Manchester

Town of Manchester
—  Town  —
Seal
Nickname(s): Silk City
Motto: City of Village Charm
Location in Hartford County, Connecticut
Coordinates: 41°46′31″N 72°31′27″W / 41.77528°N 72.52417°W / 41.77528; -72.52417
Country	United States
State	Connecticut
NECTA	Hartford–West Hartford–East Hartford
Region	Capitol Region
Founded	1672
Incorporated	1823
Government
- Type	Council-manager
- General Manager	Scott Shanley
- Board of directors	Louis A. Spadaccini (R), Mayor Mark Tweedie (R) Jeff Beckman (R) Lisa Paggioli O'Neill (D) Matt Peak (R) Cheri Ann Pelletier (R) Rudy C. Kissmann (D) Michael G. Farina (D) Kevin L. Zingler (D)
Area
- Total	27.7 sq mi (71.7 km2)
- Land	27.3 sq mi (70.6 km2)
- Water	0.4 sq mi (1.1 km2)
Elevation	272 ft ((at Town Hall) 82.9 m)
Population (2005)[1]
- Total	55,572
- Density	2,036/sq mi (786/km2)
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	06040 06041 06042 06043 06045
Area code(s)	860
FIPS code	09-44700
GNIS feature ID	0213455
Website	http://www.townofmanchester.org

Manchester is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 54,740.^[2]

History

Manchester was settled by colonists around 1672 as a farming community. The many rivers and brooks provided power for paper, lumber and textile industries, and the town quickly evolved into an industrial center. The town of Hartford once included the land now occupied by the towns of Manchester, East Hartford, and West Hartford. In 1783, East Hartford became a separate town, which included Manchester in its city limits until 1823.^[3]

In 1838, the Cheney family started what became the world's largest silk mill. Eventually, Manchester became an ideal industrial community. The mills, houses of the owners, and homes of the workers are now part of the Cheney Brothers Historic District, a National Historic Landmark.

Also of note are the E.E. Hilliard Company Woolen Mills. Founded ca. 1780 by Aaron Buckland and later sold to the Hilliard family. The Hilliard Mills are the oldest woolen mill site in the country.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 27.7 square miles (71.7 km²), of which, 27.3 square miles (70.6 km²) of it is land and 0.4 square miles (1.1 km²) of it (1.52%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census^[2] of 2000, there were 54,740 people, 23,197 households, and 14,010 families residing in the town. The population density was 2,008.2 people per square mile (775.4/km²). There were 24,256 housing units at an average density of 889.9/sq mi (343.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 82.77% White, 8.42% African American, 0.20% Native American, 3.15% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 3.12% from other races, and 2.31% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.54% of the population.

There were 23,197 households out of which 28.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.8% were married couples living together, 13.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.6% were non-families. 31.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.93.

In the town the population was spread out with 22.8% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 33.0% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 14.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 91.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.7 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $49,426, and the median income for a family was $58,769. Males had a median income of $41,893 versus $32,562 for females. The per capita income for the town was $25,989. About 6.0% of families and 8.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.1% of those under age 18 and 7.7% of those age 65 or over.

Media

Television

Manchester receives local stations out of Hartford, Connecticut, with the exception of ABC.

• WTNH, Local ABC Affiliate
• WFSB, Local CBS Affiliate
• WVIT, Local NBC Affiliate
• WEDH, Connecticut Public Television

Newspaper

Manchester is home to the local newspaper, the Journal Inquirer, which serves all of Manchester and the surrounding areas. The Hartford Courant also has a facility in Manchester, and can be delivered anywhere in town.

Radio

Hartford's Radio Disney station, WDZK.

Places and events of interest

Main Street (looking South from Center Street)

Manchester is known for The Shoppes at Buckland Hills, an enclosed shopping mall, The Plaza at Buckland Hills and the nearby strip mall, Buckland Plaza. In the last decade, the area surrounding the mall, which extends into the town of South Windsor, has been blanketed with numerous big box shopping outlets and plazas and quickly transformed into a shopping hub for the state's residents.

Bissell Street (looking East of Main Street)

As a center of the silk industry in America from the late 19th through the mid-20th Century, the "Cheney Family" historic district [1] showcases mills refurbished as apartments and includes nearby museums.

The city has three museums. The Fire Museum is housed in a restored 1901 firehouse building. The museum's firefighting equipment and memorabilia include leather fire buckets used in Colonial times, a display showing the evolution of sprinkler systems, a horse-drawn hose wagon, a 1921 Ahrens-Fox fire pumper, and a 105-foot 1911 water tower. The Lutz Children's Museum has participatory exhibits covering art, history, science, nature and ethnology. The museum's permanent collection includes small live animals.^[5] The Old Manchester Museum, focusing on local history, is operated by the Manchester Historical Society.^[6]

Wickham Park, a non-profit private foundation is located on Manchester and East Hartford property. The 53-acre Oak Grove Nature Center has wildlife habitats.^[5] Case Mountain Recreational Area, located in the less populated southeast corner of Manchester, is popular for hiking, mountain biking, and has a great view of the Hartford skyline to the west.

Manchester is perhaps most famous for its popular Manchester Road Race which is held every Thanksgiving Day. The race has over 10,000 participants yearly, as well as thousands of spectators. For New Englanders, it is second in popularity only to the Boston Marathon. The annual auto show is also gaining more popularity every year.^[7]

Manchester Memorial Hospital is located in the city.

Manchester is also home to Manchester Community College, a two-year community college, and several high schools: Manchester High School, Howell Cheney Technical High School, and East Catholic High School.

Manchester has more than 1,000 acres of park land, a range of housing styles and prices in attractive neighborhoods, Manchester Memorial Hospital, Manchester Community College, an award-winning school system, performing arts organizations, libraries and friendly, community-spirited residents.

Transportation

Roads

Interstates

Manchester has parts of three interstate highways located within its borders.^[8]

• Interstate 84 runs East/West in the Northern section of town between the borders of East Hartford and Vernon.
• Interstate 384 spurs from I-84 in the Western section of Manchester and runs the width of town in the East/West direction to the Bolton town line.
• Interstate 291 spurs from I-84 in the Western section of town and runs Northwest to the South Windsor border.

All three interstates share a complicated interchange near the town's border with East Hartford.

U.S. highways

The U.S. Highways Route 6 & Route 44 together constitute Manchester's principal East/West arterial.^[8]

Route 44 enters town from the West at the border with East Hartford on West Middle Turnpike. Less than a mile from the town line, Route 44 is joined by Route 6 which enters Manchester concurrently with I-84. Routes 6 & 44 run concurrently through town along West Middle Turnpike, Center St., East Center St., East Middle Turnpike, and New Bolton Rd. The Routes exit town to the East at the Bolton town line.

Connecticut state highways

There are two signed Connecticut state highways that go through Manchester.^[8]

• Connecticut Route 30 is an East/West arterial in the Northern section of town. Route 30 enters town from South Windsor as Deming St. Then as Tolland Turnpike, it junctions with and runs concurrently with Route 83 to the Vernon town line.
• Connecticut Route 83 is Manchester's principal North/South arterial. Starting as South Main St. at the Southern border with Glastonbury, Route 83 becomes Main St. through the center of town, then turns East for 350 yards as North Main St., turns North again as Oakland St., then finally combines with Route 30 at Tolland Turnpike and exits town at the Vernon line.

Public transportation

Manchester is served by the Hartford division of Connecticut Transit. The B, YM, and Z routes connect Manchester directly to the city of Hartford.^[9]

Rail

No passenger service currently exists in town. Freight service from Hartford is provided by Connecticut Southern Railroad.^[10]

Airports

• Hartford-Brainard Airport is located in Hartford's south end, approximately a ten to fifteen minute drive from most parts of town.
• Bradley International Airport, Connecticut's principal commercial aviation airport, is located in Windsor Locks, Connecticut, about a fifteen to twenty minute drive from Manchester.

Bicycling

Manchester has several on and off-road bicycle routes. The two most popular routes are the Charter Oak Greenway and the Hop River State Park Trail. Portions of each of those routes have been designated as parts of the East Coast Greenway.^[11]

Sports

Notable people, past and present

• Dr. Dick Berggren, motorsport announcer and magazine editor
• Daniel C. Burbank (born in Manchester), NASA astronaut
• Chris Clark (hockey player), currently plays for the Washington Capitals of the NHL (grew up in South Windsor, Connecticut, but was born at Manchester Memorial Hospital).
• Anthony Galla-Rini (born in Manchester), accordionist
• Mary Ann Handley, Connecticut state senator
• Jay Johnstone (born in Manchester), former professional baseball player and commentator
• Larry Lisciotti (born in Manchester), professional pool player
• Emily Cheney Neville (born in Manchester), author
• Fred Norris (childhood hometown), The Howard Stern Show cast member and sound effects maestro. During an interview on Sirius Satellite Radio in January 2006, Norris expressed disappointment with Manchester's commercial development, changing from a once rural tobacco town to a suburban shopping mecca which he described as, "mall after mall after mall." "No offense, Manchester, but you've really gone downhill," Norris added.
• Frederick Walker Pitkin (born in Manchester), governor of Colorado from 1879 to 1883
• Alan Sandals (born and schooled in Manchester), former candidate for Democratic nomination for the 2006 Pennsylvania U.S. Senate race
• Dorian Shainin (lived in Manchester until his death in 2000 [2]), quality/reliability engineer and consultant
• Christopher Spencer (born in Manchester and worked for Cheney Brothers),[3][4] inventor of Spencer repeating rifle
• Dana White (born in Manchester), president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship
• Astrid Allwyn (born in Manchester), 1930s movie actress

See also

Cheney Brothers Mills, South Manchester, about 1920

• East Catholic High School - Private Catholic high school.
• Howell Cheney Technical High School
• Journal Inquirer - Manchester-based newspaper serving north-central and northeastern Connecticut.
• Lutz Children's Museum
• Manchester Community College - Largest community college in the Connecticut system.
• Manchester High School
• Manchester Memorial Hospital
• Manchester Road Race - Annual road race dating back to 1927, with at least 9,000 participants every year since 1991.
• Manchester Silkworms
• Shady Glen
• Truth Serum - An Eisner-nominated comic which takes place in Manchester
• The Hilliard Mills - Oldest woolen mill site in the country.
• The Shoppes at Buckland Hills
• Wickham Park

References

External links

• Town of Manchester official website
• Downtown Special Services District
• Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce
• Manchester Area Conference of Churches
• 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article on Manchester, Connecticut:
  • Text from www.1911encyclopedia.org

• Manchester, Connecticut is at coordinates 41°46′33″N 72°31′17″W / 41.7759324°N 72.5214755°W / 41.7759324; -72.5214755 (Manchester, Connecticut)Coordinates: 41°46′33″N 72°31′17″W / 41.7759324°N 72.5214755°W / 41.7759324; -72.5214755 (Manchester, Connecticut)

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