Windsor, Connecticut
Windsor is located just north of Hartford in Hartford County, Connecticut. In 1633, traders began meeting in the Windsor area on a regular basis. The population was 28,237 at the 2000 census. It is home to numerous branches of national and international corporations, such as Konica-Minolta and Pepperidge Farms. The well-known college preparatory school Loomis Chaffee is located in Windsor, on a 320-acre campus at the confluence of the Connecticut and Farmington rivers.
History
Settlers from Plymouth Colony, in Massachusetts, founded Windsor after the Podunk Indians invited them to provide a mediating force between other tribes, and granted them a plot of land. The Pequot and Mohawk were at war, catching the Podunk in the crossfire and forcing them to pay tribute to the Pequots, who claimed their land. The Sicaog tribe made a similar offer to the Dutch in New Amsterdam, but they declined to send settlers, since their interest in Connecticut was limited to the fur trade. After Edward Winslow inspected the site, William Holmes led a party there. Sailing up the Connecticut River past the Dutch fort at Hartford, their ship, the "Mary and John", arrived at Windsor on September 26, 1633, and the group settled near the present location of Loomis-Chaffee School.
Windsor was formerly known for its thriving tobacco farms, some of which still exist today. Tobacco grown here beneath a netting of gauze approximates the humidity and growing conditions of Honduras. Windsor tobacco leaves are highly prized by fine cigar makers, and are used as the cigar's outer wrapping. While much of the Day Hill section of town has been given over to industry, one can still see the long red wooden sheds that are used to store and dry the tobacco. A tobacco museum containing authentic farming implements and tools can be found at Northwest Park. The Troy Donahue movie "Parrish", was filmed on Windsor's tobacco "plantations" in 1961. The movie "Academy Boyz" was shot at Loomis-Chaffee in 1997.
For nearly half a century, Windsor has been home to the Shad Derby each May, with civic and cultural events taking place around the two weekends of fishing competition.
Windsor was the first town established in the State of Connecticut and was founded in 1633.
Windsor Today
Windsor is a suburban community with a relatively diverse population. It has four elementary schools (Oliver Ellsworth, Clover Street, John F. Kennedy, and Poquonock), one middle school (Sage Park) and one high school. Sage Park Middle School is the largest in the state. A public park, complete with a nature center, trails and petting zoo resides in the northwest corner of town. Atop the highest hill in Windsor sits the Hilton Garden Inn, which is next to the Marriot and Courtyard by Marriot.
Bradley International Airport, which serves the greater Pioneer Valley as well as Greater Hartford, is located in the adjacent town of Windsor Locks. Windsor Locks was once part of Windsor, as were East and South Windsor on opposite side of the Connecticut River.
The Windsor Historical Society manages a collection of old homesteads that have existed since the 17th and 18th centuries and are available for tour. On historic Palisado Ave., one can find the First Church Congrgational and adjacent graveyard. Across the street on the Palisado green stands a statue of John Mason (a founder of Windsor and colonial leader in the Pequot War). Further down the road is the home of Oliver Ellsworth, second Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court. Other famous Windsorites include John Fitch, inventor of the steamboat, and major league baseball pitcher Moe Drabowsky.
The town center is well-planned in comparison to many of the others in the Greater Hartford area, including a relative diversity of chains and local shops, as well as a recently restored Amtrak station that dates to the 1850's.
In the northern industrial sector of the town (Day Hill), Mototown USA will open in the summer of 2006. At over 200,000 square feet, the complex will be the largest indoor motocross facility in the United States.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 80.4 km² (31.0 mi²). 76.7 km² (29.6 mi²) of it is land and 3.7 km² (1.4 mi²) of it (4.61%) is water.
Demographics
As of the census² of 2000, there were 28,237 people, 10,577 households, and 7,604 families residing in the town. The population density was 368.0/km² (953.0/mi²). There were 10,900 housing units at an average density of 142.0/km² (367.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 65.12% White, 27.09% African American, 0.16% Native American, 3.14% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 2.09% from other races, and 2.38% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.98% of the population.
There were 10,577 households out of which 32.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.7% were married couples living together, 13.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.1% were non-families. 23.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.10.
In the town the population was spread out with 24.6% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 28.7% from 25 to 44, 26.2% from 45 to 64, and 14.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 89.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $64,137, and the median income for a family was $73,064. Males had a median income of $45,443 versus $37,476 for females. The per capita income for the town was $27,633. About 2.2% of families and 3.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.3% of those under age 18 and 5.5% of those age 65 or over.