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Ellington, Connecticut
The town green
The town green
Official seal of Ellington, Connecticut
Seal
Motto(s): 
"A Great Place to Grow"
Location in Tolland County and the state of Connecticut
Location in Tolland County and the state of Connecticut
Country  United States
U.S. state  Connecticut
County Hartford
NECTA Hartford
Region Capitol Region
Incorporated 1786
Government
 • Type Selectman-town meeting
Area
 • Total 34.6 sq mi (89.6 km2)
 • Land 34.1 sq mi (88.2 km2)
 • Water 0.6 sq mi (1.4 km2)
Elevation
246 ft (75 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 16,426
 • Density 482/sq mi (186.2/km2)
Time zone UTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−4 (Eastern)
ZIP Code
06029
Area code(s) 860
FIPS code 09-25360
GNIS feature ID 0212330

Ellington is a town in Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. Ellington was incorporated in May 1786, from East Windsor. As of the 2020 census, the town population was 16,426.

History

Originally part of the Equivalent Lands and the town of Windsor, Ellington was part of the town of East Windsor from that town's incorporation in 1768 until Ellington split off twenty years later and incorporated itself in May 1786. Mostly known as an agricultural community, the Crystal Lake section of town was for a while a popular summer resort location. Ellington still has a significant amount of property dedicated to agriculture including cattle and corn farming.

Ellington's sole representative to the voting on the adoption of the United States Constitution by Connecticut was Ebenezer Nash. Nash was an anti-federalist and voted against the ratification, which passed 128-40.

Ellington is home to one of America’s oldest roadside memorials. A stone in the southwest corner of the town marks the site where Samuel Knight was killed "by a cartwheel rolling over his head in the 10th year of his age, Nov 8, 1812".

During the late 19th century and early 20th century, Ellington became the center of a community of Jewish immigrant farmers who were settled there by the philanthropist Baron Maurice de Hirsch's Jewish Colonization Association. They built a synagogue, Congregation Knesseth Israel, that is still standing and in use by an active Modern Orthodox congregation today and is on the National Register of Historic Places.

EllingtonSupermarketExterior
The former Ellington Supermarket, May 2006.

On January 1, 1967, Ellington made national news when its residents assisted the city fire department in rescuing a pilot whose plane was having engine trouble and was unable to locate a runway in a fog that cut visibility to 200 feet. Under the direction and quick thinking of Resident State Trooper, Lionel Labreche, Connecticut State Police, dozens of people assembled at the town's unlit airstrip, Hyde Field, and illuminated the runway with their headlights, allowing the pilot to land safely.

In 1991, Ellington was proposed as a potential site for a low-level nuclear waste dump. Strong dissent from area residents forced the state to abandon the plan.

As it enters the 21st Century, Ellington has had the 6th fastest growth rate of all the towns in Connecticut, and has been experiencing changes in growing from a rural farming town to a bedroom community. Exemplative of this change was the displacement of the locally owned Ellington Supermarket by competition from the regional Big Y supermarket chain when a new Big Y was built adjacent to the older supermarket. An independent film entitled The Supermarket, was made about the incident.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 34.6 square miles (90 km2), of which, 34.0 square miles (88 km2) of it is land and 0.6 square miles (1.6 km2) of it (1.59%) is water.

Ellington is bordered by the towns of East Windsor, South Windsor, Vernon, Tolland, Willington, Stafford, Somers, and Enfield.

The town has a panhandle extending to the east that extends to the Willimantic River and encompasses Crystal Lake. A large portion of the town's eastern portion is occupied by the Shenipsit State Forest which is bounded on the south by Shenipsit Lake and on the north by Soapstone Mountain.

Neighborhoods

  • Crystal Lake
  • Ellington Center
  • Sadd's Mill
  • Highland Ave
  • Windermere
  • Woodside Acres
  • Mosley Plains
  • Gasek Farms
  • Crystal Ridge
  • Birchview Drive

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1820 1,196
1850 1,399
1860 1,510 7.9%
1870 1,452 −3.8%
1880 1,569 8.1%
1890 1,539 −1.9%
1900 1,829 18.8%
1910 1,999 9.3%
1920 2,127 6.4%
1930 2,253 5.9%
1940 2,479 10.0%
1950 3,099 25.0%
1960 5,580 80.1%
1970 7,707 38.1%
1980 9,711 26.0%
1990 11,197 15.3%
2000 12,921 15.4%
2010 15,602 20.7%
2020 16,426 5.3%
U.S. Decennial Census

As of the census of 2000, there were 12,921 people, 5,195 households, and 3,470 families residing in the town. Ellington's population increased 20.8% between 2000 and 2010, making one of just four municipalities in Connecticut to achieve a growth rate of at least 20% for that period. The population density was 379.4 people per square mile (146.5/km2). There were 5,417 housing units at an average density of 159.1 per square mile (61.4/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 96.23% White, 0.99% African American, 0.16% Native American, 1.29% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.44% from other races, and 0.87% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.40% of the population.

There were 5,195 households, out of which 32.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.4% were married couples living together, 6.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.2% were non-families. 26.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.06.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.2% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 35.0% from 25 to 44, 23.6% from 45 to 64, and 9.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.3 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $62,405, and the median income for a family was $77,813. Males had a median income of $47,334 versus $32,460 for females. The per capita income for the town was $27,766. About 2.7% of families and 3.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.1% of those under age 18 and 3.9% of those age 65 or over.

Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of October 25, 2005
Party Active Voters Inactive Voters Total Voters Percentage
Republican 1,926 67 1,993 22.61%
Democratic 1,905 55 1,960 22.23%
Unaffiliated 4,679 177 4,856 55.09%
Minor Parties 5 1 6 0.07%
Total 8,515 300 8,815 100%
Presidential Election Results
Year Democratic Republican Third Parties
2020 50.4% 4,787 47.6% 4,515 2.0% 189
2016 43.2% 3,531 51.4% 4,199 5.4% 437
2012 47.3% 3,598 51.2% 3,894 1.5% 114
2008 53.9% 4,236 44.8% 3,519 1.3% 99
2004 47.7% 3,467 50.9% 3,700 1.4% 104
2000 48.9% 3,113 45.7% 2,910 5.4% 339
1996 47.7% 2,643 38.9% 2,152 13.4% 737
1992 34.8% 2,173 35.3% 2,205 29.9% 1,858
1988 42.7% 2,171 56.5% 2,873 0.8% 39
1984 31.9% 1,538 67.5% 3,246 0.6% 23
1980 34.5% 1,599 46.9% 2,172 18.6% 860
1976 45.4% 1,995 54.1% 2,376 0.5% 20
1972 38.7% 1,432 60.6% 2,242 0.7% 23
1968 46.6% 1,328 48.3% 1,377 5.1% 146
1964 69.0% 1,795 31.0% 806 0.00% 0
1960 48.2% 1,246 51.8% 1,340 0.00% 0
1956 36.5% 753 63.5% 1,311 0.00% 0

Economy

Ellington is a rapidly growing community, and is going through the process of suburbanization, which is related to the phenomenon of urban sprawl.

Education

Ellington Public Schools belong to the Ellington Public Schools school district. The district has five public schools:

Elementary schools

  • Center School (K–6)
  • Crystal Lake School (K–6)
  • Windermere School (K–6)

Middle school

  • Ellington Middle School, formerly Longview Middle School (7–8)

High school

  • Ellington High School

Infrastructure

Roads

Though no Interstate Highways run through it, Ellington is approximately equidistant to both Interstate 84 and Interstate 91, each being about a ten- to fifteen-minute drive from most parts of town.

Several Connecticut State Roads run through town:

  • Connecticut Route 30- (Stafford Rd.) The north–south arterial in the Crystal Lake section of town.
  • Connecticut Route 83- (West Rd. & Somers Rd.) The main north–south arterial running through the middle of the town.
  • Connecticut Route 74- (Wapping Wood Rd. & Windsorville Rd.) On the Southern edge of town, a major road in Ellington's Five corners.
  • Connecticut Route 140- (Sadds Mill Rd., Maple St., Crystal Lake Rd., & Sandy Beach Rd.) The town's main East/West arterial, running the complete width of town.
  • Connecticut Route 286- (Pinney St. & Main St.) An arterial running North from Five Corners to the center of town where it turns East and becomes Ellington's Main St.

Rail

Ellington was formerly served by a seven-mile-long rail line built in 1876 running from Vernon to Melrose, that roughly paralleled Pinney St. and Sadds Mill Rd. The rail line became defunct in the middle part of the 20th century.

Sandy Beach, Crystal Lake, Ellington Connecticut USA
Ellington's town beach, Sandy Beach, located on Crystal Lake

Airports

Water

Crystal Lake, in the Eastern section of town, is used by many for Recreational boating.

Notable people

  • Faisal Alam, (1977) Founder of the Al-Fatiha Foundation, an organization for LGBT Muslims.
  • John H. Brockway (1801-1870), a U.S. Representative.
  • Henry Billings Brown (1836-1913), US Supreme Court justice
  • Orlow W. Chapman, (1832-1890) politician, Solicitor General of the United States
  • Austin Cornelius Dunham, businessman who grew up in the town.
  • Mike Massaro, NASCAR on NBC pit reporter and journalist.
  • Reverend Henry Weston Smith, (1827-1876) Methodist preacher.
  • Steve Park - (1967-) Multi time winner in the NASCAR Cup Series.
  • Mike Vranos, (1961-), founder of the hedge fund Ellington Management Company.
  • Stephen Jenks, (1772–1856), composer of music.
  • Frank Mozzicato (2002-) 7th overall pick of the 2021 MLB draft, signing with the Kansas City Royals
  • Sapna Raghavan, Miss Connecticut 2021

See also

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