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Litchfield County, Connecticut facts for kids

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"Litchfield County" redirects here. For the ship, see USS Litchfield County (LST-901).
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Litchfield County
County
Mohawk Mountain Ski Area in Cornwall.
Map of Connecticut highlighting Litchfield County
Location within the U.S. state of Connecticut
Map of the United States highlighting Connecticut
Connecticut's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  Connecticut
Founded 1751
Named for Lichfield, England
Seat none (since 1960)
Litchfield (before 1960)
Largest city Torrington (by population)
New Milford (by area)
Area
 • Total 945 sq mi (2,450 km2)
 • Land 921 sq mi (2,390 km2)
 • Water 24 sq mi (60 km2)  2.5%%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 185,186 Decrease
 • Density 196.0/sq mi (75.7/km2)
Time zone UTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional districts 1st, 5th


Litchfield County is a county in northwestern Connecticut, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 185,186. The county was named after Lichfield, in England. Litchfield County has the lowest population density of any county in Connecticut and is the state's largest county by area.

Litchfield County comprises the Torrington, CT, Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is included in the New York–Newark, NY–NJ–CT–PA, Combined Statistical Area.

As is the case with the other seven Connecticut counties, there is no county government and no county seat. Each town is responsible for all local services such as schools, snow removal, sewers, and fire and police departments. However, in some cases in rural areas, adjoining towns may agree to jointly provide services or even establish a regional school system. On June 6, 2022, the U.S. Census Bureau formally recognized Connecticut's nine councils of governments as county equivalents instead of the state's eight counties. Connecticut's county governments were disbanded in 1960, and the councils of governments took over some of the local governmental functions. Connecticut's eight historical counties continue to exist in name only, and are no longer considered for statistical purposes.

History

Litchfield County was created on October 9, 1751, by an act of the Connecticut General Court from land belonging to Fairfield, New Haven, and Hartford counties. The act establishing the county states:

That the townships of Litchfield, Woodbury, New Milford, Harwinton, New Hartford, Barkhempstead, Hartland, Colebrook, Norfolk, Canaan, Salisbury, Kent, Sharon, Cornwall, Goshen, Torrington, and Winchester, lying in the northwesterly part of this Colony, shall be and remain one entire county, and be called the County of Litchfield, and shall have and exercise the same powers, priviledges [sic] and authorities, and be subject to the same regulations, as the other counties in this Colony by law have and are subject unto. The bounds of which county shall extend north to the Colony line, and west to the Colony line till it meets with the township of New Fairfield, and to include the towns abovementioned.

Between 1780 and 1807, several new towns were created at the boundaries between Litchfield County and other counties in Connecticut. The town of Watertown was established in 1780 from Waterbury and was placed under Litchfield County jurisdiction. The establishment of the town of Brookfield from part of New Milford in 1788 resulted in Litchfield County losing territory to Fairfield County. In 1796, the town of Hartland was transferred to Hartford County. In 1798, the town of Oxford was established from part of Southbury causing Litchfield County to lose territory to New Haven County. In 1807, the town of Southbury was transferred to New Haven County. The final boundary change occurred on October 8, 1807, when the town of Middlebury was established from part of Woodbury.

In 1862, during the Civil War, Litchfield County raised the 2nd Connecticut Regiment of Volunteers Heavy Artillery. This regiment, originally the 19th Connecticut Volunteer Infantry, served in the defense of Washington, D.C. from September 1862 to March 1864, at which time it was transferred to the Army of the Potomac. On June 1, 1864, the 2nd Connecticut Heavy Artillery fought as infantry (as it continued to do through the war) in the Battle of Cold Harbor, experiencing the heaviest proportionate losses of any Connecticut regiment in the Civil War. The regiment remained active to the end of the war, and its final mustering out September 5, 1865.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 945 square miles (2,450 km2), of which 921 square miles (2,390 km2) is land and 24 square miles (62 km2) (2.5%) is water. It is the largest county in Connecticut by area. Litchfield County is roughly contiguous with the portion of the Appalachian Mountains range known as the Berkshire Mountains (sometimes locally, this area is called the Litchfield Hills).

Adjacent counties


Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1790 38,635 —
1800 41,214 6.7%
1810 41,375 0.4%
1820 41,267 −0.3%
1830 42,858 3.9%
1840 40,448 −5.6%
1850 45,253 11.9%
1860 47,318 4.6%
1870 48,727 3.0%
1880 52,044 6.8%
1890 53,542 2.9%
1900 63,672 18.9%
1910 70,260 10.3%
1920 76,262 8.5%
1930 82,556 8.3%
1940 87,041 5.4%
1950 98,872 13.6%
1960 119,856 21.2%
1970 144,091 20.2%
1980 156,769 8.8%
1990 174,092 11.1%
2000 182,193 4.7%
2010 189,927 4.2%
2020 185,186 −2.5%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790–1960 1900–1990
1990–2000 2010–2018

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 189,927 people, 76,640 households, and 51,530 families residing in the county. The population density was 206.3 inhabitants per square mile (79.7/km2). There were 87,550 housing units at an average density of 95.1 per square mile (36.7/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 93.9% white, 1.5% Asian, 1.3% black or African American, 0.2% American Indian, 1.4% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 4.5% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 23.0% were Italian, 21.3% were Irish, 14.8% were English, 14.5% were German, 8.3% were Polish, and 3.3% were American.

Of the 76,640 households, 29.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.7% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 32.8% were non-families, and 26.6% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.97. The median age was 44.4 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $69,639 and the median income for a family was $84,890. Males had a median income of $57,362 versus $42,729 for females. The per capita income for the county was $35,848. About 3.6% of families and 5.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.9% of those under age 18 and 4.6% of those age 65 or over.

Demographic breakdown by town

Income

See also: List of Connecticut locations by per capita income

Data is from the 2010 United States Census and the 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates.

Rank Town Per capita
income		 Median
household
income		 Median
family
income		 Population Number of
households
1 Roxbury Town $65,236 $97,768 $119,091 2,262 936
2 Bridgewater Town $58,172 $86,607 $105,568 1,727 735
3 Washington Town $51,907 $67,417 $84,833 3,578 1,512
4 Kent Town $51,772 $68,481 $82,260 2,979 1,246
5 Cornwall Town $50,901 $80,179 $97,500 1,420 628
6 Warren Town $49,142 $87,857 $94,583 1,461 601
7 Salisbury Town $47,361 $63,587 $76,719 3,741 1,693
8 Woodbury Town $44,060 $80,595 $100,500 9,975 4,214
9 Norfolk Town $43,866 $85,526 $98,098 1,709 720
10 Sharon Town $43,317 $70,104 $74,313 2,782 1,250
11 New Hartford Town $41,709 $80,718 $90,172 6,970 2,632
12 Litchfield Town $41,649 $78,750 $100,833 8,466 3,459
13 Litchfield Borough $40,635 $68,125 $81,875 1,258 548
14 Bethlehem Town $39,704 $82,899 $86,792 3,607 1,411
15 Goshen Town $39,562 $76,705 $86,114 2,976 1,192
16 Colebrook Town $39,324 $72,000 $85,833 1,485 589
17 New Milford Town $38,893 $84,824 $100,574 28,142 10,618
18 Harwinton Town $37,902 $85,253 $92,083 5,642 2,170
19 Canaan Town $37,283 $54,219 $77,500 1,234 583
20 Morris Town $36,682 $81,583 $97,381 2,388 958
21 Barkhamsted Town $34,775 $87,656 $107,804 3,799 1,452
22 Watertown Town $34,158 $77,771 $93,194 22,514 8,672
23 Thomaston Town $31,652 $63,990 $77,842 7,887 3,108
24 Plymouth Town $30,081 $71,630 $82,438 12,243 4,803
25 Winchester Town $27,264 $57,958 $68,622 11,242 4,815
26 North Canaan Town $26,700 $46,417 $52,604 3,315 1,400
27 Torrington City $25,948 $48,409 $64,476 36,383 15,243
28 Winsted City $25,291 $61,404 $68,406 7,712 3,346
29 Bantam Borough $24,284 $42,256 $54,063 759 372

Race

Data is from the 2007-2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, ACS Demographic and Housing Estimates, "Race alone or in combination with one or more other races."

Rank Town Population White Black Asian American
Indian		 Other Hispanic
1 Torrington City 36,380 93.6% 3.5% 2.9% 1.1% 1.8% 6.8%
2 New Milford Town 28,122 92.6% 3.9% 2.7% 0.6% 1.8% 5.2%
3 Watertown Town 22,502 96.1% 1.6% 2.2% 0.6% 0.9% 2.5%
4 Plymouth Town 12,218 98.1% 1.1% 0.0% 1.4% 1.0% 3.6%
5 Winchester Town 11,216 95.3% 1.3% 1.4% 0.8% 2.6% 9.9%
6 Woodbury Town 9,928 97.9% 0.6% 1.8% 0.7% 0.3% 4.0%
7 Litchfield Town 8,484 97.6% 1.5% 1.2% 0.2% 0.7% 3.1%
8 Thomaston Town 7,862 98.0% 1.2% 0.9% 1.0% 0.7% 1.4%
9 Winsted City 7,402 93.3% 1.5% 1.9% 1.3% 3.7% 13.2%
10 New Hartford Town 6,901 96.0% 0.6% 3.9% 0.0% 0.0% 0.7%
11 Harwinton Town 5,618 97.7% 0.0% 2.3% 0.5% 0.0% 0.0%
12 Barkhamsted Town 3,783 99.8% 0.4% 0.2% 0.0% 0.0% 0.3%
13 Salisbury Town 3,783 95.3% 2.6% 3.8% 1.3% 2.0% 2.2%
14 Bethlehem Town 3,596 99.4% 0.1% 0.8% 0.2% 0.0% 0.9%
15 Washington Town 3,586 94.0% 2.9% 0.9% 0.2% 3.0% 9.6%
16 North Canaan Town 3,329 96.3% 1.4% 2.3% 0.0% 0.0% 2.2%
17 Kent Town 2,982 98.5% 0.3% 0.8% 0.7% 0.0% 0.3%
18 Goshen Town 2,957 99.1% 0.1% 0.7% 0.4% 0.2% 5.5%
19 Sharon Town 2,804 92.0% 0.4% 1.4% 0.3% 6.8% 8.5%
20 Morris Town 2,411 99.0% 1.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 0.4%
21 Roxbury Town 2,315 99.0% 0.0% 0.3% 1.3% 0.3% 5.3%
22 Bridgewater Town 1,790 96.6% 1.7% 1.3% 0.3% 1.9% 6.2%
23 Norfolk Town 1,574 97.2% 0.7% 1.5% 2.1% 0.5% 2.2%
24 Warren Town 1,531 98.5% 0.0% 0.9% 0.3% 1.0% 3.0%
25 Cornwall Town 1,469 99.0% 0.5% 1.0% 0.0% 0.8% 2.2%
26 Litchfield Borough 1,420 98.6% 0.0% 1.9% 0.0% 0.4% 4.2%
27 Colebrook Town 1,395 99.4% 0.5% 0.0% 0.8% 0.0% 0.6%
28 Canaan Town 1,183 97.5% 1.6% 0.2% 0.2% 1.0% 2.8%
29 Bantam Borough 731 96.0% 3.6% 1.5% 0.3% 2.2% 4.4%

Transportation

Litchfield is served by the Northwestern Connecticut Transit District.

Communities

Map of Litchfield County Connecticut With Municipal Labels
Map of Litchfield County, Connecticut showing cities, boroughs, towns, CDPs, and Indian Reservations
Greater Torrington
Map highlighting the Greater Torrington Micropolitan Area

Boroughs are incorporated portions of one or more towns with separate borough councils, zoning boards, and borough officials. Villages are named localities, but have no separate corporate existence from the towns they are in.

City

Towns

Telephone area codes

All areas of the county are in area code 860 except for the towns of Woodbury, Bethlehem and a small part of Roxbury, which are in the area code 203/area code 475 overlay. The geographical Woodbury Telephone Exchange (of the now defunct Woodbury Telephone Company) serves the two towns as well as the town of Southbury, which is in New Haven County and the small part of Roxbury. Ten digit dialing took effect for both area codes on November 14, 2009, as a result of the 203/475 overlay and the planned but not implemented 860/959 overlay.

Attractions

Education

School districts in the county follow municipal boundaries.

Full K-12 Districts

  • Litchfield School District
  • New Milford School District
  • Plymouth School District
  • Regional School District 06
  • Regional School District 10
  • Regional School District 12
  • Regional School District 14
  • Thomaston School District
  • Torrington School District
  • Watertown School District
  • Winchester School District

Secondary-school DIstricts

  • Regional High School District 01
  • Regional High School District 07

(There is also a privately-endowed publicly funded secondary school, Gilbert School)

Elementary-school Districts

  • Barkhamsted School District
  • Canaan School District
  • Colebrook School District
  • Cornwall School District
  • Kent School District
  • New Hartford School District
  • Norfolk School District
  • North Canaan School District
  • Salisbury School District
  • Sharon School District

Private Schools

Source:

Litchfield County is home to a number of historic college-preparatory boarding schools, among which are:

  • Canterbury School (1915), New Milford
  • Forman School (1930), Litchfield
  • The Gunnery (1850), Washington
  • Hotchkiss School (1892), Lakeville
  • Kent School (1906), Kent
  • Marvelwood School (1956), Kent
  • Salisbury School (1901), Salisbury
  • South Kent School (1923), Kent
  • Taft School (1890), Watertown
  • The Woodhall School (1983), Bethlehem

Several schools provide boarding facilities for younger students with educational challenges:

  • Glenholme School (1968), Washington; ages 10–21
  • Indian Mountain School (1916), Lakeville; ages 10–15
  • Rumsey Hall School (1900), Washington; ages 10–15

Private day schools:

  • Arch Bridge School (3-12), Bethlehem
  • Faith Preparatory School (K-12), New Milford
  • Litchfield Montessori School (K-8), Northfield
  • St. Anthony School (K-8), Winstead
  • St. John Evangelist School (K-8), Watertown
  • St. Mary Magdalen School (K-8), Oakville
  • St. Peter/St. Francis School (K-8), Torrington
  • Torrington Christian Academy (K-12), Torrington
  • Touchstone School (9-11), Litchfield
  • Washington Montessori School (K-8), New Preston

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Litchfield para niños

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