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Wallingford, Connecticut
Wallingford Town Hall
Wallingford Town Hall
Official seal of Wallingford, Connecticut
Seal
Motto(s): 
"A Great New England Town"
Location in New Haven County, Connecticut
Location in New Haven County, Connecticut
Country  United States
U.S. state  Connecticut
County New Haven
Metropolitan area New York City
Established 1670
Government
 • Type Mayor-council
Area
 • Total 39.9 sq mi (103.3 km2)
 • Land 39.0 sq mi (101.1 km2)
 • Water 0.9 sq mi (2.2 km2)
Elevation
151 ft (46 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 44,396
 • Density 1,112.7/sq mi (429.78/km2)
Time zone UTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−4 (Eastern)
ZIP Codes
06492, 06493
Area code(s) 203/475
FIPS code 09-78740
GNIS feature ID 0213522

Wallingford is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, centrally located between New Haven and Hartford, and Boston and New York City. The population was 44,396 at the 2020 census. The community was named after Wallingford, in England.

History

The Connecticut General Assembly created the town on October 10, 1667. This original plot of land near the Quinnipiac River is now considered Main Street. Starting on May 12, 1670 there were 126 people who lived in temporary housing, and five years later in 1675 there were 40 permanent homes.

In 1697 Wallingford was the site of the last witchcraft trial in New England. Winifred Benham was thrice tried for witchcraft and acquitted all three times.

Wallingford has diversified its commercial and industrial base over the past decade attracting high-technology industries as compared to traditional heavy manufacturing. It is the home of a large variety of industries and major corporations spanning the spectrum of the medical, health care, service, high-tech specialty metal manufacturing and research development. The development of the Barnes Industrial Park, Casimir Pulaski Industrial Park, Wharton Brook Industrial Park, and the South Turnpike Road area have greatly contributed to this transition. The Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, the town’s largest taxpayer, has established a research and development facility in Wallingford’s MedWay Industrial Park. An Interchange Zone which permits very restrictive commercial development of office parks, research and development centers and hotels has been created at the intersection of Interstate 91 and Route 68.

In terms of Wallingford's manufacturing and design history, silver-producing companies like Simpson, Hall, Miller & Co. and R. Wallace & Sons are of particular note. Simpson, Hall, Miller & Co. as well as Wallingford's Watrous Manufacturing later became part of the International Silver Company, which was headquartered in the neighboring city of Meriden.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 39.9 square miles (103.3 km²), of which 39.0 square miles (101.1 km²) is land and 0.9 square miles (2.2 km²), or 2.16%, is water.

The town of Wallingford sits astride the Quinnipiac River in northern New Haven County. It is 5 miles (8 km) south of Meriden and about 13 miles (21 km) north of New Haven. Towns bordering Wallingford are Cheshire, Durham, Hamden, Meriden, Middlefield, North Branford and North Haven. Situated in the Hartford-New Haven-Springfield corridor, Wallingford is traversed by U.S. Route 5, Interstate 91, and State Highways Route 15 (Wilbur Cross Parkway), Route 68, Route 71 and Route 150.

Principal communities

  • East Wallingford
  • Quinnipiac (partly in North Haven)
  • Tracy
  • Wallingford Center
  • Yalesville

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1820 2,237
1850 2,595
1860 3,206 23.5%
1870 3,676 14.7%
1880 4,686 27.5%
1890 6,584 40.5%
1900 9,001 36.7%
1910 11,155 23.9%
1920 12,010 7.7%
1930 14,278 18.9%
1940 14,788 3.6%
1950 16,976 14.8%
1960 29,920 76.2%
1970 35,714 19.4%
1980 37,274 4.4%
1990 40,822 9.5%
2000 43,026 5.4%
2010 45,135 4.9%
2020 44,396 −1.6%
U.S. Decennial Census

As of the census of 2020, there were 44,396 people and 18,518 households residing in the town. According to the 2018 American Community Survey, the population density was 1,146.8 people per square mile. There were 19,914 housing units. The racial makeup of the town was 86% White, 2% African American, less than 1% Native American, 4% Asian, less than 1% from other races, and 1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7% of the population.

There were 18,518 households, out of which 64% were married couples living together, 12% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18% were non-families. The average household size was 2.4.

Wallingford is an upper middle class suburban community with a 2020 median household income of $83,054 and an average household income of $102,951. The mean family income was $119,765, and the per capita income in the town was $42,662. Nearly 40% of all households earn more than $100,000 per year, with 8.5% earning more than $200,000.

In the town, the population's ages were spread out, with 24.0% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 30.7% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.7 males.

Points of interest

Paul Mellon Arts Center - Choate Rosemary Hall, Wallingford, Connecticut
Paul Mellon Arts Center
  • Choate Rosemary Hall
  • Oakdale Theatre
  • Paul Mellon Arts Center
  • Yalesville Underpass

National Register of Historic Places

Ten buildings and districts in Wallingford are listed on the National Register of Historic Places:

  • John Barker House, added August 3, 1974
  • Joseph Blakeslee House, added April 13, 1998
  • Center Street Cemetery, added August 1, 1997
  • Franklin Johnson House, added November 23, 1998
  • Theophilus Jones House, added January 30, 1992
  • Nehemiah Royce House, added August 24, 1998
  • Samuel Parsons House, added April 12, 1982
  • Samuel Simpson House, added June 18, 1986
  • Wallingford Center Historic District, added December 2, 1993
  • Wallingford railroad station, added November 19, 1993

Economy

Top employers

Top employers in Wallingford according to the town's 2020 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report:

# Employer # of Employees
1 Town of Wallingford 1,412
2 Anthem 1,194
3 Masonicare 757
4 Gaylord Specialty Healthcare / Gaylord Hospital 519
5 Community Health Network 475
6 Choate Rosemary Hall 299
7 Fosdick Fulfillment 270
8 United Concrete Products Inc 265
9 Ulbrich Stainless Steels & Special Metals, Inc. 206
10 Thurston Foods Inc 157

Sports

From 1943 to 1944 the Boston Braves held spring training in Wallingford at Choate's Winter Exercise Building. The town is the home of the Connecticut Bearcats, a New England Football League team.

Education

The Wallingford Public School System consists of eight elementary schools: Cook Hill, E. C. Stevens, Highland, and Moses Y. Beach Elementary Schools covering Pre-K to second grade and Parker Farms, Pond Hill, Rock Hill, and Mary G. Fritz Elementary Schools covering grades three to five; two middle schools, Dag Hammarskjöld and James H. Moran; and two high schools, Lyman Hall and Mark T. Sheehan.

Private schools

Transportation

Wallingford is also located on the New Haven–Springfield Line with daily passenger service to points north and south and to New York City via a connection in New Haven. It is served by the CTrail Hartford Line (consisting of Connecticut Department of Transportation and Amtrak trains) and by Amtrak's Northeast Regional, and Valley Flyer.

Notable people

  • Alice Blaski, outfielder in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
  • Stephen R. Bradley, United States Senator
  • Bates Cooke, US Congressman
  • D.J. Cotrona, actor
  • Pasquale DeBaise (1926-2022), businessman and Connecticut state legislator
  • Beverly Donofrio, author
  • Morton Downey, singer, businessman
  • Morton Downey, Jr. (1932–2001), talk show host
  • Lauren Geremia, interior designer
  • Robert Gober, influential contemporary artist
  • Hostage Calm, Punk band
  • Dorothy Kosinski, art scholar
  • Raoul Lufbery, World War I flying ace
  • John A. McGuire, member of the United States House of Representatives
  • Art Nugent, cartoonist, creator of Uncle Art's Funland
  • Jay Allen Sanford, author and cartoonist
  • Samuel Simpson, silversmith and entrepreneur
  • Hilton Valentine (1943-2021), musician associated with The Animals, moved to Wallingford in 1977

See also

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

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