North Haven, Connecticut

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 21.1 square miles (54.6 km²), of which 20.8 square miles (53.8 km²) is land and 0.3 square miles (0.8 km²), or 1.52%, is water. North Haven is located less than 10 miles (16 km) from Long Island Sound.

North Haven is 27 miles (43 km) south of Hartford, 76 miles (122 km) northeast of New York City, 80 miles (130 km) west of Providence and 115 miles (185 km) southwest of Boston. The center of town is an area stretching along U.S. Route 5, from approximately its interchange with I-91 in the north to Bailey Road in the south.

Principal communities

History

In his will of 1714, the Reverend James Pierpont (1659–1714) of New Haven gave 8 acres (32,000 m²) to his neighbors in the Northeast Parish, as North Haven was called, "provided those neighbors will set their meeting house there and make their training and burying there."

The first meeting house, completed in 1722, stood on the Green, west of what is now known as the Old Center Cemetery. About half of the original Pierpont gift remains today as the North Haven Green.

Ezra Stiles enumerated about forty families living in North Haven in the early part of the eighteenth century. All of these people were multipurpose farmers, producing what they needed for themselves and their families. In 1786, the General Assembly permitted North Haven to incorporate as a town, separate from New Haven. New roads were built to facilitate communication, namely the Hartford Turnpike in 1798 and the Middletown Turnpike in 1813.

The first United States census counted 1,236 people in the agricultural community of North Haven in 1790. However, the 1789 Grand List had found 1,620 sheep in North Haven, with the sheep outnumbering the residents.

By the middle of the nineteenth century, signs of the Industrial Revolution were apparent. In 1838, the New Haven and Hartford Railroad had laid its tracks along the level sand plains by the Quinnipiac River. In addition, small industries such as the manufacture of agricultural implements in Clintonville began in 1830. On the 1850 census, 62% of the population were listed as farmers. One third of the residents worked in various nonagricultural occupations such as mechanics, brickmakers, and shoemakers.

After the Civil War, the expanding production of bricks, especially by the I.L. Stiles Co., brought immigrants to North Haven from Ireland, Germany, Italy, and Poland. By 1880, 11 out of 100 people had been born outside of the United States.

In the 1880s, Solomon Linsley, a North Haven architect, built the Memorial Town Hall and the new District 4 School. Linsley designed and built 32 Victorian style houses and public buildings in North Haven.

By 1900, public transportation was important to North Haven residents. Eighteen passenger trains stopped at the Broadway station every day. The Airline Railroad ran through Montowese and Clintonville to Middletown. Trolleys ran from Montowese to New Haven. After 1900, the line was extended north to Wallingford.

After World War I, the automobile changed life in this country town. The brickyards along the river were the major industry. However, residents who owned a car could live in North Haven and commute to New Haven for their jobs. Small real estate development began to grow up along the southern edge of town.

Significant population growth occurred at the end of World War II. North Haven's population increased rapidly, quadrupling between 1945 and 1970. The establishment of two factories, Pratt & Whitney and Marlin Firearms, spurred the subsequent population increase. This population shift necessitated the building of a new police station, firehouse, library, and five schools in the 1950s and 1960s to accommodate the needs of the growing community. The town continues to grow and expand until this day.

In spite of its rapid growth throughout the past few decades, however, this New England town still retains its town meeting form of government.

Those interested in an in-depth look at the history of North Haven should refer to Amidst Cultivated and Pleasant Fields: A Bicentennial History of North Haven, Connecticut by Lucy McTeer Brusic. Several copies are available to borrow at the North Haven Memorial Library.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 23,035 people, 8,597 households, and 6,490 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,108.9 people per square mile (428.2/km²). There were 8,773 housing units at an average density of 422.3 per square mile (163.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 92.98% White, 2.22% Black or African American, 0.09% Native American, 3.36% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.52% from other races, and 0.82% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.88% of the population.

There were 8,597 households out of which 31.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.2% were married couples living together, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.5% were non-families. 21.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.10.

In the town, the population was spread out with 22.6% under the age of 18, 5.6% from 18 to 24, 27.2% from 25 to 44, 26.1% from 45 to 64, and 18.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 93.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.7 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $65,703, and the median income for a family was $73,041. These figures had risen to $80,450 and $90,190 respectively as of a 2007 estimate. Males had a median income of $50,843 versus $36,063 for females. The per capita income for the town was $31,870. About 2.3% of families and 3.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.6% of those under age 18 and 6.4% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

North Haven has a growing commercial, retailing and manufacturing base which employs approximately 12,640 people. There are more than 75 manufacturing and commercial firms in North Haven, 40 of which are assessed at over $1,000,000 [2]. North Haven has five industrial parks containing 490 acres (2.0 km²), and hosts such corporate tenants as Connecticut Container Corp. and O.F. Mossberg & Sons. In 2013, Sustainable Building Systems, an international construction and tech firm, will consolidate its headquarters in North Haven, creating over 400 jobs. North Haven is a division headquarters for surgical device-maker Medtronic.

The economy of North Haven is also based on education. North Haven is home to several of Quinnipiac University's graduate schools. It is also the home to a branch of Gateway Community College. The town is near Yale University and other New Haven-based colleges.

Education

There are 4 public elementary schools in North Haven.

There is also one public middle school and one public high school.

Gateway Community College used to have North Haven campus located on Bassett Road. The main campus building was originally part of the North Haven public school system until its sale to the college.

Quinnipiac University operates a 104-acre (0.42 km²) graduate education campus in town. The university purchased the campus from Wellpoint, Inc. in September 2007. The University renovated an existing 180,000-square-foot (17,000 m²) building on the campus, which now serves as home to the Frank H. Netter M.D. School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University, the School of Health Sciences, the School of Nursing, the School of Law, and the School of Education.

Notable people

Notable sites