Wallingford, Connecticut

Wallingford, Connecticut, USA
Town

Wallingford Town Hall

Seal
Motto: "A Great And Truly Beautiful New England Town"[1]

Location in New Haven County, Connecticut
Coordinates: 41°27′23″N 72°48′15″W / 41.45639°N 72.80417°W / 41.45639; -72.80417Coordinates: 41°27′23″N 72°48′15″W / 41.45639°N 72.80417°W / 41.45639; -72.80417
Country  United States
State  Connecticut
NECTA New Haven
Region South Central Region
Established 1670
Government
 • Type Mayor-council
 • Mayor William W. Dickinson, Jr. (R)
 • Town Council Vincent Cervoni (R), Chair
Craig C. Fishbein (R)
Thomas Laffin (R), Vice Chair
John LeTourneau (R)
Christine Mansfield (R)
Robert Parisi (R)
Larry Russo, Jr. (D)
John J. Sullivan (D)
Vincent F. Testa, Jr. (D)
Area
 • Total 39.9 sq mi (103.3 km2)
 • Land 39.0 sq mi (101.1 km2)
 • Water 0.9 sq mi (2.2 km2)
Elevation 151 ft (46 m)
Population (2010)
 • Total 45,135
 • Density 1,100/sq mi (440/km2)
Time zone Eastern (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) Eastern (UTC-4)
ZIP code 06492
Area code(s) 203
FIPS code 09-78740
GNIS feature ID 0213522
Website www.town.wallingford.ct.us

Wallingford is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 45,135 at the 2010 census.[2][3]

History

On October 10, 1667 the Connecticut General Assembly authorized the “making of a village on the east river” to 38 planters and freemen. The “long highway” located on the ridge of the hill above the sandy plain along the Quinnipiac River is the present Main Street in Wallingford. On May 12, 1670 the bounds were set in the settlement and about 126 people settled in the Town in temporary housing. Six-acre lots were set out and by the year 1675, 40 houses stretched along the street. [4]

In 1697 Wallingford was the site of the last witchcraft trial in New England. Winifred Benham was thrice tried for witchcraft and acquitted all three times. [5]

During the nineteenth century, Wallingford industry expanded with a considerable concentration of small pewter and Britannia ware manufacturers. By mid-century, Robert Wallace acquired the formula for nickel silver and established with Samuel Simpson, R. Wallace & Company the forerunner of Wallace Silversmiths. It was also during this period that many of the small silver and Britannia plants were combined to form the International Silver Company with its headquarters in Meriden and several plants in Wallingford.[4]

Wallingford has diversified its commercial and industrial base over the past decade attracting high-technology industries as compared to traditional heavy manufacturing. It is the home of a large variety of industries and major corporations spanning the spectrum of the medical, health care, service, high-tech specialty metal manufacturing and research development. The development of the Barnes Industrial Park, Casimir Pulaski Industrial Park, Wharton Brook Industrial Park, and the South Turnpike Road area have greatly contributed to this transition. The Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, the town’s largest taxpayer, has established a research and development facility in Wallingford’s MedWay Industrial Park. An Interchange Zone which permits very restrictive commercial development of office parks, research and development centers and hotels has been created at the intersection of Interstate 91 and Route 68. [4]

In terms of Wallingford's manufacturing and design history, silver-producing companies like Simpson, Hall, Miller & Co. and R. Wallace & Sons are of particular note. Simpson, Hall, Miller & Co. as well as Wallingford's Watrous Manufacturing later became part of the International Silver Company, which was headquartered in the neighboring city of Meriden.[6][7]

Education

The town of Wallingford has both public and private education. The Wallingford Public School System consists of eight elementary schools, two middle schools, and two high schools. Wallingford has a private sector of schools offering the following: Choate Rosemary Hall, Heritage Baptist Academy, and Holy Trinity School.[8][9][10][11]

Geography

Bridge and falls at Quinnipiac River in Wallingford, 1907

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 39.9 square miles (103.3 km²), of which 39.0 square miles (101.1 km²) is land and 0.9 square miles (2.2 km²), or 2.16%, is water.

The town of Wallingford sits astride the Quinnipiac River in northern New Haven County. It is 5 miles (8 km) south of Meriden and about 13 miles (21 km) north of New Haven. Towns bordering Wallingford are Cheshire, Durham, Hamden, Meriden, Middlefield, North Branford and North Haven. Situated in the Hartford-New Haven-Springfield corridor, Wallingford is traversed by U.S. Route 5, Interstate 91, and State Highways Route 15 (Wilbur Cross Parkway), Route 68, Route 71 and Route 150.

Principal communities

New York Insulated Wire Company, 1910

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
18202,237—
18502,595—
18603,20623.5%
18703,67614.7%
18804,68627.5%
18906,58440.5%
19009,00136.7%
191011,15523.9%
192012,0107.7%
193014,27818.9%
194014,7883.6%
195016,97614.8%
196029,92076.2%
197035,71419.4%
198037,2744.4%
199040,8229.5%
200043,0265.4%
201045,1354.9%
Est. 201445,074[12]−0.1%
U.S. Decennial Census[13]

As of the census[14] of 2000, there were 43,026 people, 16,697 households, and 11,587 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,102.7 people per square mile (425.7/km²). There were 17,306 housing units at an average density of 443.5 per square mile (171.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 94.77% White, 1.02% African American, 0.17% Native American, 1.75% Asian, 1.16% from other races, and 1.14% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.52% of the population.

There were 16,697 households out of which 32.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.3% were married couples living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.6% were non-families. 25.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.07. The median household income in Wallingford is $91,317. The median family income is $101,239. The per capita income in Wallingford is $40,903.

In the town the population was spread out with 24.0% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 30.7% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 93.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.7 males.

Sports

From 1943 to 1944 the Boston Braves held spring training in Wallingford at Choate's Winter Exercise Building.[15] The town is the home of the Connecticut Bearcats, a New England Football League team.

Notable people

Points of interest

National Register of Historic Places

Library and Marlborough House, about 1909

Ten buildings and districts in Wallingford are listed on the National Register of Historic Places:[28]

Paul Mellon Arts Center

Footnotes

  1. ↑ "Town of Wallingford, Connecticut". Town of Wallingford, Connecticut. Retrieved September 22, 2012.
  2. ↑ "Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (DP-1): Wallingford town, New Haven County, Connecticut". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Retrieved October 1, 2012.
  3. ↑ "Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (DP-1): Wallingford Center CDP, Connecticut". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Retrieved October 15, 2012.
  4. 1 2 3 "History and Description". Town.wallingford.ct.us. Retrieved 2016-08-23.
  5. ↑ Demos, John Putnam. Entertaining Satan: Witchcraft and the Culture of Early New England. Oxford Press, 2004, page 409.
  6. ↑ Stern, Jewel. (2005). Modernism in American silver, p. 355. Dallas Museum of Art and Yale University Press.
  7. ↑ (Undated). "A Guide to the International Silver Company Records, 1853-1921". UCONN university libraries, special collections. Retrieved August 7, 2016.
  8. ↑ "Wallingford Public Schools". Wallingford.k12.ct.us. 2016-02-22. Retrieved 2016-08-23.
  9. ↑ "Home - Choate Rosemary Hall". Choate.edu. Retrieved 2016-08-23.
  10. ↑ "Home". Hts-wallingford.org. Retrieved 2016-08-23.
  11. ↑ "Home | Heritage Baptist Church". Hbc4.me. Retrieved 2016-08-23.
  12. ↑ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2014". Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  13. ↑ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  14. ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  15. ↑ The ESPN Baseball Encyclopedia. Sterling Publishing. 2007. p. 1789. ISBN 1-4027-4771-3.
  16. ↑ "Alice Blaski". All American Girls Professional Baseball League Players Association, Inc. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
  17. ↑ "BRADLEY, Stephen Row, (1754 - 1830)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
  18. ↑ "COOKE, Bates, (1787 - 1841)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
  19. ↑ "D.J. Cotrona". TV.com. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
  20. ↑ "Donofrio's Unique Life Is, at Last, a Film". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
  21. ↑ Galon, Buddy (2005). Dearly Departed: A Personal View of Celebrity Funerals. AuthorHouse. p. 51.
  22. ↑ Bradley, Edwin M. (2004). The First Hollywood Musicals: A Critical Filmography of 171 Features, 1927 Through 1932. McFarland. p. 31.
  23. ↑ Shulman, Ken. "Team Works". Metropolis Magazine. Retrieved March 13, 2015.
  24. ↑ "Phillips Collection Taps Dallas Curator To Succeed Director". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
  25. ↑ "World War I Flying Ace Raoul Lufbery". ConnecticutHistory.org#sthash.IEibE0Y1.dpuf. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
  26. ↑ "McGUIRE, John Andrew, (1906 - 1976)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
  27. ↑ "San Diego Reader staff bios". San Diego Reader. Retrieved February 16, 2015.
  28. ↑ National Park Service (2009-03-13). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wallingford, Connecticut.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/24/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.