Berlin, Connecticut
| Berlin, Connecticut | |||
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| Coordinates: 41°36′50″N 72°46′21″W / 41.61389°N 72.7725°WCoordinates: 41°36′50″N 72°46′21″W / 41.61389°N 72.7725°W | |||
| Country | United States | ||
| State | Connecticut | ||
| NECTA | Hartford | ||
| Region | Central Connecticut | ||
| Incorporated | 1785 | ||
| Government | |||
| • Type | Council-manager | ||
| • Town Manager | Denise McNair | ||
| • Town Council | Adam P. Salina, Mayor Stephen Morelli, Deputy Mayor Robert J. Dacey Karen Maier Drost David Evans William Rasmussen, Jr. Rachel Rochette |
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| Area | |||
| • Total | 27.0 sq mi (69.9 km2) | ||
| • Land | 26.5 sq mi (68.5 km2) | ||
| • Water | 0.6 sq mi (1.5 km2) | ||
| Elevation | 105 ft (32 m) | ||
| Population (2005)[1] | |||
| • Total | 19,590 | ||
| • Density | 739/sq mi (285/km2) | ||
| Time zone | Eastern (UTC-5) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | Eastern (UTC-4) | ||
| ZIP code | 06023, 06037 | ||
| Area code(s) | 860 | ||
| FIPS code | 09-04300 | ||
| GNIS feature ID | 0213388 | ||
| Website | Berlin | ||
Berlin (English pronunciation: /ˈbɜrlɪn/ BUR-lin) is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 19,866 at the 2010 census. It was incorporated in 1785. The geographic center of Connecticut is located in the town. Berlin is residential and industrial, and served by the Amtrak station of the same name. Berlin has three principal settlements: Kensington, Berlin center (formerly Worthington), and East Berlin.
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[edit] Town Seal
The greatest boom to Berlin industry resulted from the decision of the Patterson brothers to start their business on West Street (now called Lower Lane). For twenty years until 1760, they kept their work in the family selling their wares from a basket. When demand increased they took apprentices into the shop and engaged peddlers to travel throughout the Colonies selling the shiny, useful articles (the seal of the government of the Town of Berlin shows such a "Yankee peddler", in eighteenth-century dress with a basket under his arm, a pack on his back full of tinware). As others learned the trade, they soon set up shop and hired apprentices. There were so many that the noise of the whitesmiths and their hammering could be heard in every part of town.
[edit] History
Berlin is one of the birthplaces of interchangeable parts manufacturing and of the industrial revolution in the United States, in the workshop of Simeon North.
[edit] Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 27.0 square miles (70 km2), of which, 26.5 square miles (69 km2) of it is land and 0.6 square miles (1.6 km2) of it (2.18%) is water. Berlin is also the geographical direct center of the state of Connecticut.
The west side of Berlin is flanked by the Metacomet Ridge, a mountainous trap rock ridgeline that stretches from Long Island Sound to nearly the Vermont border. Notable mountains of the Metacomet ridge in Berlin include the Hanging Hills, Lamentation Mountain, Short Mountain, and Ragged Mountain. The 51-mile (82 km) Metacomet Trail and the 50-mile (80 km) Mattabesett Trail traverse the ridge.
[edit] Demographics
As of the 2010 Census Berlin had a population of 19,866. The racial makeup of the population was 94.9% white, 0.7% black or African American, 0.1% native American, 2.7% Asian, 0.6% from some other race and 1.0% from two or more races. 3.2% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.[2]
As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 18,215 people, 6,792 households, and 5,155 families residing in the town. The population density was 688.6 people per square mile (265.9/km²). There were 6,955 housing units at an average density of 262.9 per square mile (101.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.03% White, 0.36% African American, 0.05% Native American, 1.65% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.18% from other races, and 0.73% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.47% of the population.
There were 6,792 households out of which 34.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.5% were married couples living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.1% were non-families. 20.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.11.
In the town the population was spread out with 24.7% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 27.8% from 25 to 44, 25.6% from 45 to 64, and 16.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 94.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.7 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $68,068, and the median income for a family was $76,756. Males had a median income of $49,714 versus $34,832 for females. The per capita income for the town was $27,744. About 1.4% of families and 2.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 0.9% of those under age 18 and 6.8% of those age 65 or over.
| Voter registration and party enrollment as of October 25, 2005[4] | |||||
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| Party | Active voters | Inactive voters | Total voters | Percentage | |
| Democratic | 4,881 | 106 | 4,987 | 39.06% | |
| Republican | 2,951 | 67 | 3,018 | 23.64% | |
| Unaffiliated | 4,626 | 126 | 4,752 | 37.22% | |
| Minor parties | 10 | 0 | 10 | 0.07% | |
| Total | 12,468 | 299 | 12,767 | 100% | |
[edit] Notable residents
- James Gates Percival, poet
[edit] Historical population
- 1790 – 2,465
- 1800 – 2,702
- 1810 – 2,798
- 1820 – 2,877
- 1830 – 3,037
- 1840 – 3,411
- 1850 – 1,869 *New Britain, Connecticut separated from Berlin
- 1860 – 2,146
- 1870 – 2,436
- 1880 – 2,385
- 1890 – 2,600
- 1900 – 3,448
- 1910 – 3,728
- 1920 – 4,298
- 1930 – 4,875
- 1940 – 5,230
- 1950 – 7,470
- 1960 – 11,250
- 1970 – 14,149
- 1980 – 15,121
- 1990 – 16,787
- 2000 – 18,215
- 2010 – 19,866
Sources: Interactive Connecticut State Register & Manual and U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division
[edit] Education
There are 3 elementary schools, Mary E. Griswold School, Emma Hart Willard School, and Richard D. Hubbard School, as well as Catherine M. McGee Middle School, and Berlin High School.
The town's public library is called the Berlin-Peck Memorial Library.
[edit] Pronunciation
Although taken from the name of the Prussian capital, Berlin, which receives the stress in its pronunciation on the second syllable, the name of the town in Connecticut has always received the stress in its pronunciation on the first syllable, in keeping with the recessive accent usual in the pronunciation of English. Notwithstanding this history, an urban legend now current in some quarters claims that the emphasis was changed during the First World War to differentiate the little town from the German city.[citation needed]
[edit] References
- ^ U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates
- ^ 2010 population by race and Hispanic or Latino by place chart for Connecticut from the US Census
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "Registration and Party Enrollment Statistics as of October 25, 2005" (PDF). Connecticut Secretary of State. Archived from the original on 2006-09-23. http://web.archive.org/web/20060923151511/http://www.sots.ct.gov/ElectionsServices/lists/2005OctRegEnrollStats.pdf. Retrieved 2006-10-02.
[edit] External links
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