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Eastford, Connecticut
The Union Society of Phoenixville House
Official seal of Eastford, Connecticut
Seal
Location in Windham County and the state of Connecticut.
Location in Windham County and the state of Connecticut.
Country United States
State Connecticut
NECTA Hartford
Region Northeastern Connecticut
County Windham
Incorporated 1847
Government
 • Type Selectman-town meeting
Area
 • Total 29.2 sq mi (75.6 km2)
 • Land 28.9 sq mi (74.8 km2)
 • Water 0.3 sq mi (0.9 km2)
Elevation
653 ft (199 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 1,649
 • Density 56.47/sq mi (21.812/km2)
Time zone UTC-5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST) UTC-4 (Eastern)
ZIP code
06242
Area code(s) 860
FIPS code 09-21860
GNIS feature ID 213420
Major highways US 44.svg

Eastford is a town in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 1,649 at the 2020 census.

History

Eastford was formed in 1847 when it was broken off from Ashford, Connecticut. It has been a rural community for its whole history.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 29.2 square miles (76 km2), of which, 28.9 square miles (75 km2) of it is land and 0.3 square miles (0.78 km2) of it (1.20%) is water.

Principal Communities

  • Phoenixville—A 1930s book describes it as "a small crossroads hamlet on Still River, which grew up around a twine mill (1831), now abandoned."
  • East Phoenixville

On the National Register of Historic Places

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1850 1,127
1860 1,005 −10.8%
1870 984 −2.1%
1880 855 −13.1%
1890 561 −34.4%
1900 523 −6.8%
1910 513 −1.9%
1920 496 −3.3%
1930 529 6.7%
1940 496 −6.2%
1950 598 20.6%
1960 746 24.7%
1970 922 23.6%
1980 1,028 11.5%
1990 1,314 27.8%
2000 1,618 23.1%
2010 1,749 8.1%
2020 1,649 −5.7%
U.S. Decennial Census

At the 2000 census there were 1,618 people, 618 households, and 451 families living in the town. The population density was 56.0 people per square mile (21.6/km2). There were 705 housing units at an average density of 24.4 per square mile (9.4/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 97.78% White, 0.43% African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.37% Asian, 0.31% from other races, and 0.93% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.36%.

There were 618 households, out of which 100 have children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.1% were married couples living together, 6.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.0% were non-families. 21.8% of households were one person, and 9.1% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.06.

The age distribution was 26.3% under the age of 18, 5.6% from 18 to 24, 29.2% from 25 to 44, 25.4% from 45 to 64, and 13.4% 65 or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.0 males.

The median household income was $57,159 and the median family income was $62,031. Males had a median income of $45,000 versus $31,964 for females. The per capita income for the town was $25,364. About 4.4% of families and 6.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.0% of those under age 18 and 3.7% of those age 65 or over.

Easton is a strongly Republican town. The town has voted for the Republican candidate every time since the 1856 election and since its founding in 1847 has never voted for a Democrat for president; the only town in Connecticut with this distinction. Even during President Lyndon B. Johnson's landslide in 1964, Easton voters still preferred Barry Goldwater, the Republican candidate, by a comfortable 11.2% margin. Since 1992, however, the Democratic candidate has been more competitive. President Barack Obama only lost to Mitt Romney by 1 vote in 2012.

Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of October 27, 2009
Party Active Voters Inactive Voters Total Voters Percentage
Republican 391 25 416 34.84%
Democratic 290 9 299 25.04%
Unaffiliated 437 38 475 39.78%
Minor Parties 0 0 0 0.0%
Total 1,121 73 1,194 100%
Presidential Election Results
Year Democratic Republican Third Parties
2020 43.5% 464 53.6% 572 2.9% 31
2016 38.6% 367 54.0% 513 7.4% 69
2012 49.0% 464 49.1% 465 1.9% 18
2008 48.9% 485 49.2% 488 1.9% 18
2004 44.0% 416 54.3% 513 1.7% 16
2000 44.3% 375 49.7% 421 6.0% 50
1996 38.1% 301 41.7% 329 20.2% 159
1992 32.7% 285 39.5% 344 27.8% 242
1988 34.9% 253 63.8% 463 1.3% 9
1984 26.2% 172 73.1% 479 0.7% 4
1980 29.1% 183 55.7% 350 15.2% 95
1976 36.0% 204 63.4% 359 0.6% 3
1972 29.6% 152 69.9% 359 0.5% 2
1968 24.4% 103 72.4% 305 3.2% 13
1964 44.4% 188 55.6% 236 0.00% 0
1960 21.0% 82 79.0% 309 0.00% 0
1956 15.6% 62 84.4% 335 0.00% 0

Trivia

There was another Eastford in the state which was renamed East Windsor shortly after its separation from Windsor.

Education links

Education

Residents are zoned to the Eastford School District for grades Preschool through 8. The only school in the district is Eastford Elementary School. Most high schoolers attend Woodstock Academy. The town is near three alternative high schools: Ellis Vocational Technical School, Windham Technical School and Quinebaug Middle College.

Notable people

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Eastford (Connecticut) para niños

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