Tolland County, Connecticut
Encyclopedia
Tolland County is a county
County (United States)
In the United States, a county is a geographic subdivision of a state , usually assigned some governmental authority. The term "county" is used in 48 of the 50 states; Louisiana is divided into parishes and Alaska into boroughs. Parishes and boroughs are called "county-equivalents" by the U.S...

 located in the northeastern part of Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...

. As of 2010, the population was 152,691.

Counties in Connecticut have no governmental function: all legal power is vested in the state, city, and town governments. The office of High Sheriff in Connecticut counties was officially abolished by ballot in 2000, and corrections and court service were transferred to the state marshalls.

Tolland County has the same boundaries as the Tolland Judicial District.

Tolland County is incorporated into thirteen towns and was originally formed in 1785 from towns in Windham County, Connecticut
Windham County, Connecticut
Windham County is a county located in the northeastern corner of the U.S. state of Connecticut. As of 2010, the population was 118,428.The entire county is within the Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley National Heritage Corridor, as designated by the National Park Service.-History:Windham...

 .

According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 417.01 square miles (1,080.1 km²), the smallest county in Connecticut, of which 410.07 square miles (1,062.1 km²) (or 98.34%) is land and 6.94 square miles (18 km²) (or 1.66%) is water.

Part of the county is part of the Hartford
Hartford County, Connecticut
Hartford County is a county located in the north central part of the US state of Connecticut. The 2010 Census records show that the county population is at 894,014 making it the second most populated county in Connecticut....

 metropolitan area and part is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield is the most populous city in Western New England, and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers; the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern...

, metropolitan area.

The FIPS
FIPS
- Computer :*FIPS , Fully Interactive Partition Splitter, a disk partitioner*Federal Information Processing Standard, United States government standards*FTC Fair Information Practice, FIPs, US Federal Trade Commission guidelines- People :...

 code for Tolland County is 009013.

Demographics

As of the year 2000, there were 136,364 people, 49,431 households, and 34,156 families residing in the county. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 was 332/sq mi (128/km²). http://www.fedstats.gov/qf/states/09/09013.html There were 51,570 housing units at an average density of 126/sq mi (49/km²). The racial makeup
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

 of the county was 92.34% White, 2.72% Black or African American, 0.21% Native American, 2.27% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.08% from other races, and 1.35% from two or more races. 2.84% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 14.9% were of Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...

, 14.1% Italian
Italian people
The Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...

, 9.9% English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...

, 8.8% French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...

, 8.2% German, 8.0% Polish and 5.7% French Canadian
French Canadian
French Canadian or Francophone Canadian, , generally refers to the descendents of French colonists who arrived in New France in the 17th and 18th centuries...

 ancestry according to Census 2000. 90.5% spoke English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

, 2.9% Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...

 and 1.6% French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...

 as their first language.

There were 49,431 households out of which 33.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.00% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...

 living together, 8.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.90% were non-families. 23.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.70% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.03.

In the county the population was spread out with 23.10% under the age of 18, 12.90% from 18 to 24, 30.70% from 25 to 44, 23.20% from 45 to 64, and 10.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 100.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.50 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $59,044, and the median income for a family was $70,856. Males had a median income of $46,619 versus $34,255 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...

 for the county was $25,474. 5.60% of the population and 2.90% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 4.60% are under the age of 18 and 5.20% are 65 or older.

Towns

  • Andover
    Andover, Connecticut
    Andover is a rural town in Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 3,303 at the 2010 census.Andover was incorporated on May 18, 1848, from Hebron and Coventry.-Geography:...

  • Bolton
    Bolton, Connecticut
    Bolton is a town in Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 5,017 at the 2000 census. Bolton was incorporated in October 1720 and is governed by town meeting.-History:...

  • Columbia
    Columbia, Connecticut
    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...

  • Coventry
    Coventry, Connecticut
    Coventry is a town in Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 11,504 at the 2000 census. The birthplace of Captain Nathan Hale, Coventry is home to the Nathan Hale Homestead, which is now a museum open to the public....

  • Ellington
    Ellington, Connecticut
    Ellington is a town in Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. Ellington was incorporated in May, 1786, from East Windsor. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 12,921...

  • Hebron
    Hebron, Connecticut
    Hebron is a town in Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 8,610 at the 2000 census. Hebron was incorporated May 26, 1708....

  • Mansfield
    Mansfield, Connecticut
    Mansfield is a town in Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 20,720 at the 2000 census.Mansfield was incorporated in October 1702 from the Town of Windham, in Hartford County. When Windham County was formed on 12 May 1726, Mansfield then became part of that county...

  • Somers
    Somers, Connecticut
    Somers is a town in Tolland County, Connecticut, USA. The population was 10,417 at the 2000 census. The town center is listed by the U.S. Census Bureau as a census-designated place...

  • Stafford
    Stafford, Connecticut
    Stafford is a town in Tolland County, Connecticut, United States, settled in 1719. The population was 11,307 at the 2000 census.-History:The Colonial Town of Stafford began as a rural agricultural community...

  • Tolland
    Tolland, Connecticut
    Tolland is a town in Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 13,146 at the 2000 census.Tolland was named in May, 1715, and incorporated in May, 1722. According to some, the town derives its name from being a toll station on the old road between Boston and New York. ...

  • Union
    Union, Connecticut
    Union is a town in Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 854 at the 2010 census, making it the least populous town in Connecticut and the second-least populous municipality in Connecticut; only the Borough of Fenwick has fewer people...

  • Vernon
    Vernon, Connecticut
    Vernon is a town in Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 29,179 at the 2010 census.Vernon was incorporated in October, 1808, from Bolton. Vernon contains the former city of Rockville, incorporated in January, 1889. The town of Vernon and city of Rockville consolidated as a...

  • Willington
    Willington, Connecticut
    Willington is a town in Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 5,959 at the 2000 census.The Willimantic River borders the town on the west. Willington is about 25 miles northeast of Hartford on Interstate 84, which also provides a connection to Boston, via the Massachusetts...


Other Places

  • Coventry Lake
    Coventry Lake, Connecticut
    Coventry Lake is a census-designated place in the town of Coventry, Connecticut in Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 2,914 at the 2000 census. The CDP includes the residential areas around Wangumbaug Lake.-Geography:...

  • South Coventry
    South Coventry, Connecticut
    South Coventry is a census-designated place and part of the town of Coventry, Connecticut in Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 1,381 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...

  • Crystal Lake
    Crystal Lake, Connecticut
    Crystal Lake is a census-designated place and part of the town of Ellington, Connecticut in Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 1,459 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...

  • Stafford Springs
  • Storrs
    Storrs, Connecticut
    Storrs is a census-designated place and part of the town of Mansfield, Connecticut located in eastern Tolland County. The population was 10,996 at the 2000 census...

  • Central Somers
  • Rockville
    Rockville, Connecticut
    Rockville is a census-designated place and a village of the town of Vernon in Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 7,708 at the 2000 census...

  • Mashapaug

Adjacent counties

  • Hartford County
    Hartford County, Connecticut
    Hartford County is a county located in the north central part of the US state of Connecticut. The 2010 Census records show that the county population is at 894,014 making it the second most populated county in Connecticut....

     - west
  • New London County
    New London County, Connecticut
    New London County is a county located in the southeastern corner of the U.S. state of Connecticut. As of 2010 the population was 274,055. The total area of the county is , including inland and coastal waters....

     - south
  • Windham County
    Windham County, Connecticut
    Windham County is a county located in the northeastern corner of the U.S. state of Connecticut. As of 2010, the population was 118,428.The entire county is within the Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley National Heritage Corridor, as designated by the National Park Service.-History:Windham...

     - east
  • Hampden County, Massachusetts
    Hampden County, Massachusetts
    -Demographics:As of the census of 2004, there were 461,228 people, 175,288 households, and 115,690 families residing in the county. The population density was 738 people per square mile . There were 185,876 housing units at an average density of 301 per square mile...

     - northwest
  • Worcester County, Massachusetts
    Worcester County, Massachusetts
    -Demographics:In 1990 Worcester County had a population of 709,705.As of the census of 2000, there were 750,963 people, 283,927 households, and 192,502 families residing in the county. The population density was 496 people per square mile . There were 298,159 housing units at an average density...

     - northeast

Literary references

Tolland County is briefly referenced in the novel Moby-Dick
Moby-Dick
Moby-Dick; or, The Whale, was written by American author Herman Melville and first published in 1851. It is considered by some to be a Great American Novel and a treasure of world literature. The story tells the adventures of wandering sailor Ishmael, and his voyage on the whaleship Pequod,...

by Herman Melville
Herman Melville
Herman Melville was an American novelist, short story writer, essayist, and poet. He is best known for his novel Moby-Dick and the posthumous novella Billy Budd....

 as the place that the ill-fated ship mate, Pip, comes from.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK