Noank, Connecticut

Noank, Connecticut
—  CDP  —
Noank Baptist Church
Noank, Connecticut Location within the state of Connecticut
Coordinates: 41°19′30″N 71°59′30″W / 41.325°N 71.99167°W / 41.325; -71.99167Coordinates: 41°19′30″N 71°59′30″W / 41.325°N 71.99167°W / 41.325; -71.99167
Country	United States
State	Connecticut
County	New London
Town	Groton
Area
– Total	2.2 sq mi (5.7 km2)
– Land	1.5 sq mi (4.0 km2)
– Water	0.7 sq mi (1.7 km2)
Population (2000)
– Total	1,830
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
– Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)

Noank is a village and census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Groton in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 1,830 at the 2000 census. The original settlement in Noank along Elm Street (Route 215) and east of it towards Morgan Point is listed as a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 2.2 square miles (5.7 km²), of which 1.5 square miles (4.0 km²) is land and 0.7 square miles (1.7 km²) (30.32%) is water. The CDP includes areas further west and north from the original village, extending as far west as Palmer Cove and as far north as U.S. Route 1.^{[citation needed]}

History

See also: Noank Historic District

In 1614, the area then known as "Nauyang" (meaning "point of land") was a summer camping ground of the Pequot. The Pequot were taken under English protection in 1655 following the Pequot War. The land comprising Noank Peninsula was acquired by James Morgan through a lottery in 1712.^[1]

In 1861, Charles Mallory and Elihu Spicer, Jr., established the C. H. Mallory and Company Steamship line. In 1879, Robert Palmer put steam railways into his shipbuilding plant in Noank. His company became one of the largest in the United States at the time for making wooden ships, building one thousand vessels ranging from fishing boats to sound steamers.^[1]

Around 1912, the Connecticut State Lobster Hatchery was established in Noank.^[2]

The community grew from a tradition of fishing, lobstering and boat-building and has more ship and boat yards than churches. The fishing sailboat type known as the "Noank Smack", of which the Emma C. Berry is an example, is indigenous to this village. The Village of Noank hosts the longest running continuous Memorial Day Parade in the country held annually since 1875.^{[citation needed]} The majority of the community was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 as an historic district, including houses and businesses dating back to 1840. The significance of the historic district is primarily in the domestic architecture preserved in 240 houses.^{[citation needed]}

Modern day

Noank includes marinas, including one having 158 slips.^[3]

Demographics

A view of a scenic harbor of Noank town

Morgan Point Light in Noank

As of the census^[4] of 2000, there were 1,830 people, 846 households, and 501 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 1,187.7 people per square mile (458.8/km²). There were 911 housing units at an average density of 591.2 per square mile (228.4/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 96.45% White, 0.98% African American, 0.16% Native American, 1.31% Asian, 0.55% from other races, and 0.55% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.79% of the population.

There were 846 households out of which 21.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.8% were married couples living together, 6.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.7% were non-families. 35.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.15 and the average family size was 2.78.

In the CDP the population was spread out with 20.3% under the age of 18, 3.4% from 18 to 24, 24.9% from 25 to 44, 29.5% from 45 to 64, and 21.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females there were 85.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.5 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $61,250, and the median income for a family was $77,596. Males had a median income of $59,091 versus $48,333 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $41,355. None of the families and 2.5% of the population were living below the poverty line, including no persons under 18 and 2.9% of those over 64.

Notable residents, visitors, and cultural references

As a picturesque coastal village, Noank has been the home or second home of several artists and other notable people, and has been represented in several works of art. Notable people and cultural references related to Noank include:

• Painter Robert Brackman (1898–1980) lived and worked here. Then-resident Nick Nelson Jr. modeled for Brackman's "Boy from Main Street" painting and others of Brackman's paintings.
• Aviatrix Amelia Earhart married George Palmer Putnam in Noank on February 7, 1931.
• Arctic explorer Peter Freuchen (1886–1957) had a second home in Noank.
• World War II Navy Admiral William Halsey lived here.
• American choral music composer Mark Daniel Merritt (1961-) lived in Noank during his childhood.
• Fisherman, painter, and writer and storyteller Ellery Thompson lived and worked here. Captain Nick Nelson and other "notable" Noankers are mentioned in his book Draggerman's Haul.
• The lobster-shack visited by the protagonist in the movie Mystic Pizza is Ford's Lobsters in Noank.
• Noank is mentioned in Theodore Dreiser's short story A Doer of the Word.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} C.F. Burgess, ed., Historic Groton
2. ^ New London Day, Half Century Progress edition, 1931-07-06, Sec. 9
3. ^ Noank Shipyard and Noank Marine Service
4. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 

External links

Connecticut portal

• Noank, Connectict at the Open Directory Project