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Glastonbury, Connecticut

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Glastonbury (41n43, 72w37 EST) is a town located in Hartford County, Connecticut. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 31,876. It was named after the English Glastonbury. Glastonbury is located on the banks of the Connecticut River, south east from Hartford.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 135.4 km² (52.3 mi²). 133.0 km² (51.4 mi²) of it is land and 2.4 km² (0.9 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 1.76% water.

The town begins on the banks of the Connecticut River and extends up into foothills, many of which provide a view of Hartford's skyline. Some major developments in the town are built entirely on relatively steep hills, such as "Minnechaug Mountain", a major residential area developed from the 70s until late 90s.

Part of Glastonbury resides in an area locally called "Rattlesnake Mountain" because it has a small population of Timber Rattlesnakes. Since that area is sparsely developed and mostly in a state forest, the snakes don't pose much of a threat and incidents are rare and every known bite has been treated in time.

The town boasts a small lake named Diamond Lake, which is surrounded by growing subdivisions of multimillion-dollar homes, and is the only part of the town still undergoing rapid development.

A couple state parks and state forests touch the town, including Gay City State Park, a popular area for hiking, horseback riding, and camping.

Demographics

Glastonbury is the wealthiest town east of the Connecticut River in the state of Connecticut. Glastonbury has experienced continuous rapid growth since the 1950s, and was on the edge of Hartford's urban sprawl until the mid-1990s. By mid-1990s, growth moved beyond Glastonbury as the open land became sparse and the municipality begain buying back land. Currently, most of the development are subdivisions of multi-million dollar homes on large lots, and existing property has experienced a significant growth in real-estate values as the state of Connecticut began constructing a green belt, increasing the land shortage for metro Hartford.

As of the census 2 of 2000, there were 31,876 people, 12,257 households, and 8,984 families residing in the town. The population density was 239.6/km² (620.5/mi²). There were 12,614 housing units at an average density of 94.8/km² (245.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 93.10% White, 1.53% African American, 0.15% Native American, 3.40% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.91% from other races, and 0.89% from two or more races. 2.51% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 12,257 households out of which 37.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.7% were married couples living together, 7.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.7% were non-families. 22.6% 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 2.57 and the average family size was 3.06.

In the town the population was spread out with 26.8% under the age of 18, 4.1% from 18 to 24, 29.0% from 25 to 44, 27.4% from 45 to 64, and 12.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 90.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.5 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $80,660, and the median income for a family was $94,978. Males had a median income of $68,083 versus $43,810 for females. The per capita income for the town was $40,820. 2.1% of the population and 1.5% of families were below the poverty line. 1.8% of those under the age of 18 and 4.6% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

History

Glastonbury was originally settled in 1636, and split off from Wethersfield in 1693, after residents on the eastern side of the Connecticut River complained of having to cross the river to attend church in Wethersfield. A river ferry that still runs today ran between Rocky Hill, then part of Wethersfield also, and South Glastonbury starting in 1655 (the ferry is the oldest continiously run ferry in the United States). Once a church was established and a reverend was appointed, Glastonbury (originally spelled several different ways, including "Glassenbery") became an established village. (A result of being split off was that the town was built along a main road, rather than the large green that anchors most New England towns. After part of New London Turnpike was realigned to eliminate the rotary in the middle of town during the mid-20th century, a small green was established there.) Glastonbury is now a thriving suburban community, known for its great schools and safe neighborhoods.

Notable People

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