Cromwell, Connecticut

Cromwell is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States located in the middle of the state. The population was 14,005 at the 2010 census.

Cromwell, Connecticut
Town
Seal
Nickname(s):  Crossroads of Connecticut
Location within Middlesex County, Connecticut
Coordinates: 41°36′35″N 72°39′47″W
Country	United States
U.S. state	Connecticut
County	Middlesex
Metropolitan area	Hartford
Incorporated	June 18, 1851[1]
Government
• Type	Council-Manager
• Mayor	Enzo Faienza (R)
• Town council	Richard R. Newton (R) (Deputy Mayor) Edward B. Wenners (R) Samantha C. Slade (R) Frank C. Emanuele, Jr. (R) Al Waters (D) Tom Tokarz (D)
• Town Manager	Anthony J. Salvatore
Area
• Total	13.5 sq mi (35.0 km^2)
• Land	12.4 sq mi (32.1 km^2)
• Water	0.5 sq mi (1.3 km^2)
Elevation	141 ft (43 m)
Population  (2016)
• Total	14,382
• Density	1,096/sq mi (423/km^2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	06416
Area code(s)	860/959
FIPS code	09-18080
GNIS feature ID	0213414
Major highways
Website	www.cromwellct.com

The town was named after a shipping boat that traveled along the Connecticut River, which runs along Cromwell. The ship was named after Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England.[2] Other theories are that the town was named after the 1776 warship Oliver Cromwell, or named directly after the Lord Protector Cromwell.[3]

The Roman Catholic Padre Pio Foundation of America is located in Cromwell.

The Evangelical Covenant Church's regional East Coast Conference offices are located in Cromwell.

Points of interest

• On the National Register of Historic Places:
  • Main Street Historic District – roughly bounded by Nooks Hill Rd., Prospect Hill Rd., Wall and West Sts. and New Ln., and Stevens Ln. and Main St.; since October 24, 1985
  • Middletown Upper Houses Historic District – on Connecticut Route 99; since July 27, 1979
  • Sage-Kirby House – 93 Shunpike Road; since April 29, 1982
• TPC River Highlands – location of the Travelers Championship, PGA Tour event
• Long-time home of hardware manufacturing company Horton Brasses, Inc.

History

Settlers first arrived in the area that is now Cromwell in 1651[4] Cromwell was originally a part of Middletown known as the Upper Houses, likely due to the fact that the Mattabesset River separated it from the rest of Middletown. In 1703, Cromwell formed a separate parish from the rest of Middletown due to the inconvenience of crossing the floodplains of the Mattabesset during certain seasons.[5] From that point on, the schools and churches of the Upper Houses (population about 250) were administered (and taxed for) separately from the rest of Middletown.

In 1850, the town began talks of splitting off into a separate town from Middletown. Possible new names included: Upper Middletown, North Middletown, Glenwood, and, the eventual choice, Cromwell,[6] which was put forth by Senator Levi Heaton. The Connecticut General Assembly approved the incorporation on June 18, 1851.[6]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 12.9 square miles (33 km²), of which, 12.4 square miles (32 km²) is land and 0.5 square miles (1.3 km²) (4.03%) is water.

A major north/south highway, Interstate 91, with two Cromwell exits, runs through the Town. The Central Connecticut Expressway (Route 9), opened at the end of 1989, enhances the Town's location as it connects I-95 in Old Saybrook, I-91 in Cromwell and I-84, the State's major east/west highway in New Britain.[7]

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1870	1,856		—
1880	1,640		−11.6%
1890	1,987		21.2%
1900	2,031		2.2%
1910	2,188		7.7%
1920	2,454		12.2%
1930	2,814		14.7%
1940	3,281		16.6%
1950	4,286		30.6%
1960	6,780		58.2%
1970	7,400		9.1%
1980	10,265		38.7%
1990	12,286		19.7%
2000	12,871		4.8%
2010	14,005		8.8%
Est. 2014	14,113	[8]	0.8%
U.S. Decennial Census[9]

See also: List of Connecticut locations by per capita income

At the 2010 census there were 14,005 people, 5,212 households, and 3,262 families in the town. The population density was 1,038.5 people per square mile (401.1/km²). There were 5,365 housing units at an average density of 432.9 per square mile (167.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 93.08% White, 3.13% African American, 0.05% Native American, 1.24% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 1.03% from other races, and 1.47% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.19%.[10]

Of the 5,212 households 28.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.0% were married couples living together, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.4% were non-families. 30.3% of households were one person and 11.4% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.99.

The age distribution was 21.6% under the age of 18, 5.2% from 18 to 24, 31.8% from 25 to 44, 25.3% from 45 to 64, and 16.2% 65 or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.2 males.

The median household income was US$60,662, and the median family income was $70,505. Males had a median income of $46,223 versus $36,218 for females. The per capita income for the town was $29,786. About 1.6% of families and 3.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.9% of those under age 18 and 3.4% of those age 65 or over.

Voter registration and party enrollment as of October 27, 2015[11]
Party		Active voters	Inactive voters	Total voters	Percentage
	Democratic	3,080	113	3,193	33.80%
	Republican	1,926	61	1,987	21.03%
	Unaffiliated	3,980	187	4,167	44.11%
	Minor Parties	94	7	101	1.06%
Total		9,080	368	9,448	100%

Cromwell public schools

There are four public schools in Cromwell: Edna C. Stevens Elementary School (K-2), Woodside Intermediate School (3-5), Cromwell Middle School (6-8), and Cromwell High School (9-12).

Notable people

• Actor and film producer David Gere was born and raised in Cromwell and attended Cromwell High School, class of 1993.[12]

References

1. http://cromwellhistory.org/Cromwell_History.html
2. Crofut, Florence S. Mary. Guide to the History and Historic Sites of Connecticut, Vol. 2, pg. 469. Tercentenary Commission of the State of Connecticut for the Connecticut Daughters of the American Revolution, Yale University Press, New Haven, 1937.
3. "Less than Obvious: The Origin of the Name 'Cromwell'" by Richard Franklin Donohue. Cromwell Historical Society.
4. "Town Profile | Town of Cromwell CT". www.cromwellct.com. Retrieved 2019-07-22.
5. "TOWN OF CROMWELL". dunhamwilcox.net. Retrieved 2019-07-22.
6. "Cromwell History". cromwellhistory. Retrieved 2019-07-22.
7. "Town of Cromwell, Connecticut".
8. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2014". Archived from the original on May 23, 2015. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
9. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
10. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
11. "Registration and Party Enrollment Statistics as of October 27, 2015" (PDF). Connecticut Secretary of State. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
12. "David Gere". IMDb. Archived from the original on 1 April 2017. Retrieved 1 May 2018.

External links

• Town government website
• Central Regional Tourism District