Killingworth" during the American colonial period, and over time the pronunciation and spelling drifted towards the modern one. Coincidentally, there is a town and village in England called Killingworth and Killingworth Village in the county of Tyne and Wear, which do not seem to have any connection with Killingworth, Connecticut.

In the late 17th century, Killingworth became the birthplace of what would eventually become Yale University. The Rev. Abraham Pierson, the college's first president, taught some of the first classes in his Killingworth home - which is actually in present-day Clinton, Connecticut. However in 1701, the college's first official home was constructed in Old Saybrook on the peninsula known as Saybrook Point. Eventually the school was moved to its present-day home in New Haven.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has an area of 35.8 square miles (92.7 km²). Of this total, 35.3 square miles (91.5 km²) is dry land and 0.5 square miles (1.2 km²) – or 1.34% – is water-covered.

Killingworth also contains Chatfield Hollow State Park.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 6,018 people, 2,196 households, and 1,765 families residing in the town. The population density was 170.3 people per square mile (65.8/km²). There were 2,283 housing units at an average density of 64.6/sq mi (24.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.54% White, 0.42% African American, 0.07% Native American, 0.83% Asian, 0.25% from other races, and 0.90% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.18% of the population.

There were 2,196 households out of which 38.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 73.8% were married couples living together, 4.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.6% were non-families. 16.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74 and the average family size was 3.08.

In the town the population was spread out with 27.1% under the age of 18, 3.6% from 18 to 24, 29.4% from 25 to 44, 28.0% from 45 to 64, and 11.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 98.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.8 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $80,805, and the median income for a family was $87,874. Males had a median income of $61,650 versus $38,289 for females. The per capita income for the town was $31,929. None of the families and 0.7% of the population were living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and 1.4% of those over 64.

Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of October 25, 2005
Party		Active Voters	Inactive Voters	Total Voters	Percentage	Republican	1,149	17	1,166	25.28%	Democratic	892	8	900	19.51%	Unaffiliated	2,511	33	2,544	55.15%	Minor Parties	3	0	3	0.07%
Total		4,555	58	4,613	100%

Government

Killingworth is governed by a Board of Selectmen, currently headed by the Republican First Selectman, Richard Cabral.

Education

Students attending school in Killingworth are a part of Connecticut's Regional School District #17, which consists of Haddam and its villages of Haddam Neck (located on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River) and Higganum. The high school is called Haddam-Killingworth High School (often abbreviated as simply "HK"), and is located in Higganum. The school's sports teams are called the 'Cougars'. A new middle-school, built in 2006 in Killingworth, houses grades 5 through 8.

Popular culture

The town was the subject of the poet H.W. Longfellow's poem "The Birds of Killingworth" published in "The Tales of the Wayside Inn".

1999: The largest tree in Rockefeller Center history, 100 feet (30 m) high, was chosen from Killingworth, CT.

Notable residents

• Carleton Beals, radical American journalist, author, historian, and a crusader with special interests in Latin America.
• Abel Buell, publisher of the first map of the new United States created by an American, was born in Killingworth.
• Jonathan Bush, American banker and the uncle of President George W. Bush.

National Historic Sites

• Emmanuel Church, added August 5, 1999
• Oak Lodge, added September 4, 1986

External links

• Town government web site
• Regional School District #17
• Local news site