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Wethersfield, Connecticut

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Sebparker76 (talk | contribs) at 13:06, 14 May 2011 (→History: There is no objective evidence supporting this, as others think the 3 vines represent the Saybrook, New Haven, and Connecticut (Hartford) colonies.). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Wethersfield, Connecticut
Town
Joseph Webb and Isaac Stevens Houses
Joseph Webb and Isaac Stevens Houses
Official seal of Wethersfield, Connecticut
Seal
Location within Hartford County, Connecticut
Location within Hartford County, Connecticut
CountryUnited States
StateConnecticut
NECTAHartford
RegionCapitol Region
Settled1634
Incorporated1822
Government
 • TypeCouncil-manager
 • Town managerJeff Bridges
 • Town councilMayor Donna H. Hemmann (R)
Dep. Mayor John J. Console (R)
David L. Drake (R)
Mike J. Hurley (R)
Jeffrey R. Kotkin (D)
Stathis Manousos (R)
Jim McAlister (R)
Paul F. Montinieri (D)
Gerri Roberts (D)
Area
 • Total
13.1 sq mi (33.9 km2)
 • Land12.4 sq mi (32.1 km2)
 • Water0.7 sq mi (1.9 km2)
Elevation
135 ft (41 m)
Population
 (2005)[1]
 • Total
26,220
 • Density2,115/sq mi (816/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (Eastern)
ZIP code
06109
Area code860
FIPS code09-84900
GNIS feature ID0213533
Websitehttp://www.wethersfieldct.com/

Wethersfield is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. Many records from colonial times spell the name Weathersfield, while Native Americans called it Pyquag.[2] The population was 26,271 at the 2000 census.

History

Founded in 1634 by a group of ten Puritans hailing from Watertown, Massachusetts, and led John Oldham[3] and Nathaniel Foote,[4] Wethersfield is the second-oldest town in Connecticut after Windsor. Along with Windsor and Hartford, Wethersfield is thought by some to be represented by one of the three grapevines on the Connecticut state flag signifying the state's three oldest settlements.[citation needed]

Four witch trials and three executions for witchcraft occurred in the town in the 17th century. Mary Johnson was convicted of witchcraft and executed in 1648, Joan and John Carrington in 1651.[5] Landowner Katherine Harrison was convicted, and although her conviction was reversed, she was banished and her property seized by her neighbors.[6][7]

Silas Deane, commissioner to France during the American Revolutionary War, lived in the town. His house is now part of the Webb Deane Stevens Museum. In May 1781, at the Webb House on Main Street, General George Washington and French Lt. Gen. Rochambeau[8] planned the battle of Yorktown, which culminated in the independence of the then rebellious colonies.

The Wethersfield Volunteer Fire Department was chartered by the Connecticut Legislature on May 12, 1803, making it the first formally chartered fire department in Connecticut, and is the oldest chartered volunteer fire department in continuous existence in the United States.[9]

A meteorite fell on Wethersfield on November 8, 1982. It was the second meteorite to fall in the town in the span of 11 years, and crashed through the roof of a house without injuring the occupants, as the first Wethersfield meteorite had also done. The Wethersfield Meteor is part of a collection at the Yale Peabody Museum.[10]

Wethersfield was the setting for Elizabeth George Speare's novel The Witch of Blackbird Pond, also the setting of the one-act play The Valiant by Holworthy Hall and Robert Middlemass. Wethersfield native, author Thomas Tryon also set his action/romance novels The Wings of the Morning and In the Fire of Spring in Wethersfield, as also a mystery/horror novel The Other. The short film Disneyland Dream features the Barstow family from Wethersfield, including footage of their neighborhood.

Geography

Wethersfield is located at 41° 42' 43" North, 72° 39' 48" West (41.7122° -72.6636°).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 13.1 square miles (34.0 km²), of which, 12.4 square miles (32.1 km²) of it is land and 0.7 square miles (1.9 km²) of it (5.49%) is water.

Wethersfield is bordered by Hartford on the north, Rocky Hill on the south and Newington on the west, and across the Connecticut River by East Hartford on the northeast, and Glastonbury on the east.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 26,268 people, 11,214 households, and 7,412 families residing in the town. The population density was 2,119.9 people per square mile (818.7/km²). There were 11,454 housing units at an average density of 924.3 per square mile (356.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 93.19% White, 2.09% Black or African American, 0.08% Native American, 1.58% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.82% from other races, and 1.22% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.19% of the population.

There were 11,214 households out of which 25.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.9% were married couples living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.9% were non-families. 30.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.89.

In the town the population was spread out with 20.1% under the age of 18, 4.8% from 18 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 25.1% from 45 to 64, and 23.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 86.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.4 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $53,289, and the median income for a family was $68,154 (these figures had risen to $66,044 and $86,432 respectively as of a 2007 estimate[11]). Males had a median income of $43,998 versus $37,443 for females. The per capita income for the town was $28,930. About 2.4% of families and 4.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.8% of those under age 18 and 5.5% of those age 65 or over.

Government and infrastructure

The Connecticut Department of Correction and the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles have their headquarters in Wethersfield.[12][13]

The United States Postal Service operates the Wethersfield Post Office.[14]

Transportation

Greater Hartford's only major method of public transportation is Connecticut Transit (CTTransit), a Connecticut Department of Transportation-owned bus service operating routes throughout the New Haven, Stamford and Hartford metro areas, including Wethersfield.

Education

The Wethersfield public school system encompasses five elementary schools (Highcrest School, Charles Wright School, Emerson-Williams School, A.W. Hanmer School and Webb Elementary School), one middle school (Silas Deane Middle School) and one high school (Wethersfield High School).

Wethersfield is also the home of Corpus Christi School, a Catholic K-8 school of 440 students.

Places

Streets and paths

Major streets include

Heritage Way, a "linear park" developed in the 1990s, is a multi-use path that connects Wethersfield's open areas and recreation facilities.[15]

Points of interest

Wethersfield Cove

Landmarks and historic districts

Four buildings in Wethersfield are designated as historic landmarks by the National Register of Historic Places:

In 1970, Old Wethersfield, the district bounded by Hartford, the railroad tracks, I-91 and Rocky Hill, was added as a historic district in the National Register of Historic Places.

Notable people, past and present

See also

References

  1. ^ U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates
  2. ^ http://www.sots.ct.gov/RegisterManual/SectionVII/townorder.htm
  3. ^ [1]
  4. ^ [2]
  5. ^ List of New England witchcraft cases
  6. ^ Another list of New England witchcraft cases
  7. ^ Brief summary of Katherine Harrison case
  8. ^ Comte de Rochambeau
  9. ^ Wethersfield Volunteer Fire Dept
  10. ^ http://www.peabody.yale.edu/collections/met/met_wethersfield.html
  11. ^ http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ACSSAFFFacts?_event=ChangeGeoContext&geo_id=06000US0900384900&_geoContext=01000US%7C04000US08%7C16000US0857630&_street=&_county=wethersfield&_cityTown=wethersfield&_state=04000US09&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&ActiveGeoDiv=geoSelect&_useEV=&pctxt=fph&pgsl=010&_submenuId=factsheet_1&ds_name=ACS_2007_3YR_SAFF&_ci_nbr=null&qr_name=null&reg=null%3Anull&_keyword=&_industry=
  12. ^ "Contact Us." Connecticut Department of Correction. Retrieved on December 7, 2009. "Public Information Office 24 Wolcott Hill Road Wethersfield, CT 06109"
  13. ^ "Contact Information." Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles. Retrieved on December 22, 2010. "Department of Motor Vehicles 60 State Street Wethersfield, CT 06161."
  14. ^ "Post Office Location - WETHERSFIELD." United States Postal Service. Retrieved on December 22, 2010.
  15. ^ Introduction to Heritage Way
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