Weston, Connecticut

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Weston, Connecticut
settlement_type = Town


imagesize =
image_caption = The Onion Barn, where community bulletins are posted


mapsize = 250px
map_caption = Location in Connecticut


mapsize1 =
map_caption1 =
subdivision_type = NECTA
subdivision_name = Bridgeport-Stamford
subdivision_type1 = Region
subdivision_name1 = South Western Region
subdivision_type2 =
subdivision_name2 =
government_type = Selectman-town meeting
leader_title = First selectman
leader_name = Woody Bliss
leader_title1 = Town administrator
leader_name1 = Tom Landry
established_title = Incorporated
established_date = 1787
established_title2 = Split
established_date2 = 1845
area_land_km2 = 51.3
area_water_km2 = 2.4
area_total_sq_mi = 20.7
area_magnitude =
area_total_km2 = 53.6
population_as_of = 2005
population_total = 10,276
population_footnotes = [ [http://www.census.gov/popest/cities/files/SUB-EST2005_9.csv U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates] ]
population_density_sq_mi = 519
population_density_km2 = 200
timezone = Eastern
utc_offset = -5
timezone_DST = Eastern
utc_offset_DST = -4
area_land_sq_mi = 19.8
area_water_sq_mi = 0.9
elevation_m = 96
elevation_ft = 315
latd = 41 |latm = 13 |lats = 32 |latNS = N
longd = 73 |longm = 22 |longs = 14 |longEW = W
postal_code_type = ZIP code
postal_code = 06883
region =
website = http://www.weston-ct.com/
area_code = 203
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 09-83430
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 0213531
footnotes =

Weston is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 10,037 at the 2000 census. The town is serviced by Route 57 and Route 53, both of which run through the town center. About 19% of the town's workforce commutes to New York City. [ [http://products.cerc.com/pdf/tp/weston.pdf CERC town profile for Weston (2008)] ]

Like many towns in Southwestern Connecticut, Weston is among the most affluent communities in the United States. As of 2005, data collected by the Connecticut Economic Resource Center ( [http://www.cerc.com CERC] ) shows that Weston has the highest median household income in Fairfield County, thereby making it among the wealthiest communities in the world.

Weston's local ZIP code 06883 was identified by American Demographics magazine as the sixth most affluent ZIP in the U.S. (April 2005)

Most of Devil's Den Preserve, a convert|1746|acre|km2|sing=on nature reserve, which gets 40,000 visits a year, is located in the town.

History

Weston's first English settlers in the early 1700s were mostly farmers living to the southeast in the Town of Fairfield, the boundaries of which extended to Weston until the late eighteenth century. In 1787, the North Fairfield parish was created in the area now occupied by the towns of Weston and Easton. In 1845, Northfairfield was split into the two towns and Weston was created.Elder, Janet, [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D05E3DC1638F934A35754C0A963948260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all "If you're thinking of living in: Weston, Connecticut"] , article, "The New York Times" Real Estate section, July 7, 1985, ("Perhaps it is Weston's discreet anonymity that has attracted such entertainment figures as Robert Redford, Bette Davis, Rodney Dangerfield and Brent Mussberger, as well as Erica Jong") accessed March 30, 2008]

Despite the rocky soil, farmers in town grew apples, onions and potatoes and grist, cider, lumber and fulling mills were built. The town had nine manufacturers by 1850, but two decades later only the Bradley Edge Tool Company still thrived. That factory burned down in 1911.

Unlike other nearby towns, Weston never had a railroad built through it, which hurt nonagricultural businesses, so between the Civil War and the Great Depression, the town's population dropped from about 1,000 to a low of 670 by 1930. Artists, writers and actors from New York then became attracted to the community and began settling in it. Construction of the Merritt Parkway, which arrived just to the south of Weston in 1938, resulted in population growth.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 20.7 square miles (53.6 km²), of which, 19.8 square miles (51.3 km²) of it is land and 0.9 square miles (2.4 km²) of it (4.39%) is water.

The Saugatuck River begins to the north in Redding. It flows through the town, and ends in Long Island Sound by neighboring Westport.

Weston is bordered by Westport to the south, Wilton to the west, Redding to the north, Easton to the east, and Fairfield to the southeast.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 10,037 people, 3,312 households, and 2,811 families residing in the town. The population density was 507.0 people per square mile (195.7/km²). There were 3,532 housing units at an average density of 178.4/sq mi (68.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 95.75% White, 0.88% African American, 0.11% Native American, 1.94% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 0.25% from other races, and 0.98% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.05% of the population.

There were 3,312 households out of which 49.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 78.4% were married couples living together, 5.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 15.1% were non-families. 11.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.03 and the average family size was 3.28.

In the town the population was spread out with 33.2% under the age of 18, 2.7% from 18 to 24, 25.5% from 25 to 44, 28.9% from 45 to 64, and 9.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 96.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.9 males.

The 2007 CERC Town Profile reports the median income for a household in the town was $170,758, [ [http://products.cerc.com/pdf/tp/weston.pdf 2007 CERC Town Profile (PDF)] ] ) and the median income for a family was $162,032. Males had a median income of $100,000 versus $55,956 for females. The per capita income for the town was $74,817. About 1.3% of families and 1.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.3% of those under age 18 and 1.5% of those age 65 or over.

Government

The Town of Weston is governed by a Board of Selectmen. Woody Bliss is the First Selectman. There is a Board of Finance and Board of Education among other boards.

All board positions are held by political appointees. Not a single election has been contested for years (until a small number of offices in the 2007 elections).

Budget and taxes

For the fiscal year of 2008-2009, the Town of Weston’s net budget was $60,107,781. That year, about 73 percent of the town’s net budget was spent on the Weston Public Schools. Weston raised taxes on the basis of property value. With real estate assessed at 70 percent of market value, the mill rate for the five fiscal years following the valuation of 2003 was:

On the National Register of Historic Places

* Bradley Edge Tool Company Historic District — Roughly, Lyons Plains Road, north and south of the junction with White Birch Road (added December 22, 1995)
* Kettle Creek Historic District — Roughly, Weston and Old Weston Roads, north of Broad Street (added December 22, 1995)
* Norfield Historic District — Roughly, at the junction of Weston and Norfield Rds. northeast to Hedgerow Common (added August 31, 1991)

Education

There are four public schools in the Weston Public Schools district, all located on School Road:
*Weston High School — Grades 9-12, with about 800 students. Weston High School (WHS) seniors in the class of 2006 had the highest average SAT scores in the state, and many WHS students go on to attend selective colleges and universities. The Class of 2008 had the highest CAPT scores in the state in 2006. [ [http://www.westonk12-ct.org/page.cfm?p=83 "Welcome to Weston High School"] at the high school Web site, accessed August 7, 2007] Recently the high school underwent a significant building expansion, which included construction of a new science department and new playing fields. The high school auditorium is currently under reconstruction.
*Weston Middle School (WMS) — Grades 6-8, with about 600 students.
*Weston Intermediate School (WIS) — Grades 3-5, with 571 students. The school opened in September 2005 as the town’s newest school.
*Hurlbutt Elementary School (HES) — Pre-Kindergarten-Grade 2, with about 600 students

Several pre-schools in town are run by various churches.

Notable residents

*George Balanchine (1904–1983), choreographer and influential figure in ballet, had a home in town
*Paul Cadmus (1904–1999), painter, lived in town [Dannatt, Adrian, "Obituary: Paul Cadmus" "The Independent" of London, February 4, 2000 ("Paul Cadmus, artist: born New York 17 December 1904; died Weston, Connecticut 19 December 1999")]
*Frank Converse, actor
*Rodney Dangerfield, comedian, lived in town
*Bette Davis, actress, lived in town
*Jose Feliciano (born 1945), singer and songwriter [ [http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache:ux0BYndeVXQJ:www.weston-ct.com/+%22Jose+Feliciano%22+%22Weston,+Connecticut%22&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us Google cache of Home page, "News Around Our Town" feature] , Town of Weston Web site("World-renowned guitarist, composer, singer, and long-time Weston resident, Jose Feliciano, will perform a benefit concert Sunday"), accessed September 25, 2007]
*John Marshall Harlan II (1899–1971), late U.S. Supreme Court justice, buried in town
*Mariette Hartley (born 1940), actress, native of Weston [Kelly, Kevin, "Mariette Hartley takes a turn at Center Stage", article in "The Boston Globe", January 23, 1994 ("Hartley was born in Weston, Conn., on June 20, 1940")]
*Evan Hunter (1926–2005), author who wrote under the pen name "Ed McBain" [ [http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20050710/news_mz1j10passin.html "Transitions: Passings"] , feature in "The San Diego Union-Tribune", July 10, 2005 ("EVAN HUNTER, 78: Also writing under the name Ed McBain, [...] died Wednesday at his home in Weston, Conn."), accessed September 24, 2007]
*Robert Redford (born 1936), actor, lived in town
*Erica Jong (born 1942), author
*Eartha Kitt (born 1927), entertainer, town resident [Thomas, Jack, [http://www.boston.com/news/globe/living/articles/2005/08/11/the_importance_of_being_eartha/ "The importance of being Eartha"] , article, "The Boston Globe", August 11, 2005 ("WESTON, Conn. -- Waiting for Eartha Kitt in her living room [...] "), accessed September 24, 2007]
* Eva Le Gallienne, actress Radomsky, Rosalie R., [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE0DF1F39F936A25750C0A964958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=print "If You're Thinking of Living in: Weston", Real Estate section, "The New York Times", March 15, 1992, accessed October 27, 2007]
*Lawrence Langner (1890–1962), playwright, author, and producer. Lived on what is now called Langner Lane. [ [http://books.google.com/books?id=DtFa_zgI384C&pg=PA160&lpg=PA160&dq=%22lawrence+langner%22+weston&source=web&ots=nDFK1ZEaRV&sig=Alt8MTW14bksggkJeVLfkKb4jXU#PPA1,M1 Google Books page] for Sagolla, Lisa Jo, "The Girl Who Fell Down: A Biography of Joan McCracken", published 2003, UPNE, ISBN 1555535739 page 160 (" [...] Lawrence Langner and his wife, Armina Marshall. Residing in the nearby town of Weston, Connecticut, Langner and Marshall purchased [...] "), accessed September 25, 2007]
*Brent Musburger, sportscaster, lived in town
*James Naughton (born 1945), actor [Klein, Alvin, [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9506EED6133AF937A25755C0A96E958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=print "THEATER; Solo Act, Jeep Voice As Well"] , article, "The New York Times", June 14, 1998 ("Mr. Naughton, who has been living in Weston for 22 years"), accessed September 25, 2007]
*Christopher Plummer (born 1929), actor [Klein, Alvin, [http://select.nytimes.com/search/restricted/article?res=F30914FE3A5D0C728DDDA80994DC484D81 "Council for arts getting new home"] , article in "The New York Times", November 11, 1984 ("The actor Christopher Plummer, a former Darien resident who now lives in Weston"), accessed September 24, 2007]
*Keith Richards (born 1943), musician, member of the Rolling Stones [Landman, Beth, [http://nymag.com/nymetro/news/people/columns/intelligencer/15010/ "Johnny Depp: Suburbanite? Weston, ho!"] brief article in "New York Magazine", November 14, 2005 ("Weston’s top-ranked schools attracted Depp [...] Depp apparently fell in love with the town when he was visiting Keith Richards"), accessed September 24, 2007]
* John Seigenthaler, Jr., former NBC News weekend anchor. ["People & Places" column, Business section, "The Advocate" of Stamford, Connecticut, July 22, 2008, p A7 (both Stamford and Norwalk editions; "Greenwich Time" newspaper publishes the same business section: "John Seigenthaler of Weston has joined Seigenthaler Public Relations Inc. [...] "]
* James Thurber, writer

References

External links

* [http://www.weston-ct.com/ Town government Web site]
* [http://www.westonk12-ct.org/ School district Web site]