Watertown, Connecticut
Watertown is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 21,661, at the 2000 census.but a July 1, 2002 estimate put the town's population at 22,100. It is a suburb of Waterbury.
Notable people, past and present
- Edward Fitzsimmons Dunne, (1853–1937) 31st mayor of Chicago (1905-1907); governor of Illinois (1913-1917) was born in Watertown.
- Benjamin B. Hotchkiss (1826–1885), for whom The Hotchkiss School was named by his widow, was one of the leading American ordnance engineers of his day. He made his money by founding a successful munitions company in France after the American Civil War. He was born in Watertown but in early childhood moved to Sharon.
- Jonathan Trumbull, Sr. (1710–1785), governor of Connecticut before, during and after the American Revolution (1769-1784) and a friend of George Washington, he was born in Watertown.
Notable institutions
- The Taft School, a private boarding school
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 76.6 km² (29.6 mi²). 75.5 km² (29.1 mi²) of it is land and 1.1 km² (0.4 mi²) of it (1.45%) is water.
Watertown is governed by a Town Council system, typical of many older New England townships.
Watertown also includes the section known as Oakville, which is often mistaken for a separate town. Although Oakville has its own post office and ZIP code, it does not have a charter or town government of its own.
Watertown is the home of American hero and patriot John Trumbull, known as the poet of the Revolution.
Demographics
As of the census² of 2000, there were 21,661 people, 8,046 households, and 5,994 families residing in the town. The population density was 286.9/km² (743.0/mi²). There were 8,298 housing units at an average density of 109.9/km² (284.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.46% White, 0.75% African American, 0.12% Native American, 1.27% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.48% from other races, and 0.87% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.87% of the population.
There were 8,046 households out of which 34.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.7% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.5% were non-families. 21.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.4% 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 3.13.
In the town the population was spread out with 24.8% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 29.9% from 25 to 44, 24.9% from 45 to 64, and 14.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 92.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.6 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $59,420, and the median income for a family was $68,761. Males had a median income of $47,097 versus $31,822 for females. The per capita income for the town was $26,044. About 1.1% of families and 2.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 0.8% of those under age 18 and 3.7% of those age 65 or over.
