West Hartford, Connecticut

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"West Hartford" redirects here. For the unincorporated community in Vermont, see West Hartford, Vermont.

West Hartford, Connecticut
Looking up Farmington Ave in West Hartford, Connecticut, 2004
Coordinates: 41°46′04″N, 72°45′14″W
NECTA	Hartford
Region	Capitol Region
Incorporated	1854
Government
- Type	Council-manager
- Town manager	James Francis
- Town council	Scott Slifka, Mayor Art Spada, Deputy Mayor Shari Cantor Barbara Carpenter Charles Coursey Maureen K. McClay Mark C. Sinatro Carolyn Thornberry Joseph Verrengia
Area
- City	58.0 km²  (22.4 sq mi)
Population (2005)[1]
- City	61,173
- Density	1,074/km² (2,781/sq mi)
Time zone	Eastern (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	Eastern (UTC-4)
ZIP code	06107, 0611x
Website: http://www.west-hartford.com/

West Hartford is a town located in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. As of 2004, the town had an estimated total population of 64,255. It is a mostly upmarket suburb of Hartford. The town has a vibrant downtown (called West Hartford Center) centered around Farmington Avenue and South/North Main Street. The Westfarms Mall is located on West Hartford's western border with Farmington. Interstate 84 passes through the south part of town.

The town is home to two public high schools, Conard High School and Hall High School, as well as 14 elementary and middle schools in the West Hartford Public Schools. Other institutions include the American School for the Deaf, University of Connecticut Greater Hartford Campus, the University of Hartford, Saint Joseph College, Kingswood-Oxford School, Renbrook School, Northwest Catholic High School, the Hebrew High School of New England, and the German School of Connecticut.

[edit] Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 57.9 km² (22.4 mi²). 56.9 km² (22.0 mi²) of it is land and 1.0 km² (0.4 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 1.70% water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census² of 2004, there are 64,225 people and 25,171 households residing in the town. The population density is 1,117.0/km² (2,892.6/mi²). There are 25,332 housing units at an average density of 445.0/km² (1,152.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the town is 85.96% White, 4.78% African American, 0.12% Native American, 4.80% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 2.61% from other races, and 1.66% from two or more races. 6.27% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

The household demographics can be further characterized as follows: 29.8% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.9% are married couples living together, 9.3% have a female householder with no husband present, and 35.2% are non-families. 29.6% of all households are made up of individuals and 14.4% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.39 and the average family size is 3.00.

In the town the population is spread out with 22.1% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 22.9% from 45 to 64, and 19.5% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 40 years. For every 100 females there are 85.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 80.6 males.

The median income for a household in the town is $66,843. The per capita income for the town is $33,468. 4.5% of the population and 2.9% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 4.4% of those under the age of 18 and 5.1% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

West Hartford is the center of Greater Hartford's Jewish community. The town has the largest per capita Jewish population of any in the state^{[citation needed]}. It also has Connecticut's largest concentration of immigrants from the former Soviet Union and the largest Asian community in Greater Hartford^{[citation needed]}.

[edit] Notable people

Noah Webster

• Noah Webster, American lexicographer, textbook author, Bible translator, spelling reformer, writer, and editor
• Manute Bol, NBA player
• Jimmy Shea, gold medalist in the 2002 Winter Olympics
• Edward Lorenz, American mathematician and meteorologist, early pioneer of chaos theory, inventor of the strange attractor notion, and coiner of the term butterfly effect
• John Franklin Enders, Nobel Laureate 1954 for Medicine
• Edward Morley, namesake of Morley Elementary School, scientist best-known for the Michelson–Morley experiment
• William Thompson Sedgwick, professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a key figure in shaping public health in the United States
• Chris Carrabba, singer/songwriter from Dashboard Confessional
• Peter Paige, actor
• Joseph Mascolo, American actor and soap opera veteran
• Korczak Ziolkowski, sculptor of Crazy Horse Memorial in South Dakota
• John Droney, politician and lawyer
• Joyce Cohen, actress
• Larry Collins, actor^[2]
• Rita Morley, actress^[3]
• Vincent Liff, director^[4]

[edit] Conard graduates

Main article: Conard High School#Notable alumni

• Jim Shea, class of 1987, 2002 Olympic gold medal winner
• James Naughton, actor, winner of the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical (1990, 1997)
• David Naughton, class of 1969, actor (An American Werewolf in London)
• John O'Hurley, actor who played Elaine's boss on Seinfeld
• Peter Dante, actor
• Jack Sonni, guitarist for Dire Straits (1985–1988)
• Matt Sinatro, class of 1978, Major League Baseball player and coach

[edit] Hall graduates

Main article: Hall High School (Connecticut)#Notable alumni

• Roger Sperry, neuropsychologist and Nobel Prize laureate
• Wavy Gravy, peace activist and "official clown" of the Grateful Dead
• Charlie Kaufman, Academy Award-winning screenwriter (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Adaptation, Being John Malkovich)
• David Alan Basche, actor (United 93, War of the Worlds)
• Brian Rosenworcel, musician and member of the band Guster
• Michael Schur, writer and producer (The Office, Saturday Night Live)
• Brad Mehldau, jazz pianist

[edit] Retail

West Hartford is one of the main retail centers of the Greater Hartford region. The community is home to West Hartford Center, which features over 160 shops, restaurants and businesses, all with storefronts built to resemble a New England Village.

The Elbow Room is an eatery located on Farmington Avenue in the retail district of West Hartford, Connecticut. 2004

Other retail areas include the Elmwood section of West Hartford, Park Road, Bishops Corner, Corbins Corner, and Westfarms Mall (in West Hartford and Farmington).

[edit] References

1. ^ U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates
2. ^ Larry Collins at the Internet Movie Database
3. ^ Rita Morley at the Internet Movie Database
4. ^ Vincent Liff at the Internet Movie Database

[edit] External links

• Town of West Hartford
• Central Regional Tourism District
• The West Hartford News
• The West Hartford Blog

• Maps and aerial photos Coordinates: 41.76765° -72.75441°
  • Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
  • Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
  • Topographic map from TopoZone
  • Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA

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