Wallingford

 

town (1990 pop. 40,822), New Haven co., S Conn.; inc. 1670. Its silverware industry dates from c.1835. Fruit growing and the manufacture of plastics, steel, precision instruments, and hardware are among the town's other industries. In Wallingford is the Choate preparatory school for boys, now coordinated with Rosemary Hall, a girls' preparatory school formerly located at Greenwich, Conn. A branch of the Oneida Community was founded in the town in 1851. Lyman Hall was born there.

Wallingford, Connecticut
Location in Connecticut
Coordinates: 41°27′23″N 72°48′15″W / 41.45639, -72.80417
NECTA	New Haven
Region	South Central Region
Named	1670
Government
- Type	Mayor-council
- Mayor	William W. Dickinson, Jr.
Area
- Town	km²  ( sq mi)
- Land	km² ( sq mi)
- Water	km² ( sq mi)
Elevation	m ( ft)
Population (2005)[1]
- Town
- Density	/km² (/sq mi)
Time zone	Eastern (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	Eastern (UTC-4)
ZIP code	06492
Area code(s)	203
FIPS code	09-78740
GNIS feature ID	0213522
Website: http://www.town.wallingford.ct.us/

Wallingford is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 43,026 at the 2000 census.

History

Wallingford was established on October 10, 1667, when the Connecticut General Assembly authorized the "making of a village on the east river" to 38 planters and freemen. The “long highway” located on the ridge of the hill above the sandy plain along the Quinnipiac River is the present Main Street in Wallingford. On May 12, 1670, Wallingford was incorporated and about 126 people settled in the town. Six acre lots were set out and by the year 1675, 40 houses stretched along today's Main Street. In 1775 and again in 1789, George Washington passed through Wallingford.

During the nineteenth century, Wallingford industry expanded with a considerable concentration of small pewter and Britannia ware manufacturers. By mid-century, Robert Wallace acquired the formula for nickel silver and established with Samuel Simpson, R. Wallace & Company the forerunner of Wallace Silversmiths. It was also during this period that many of the small silver and Britannia plants were combined to form the International Silver Company with its headquarters in Meriden, Connecticut and several plants in Wallingford.

In October, 1871, Wallingford's train station was completed for the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad. Noted for its mansard roof, ornamental brackets and stone quoins — the interlocking exterior corners — the station is among the few remaining of its kind that were built during President Grant's administration at the height of railway expansion. The town undertook an overhaul to the roof and exterior with the help of state and federal grants in the early 1990s.

Wallingford was the birthplace of Moses Yale Beach (1800–1868), who would go on to found the Associated Press; singer Morton Downey; conservative talk show host Morton Downey, Jr.; and Georgia governor and signer of the Declaration of Independence Lyman Hall. It was also the childhood home of World War I flying ace Raoul Lufbery. The town produces its own electricity and maintains an electric company with rates well below the state's average.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 103.3 km² (39.9 mi²). 101.1 km² (39.0 mi²) of it is land and 2.2 km² (0.9 mi²) of it (2.16%) is water.

The Town of Wallingford sits astride the Quinnipiac River in northern New Haven County. It is five miles south of Meriden and about thirteen miles north of New Haven. Situated in the Hartford-New Haven corridor, Wallingford is traversed by U.S. Route 5, Interstate 91, 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

Education

Wallingford is home to the Choate Rosemary Hall school (which graduated John F. Kennedy, John Dos Passos, Glenn Close, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Douglas, Bill Simmons, and Adlai Stevenson)

Public High Schools
Lyman Hall High School or website Lyman Hall
Mark T. Sheehan

Public Middle Schools
Dag Hammarskjold (also named New England Spotlight School)
James H. Moran

Public Elementary Schools
Rock Hill
Pond Hill
Moses Y Beach
Cook Hill
Parker Farms
Yalesville
Evart C. Stevens
Highland

Pariochial Schools
Holy Trinity

Private Schools
Choate Rosemary Hall

Industry

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, hi-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..

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there were 43,026 people, 16,697 households, and 11,587 families residing in the town. The population density was 425.7/km² (1,102.7/mi²). There were 17,306 housing units at an average density of 171.2/km² (443.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 94.77% White, 1.02% African American, 0.17% Native American, 1.75% Asian, 1.16% from other races, and 1.14% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.52% of the population.

There were 16,697 households out of which 32.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.3% were married couples living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.6% were non-families. 25.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.07.

In the town the population was 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.

The median income for a household in the town was $57,308, and the median income for a family was $68,327. Males had a median income of $47,017 versus $34,074 for females. The per capita income for the town was $25,947. About 2.4% of families and 3.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.0% of those under age 18 and 4.4% of those age 65 or over.

Currently, Wallingford is the twenty-third most populous community of Connecticut’s 169 cities and towns, ranks 21st in terms of 2001 Equalized Net Taxable Grand List ($3,723,201,280) and is 97th in the state in terms of estimated 2002 nominal income per capita ($29,788) of its residents.

Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of October 25, 2005[2]
Party		Active Voters	Inactive Voters	Total Voters	Percentage
	Democratic	6,919	278	7,197	25.85%
	Republican	4,714	257	4,971	17.85%
	Unaffiliated	14,862	770	15,632	56.15%
	Minor Parties	39	0	39	0.15%
Total		26,534	1,305	27,839	100%

Points of interest

• Center Street Cemetery
• Choate Rosemary Hall
• John Barker House
• Birthplace of Edward Stowe
• Nehemiah Royce House
• Oakdale Theater/Chevrolet Theater
• Octagon House
• Old Gungywamp
• Paul Mellon Arts Center
• Reverend Samuel Street Home
• Samuel Parsons House
• Wharton Arms Apartment Complex
• Yalesville Underpass

List of National Historic Sites in Wallingford

• 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

References

• Town of Wallingford

	State of Connecticut Hartford (capital)
Topics	Culture | Geography | Government | History | Images
Regions	Gold Coast | Greater Bridgeport | Greater Danbury | Greater Hartford | Greater New Haven | Litchfield Hills | Lower Connecticut River Valley | Naugatuck River Valley | Quiet Corner | Southeastern Connecticut | Southwestern Connecticut
Counties	Fairfield | Hartford | Litchfield | Middlesex | New Haven | New London | Tolland | Windham
Cities	Ansonia | Bridgeport | Bristol | Danbury | Derby | Groton | Hartford | Meriden | Middletown | Milford | New Britain | New Haven | New London | Norwalk | Norwich | Shelton | Stamford | Torrington | Waterbury | West Haven
Places	Towns | Boroughs | Villages | Historic Places | Geography

Municipalities and communities of New Haven County, Connecticut
Cities	Ansonia | Derby | Meriden | Milford | New Haven | Waterbury | West Haven
Towns	Beacon Falls | Bethany | Branford | Cheshire | East Haven | Guilford | Hamden | Madison | Middlebury | North Branford | North Haven | Orange | Oxford | Prospect | Seymour | Southbury | Wallingford | Wolcott | Woodbridge
Boroughs	Naugatuck | Woodmont
Communities	Allingtown | Clintonville | Devon | Fair Haven | Foxon | Momauguin | Montowese | Mount Carmel | North Guilford | North Madison | Northford | Oronoke | Pine Orchard | Short Beach | South Meriden | Southford | Union City | Waterville | Westville | Whitneyville | Yalesville

Donate to Wikimedia