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Bloomfield, Connecticut
Capt. Oliver Filley House
Capt. Oliver Filley House
Official seal of Bloomfield, Connecticut
Seal
Location within Hartford County, Connecticut
Location within Hartford County, Connecticut
Country  United States
U.S. state  Connecticut
County Hartford
Metropolitan area Hartford
Settled 1660
Incorporated May 28, 1835
Communities Bloomfield
Blue Hills
Cottage Grove
North Bloomfield
Government
 • Type Council-manager
Area
 • Total 26.3 sq mi (68.0 km2)
 • Land 26.1 sq mi (67.6 km2)
 • Water 0.2 sq mi (0.4 km2)
Elevation
138 ft (42 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 21,535
 • Density 825.1/sq mi (318.6/km2)
Time zone UTC-5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST) UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
06002
Area code(s) 860
FIPS code 09-05910
GNIS feature ID 0213392
Highways Connecticut Highway 218.svg Connecticut Highway 178.svg Connecticut Highway 185.svg Connecticut Highway 187.svg Connecticut Highway 189.svg

Bloomfield is a suburb of Hartford in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The town's population was 21,535 at the 2020 census. Bloomfield is best known as the headquarters of healthcare services company Cigna.

History

Originally land of the Poquonocks, the area was first settled in 1660 as part of Windsor, organized as the Parish of Wintonbury in 1736. Wintonbury comes from three names from neighboring towns Windsor, Farmington , and Simsbury. It was finally incorporated as the town of Bloomfield in May 1835. Initially, the town's local economy was agriculturally based, mostly in shade tobacco, remaining as such until it developed as a postwar suburb of Hartford starting in the 1950s. Today, Bloomfield's local character varies. While the town's southern and eastern fringes are more densely populated and developed, the northern and western sections maintain a more rural feel with meadows, woods, and some remaining farmland.

Geography

Farmingtonriver gorge
Tariffville Gorge

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 26.3 square miles (68.0 km2), of which 26.1 square miles (67.6 km2) is land and 0.15 square miles (0.4 km2), or 0.63%, is water.

Bloomfield is bordered by Windsor to the northeast, East Granby to the north, Simsbury and Avon to the west, and West Hartford and Hartford to the south.

The northern border of Bloomfield is formed by the Farmington River. The west side of the town is flanked by Talcott Mountain, part of the Metacomet Ridge, a mountainous trap rock ridgeline that stretches from Long Island Sound to nearly the Vermont border. Notable features of the Metacomet Ridge in Bloomfield include Penwood State Park and the Tariffville Gorge of the Farmington River, on the borders of East Granby, Simsbury, and Bloomfield. The 51-mile (82 km) Metacomet Trail traverses the ridge.

Transportation

The major east–west throughway in Bloomfield is Route 218, which starts at the Simsbury Road/Hall Boulevard split at the West Hartford line and inches north toward Cottage Grove Road before heading eastbound. Bloomfield also has two major north–south highways: Blue Hills Avenue (Route 187) and Bloomfield/Tunxis Avenues (Route 189). These highways merge when approaching the Windsor line but before returning to Bloomfield.

Eleven bus routes in Connecticut Transit's Hartford Division serve Bloomfield: 36, 46, 50, 52, 54, 56, 72, 74, 76, 92, and 153.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1850 1,412
1860 1,401 −0.8%
1870 1,473 5.1%
1880 1,346 −8.6%
1890 1,308 −2.8%
1900 1,513 15.7%
1910 1,821 20.4%
1920 2,394 31.5%
1930 3,247 35.6%
1940 4,309 32.7%
1950 5,746 33.3%
1960 13,613 136.9%
1970 18,301 34.4%
1980 18,608 1.7%
1990 19,483 4.7%
2000 19,587 0.5%
2010 20,486 4.6%
2020 21,535 5.1%
U.S. Decennial Census

As of the census of 2010, there were 20,486 people, 8,554 households, and 5,343 families residing in the town. The population density was 753.0 people per square mile (290.8/km2). There were 8,195 housing units at an average density of 315.0 per square mile (121.6/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 35.7% White, 57.5% African American, 0.03% Native American, 1.9% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 1.70% from other races, and 3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.6% of the population.

There were 8,554 households, out of which 19.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.8% were married couples living together, 16.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.5% were non-families. 31.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.94.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 21.4% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 24.5% from 25 to 44, 26.6% from 45 to 64, and 21.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47.9 years. For every 122 females there were 100 males. For every 130 females age 18 and over, there were 100 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $73,519, and the median income for a family was $84,735.

As of the census of 2000. Males had a median income of $42,860 versus $36,778 for females. The per capita income for the town was $28,843.

U.S. Census Bureau, 2010-2014 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, About 5.8% of families and 7.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.2% of those under age 18 and 6.7% of those age 65 or over.

On the National Register of Historic Places

Places of interest

  • The New England Muscle Bicycle Museum, with 120 bicycles from the 1960s and 1970s, is open by appointment
  • The First Cathedral, the largest non-denominational church in New England
  • Thomas Hooker Brewery
  • Waypoint Distillery



Economy

Top employers

According to Bloomfield's 2020 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the town are:

# Employer # of Employees
1 Cigna 4,100
2 Kaman Corporation 1,570
3 Trader Joe's 951
4 Town of Bloomfield 621
5 HomeGoods 500
6 Duncaster Retirement Community 470
7 Jacobs Vehicle Systems 450
8 Hartford Healthcare at Home 450
9 Seabury Active Life Plan Community 400
10 Otis Worldwide 350

Notable people

  • Clarence H. Adams (1905–1987), commissioner of U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and president of the Boston Celtics
  • George Ansbro (1915–2011), radio announcer
  • LeRoy Bailey Jr. (1946-), pastor and author
  • Edward C. Banfield, political scientist
  • James G. Batterson (1823–1901), founder of Travelers Insurance Company
  • Julia Brace (1807–1884), deaf/blind woman of 19th Century
  • Lawrence Clay-Bey (1965-), professional heavyweight boxer, born in town
  • Marcus Cooper (1990-), cornerback for Chicago Bears
  • Joe D'Ambrosio (1953-), sports broadcaster and play-by-play announcer
  • Edgar Eno, state assemblyman for Wisconsin
  • Oliver Filley (1806–1881), mayor of St. Louis from 1858 to 1861
  • Dwight Freeney, NFL All-Pro defensive end for Indianapolis Colts, attended Bloomfield High School
  • Bobby Gibson, educator and member of the Connecticut House of Representatives
  • Edward H. Gillette (1840–1918), congressman for Iowa, born in town
  • Jessica Hecht (born 1965), actress
  • Jai Johanny Johanson, drummer for Allman Brothers Band
  • K.C. Jones (1932–2020), NBA Hall of Fame basketball player
  • Charles Kaman (1919–2011), aeronautical engineer, businessman, inventor and philanthropist
  • Ellie Kanner, film and television director and former casting director
  • Joža Karas (1926–2008), musician and teacher who made public music composed by inmates of Theresienstadt concentration camp during World War II
  • Noella Marcellino (born 1951), Benedictine nun who earned doctorate in microbiology from University of Connecticut, became Roman Catholic nun at Benedictine Abbey of Regina Laudis in town; she won Fulbright scholarship to France to collect and examine native strains of fungi, with an emphasis on Geotrichum candidum, from traditional cheese caves and stayed an additional three years, analyzing samples on grant from French government
  • Lewis Rome (1933–2015), state senator representing Bloomfield (1971–79); long-time resident
  • Anika Noni Rose (born 1972), singer and actress, born in town
  • Nykesha Sales (born 1976), WNBA basketball player, born in town
  • Franz Schurmann (1926–2010), sociologist and historian
  • Johann Smith (1987–), soccer player
  • Joseph M. Suggs Jr. (born 1940), politician, Bloomfield mayor, and Connecticut State Treasurer (1993–1995)
  • James Thorpe (1915–2009), Princeton University professor and academic; lived his later years and died in town
  • David Ushery (1967–), television news anchor
  • Douglas Wimbish (1956–), bass player

See also

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