Somers

Somers, Connecticut
—  Town  —
Somers, Connecticut Location within the state of Connecticut
Coordinates: 41°59′00″N 72°26′58″W / 41.9833333°N 72.44944°W / 41.9833333; -72.44944
Country	United States
State	Connecticut
NECTA	Springfield MA
Region	Capitol Region
Named	1734
Annexed by Connecticut	1749
Government
- Type	Selectman-town meeting
- First selectman	Lisa Pellegrini
Area
- Total	28.5 sq mi (73.8 km2)
- Land	28.3 sq mi (73.4 km2)
- Water	0.1 sq mi (0.3 km2)
Elevation	240 ft (73 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	10,417
- Density	367.6/sq mi (141.9/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	Eastern (UTC-4)
ZIP code	06071
Area code(s)	860
FIPS code	09-69220
GNIS feature ID	0212346
Website	http://somersct.gov/

Somers is a town in Tolland County, Connecticut, USA. The population was 10,417 at the 2000 census. In 2007, Money Magazine named Somers, Connecticut 53rd on its list of 100 Best Places to Live, based on "economic opportunity, good schools, safe streets, things to do and a real sense of community."

History

• 1642 - Nathaniel Woodward and Solomon Saffery, two Boston surveyors, are appointed by the Massachusetts Bay Colony to lay out the boundary between the provinces of Massachusetts and Connecticut. They end up eight miles (13 km) too far south, thus assigning the frontier towns of Suffield, Enfield, Woodstock, and Somers to Massachusetts.
• 1706 - "East Enfield", as Somers was then known, is settled by Benjamin Jones.
• 1713 - The Kibbe, Pease, Roote, McGregory families follow Jones.
• 1724 - Somers asks for readmission to Connecticut.
• 1734 - Somers is incorporated by the General Court of Massachusetts and named for Lord John Somers of England.
• 1749 - Somers separates from Massachusetts and is annexed to Connecticut
• 1768 - Massachusetts again lays claim to Somers. Connecticut ignores the action.
• 1793 - Both states appoint Boundary Commissioners to run a straight boundary from Union, Connecticut to the New York state line.
• 1797 - The Commissioners recommend that a disputed 2.5-square-mile (6.5 km²) tract be awarded to Massachusetts as compensation for its earlier losses of Suffield, Woodstock, Somers, and Enfield to Connecticut.
• 1804 - Connecticut agrees to a modified compromise, creating the Southwick Jog.
• 1838 - The Four Town Fair is established.
• 1930s - The Somers Mountain Indian Museum opens.
• 1962 - The Somers Historical Society opens.
• 1963 - Somers State Prison opens.
• 1993 - The new Somers High School opens

"Little Sorrel", the favorite horse of American Civil War General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, was born in Somers. [http://www.town.somers.ct.us/history.htm Town of Somers

Neighborhoods

• Central Somers
• Somersville
• North Somers
• Hall Hill

Geography

Somers is located at 41°59′7″N 72°26′48″W / 41.98528°N 72.44667°W / 41.98528; -72.44667^[1].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 28.5 square miles (73.8 km²), of which, 28.3 square miles (73.4 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.4 km²) of it (0.49%) is water.

The town's highest point, Bald Mountain, at 1,121 feet (342 m) is the highest point along the Connecticut River Valley in Connecticut and as far north as northern Massachusetts. The rounded hill summit was recently purchased by the town and can be seen for many miles around.

Demographics

As of the census^[2] of 2000, there were 10,417 people, 2,925 households, and 2,337 families residing in the town. The population density was 367.6 people per square mile (141.9/km²). There were 3,012 housing units at an average density of 106.3/sq mi (41.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 82.97% White, 9.82% African American, 0.55% Native American, 0.62% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 4.00% from other races, and 1.98% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.10% of the population.

There were 2,925 households out of which 37.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 70.4% were married couples living together, 6.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.1% were non-families. 16.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.11.

In the town the population was spread out with 20.8% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 35.6% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 10.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 154.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 171.0 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $65,273, and the median income for a family was $71,757. Males had a median income of $49,766 versus $35,329 for females. The per capita income for the town was $23,952. About 3.7% of families and 4.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.3% of those under age 18 and 3.8% of those age 65 or over.

References

External links

Connecticut portal

• The Town of Somers Home Page
• For this town, it is location, location, location
• Connecticut's "Southwick Jog"
• Somers Historical Society
• Somers Mountain Museum
• Central Regional Tourism District

Portions of the History section above were taken from these sites.

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