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'{{Infobox settlement | official_name = Bethany, Connecticut | settlement_type = [[New England town|Town]] | image_skyline = | image_caption = | image_seal = BethanyCtTownSeal.png | motto = "Rural Is Beautiful"<ref name="Town of Bethany, Connecticut">{{cite web|url= http://www.bethany-ct.com/home/home.asp |title= Town of Bethany, Connecticut|publisher= Town of Bethany, Connecticut |accessdate= September 22, 2012}}</ref><ref name="ePodunk">{{cite web|url= http://www.epodunk.com/cgi-bin/genInfo.php?locIndex=9100|title= Profile for Bethany, Connecticut, CT|publisher= ePodunk |accessdate= September 22, 2012}}</ref> | image_map = Bethany CT lg.PNG | mapsize = 250x200px | map_caption = Location in New Haven County, [[Connecticut]] | coordinates = {{coord|41|25|32|N|72|59|33|W|region:US-CT|display=inline,title}} | subdivision_type = Country | subdivision_name = [[United States]] | subdivision_type1 = [[U.S. state|State]] | subdivision_name1 = [[Connecticut]] | subdivision_type2 = [[New England city and town area|NECTA]] | subdivision_name2 = New Haven | subdivision_type3 = Region | subdivision_name3 = South Central Region | established_title = Incorporated | established_date = 1832<ref name="Town of Bethany, Connecticut"/> | government_type = [[Board of selectmen|Selectman-town meeting]] | leader_title = First selectman | leader_name = Derrylyn Gorski (D) | leader_title1 = Selectman | leader_name1 = Clark Hurlburt (D) | leader_title2 = Selectman | leader_name2 = Donald R. Shea, Jr. (R) | unit_pref = Imperial | area_total_km2 = 55.4 | area_total_sq_mi = 21.4 | area_land_km2 = 54.3 | area_land_sq_mi = 21.0 | area_water_km2 = 1.0 | area_water_sq_mi = 0.4 | elevation_m = 175 | elevation_ft = 574 | population_footnotes = <ref name="Census 2010"/> | population_total = 5563 | population_as_of = 2010 | population_density_km2 = auto | timezone = [[Eastern Standard Time Zone|Eastern]] | utc_offset = -5 | timezone_DST = [[Eastern Standard Time Zone|Eastern]] | utc_offset_DST = -4 | postal_code_type = ZIP code | postal_code = 06524 | area_code = [[Area code 203|203]] | blank_name = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]] | blank_info = 09-04580 | blank1_name = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID | blank1_info = 0213389 | website = {{URL|www.bethany-ct.com}} }} '''Bethany''' is a [[New England town|town]] in [[New Haven County, Connecticut]], United States. The population was 5,563 at the [[2010 United States Census|2010 census]].<ref name="Census 2010">{{Cite web |url=http://factfinder2.census.gov |title=Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (DP-1): Bethany town, New Haven County, Connecticut |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder |accessdate=September 26, 2012 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130911234518/http://factfinder2.census.gov/ |archivedate=September 11, 2013 |df= }}</ref> ==History== Bethany was first settled in 1717, but it was not until May 1832 that Bethany separated from [[Woodbridge, Connecticut|Woodbridge]] to become incorporated as a town.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.city-data.com/city/Bethany-Connecticut.html|title=Bethany, Connecticut |publisher= City-Data.com |accessdate= September 19, 2012}}</ref> This slightly remote, sparsely populated, residential town retains its rural character. There is some [[dairying]] and [[agriculture]]. The town is dotted with reservoirs serving [[Naugatuck, Connecticut|Naugatuck]] and, principally, [[New Haven, Connecticut|New Haven]]. [[File:Perkins Hotel, Bethany, Connecticut (1908).jpg|thumb|left|The Perkins Hotel in Bethany was used by travelers on the turnpike between [[New Haven, Connecticut|New Haven]] and [[Waterbury, Connecticut|Waterbury]], 1908.<ref>{{cite book | last = Sharpe | first = W. C. | title = Bethany Sketches and Records | publisher = W. C. Sharpe | year = 1908 | url = https://archive.org/details/bethanysketchesr00shar | pages = 42}}</ref>]] There have been inhabitants in Bethany since before 1638, predominantly [[Naugatucks]] of the [[Paugusset]] tribe and [[Mattabessitts]] of the [[Wanguck]] tribe. The first European settlers arrived in the area around April 1638, creating the towns of [[Milford, Connecticut|Milford]] and New Haven, with their boundary split down the middle of what is now Bethany. The area of the boundary was settled in 1678, twelve years after New Haven County was organized. In 1717, the Amity Parish was accepted by the General Assembly of the Connecticut Colony and in 1832, Bethany was incorporated as a town.<ref name="Town of Bethany, Connecticut"/> The town is named after the [[Bethany|biblical place]].<ref name="ePodunk"/> In the mid-to-late 19th century, the population of the town and the land decreased as parts were annexed by the neighboring town of [[Woodbridge, Connecticut|Woodbridge]] and the new town of [[Beacon Falls, Connecticut|Beacon Falls]] was incorporated into the general geography of Connecticut. The population would continue to decrease until about the 1940s, when the population would spike. In 1923, the Bethany Airport opened up, one of the first in New England. Soon after, Troop I of the [[Boy Scouts of America]] was chartered in Bethany, and an organized police staff and volunteer fire fighter organization were founded. In 1954, a senior high school was built in Woodbridge to serve Woodbridge, Bethany, and Orange. Earlier Bethany students had been sent to public high schools in neighboring towns as tuition students for grades nine through twelve. In 1963, Amity Junior High School was created in Bethany. In 2007, Bethany was named Connecticut's #1 Small Town by ''[[Connecticut Magazine]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.bethanyhistory.org/timeline.html|title=Timeline|website=Bethanyhistory|access-date=2017-01-18}}</ref> The honor evoked pride from residents but also drew concern over the attention; residents continually seek to maintain Bethany's small-town charm and lifestyle.{{Citation needed|date=February 2008}}<ref>[http://www.zwire.com/site/index.cfm?newsid=18109566&BRD=2329&PAG=461&dept_id=484365&rfi=8 Connecticut Magazine - Rating the Small Towns: 3,500-6,500<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> ===Town seal=== Bethany's town seal is a circle within which appears a circle of rope. In the upper aspects of the seal appear the words TOWN OF BETHANY CONNECTICUT in two curved lines of print bordering the inner aspect of the rope circle. On the bottom of the seal also bordering the inner aspect of the rope circle appear the words INCORPORATED 1832. These words form the top and bottom edges of a third circle, the sides of which are made of a string of inverted oak leaves on each side. A roadway bisecting the seal and extending from bottom to center is pictured within the innermost circle. Surrounded by trees are Christ Episcopal Church pictured on the right, and First Church of Christ Congregational with carriage shed on the left. The Town Seal was created by local artist and Bethany resident, Betsy Seaton, as part of Bethany's 150th anniversary celebration in 1982. ==Geography== According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the town has a total area of {{convert|21.4|sqmi|km2}}, of which {{convert|21.0|sqmi|km2}} is land and {{convert|0.4|sqmi|km2}}, or 1.83%, is water. ==Demographics== {{US Census population |1850= 914 |1860= 974 |1870= 1135 |1880= 637 |1890= 550 |1900= 517 |1910= 495 |1920= 411 |1930= 480 |1940= 706 |1950= 1318 |1960= 2384 |1970= 3857 |1980= 4330 |1990= 4608 |2000= 5040 |2010= 5563 |estyear=2014 |estimate=5531 |estref=<ref name="USCensusEst2014">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/popest/data/cities/totals/2014/SUB-EST2014.html|title=Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2014|accessdate=June 4, 2015}}</ref> |footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/prod/www/decennial.html |title=Census of Population and Housing |publisher=Census.gov |accessdate=June 4, 2015 |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://www.webcitation.org/6YSasqtfX?url=http://www.census.gov/prod/www/decennial.html |archivedate=May 12, 2015 |df= }}</ref> }} {{See also|List of Connecticut locations by per capita income}} As of the 2010 Census Bethany had a population of 5,563. The racial composition of the population was 91.6% white, 1.9% black or African American, 4.8% Asian, 0.6% other races and 1.1% from two or more races. 2.5% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.<ref>2010 population by race and Hispanic or Latino by place chart for Connecticut from the US Census</ref> As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2">{{cite web |url=http://factfinder2.census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |accessdate=2008-01-31 |title=American FactFinder |deadurl=yes |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130911234518/http://factfinder2.census.gov/ |archivedate=2013-09-11 |df= }}</ref> of 2000, there were 5,040 people, 1,755 households, and 1,449 families residing in the town. The [[population density]] was 240.4 people per square mile (92.8/km²). There were 1,792 housing units at an average density of 85.5 per square mile (33.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 95.04% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 1.83% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.30% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 1.53% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.10% [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 0.48% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 0.73% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 2.02% of the population. There were 1,755 households out of which 40.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 73.8% were married couples living together, 6.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.4% were non-families. 13.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.87 and the average family size was 3.18. In the town, the population was spread out with 27.3% under the age of 18, 4.6% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 28.4% from 45 to 64, and 12.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.1 males. The median income for a household in the town was $74,898, and the median income for a family was $79,493. Males had a median income of $52,037 versus $44,427 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the town was $31,403. About 1.5% of families and 2.6% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 4.1% of those under age 18 and 0.6% of those age 65 or over. {| class=wikitable ! colspan = 6 | Voter registration and party enrollment as of October 25, 2005<ref>{{cite web|title = Registration and Party Enrollment Statistics as of October 25, 2005 | publisher = Connecticut Secretary of State | format = PDF | accessdate = 2006-10-02 | url = http://www.sots.ct.gov/ElectionsServices/lists/2005OctRegEnrollStats.pdf |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20060923151511/http://www.sots.ct.gov/ElectionsServices/lists/2005OctRegEnrollStats.pdf <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archivedate = 2006-09-23}}</ref> |- ! colspan = 2 | Party ! Active voters ! Inactive voters ! Total voters ! Percentage |- {{party color|Republican Party (United States)}} | [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] | align = center | 1,019 | align = center | | align = center | | align = center | 29.45% |- {{party color|Democratic Party (United States)}} | [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] | align = center | 1,002 | align = center | | align = center | | align = center | 28.95% |- {{party color|Independent Party (United States)}} | Unaffiliated | align = center | 1,405 | align = center | | align = center | | align = center | 40.60% |- {{party color|Libertarian Party (United States)}} | Minor Parties | align = center | 34 | align = center | 1 | align = center | 34 | align = center | 0.009% |- ! colspan = 2 | Total ! align = center | 3,460 ! align = center | 138 ! align = center | 3,460 ! align = center | 100% |} ==Parks and recreation== In a span of two years (1997–1999), the town purchased {{convert|165|acre|km2}} of land for the new Veterans Memorial Park. In 1999, the man-made Hockanum Lake at Veterans Memorial Park was opened for swimming. In 2000, the first Summer Sparkler was held there. ==Notable people== <!--consensus reached to standardize this heading per WP:WikiProject Cities/US Guideline --> *[[David Hoadley (architect)|David Hoadley]] (1774–1839), [[architect]] who worked in [[New Haven County|New Haven]] and [[Middlesex County, Connecticut|Middlesex]] counties in [[Connecticut]]; designed Darius Beecher House in Bethany<ref>{{cite web|url= http://lcweb2.loc.gov/pnp/habshaer/ct/ct0100/ct0134/data/ct0134data.pdf|title= The Wheeler-Beecher House Bethany, Connecticut|publisher= The Wheeler-Beecher House|accessdate= September 19, 2012|deadurl= yes|archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20130526214519/http://lcweb2.loc.gov/pnp/habshaer/ct/ct0100/ct0134/data/ct0134data.pdf|archivedate= May 26, 2013|df= }}</ref> *[[Silas Hoadley]] (1786–1870), [[clockmaker]]; born in Bethany<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=Hoadley&GSiman=1&GScnty=306&GRid=67122592&|title= Sarah N. Painter Hoadley|publisher= Find A Grave |accessdate= September 19, 2012}}</ref> *[[R. W. B. Lewis]] (1917–2002), biographer and Yale professor. *[[Quincy Porter]] (1897–1966), Pulitzer Prize-winning American composer. *[[Katharine Weber]], novelist. ==References== {{Reflist}} ==External links== {{Commons category|Bethany, Connecticut}} <!-- for current and future use if material is uploaded --> {{Portal|Connecticut}} * {{wikivoyage-inline|Bethany (Connecticut)|Bethany, Connecticut}} * [http://www.bethany-ct.com/home/home.asp Town of Bethany official website] * [http://www.city-data.com/city/Bethany-Connecticut.html Bethany, Connecticut], at City-Data.com * [http://www.epodunk.com/cgi-bin/genInfo.php?locIndex=9100 Profile for Bethany, Connecticut], at ePodunk.com * [http://amitystar.wordpress.com The Amity Star], a newspaper published in Bethany from 1950 to 1953 * [http://bethanyhistory.org Bethany Historical Society] {{Connecticut}} {{New Haven County, Connecticut}} [[Category:Bethany, Connecticut]] [[Category:Towns in New Haven County, Connecticut]] [[Category:Populated places established in 1717]] [[Category:Towns in the New York metropolitan area]] [[Category:Towns in Connecticut]] [[Category:1717 establishments in the Thirteen Colonies]]'