Cheshire, Connecticut facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Cheshire, Connecticut
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First Congregational Church of Cheshire
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| Nickname(s):
The Bedding Plant Capital of Connecticut
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 New Haven County and Connecticut Naugatuck Valley Planning Region and Connecticut |
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| Country |  United States |
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| U.S. state |  Connecticut |
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| County | New Haven | ||
| Region | Naugatuck Valley | ||
| Settled | 1694 | ||
| Incorporated | 1780 | ||
| Named for |  Cheshire, England |
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| Government | |||
| • Type | Council-manager | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 33.4 sq mi (86.4 km2) | ||
| • Land | 33.1 sq mi (85.6 km2) | ||
| • Water | 0.3 sq mi (0.8 km2) | ||
| Elevation | 230 ft (70 m) | ||
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 28,733 | ||
| • Density | 861.3/sq mi (332.56/km2) | ||
| Demonym(s) | Cheshirite | ||
| Time zone | UTC−5 (EST) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) | ||
| ZIP code |
06410
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| Area code(s) | 203/475 | ||
| FIPS code | 09-14160 | ||
| GNIS feature ID | 0213406 | ||
Cheshire (pronounced CHEH-shurr) is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. In 2020, about 28,733 people lived here. Cheshire is part of the Naugatuck Valley Planning Region. It's also known for being the exact center of Connecticut's population.
Contents
History of Cheshire
Cheshire was first settled in 1694. Back then, it was part of Wallingford and called New Cheshire Parish. After trying for many years, New Cheshire Parish became its own town in May 1780. It was named Cheshire after a place in Cheshire, England.
Before 1829, Prospect was also part of Cheshire. It was known as Columbia Parish at that time.
Cold War Shelter in Cheshire
Cheshire has a special shelter built in 1966. It's a Cold War-era fallout shelter. You can find it underneath the local AT&T tower.
People of Cheshire
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1820 | 2,230 | — | |
| 1850 | 1,626 | — | |
| 1860 | 2,407 | 48.0% | |
| 1870 | 2,344 | −2.6% | |
| 1880 | 2,284 | −2.6% | |
| 1890 | 1,929 | −15.5% | |
| 1900 | 1,989 | 3.1% | |
| 1910 | 2,560 | 28.7% | |
| 1920 | 2,855 | 11.5% | |
| 1930 | 3,263 | 14.3% | |
| 1940 | 4,352 | 33.4% | |
| 1950 | 6,295 | 44.6% | |
| 1960 | 13,383 | 112.6% | |
| 1970 | 19,051 | 42.4% | |
| 1980 | 21,788 | 14.4% | |
| 1990 | 25,684 | 17.9% | |
| 2000 | 28,543 | 11.1% | |
| 2010 | 29,261 | 2.5% | |
| 2020 | 28,733 | −1.8% | |
| 2021 (est.) | 28,628 | −2.2% | |
As of 2020, Cheshire had 28,733 people living there. There were about 10,169 households. Most people were White (81.07%). Other groups included African American (4.40%), Asian (6.24%), and people of two or more races (5.50%). About 6.33% of the population was Hispanic or Latino.
Many families in Cheshire are married couples. The average household had 2.62 people. The average family had 3.04 people. About 19.4% of the population was under 18 years old. The median age was 46.2 years.
The central part of town is called Cheshire Village. In 2020, it had a population of 6,499 people.
Cheshire's Geography
Environment and Location
Cheshire covers a total area of about 86.4 square kilometers (33.4 square miles). Most of this is land (85.6 square kilometers or 33.1 square miles). A small part, about 0.8 square kilometers (0.3 square miles), is water.
Cheshire is located near several important cities in Connecticut. It is about 14 miles north of New Haven. The capital city, Hartford, is about 25 miles to the south. Bridgeport is 30 miles northeast. Waterbury is right next to Cheshire.
Cheshire shares its borders with many towns. These include Southington to the north, Meriden to the northeast, and Wallingford to the east. To the south is Hamden. Prospect and Waterbury are to the west and northwest.
Cheshire's Climate
| Climate data for Cheshire, Connecticut | |||||||||||||
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| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 35 (2) |
39 (4) |
47 (8) |
59 (15) |
70 (21) |
78 (26) |
83 (28) |
81 (27) |
74 (23) |
63 (17) |
52 (11) |
41 (5) |
60 (16) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 15 (−9) |
18 (−8) |
26 (−3) |
36 (2) |
46 (8) |
56 (13) |
61 (16) |
59 (15) |
51 (11) |
39 (4) |
31 (−1) |
22 (−6) |
38 (4) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 4.64 (118) |
3.61 (92) |
4.38 (111) |
5.52 (140) |
4.64 (118) |
4.74 (120) |
4.59 (117) |
4.78 (121) |
4.84 (123) |
4.18 (106) |
4.41 (112) |
4.24 (108) |
54.57 (1,386) |
Arts and Culture in Cheshire
Museums and Fun Places
The Barker Character, Comic and Cartoon Museum is in northern Cheshire. It has a huge collection of cool items. You can see lunch boxes and Pez dispensers. These items feature characters from TV shows, cartoons, and comic books.
Historic Places to Visit
Several places in Cheshire are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This means they are important historical sites.
- Cheshire Historic District — This area includes Main Street and other nearby streets. (Added in 1986)
- Farmington Canal Lock (Lock 12) — You can find this at 487 N. Brooksvale Road. (Added in 1973)
- First Congregational Church of Cheshire — This church is at 111 Church Drive. (Added in 1973)
- Marion Historic District (Added in 1988)
Parks and Recreation
The Farmington Canal Heritage Trail is a popular path for walking and biking. It goes right through Cheshire. This trail connects Suffield, Connecticut in the north to New Haven, Connecticut in the south.
The Hitchcock-Phillips House is a historic home located in town.
Roaring Brook Falls is in the southwest part of Cheshire. It's Connecticut's tallest single-drop waterfall. The Cheshire Land Trust owns this beautiful spot. You can find it along the Quinnipiac Trail.
Cheshire also has many community parks and places for fun activities:
- Cheshire Park: A large 75-acre park for active sports and games.
- Bartlem Recreational Area: This park has a playscape, a skate park, and a picnic area.
- Mixville Recreation Area: Here you can go sledding in winter. You can also swim and fish at Mixville Pond.
- Cheshire Community Pool: This swimming facility was updated in 2016. It now has an indoor pool that is open all year.
Education in Cheshire
Cheshire is part of the Cheshire Public Schools system. The town has one public high school, Cheshire High School. There is also one public middle school, Dodd Middle School. For younger students, there are four public elementary schools: Chapman, Doolittle, Highland, and Norton Elementary.
Cheshire also has private and alternative schools. Cheshire Academy is one of them. It was founded in 1794 and teaches students from grades 9 to 12. St. Bridgets is a Catholic school for students from preschool to 8th grade. Humiston is an alternative high school in Cheshire.
The Legion of Christ is a Roman Catholic group. They have a large 200-acre complex in Cheshire. Here, about 100 students train for the priesthood. They study religious topics and classical humanities.
Getting Around Cheshire
Most people in Cheshire travel by car. Interstate 691 runs along the northern edge of town. Interstate 84 goes through the northwest part of Cheshire. The main road that runs north and south is Connecticut Route 10. This road can be very busy with many stoplights.
There are also two roads that go east and west: Route 42 and Route 68/Route 70. Route 10 is the busiest road in Cheshire. Traffic is heaviest during morning and evening commutes. It also gets busy when high school lets out. The intersection of Route 10 and Route 68/70 is the busiest in town.
The 229 bus line of Connecticut Transit New Haven goes through Cheshire. It travels on Routes 70 and 10, connecting Waterbury to New Haven. There is also a special express bus. It runs from a commuter parking lot near Interstate 84 to Hartford.
Notable People from Cheshire
- Amos Bronson Alcott (1799–1888), a school teacher
- Brad Ausmus, a professional baseball player and manager
- Harvey C. Barnum, Jr., received the Medal of Honor
- Henry Washington Benham (1813–1884), a general in the Union army
- Chris Berman, an ESPN sportscaster
- Jay Bontatibus, an actor
- Albert E. Burke (1919–1999), a professor and TV pioneer
- Sabrina Cass, an Olympic skier
- John Chamberlain (1903–1995), a journalist
- Michael Chasen, co-founder of Blackboard Inc.
- Sean Clements, a podcaster and producer
- Martha Coolidge, a film director
- Amos Doolittle (1754–1832), an engraver
- Eliakim Doolittle (1772–1850), a composer
- George Henry Durrie, a painter
- Elizabeth Esty, a U.S. Congresswoman
- Samuel A. Foot (1780–1846), a former Governor of Connecticut
- Seabury Ford (1801–1855), a former Governor of Ohio
- Matt Generous, an ice hockey player
- James J. Greco, a businessman
- Sunil Gulati, President of the United States Soccer Federation
- Peter Hitchcock (1781–1854), a judge
- John Holmstrom, a cartoonist and writer
- Alan Hoskins, CEO of Energizer
- Adam Kaloustian, a television producer
- John Frederick Kensett (1816–1872), a painter
- Brian Leetch, an ice hockey player in the Hall of Fame
- Rollin Carolas Mallary, a U.S. Representative
- Legs McNeil, a journalist and rock music historian
- J. P. Morgan, a famous businessman
- Chris Murphy, a U.S. Senator
- Anjul Nigam, an actor
- Marc Tyler Nobleman, an author
- Ron Palillo, an actor
- Paul Pasqualoni, an athletic coach
- Molly Qerim, a television host
- Lonnie Quinn, a meteorologist
- Ray Reckmack, an American football player
- Ramamurti Shankar a physicist
- Edward Tufte, a professor
- Justin Tussing, a novelist
- Vijay Vaitheeswaran, a journalist
- James Van Der Beek, an actor
See also
In Spanish: Cheshire (Connecticut) para niños
