Guilford, Connecticut
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| Guilford, Connecticut | |||
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| Coordinates: | |||
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| NECTA | New Haven | ||
| Region | South Central Region | ||
| Settled | 1639 | ||
| Government | |||
| - Type | Selectman-town meeting | ||
| - First selectman | Carl A. Balestracci, Jr. | ||
| Area | |||
| - Total | 128.7 km² (49.7 sq mi) | ||
| - Land | 121.9 km² (47.1 sq mi) | ||
| - Water | 6.9 km² (2.7 sq mi) | ||
| Elevation | 17 m (56 ft) | ||
| Population (2005)[1] | |||
| - Total | 22,307 | ||
| - Density | 183/km² (474/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | Eastern (UTC-5) | ||
| - Summer (DST) | Eastern (UTC-4) | ||
| ZIP code | 06437 | ||
| Area code(s) | 203 | ||
| FIPS code | 09-34950 | ||
| GNIS feature ID | 0213438 | ||
| Website: http://www.ci.guilford.ct.us/ | |||
Guilford is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, that borders Madison, Branford, North Branford and Durham, and is situated on I-95 and the coast. The population was 21,398 at the 2000 census. It was named one of the top 100 places to live in the United States by Money magazine in 2005[2].
First settled in 1639, Guilford has the third largest collection of historic homes in New England, with important buildings from the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. There are five historic house museums, including Dudley Farm, which hosts a farmers' market on Saturdays.
For recreation, the town offers two public beaches, three public marinas, two private yacht clubs (Sachem's Head Yacht Club and Guilford Yacht Club), both public and private tennis courts, the Guilford Lakes Golf Course, and many trails for hiking or riding. The town hosts free concerts on the green in August, and a tree-lighting ceremony in the Christmas season as well as many other community holiday activities.
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[edit] Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 49.7 square miles (128.8 km²), of which, 47.0 square miles (121.9 km²) of it is land and 2.7 square miles (6.9 km²) of it (5.39%) is water. The rocky shoreline has been compared to that of Maine.
The northwest side of Guilford is flanked by the Metacomet Ridge, a mountainous traprock ridgeline that stretches from Long Island Sound to nearly the Vermont border. Notable features of the Metacomet ridge in Guilford include Totoket Mountain; its most notable peak, Bluff Head; and two eastern high points on the Totoket Mountain ridge named East Sugarloaf and West Sugarloaf. The 50 mi (80 km) Mattabesett Trail traverses Bluff Head;, a shorter network of trails criss-cross the Sugarloafs.
[edit] Principal communities in Guilford
- Guilford Center
- Leete's Island
- North Guilford
- Nut Plains
- Sachem's Head (named after three Pequot chiefs who were captured and decapitated there by Mohegans)
- Indian Cove
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 21,398 people, 8,151 households, and 6,039 families residing in the town. The population density was 454.8 people per square mile (175.6/km²). There were 8,724 housing units at an average density of 185.4/sq mi (71.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.04% White, 0.93% African American, 0.05% Native American, 1.65% Asian, 0.41% from other races, and 0.93% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.13% of the population.
There were 8,151 households out of which 35.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.4% were married couples living together, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.9% were non-families. 21.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.04.
In the town the population was spread out with 25.4% under the age of 18, 4.4% from 18 to 24, 26.2% from 25 to 44, 31.2% from 45 to 64, and 12.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 92.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $76,843, and the median income for a family was $87,045. Males had a median income of $60,623 versus $40,307 for females. The per capita income for the town was $37,161. About 2.3% of families and 3.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.4% of those under age 18 and 3.8% of those age 65 or over.
| Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of October 25, 2005[4] | |||||
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| Party | Active Voters | Inactive Voters | Total Voters | Percentage | |
| Democratic | 4,275 | 82 | 4,357 | 27.69% | |
| Republican | 3,837 | 85 | 3,922 | 24.92% | |
| Unaffiliated | 7,280 | 148 | 7,428 | 47.20% | |
| Minor Parties | 29 | 0 | 29 | 0.18% | |
| Total | 15,421 | 315 | 15,736 | 100% | |
[edit] List of town parks
The town requires permits for group outings at any park. Permits are available at the recreation center, 32 Church St. The town government operates these parks:[5]
- Bittner — Route 77, 123 acres (0.50 km²) of woodlands and 15 acres of playground, lighted softball field, baseball and soccer fields, jogging/walking path; trout trail; roller sports complex with a skate park, roller hockey and roller blading. Ice skating available in winter.[5]
- Chaffinch Island — Chaffinch Island Road, picnic areas, short walking trails, salt marsh.[5]
- Chittenden — Seaside Avenue, 100 yards from Jacobs Beach. Softball field, bocce courts, picnicking, unsupervised beach area[5]
- Jacobs Beach — Seaside Avenue, public swimming (salt water), playground, volleyball courts, picnicking; nonresidents may use the beach, but are charged a daily fee at the gate.[5]
- Lake Quonnipaug — Route 77. Public swimming, picnic area, small craft launch.[5]
- Long Hill — Long Hill Road, 8 acre park with playing fields for baseball, football, soccer/lacrosse and field hockey[5]
- Mill Pond — North River and Cherry streets, lighted, supervised ice skating in winter; fishing[5]
- Nut Plains — Nut Plains Road, lacrosse/soccer field[5]
- Town Green — available for special events[5]
[edit] List of National Historic Landmarks in Guilford
- Acadian House, added September 5, 1975
- Thomas Burgis II House, added December 28, 2000
- Dudleytown Historic District, added August 9, 1991
- Jared Eliot House, added November 14, 1985
- Falkner's Island Lighthouse, added May 29, 1990
- Griswold House, added October 10, 1975
- Guilford Historic Town Center, added July 6, 1976
- Hyland-Wildman House, added March 26, 1976
- Pelatiah Leete House, added October 1, 1974
- Meeting House Hill Historic District, added December 14, 1987
- Elisha Pitkin House, added April 6, 1979
- Route 146 Historic District, added April 5, 1990
- Sabbathday House, added October 10, 1975
- Henry Whitfield House, added November 27, 1972
[edit] References
- ^ U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates
- ^ Money Top 100 Best Places to Live 2005 Retrieved on 2008-01-09
- ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ Registration and Party Enrollment Statistics as of October 25, 2005 (PDF). Connecticut Secretary of State. Retrieved on 2006-10-02.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j [1]Web page titled "Guilford" at Hartford Courant Web site, dated August 16, 2006, accessed January 14, 2007
[edit] External links
- Town of Guilford
- Guiford Free Library
- Guilford Public Schools
- Guilford, CT on Google Maps Satellite
- Guilford Chamber of Commerce
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