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New Milford, Connecticut

 
Wikipedia: New Milford, Connecticut
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New Milford, Connecticut
—  Town  —

Flag
Location in Connecticut state.
Coordinates: 41°34′37″N 73°24′30″W / 41.57694°N 73.40833°W / 41.57694; -73.40833
Country United States
State Connecticut
NECTA Danbury
Region Housatonic Valley
Settled 1707
Incorporated 1712
Government
 - Type Mayor-council
 - Mayor Patricia A. Murphy
Area
 - Total 63.7 sq mi (165.0 km2)
 - Land 61.6 sq mi (159.5 km2)
 - Water 2.1 sq mi (5.5 km2)
Elevation 282 ft (86 m)
Population (2005)[1]
 - Total 28,667
 - Density 465/sq mi (180/km2)
Time zone Eastern (UTC-5)
 - Summer (DST) Eastern (UTC-4)
ZIP code 06755, 06776
Area code(s) 860
FIPS code 09-52630
GNIS feature ID 0213474
Website http://www.newmilford.org/

New Milford is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States 14 miles (23 km) north of Danbury, on the Housatonic River. It is the largest town in the state in terms of land area at nearly 62 square miles (161 km2). The population was 28,671 according to the Census Bureau's 2006 estimates.[1]

New Milford is home to the Canterbury School, a well known Roman Catholic boarding school. The school's Chapel of Our Lady features the Jose M. Ferrer Memorial Carillon. Although the actual movie was not filmed on location in New Milford, the house that inspired the novel and film, Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House, was built and still stands in the Merryall section of town.

Contents

History

Colonial times

In 1707, John Noble Sr., previously of Westfield, Massachusetts and his eight-year-old daughter, Sarah Noble, who has a public school named after her, were the first white settlers, but they were soon joined by others who had also bought land there.[2]

On October 17, 1711, 12 families including about 70 people petitioned the General Assembly to create the town, together with the associated privilege of levying a tax to support a minister. With the legislature's approval, the town was organized the next year. Shortly thereafter Daniel Boardman was secured to preach[2] and was ordained as the minister of the Congregational Church on November 21, 1716.

American Revolution

Roger Sherman's house was on the lot of the present Town Hall; however, he moved to New Haven in 1761.[2] He later became a member of the Continental Congress and signed both the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution.

During the American Revolution, the 7th Connecticut Regiment (also known as 19th Continental Regiment) was raised in town on September 16, 1776. The regiment, and the New Milford men in it, would see action in the Battle of Brandywine, Battle of Germantown and the Battle of Monmouth. In total, the town "sent 285 men to fight in the War out of a total population of 2,776."[2]

The prominent Boardman family

Elijah Boardman, 1789, painted by Ralph Earle
  • David Sherman Boardman (1786-1864), was the youngest child of Deacon Sherman and Sarah (Bostwick) Boardman. He became a lawyer in town and later chief judge in Litchfield County Court. He then served as judge of probate for the district of New Milford in 1805, and held the place by successive annual appointments for sixteen years. He was elected Representative to the General Assembly eight times.
  • Elijah Boardman (1760-1823) was a U.S. Senator representing Connecticut. Born in New Milford, he was educated by private tutors, and served in the American Revolutionary War.
  • William Whiting Boardman (1794-1871), a U.S. Representative born in town, was the son of Elijah Boardman. He was a Connecticut state senator in the fourth district, 1830-32, a member of the Connecticut State House of Representatives, 1836-39, 1845, and 1849-51, Speaker of the Connecticut State House of Representatives, 1836, 1839, and 1845, United States Representative from Connecticut's second district, 1840-43. He died in New Haven, Connecticut, and is interred at Grove Street Cemetery.

19th and 20th centuries

In the second half of the 19th century many new industries came to town. The Water Witch Engine Company, local telephone and electricity companies, and newspapers were all founded. Factories in town made buttons, paint and varnish, hats, furniture, pottery, lime, dairy products and pasteboard, among other goods. Tobacco became the major crop in the area, and tobacco warehouses sprang up.[2]

In 1942 Buck's Rock Camp was founded off of Bucks Rock Road, and has remained in operation ever since.

The population of New Milford was only 4,804 in 1900, however by 1910 the population had grown to 5,010. As of 2002, the town had a population of approximately 28,000.

Geography

New Milford is located on the northeastern shore of Lake Candlewood. The Aspetuck River, Still River and Housatonic River flow through the town.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 63.7 square miles (165.0 km²), making it the largest town in Connecticut. 61.6 square miles (159.5 km²) of it is land and 2.1 square miles (5.5 km²) of it (3.31%) is water.

Principal communities

Public library, built in 1897-1898, as it appeared c. 1905
  • Boardman Bridge
  • Gaylordsville (has its own post office)
  • Lower Merryall
  • Merwinsville
  • New Milford Center
  • Northville
  • Park Lane
  • Still River
  • Upper Merryall
  • Lanesville

Demographics

As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 27,121 people, 10,018 households, and 7,273 families residing in the town. The population density was 440.4 people per square mile (170.0/km²). There were 10,710 housing units at an average density of 173.9/sq mi (67.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 94.33% White, 1.41% Black or African American, 0.15% Native American, 1.91% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.68% from other races, and 1.50% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.77% of the population.

There were 10,018 households out of which 38.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.0% were married couples living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.4% were non-families. 21.3% 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 2.68 and the average family size was 3.15.

In the town the population was spread out with 27.4% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 33.1% from 25 to 44, 24.2% from 45 to 64, and 9.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 97.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.8 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $65,354, and the median income for a family was $75,775. Males had a median income of $50,523 versus $34,089 for females. The per capita income for the town was $29,630. About 2.1% of families and 3.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.7% of those under age 18 and 5.5% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

As a suburb of Danbury, New Milford is served by fixed bus routes of the Housatonic Area Regional Transit. The main highways of the town are Route 7 and Route 202. There is a proposal to electrify and extend the Danbury Branch of the Metro-North Railroad north of Danbury to New Milford.[4]

Schools

Elementary:

  • Northville Elementary School,
  • Hill & Plain Elementary School,
  • John Pettibone Elementary School

Intermediate:

  • Sarah Noble Intermediate School

Middle:

  • Schaghticoke Middle School

Private Middle:

High:

Private:

On the National Registry of Historic Sites

Historical
population of
New Milford[3]
1756 1,137
1774 2,776
1782 3,015
1790 3,167
1800 3,221
1810 3,537
1820 3,830
1830 3,979
1840 3,974
1850 4,058
1860 3,535
1870 3,586
1880 3,907
1890 3,917
1900 4,804
1910 5,010
1920 4,781
1930 4,700
1940 5,559
1950 5,799
1960 8,318
1970 14,601
1980 19,420
1990 23,629
2000 27,121
2004 28,211
  • Boardman's Bridge — Boardman Rd. at Housatonic River, NW of New Milford (added June 13, 1976)
  • Carl F. Schoverling Tobacco Warehouse — 1 Wellsville Ave. (added May 12, 1982)
  • E. A. Wildman & Co. Tobacco Warehouse — 34 Bridge St. (added November 20, 1988)
  • Hine-Buckingham Farms — 44,46, 48 Upland Rd., 78,81 Crossman Rd. (added June 7, 2004)
  • Housatonic Railroad Station — Railroad St. (added April 1, 1984)
  • J. S. Halpine Tobacco Warehouse — West and Mill Sts. (added 1982)
  • John Glover Noble House (added September 29, 1977)
  • Lover's Leap Bridge — S of New Milford on Pumpkin Hill Rd. (added June 13, 1976)
  • Merritt Beach & Son Building — 30 Bridge St. (added May 28, 1992)
  • Merryall Union Evangelical Society Chapel — Chapel Hill Rd. (added July 5, 1986)
  • New Milford Center Historic District — Bennitt and Elm Sts., Center Cemetery, East, S. Main, Mill, and Railroad Sts. (added July 13, 1986)
  • United Bank Building — 19-21 Main St. (added May 12, 1982)

Notable residents

Movies filmed in New Milford

The following movies with their actual or expected year of release have been filmed in New Milford:[5]

References

  1. ^ a b U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates
  2. ^ a b c d e [1]Web site of the Historical Society of New Milford; "Learning Zone" section; "New Milford History" subsection, accessed August 2, 2006
  3. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
  4. ^ "New Milford Town Web Site 12/27/2007: Rail Study". http://www.newmilford.org/controls//eventview.aspx?MODE=SINGLE&ID=135. Retrieved 2008-03-04. 
  5. ^ [2] "Internet Movie DataBase" Web site, "New Milford, Connecticut" Web page, accessed August 2, 2006

External links

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