Bethel, Connecticut

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Bethel, Connecticut
settlement_type = Town


imagesize =
image_caption =
image_



mapsize = 250px
map_caption = Location in Connecticut


mapsize1 =
map_caption1 =
subdivision_type = NECTA
subdivision_name = Danbury
subdivision_type1 = Region
subdivision_name1 = Housatonic Valley
subdivision_type2 =
subdivision_name2 =
government_type = Selectman-town meeting
leader_title1 = First selectman
leader_name1 = Robert E. Burke
established_title = Incorporated
established_date = 1855
area_land_km2 = 43.5
area_water_km2 = 0.2
area_total_sq_mi = 16.9
area_magnitude =
area_total_km2 = 43.8
population_as_of = 2005
population_total = 18760
population_footnotes = [http://www.census.gov/popest/cities/files/SUB-EST2005_9.csv U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates] ]
population_density_sq_mi = 1117
population_density_km2 = 431
timezone = Eastern
utc_offset = -5
timezone_DST = Eastern
utc_offset_DST = -4
area_land_sq_mi = 16.8
area_water_sq_mi = 0.1
elevation_m = 147
elevation_ft = 482
latd = 41 |latm = 22 |lats = 27 |latNS = N
longd = 73 |longm = 23 |longs = 42 |longEW = W
postal_code_type = ZIP code
postal_code = 06801
region =
website = [http://www.bethelct.org/ bethelct.org]
area_code = 203
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 09-04720
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 0213390
footnotes =

Bethel is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, about sixty miles from New York City. Its population was estimated at 18,760 in 2005.

The town is easily accessible from Interstate 84 and has a train station on the Danbury Branch of Metro-North's New Haven line.

In Bethel

* Bicycle manufacturer Cannondale and battery manufacturer Duracell are headquartered in Bethel.
* Sonic Youth frontman Thurston Moore and actress Meg Ryan are from Bethel.
* In 1934, Rudolph Kunett started the first vodka distillery in the U.S. after purchasing rights to the recipe from the exiled Smirnoff family.
* Bethel High School is home to an award-winning NJROTC unit. [http://www.bethel.k12.ct.us/bhs/information/ROTC/pages/distinguished.html]

History

For 96 years, until its secession in 1855, Bethel was a parish of Danbury. The name "Bethel" means "House of El (God)".

On the National Register of Historic Places

* Greenwood Avenue Historic District — Roughly along Greenwood Ave., P.T. Barnum Sq., Depot Pl., and South St. (added 1999)
* Rev. John Ely House — 54 Milwaukee Ave. (added May 25, 2001)
* Seth Seelye House — 189 Greenwood Ave. (added September 29, 1977)

Historic pictures

Notable people, past and present

* P. T. Barnum (1810-1891) was born in Bethel at 55 Greenwood Avenue. He expanded the home during his youth after a fire destroyed the front of the building.Fact|date=May 2008
*Jan Miner (1917-2004) an actress who played Madge, the wisecracking manicurist in the long-running Palmolive dishwashing detergent television commercials, died in town.Fact|date=May 2008
*Thurston Moore (born 1958), singer and guitarist for Sonic Youth, was raised in town. [Dixon, Ken, "Music Hall of Fame proposed for state", article in "Connecticut Post" in Bridgeport, Connecticut, April 26, 2007 ("Thurston Moore, leader of alt-rock legends Sonic Youth, who grew up in Bethel")]
*Meg Ryan was raised in Bethel.Fact|date=May 2008
*Julius Hawley Seelye (1824-1895) a missionary, author, U.S. Representative, and former president of Amherst College who is said to have created the system of Latin Honors in use at many universities worldwide, was born in town.Fact|date=May 2008
*Bruce Willis has a home in Bethel.Fact|date=May 2008
*Noel Regney composer of the song "Do You Hear What I Hear" lived in Bethel from 1984-1998.

Movies filmed (at least partly) in Bethel

*Rise of the Dead (2007) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1116047/
*The Case of the Cosmic Comic (1976)
*Rachel, Rachel (1968) Source: [http://imdb.com/List?endings=on&&locations=Bethel,+Connecticut,+USA Internet Movie DataBase Web site's page for Bethel, Connecticut]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 16.9 square miles (43.7 km²), of which, 16.8 square miles (43.5 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km²) of it (0.53%) is water.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 18,067 people, 6,505 households, and 4,846 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,075.7 people per square mile (415.5/km²). There were 6,653 housing units at an average density of 396.1/sq mi (153.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town in 2005 was 85.86% White, 1.91% African American, 0.26% Native American, 4.58% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 3.20% from other races or of multiple races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.33% of the population. 20.2% were of Italian, 17.5% Irish, 9.1% German, 7.0% English, 6.7% American and 6.0% Polish ancestry according to Census 2000 [http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/DTTable?_bm=y&-context=dt&-ds_name=DEC_2000_SF3_U&-CONTEXT=dt&-mt_name=DEC_2000_SF3_U_PCT016&-tree_id=] . 88.7% spoke English, 4.4% Spanish, 3.3% Portuguese, 1.5% German and 1.0% French as their first language [http://www.mla.org/map_data_results&state_id=9&place_id=4790&cty_id=] .

There were 6,505 households out of which 38.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.4% were married couples living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.5% were non-families. 20.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.76 and the average family size was 3.23.

In the town the population was spread out with 27.3% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 31.9% from 25 to 44, 24.6% from 45 to 64, and 10.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 95.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.1 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $68,891, and the median income for a family was $78,358. Males had a median income of $51,816 versus $36,544 for females. The per capita income for the town was $28,927. About 1.2% of families and 2.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.3% of those under age 18 and 5.5% of those age 65 or over.

References

* [http://www.sots.state.ct.us/RegisterManual/regman.htm Interactive Connecticut State Register & Manual]
* [http://eire.census.gov/popest/data/cities.php U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division]

External links

* [http://www.bethelct.org/ Bethel home page]
* [http://bethel.k12.ct.us/ Bethel public school system]
* [http://www.litchfieldhills.com/app/index.jsp Northeast Connecticut Convention and Visitors Bureau]