Barkhamsted, Connecticut
Barkhamsted is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut and contains two villages, Pleasant Valley and Riverton. The population was 3,494 at the 2000 census.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 100.6 km² (38.8 mi²). 93.8 km² (36.2 mi²) of it is land and 6.8 km² (2.6 mi²) of it (6.72%) is water. A high percentage of the town's land is owned by the State of Connecticut as forest or water supply area.
Major bodies of water include: Barkhamsted Reservoir, Lake McDonough, and the Farmington River.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 3,494 people, 1,334 households, and 1,036 families residing in the town. The population density was 37.2/km² (96.5/mi²). There were 1,436 housing units at an average density of 15.3/km² (39.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.54% White, 0.06% African American, 0.17% Native American, 0.40% Asian, 0.29% from other races, and 0.54% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.89% of the population.
There were 1,334 households out of which 36.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.2% were married couples living together, 6.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.3% were non-families. 16.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 2.95.
In the town the population was spread out with 25.0% under the age of 18, 4.8% from 18 to 24, 31.3% from 25 to 44, 28.8% from 45 to 64, and 10.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 101.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.8 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $65,972, and the median income for a family was $73,218. Males had a median income of $51,925 versus $38,102 for females. The per capita income for the town was $28,961. About 1.8% of families and 3.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.8% of those under age 18 and 1.4% of those age 65 or over.
Services
The town of Barkhamsted has one elementary school located in the village of Pleasant Valley. Its high school and middle school students attend Northwestern Regional 7 with students from three neighboring towns.
There are three fire departments located in Barkhamsted. The Pleasant Valley Volunteer Fire Department, Riverton Volunteer Fire Company, and Barkhamsted East Volunteer Fire Company. The town employs one paid daytime driver/firefighter to assist the volunteers during normal work hours.
Points of interest
Home of the historical Saville Dam, Barkhamsted Reservoir, and People's State Forest. This one traffic light town is also the site of the Pleasant Valley Drive-In Movie Theater and Hitchcock Fine Home Furnishings.
In Spring of 2006, Hitchcock Fine Home Furnishings closed their flagship retail store in Riverton. This news was a major disappointment to the other businesses and residents of the town.
Within the Barkhamsted Reservoir lies the foundations of Barkhamsted Hollow, an original portion of town that was purchased by MDC during the depression. This area was intentionally flooded following the construction of the Saville Dam.
The center of town contains a General Store, the Barkhamsted Elementary School, the Drive-In, the Post Office, and the Town Hall.
A section of Barkhamsted is called Riverton, which holds their post office and general store, Sweetpea's Restaurant, and the Riverton Inn. Two major points of interest in Riverton were once the Hitchcock Factory and the Sweet Shop, but both closed down in the Spring of 2006. This is also the location of the Annual Riverton Fair, which takes place in early October of each year.