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Cheshire, Connecticut
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Cheshire is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 28,543 at the 2000 census. The center of population of Connecticut is located in Cheshire .
Cheshire was originally settled in 1694 by Europeans, it was part of the town of Wallingford and known locally as "Northfarms". In 1780, Cheshire separated from Wallingford to become its own town, and remained a small but prosperous farming town until the 1950s.
In the post-war period, Cheshire began to suburbanize as residents of New Haven began moving outwards from the urban core.
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Encyclopedia
Cheshire is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 28,543 at the 2000 census. The center of population of Connecticut is located in Cheshire .
History
When Cheshire was originally settled in 1694 by Europeans, it was part of the town of Wallingford and known locally as "Northfarms". In 1780, Cheshire separated from Wallingford to become its own town, and remained a small but prosperous farming town until the 1950s.
In the post-war period, Cheshire began to suburbanize as residents of New Haven began moving outwards from the urban core. Several industrial plants also located themselves in one of the town's many planned industrial parks. Despite significant residential development, Cheshire has remained a highly agricultural town that has found an economic niche in producing bedding plants for local and national consumers. The town's slogan is "The Bedding Plant Capital of Connecticut".
Connecticut's 2nd worst air disaster took place over Cheshire in 1946 (1/18/46) when an Eastern Airlines DC-3 crashed in town. The crash occurred near Wolf Hill Road and Copper Valley Court, on land that is today occupied by a country club. All seventeen people aboard the aircraft lost their lives.
On January 6, 2008 over 130,000 luminary candles were lit in front of thousands of homes across Cheshire in "Cheshire Lights of Hope", a fundraiser for multiple sclerosis and a tribute to the Petit family, victims of the July 23, 2007 home invasion.Founded by local couple, Don and Jenifer Walsh, they raised over $100,000 for Hayley's Hope and Michaela's Miracle Memorial fund.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 33.4 square miles (86.5 km˛), of which, 32.9 square miles (85.2 km˛) of it is land and 0.5 square miles (1.3 km˛) of it (1.50%) is water.
Cheshire is situated in the midst of several major cities of Connecticut. It lies fourteen miles north of New Haven, twenty-five miles south of the capital Hartford, and Waterbury is adjacent to Cheshire. Cheshire shares borders with Plantsville on the north, Southington on the northeast, Meriden on the northeast, Wallingford on the east, Hamden on the south, Bethany on the southwest, Prospect on the west, Waterbury on the northwest, and Wolcott on the northwest.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 28,543 people, 9,349 households, and 7,254 families residing in the town. The population density was 867.4 people per square mile (334.9/km˛). There were 9,588 housing units at an average density of 291.4/sq mi (112.5/km˛). The racial makeup of the town was 89.40% White, 4.67% African American, 0.22% Native American, 2.63% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.91% from other races, and 1.15% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.84% of the population. The largest ethnic groups in the town are Italian Americans and Irish Americans.
There were 9,349 households out of which 39.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.5% were married couples living together, 6.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.4% were non-families. 19.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.14.
In the town the population was spread out with 25.2% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 29.4% from 25 to 44, 25.0% from 45 to 64, and 12.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 113.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 114.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $80,466, and the median income for a family was $90,774. Males had a median income of $60,078 versus $38,471 for females. The per capita income for the town was $33,903. About 1.6% of families and 3.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.1% of those under age 18 and 4.3% of those age 65 or over.
Cheshire's voters have split tickets frequently in recent statewide elections. In 2004, President Bush won a narrow plurality over John Kerry. Bush had lost the town in his 2000 bid. In 2006 Cheshire voters gave strong support to Republican Governor M. Jodi Rell, independent U.S. Senate candidate Joe Lieberman and local Democratic House candidate Chris Murphy who defeated incumbent Nancy Johnson.
Education
Cheshire is home to one public high school, Cheshire High School and one public middle school, Dodd Middle School.
There are four public elementary schools: Chapman, Doolittle, Highland, and Norton Elementary.
Cheshire is also home to one public kindergarten, Darcey School.
There are also several private and special needs schools in the town, including Cheshire Academy (originally The Episcopal Academy of Connecticut), which was founded in Cheshire in 1794.
Culture and notable features
Cheshire is home to two large state prison facilities located in the northern section of town. The largest of these facilities is the Cheshire Correctional Institution, which opened in 1910. In 1982, the Manson Youth Institution opened adjacent to the CCI. These prisons explain the skewed male/female ratios. The larger of these prisons is located next to Chapman Elementary School, separated by Route 10.
Transportation
Transportation within Cheshire is largely by car. Interstate 691 skirts the northern edge of the town. Interstate 84 passes through the northwest part of the town. The main north-south artery is Route 10, a difficult passage that is busy, sometimes congested, and includes many stoplights. There are two east-west routes: Route 42 and Route 68/Route 70. Route 10 is by far the busiest road in Cheshire, with the worst Route 10 traffic occurring between Routes 68/70 and Route 42 every weekday during the morning commute, evening commute, and after the high school gets out at 2 pm. West Main Street and Main Street, Route 68/70 between Route 10 and Waterbury Road, is the next busiest road in town. The intersection of Route 10 and Route 68/70 is the busiest intersection in town. The second busiest intersection is the Cheshire High School and Route 10 intersection right before school starts and right after school ends.
The J line of Connecticut Transit New Haven which runs from Waterbury to New Haven travels through Cheshire on Routes 70 and 10. A commuter express bus also runs from the commuter lot near Interstate 84 to Hartford.
Points of Interest
The Barker Character, Comic and Cartoon Museum, located in the northern section of Cheshire, holds a large collection of memorabilia, novelties and ephemera such as lunch boxes and PEZ dispensers bearing the likenesses of characters from television, cartoons and comics.
National Register of Historic Places
- Cheshire Historic District — Roughly bounded by Main Street, Highland Avenue, Wallingford Road, South Main, Cornwall, and Spring streets (added September 29, 1986)
- Farmington Canal Lock (Lock 12) — 487 N. Brooksvale Road (added March 16, 1973)
- First Congregational Church of Cheshire — 111 Church Drive (added March 16, 1973)
Notable people, past and present
- Amos Bronson Alcott (1799–1888), schoolmaster
- Brad Ausmus, professional baseball player
- Henry Washington Benham (1813-1884), Union army general
- Chris Berman, ESPN sportscaster
- Jay Bontatibus, actor
- Samuel A. Foot (1780–1846), politician
- Seabury Ford (1801–1855), politician
- Gerald R. Ford, former U.S. President
- Roberto Goizueta, businessperson
- James J. Greco, businessperson
- Peter Hitchcock (1781–1854) judge
- John Frederick Kensett (1816–1872), artist
- Brian Leetch, athlete
- Legs McNeil, journalist
- J.P. Morgan, businessperson
- Chris Murphy, politician
- Anjul Nigam, actor
- Ron Palillo, actor
- Paul Pasqualoni, athletic coach
- Lonnie Quinn, meteorologist
- Edward Tufte, professor
- Vijay Vaitheeswaran, journalist
- James Van Der Beek, actor
- Justin Tussing, novelist
External links
- - The Library has a Cheshire/Connecticut history section and will answer genealogical and historical questions about Cheshire and environs.
- - Host of the Annual Strawberry Festival and "mother church" to other congregations in the area and along the Eastern Seaboard. The church steeple is an official symbol of the town, as it is depicted on the town seal.
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