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 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 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.
"Little Sorrel", the favorite horse of American Civil War General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, was born in Somers.
Town of Somers - History
Neighborhoods
- Central Somers
- Somersville
- North Somers
Geography
Somers is located at 41°59′7″N, 72°26′48″W1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area
of 73.8 km² (28.5 mi²). 73.4 km² (28.3 mi²) of it
is land and 0.4 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (0.49%) is water.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000,
there were 10,417 people, 2,925 households, and 2,337 families residing in the town. The population density was 141.9/km² (367.6/mi²). There were 3,012 housing units at an average density of
41.0/km² (106.3/mi²). 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.
External links
Portions of the History section above were taken from these sites.
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