Columbia, Connecticut

Columbia, Connecticut
—  Town  —
Seal
Location within Tolland County, Connecticut
Coordinates: 41°41′28″N 72°18′26″W / 41.69111°N 72.30722°W / 41.69111; -72.30722Coordinates: 41°41′28″N 72°18′26″W / 41.69111°N 72.30722°W / 41.69111; -72.30722
Country	United States
State	Connecticut
NECTA	Hartford
Region	Windham Region
Incorporated	1804
Government
– Type	Selectman-town meeting
– First selectman	Carmen L. Vance
Area
– Total	22.0 sq mi (57.0 km2)
– Land	21.4 sq mi (55.3 km2)
– Water	0.6 sq mi (1.6 km2)
Elevation	551 ft (168 m)
Population (2000)
– Total	4,971
– Density	232.8/sq mi (89.9/km2)
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
– Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	06237
Area code(s)	860
FIPS code	09-16400
GNIS feature ID	0213411
Website	http://www.columbiact.org/

Columbia is a town in Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 4,971 at the 2000 census. Columbia was incorporated in May, 1804, from Lebanon. Columbia offers prekindergarten through 8th grade education in town at Horace W. Porter School, while high school students have a choice of attending four nearby high schools (Bolton High School, E. O. Smith High School, Windham High School and Windham Technical High School, part of the Connecticut Technical High School System).

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 22.0 square miles (57 km²), of which, 21.4 square miles (55 km²) of it is land and 0.6 square miles (1.6 km²) of it (2.78%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 4,971 people, 1,864 households, and 1,463 families residing in the town. The population density was 232.8 people per square mile (89.9/km²). There were 1,988 housing units at an average density of 93.1 per square mile (35.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.43% White, 0.38% African American, 0.08% Native American, 0.70% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.56% from other races, and 0.78% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.69% of the population.

There were 1,864 households out of which 36.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.1% were married couples living together, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.5% were non-families. 17.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the town the population was spread out with 26.2% under the age of 18, 4.6% from 18 to 24, 30.3% from 25 to 44, 28.1% from 45 to 64, and 10.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 95.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.7 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $70,208, and the median income for a family was $77,665. Males had a median income of $51,250 versus $37,685 for females. The per capita income for the town was $29,446. About 1.8% of families and 4.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.0% of those under age 18 and 5.3% of those age 65 or over.

Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of October 25, 2005[2]
Party		Active Voters	Inactive Voters	Total Voters	Percentage
	Democratic	1,113	65	1,178	31.68%
	Republican	765	32	797	21.44%
	Unaffiliated	1,616	125	1,741	46.83%
	Minor Parties	2	0	2	0.05%
Total		3,496	222	3,718	100%

On the National Register of Historic Places

• Columbia Green Historic District

Notable residents past and present

• Anthony Gregorc, psychologist. Currently resides in Columbia.
• Dwight Loomis (1821–1903), US Congressman and Connecticut Supreme Court judge.

References

1. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
2. ^ "Registration and Party Enrollment Statistics as of October 25, 2005" (PDF). Connecticut Secretary of State. Archived from the original on 2006-09-23. http://web.archive.org/web/20060923151511/http://www.sots.ct.gov/ElectionsServices/lists/2005OctRegEnrollStats.pdf. Retrieved 2006-10-02. 

External links

Connecticut portal

• Town Web site
• Windham Technical High School
• Horace W. Porter School, Grades Pre-K thru 8
• E. O. Smith High School
• Windham High School
• Lyman Memorial High School
• Bolton High School
• Saxton B. Little Free Library, Columbia's public library
• Mystic Country: The Eastern Regional Tourism District