Eastford, Connecticut

Eastford, Connecticut
—  Town  —
Seal
Location within Windham County, Connecticut
Coordinates: 41°53′37″N 72°05′49″W / 41.89361°N 72.09694°W / 41.89361; -72.09694Coordinates: 41°53′37″N 72°05′49″W / 41.89361°N 72.09694°W / 41.89361; -72.09694
Country	United States
State	Connecticut
Region	Northeastern Connecticut
Incorporated	1847
Government
– Type	Selectman-town meeting
– First selectman	Allan E. Platt
Area
– Total	29.2 sq mi (75.6 km2)
– Land	28.9 sq mi (74.8 km2)
– Water	0.3 sq mi (0.9 km2)
Elevation	653 ft (199 m)
Population (2005)
– Total	1,761
– Density	61/sq mi (24/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (UTC-5)
– Summer (DST)	Eastern (UTC-4)
ZIP code	06242
Area code(s)	860
FIPS code	09-21860
GNIS feature ID	0213420
Website	Eastford

Eastford is a town in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 1,618 at the 2000 census.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 29.2 square miles (76 km²), of which, 28.9 square miles (75 km²) of it is land and 0.3 square miles (0.78 km²) of it (1.20%) is water.

On the National Register of Historic Places

• Benjamin Bosworth House — John Perry Rd. (added 1978)
• Natchaug Forest Lumber Shed — Kingsbury Rd., Natchaug State Forest (added 1986)
• Sumner-Carpenter House — 333 Old Colony Rd. (added 1991)
• Union Society of Phoenixville House — 4 Hartford Turnpike. (added 2007)

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 1,618 people, 618 households, and 451 families residing in the town. The population density was 56.0 people per square mile (21.6/km²). There were 705 housing units at an average density of 24.4 per square mile (9.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.78% White, 0.43% African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.37% Asian, 0.31% from other races, and 0.93% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.36% of the population.

There were 618 households out of which 100 have children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.1% were married couples living together, 6.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.0% were non-families. 21.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.06.

In the town the population was spread out with 26.3% under the age of 18, 5.6% from 18 to 24, 29.2% from 25 to 44, 25.4% from 45 to 64, and 13.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 103.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.0 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $57,159, and the median income for a family was $62,031. Males had a median income of $45,000 versus $31,964 for females. The per capita income for the town was $25,364. About 4.4% of families and 6.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.0% of those under age 18 and 3.7% of those age 65 or over.

Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of October 27, 2009[2]
Party		Active Voters	Inactive Voters	Total Voters	Percentage
	Republican	391	25	416	34.84%
	Democratic	290	9	299	25.04%
	Unaffiliated	437	38	475	39.78%
	Minor Parties	0	0	0	0.0%
Total		1,121	73	1,194	100%

Education

Residents are zoned to the Eastford School District for grades Preschool through 8. The only school in the district is Eastford Elementary School. Most high schoolers attend Woodstock Academy. The town is near two alternative high schools: Ellis Vocational Technical School and Windham Technical School.

Notable residents past and present

• Andrew T. Judson (1784–1853), United States federal judge and US Congressman.
• Nathaniel Lyon (1818–1861), the first Union General to be killed in the Civil War is buried here in his family plot.

Trivia

There was another Eastford in the state which was renamed East Windsor shortly after its separation from Windsor.

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 27, 2009" (PDF). Connecticut Secretary of State. http://www.sots.ct.gov/sots/lib/sots/electionservices/registration_and_enrollment_stats/2009_registration_and_enrollment_statistics.pdf. Retrieved 2010-08-14. 

External links

• Town government Web site
• Eastford Public Library Web page
• Mystic Country: The Eastern Regional Tourism District

Education links

Connecticut portal

• Eastford Elementary School
• Woodstock Academy
• H.H. Ellis Technical High School in Danielson
• Windham Technical High School in Willimantic