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Farmington, Connecticut Farmington, Connecticut Farmington, Connecticut Town Seal Motto(s): "Respecting History, Planning The Future"[1] Location in Hartford County, Connecticut Country United States U.S. state Connecticut County Hartford NECTA Hartford Region Capitol Region Settled June 1640 Incorporated December 1645 Consolidated 1947 Government • Type Council-manager Jon Landry (R) • Town Council Patricia Boye Williams (D) Area 1 • Total 28.8 sq mi (74.5 km2) • Land 28.0 sq mi (72.6 km2) • Water 0.8 sq mi (2.0 km2) Elevation 161 ft (49 m) Population (2010) • Total 25,340 • Density 880/sq mi (340/km2) Farmington is a town in Hartford County in the Farmington Valley area of central Connecticut in the United States. The population was 25,340 at the 2010 census.[2] It sits 10 miles west of Hartford at the hub of major I-84 interchanges, 20 miles south of Bradley International Airport and 2-hours by car from NYC and Boston. It is home to the world headquarters of several large corporations including United Technologies, Otis Elevator Company, and Carvel. The northwest section of Farmington has a Unionville suburban neighborhood. History Eighteenth and nineteenth centuries Town Date of separation Southington 1779 Berlin 1785 Bristol 1785 Wolcott (eastern part) 1796 Burlington 1806 Avon (as Northington) 1845 New Britain 1850 Plainville 1869 Farmington was originally inhabited by the Tunxis Indian tribe. In 1640, a community of English immigrants was established by residents of Hartford, making Farmington the oldest inland settlement west of the Connecticut River and the twelfth oldest community in the state. Settlers found the area ideal because of its rich soil, location along the floodplain of the Farmington River, and valley geography. The town and river were given their present names in 1645, which is considered the incorporation year of the town. The town's boundaries were later enlarged several times, making it the largest in the Connecticut Colony. The town was named "Farmington" on account of its location within a farming district. 2 Farmington has been called the "mother of towns" because its vast area was divided to produce nine other central Connecticut communities. The borough of Unionville, in Farmington's northwest corner, was once home to many factories harnessing the water power of the Farmington River. Farmington is steeped in New England history. Main Street, in the historic village section, is lined with colonial estates, some of which date back to the 17th century. During the Revolutionary War, George Washington passed through Farmington on several occasions and referred to the town as "the village of pretty houses." In addition, French troops under General Rochambeau encamped in Farmington en route to Westchester County to offer crucial support to General Washington's army. Nineteenth century Northwest View of Farmington from Round Hill, by John Warner Barber, 1836 Post office and stage coach, 1907 postcard The majority of Farmington residents were abolitionists and were active in aiding escaped slaves. Several homes in the town were "safe houses" on the Underground Railroad. The town became known as "Grand Central Station" among escaped slaves and their "guides". Farmington played an important role in the famous Amistad trial. In 1841, 38 Mende Africans and Cinqué, the leader of the revolt on the Amistad slave ship, were housed and educated in Farmington after the U.S. government refused to provide for their return to Africa following the trial. The Mende were educated in English and Christianity while funds were raised by residents for their return to Africa. The Farmington Canal, connecting New Haven with Northampton, Massachusetts, passed through the Farmington River on its eastern bank and was in operation between 1828 and 1848. The canal's right of way and towpath were eventually used for a railroad, portions of which were active up to the 1990s. Part of the canal and railroad line has now been converted to a multi-use trail. 3 Geography Rattlesnake Mountain According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 28.8 square miles (74.5 km2), of which 28.0 square miles (72.6 km2) is land and 0.77 square miles (2.0 km2), or 2.65%, is water.[2] After its founding, Farmington gave up territory to form Southington (1779), Bristol (1785), Avon (1830), Plainville (1869), and parts of Berlin (1785) and Bloomfield (1835).[7] Farmington presently borders the towns of Avon, Burlington, Newington, West Hartford, and Plainville, and the cities of New Britain and Bristol. Farmington is mostly wooded, but there are also meadows and hills in the east and southeast. There are also numerous ponds and lakes. The Farmington River runs through the town from the northwest from Burlington, enters Unionville, then takes a sharp turn near Farmington Center and flows north towards Avon. The Metacomet Ridge, a 100-mile (160 km) range of low traprock mountain ridges, occupies the east side of Farmington as Pinnacle Rock, Rattlesnake Mountain, Farmington Mountain, and Talcott Mountain. The ridge is traversed by the 51-mile-long (82 km) Metacomet Trail, a hiking trail, and contains several rock walls and chimneys suitable for technical climbing in places such as Pinnacle Rock and the Green Wall. These climbing areas, as well as several other rock climbing locations in central Connecticut, are documented in the 1995 book Hooked on Traprock. Demographics Historical population Year Pop. ±% 1756 3,707 — 4 1774 6,069 +63.7% 1782 5,542 −8.7% 1790 2,696 −51.4% 1800 2,809 +4.2% 1810 2,748 −2.2% 1820 3,042 +10.7% 1830 1,901 −37.5% 1840 2,041 +7.4% 1850 2,630 +28.9% 1860 3,144 +19.5% 1870 2,616 −16.8% 1880 3,017 +15.3% 1890 3,179 +5.4% 1900 3,331 +4.8% 1910 3,478 +4.4% 1920 3,844 +10.5% 1930 4,548 +18.3% 1940 5,313 +16.8% 1950 7,026 +32.2% 5 1960 10,813 +53.9% 1970 14,390 +33.1% 1980 16,407 +14.0% 1990 20,608 +25.6% 2000 23,641 +14.7% 2010 25,340 +7.2% Source: Interactive Connecticut State Register & Manual and U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division See also: List of Connecticut locations by per capita income As of the census[9] of 2010, there were 25,340 people, 9,496 households, and 6,333 families residing in the town. The population density was 879.9 people per square mile (339.7/km²). There were 11,072 housing units at an average density of 351.2 per square mile (135.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 85.92% White, 2.21% African American, 0.04% Native American, 9.59% Asian, 0.49% from other races, and 2.43% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.98% of the population.[10] There were 10,522 households out of which 29.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.7% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.7% were non-families. 29.6% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 3.00. In the town, the population was spread out with 22.0% under the age of 18, 4.7% from 18 to 24, 29.7% from 25 to 44, 25.7% from 45 to 64, and 15.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.3 males. The mean income for a household in town is $133,160, and the mean income for a family is $159,834[11]). Males had a median income of $80,182 versus $61,098 for females. The per capita income for the town was $54,754. About 3.1% of families and 5.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.9% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over. Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of October 28, 2008[12] Party Active Voters Inactive Voters Total Voters Percentage Democratic 5,579 186 5,765 31.96% Republican 4,467 172 4,639 25.72% 6 Unaffiliated 7,229 380 7,609 42.18% Minor Parties 21 6 27 0.15% Total 17,296 744 18,040 100% Economy This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) Farmington is home to a significant and growing number of corporations. Fortune 500 industrial conglomerate United Technologies is headquartered on Farm Springs Road along with its subsidiary Otis Elevator. Carvel, ConnectiCare, Farmington Displays, and Horizon Technology Finance, all maintain corporate headquarters in Farmington. Other prominent employers include the American Red Cross, Bank of America, Farmington Sports Arena, McKesson, Stanley Black & Decker and TRUMPF Inc. Farmington Bank was headquartered in town until it was acquired by People's United Bank in 2018. The Jackson Laboratory of Bar Harbor, Maine, is building a new facility on the grounds of the University of Connecticut Health Center, which specializes in the research and development of genomic medicine. The project is part of BioScience Connecticut, an initiative designed to launch Connecticut into the forefront of biomedical research. A growing collection of doctor's offices and medical practices is concentrated in the vicinity of UCONN Health Center.
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