Wallingford, Connecticut

Wallingford is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States centrally located between New Haven and Hartford, and Boston and New York City. The population was 45,135 at the 2010 census.[2][3] The community was named after Wallingford, in England.[4]

Wallingford, Connecticut
Town
Wallingford Town Hall
Seal
Motto(s):  "A Great New England Town"[1]
Location in New Haven County, Connecticut
Coordinates: 41°27′23″N 72°48′15″W
Country	United States
U.S. state	Connecticut
County	New Haven
Metropolitan area	New York City
Established	1670
Government
• Type	Mayor-council
• Mayor	William W. Dickinson, Jr. (R)
• Town Council	Vincent Cervoni (R), Chair Craig C. Fishbein (R) Thomas Laffin (R), Vice Chair Christina Tatta (R) Joe Marrone (R) Christopher Shortell (R) Jason Zandri. (D) Gina Morgenstein (D) Vincent F. Testa, Jr. (D)
Area
• Total	39.9 sq mi (103.3 km^2)
• Land	39.0 sq mi (101.1 km^2)
• Water	0.9 sq mi (2.2 km^2)
Elevation	151 ft (46 m)
Population  (2010)
• Total	45,135
• Density	1,100/sq mi (440/km^2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (Eastern)
ZIP code	06492, 06493
Area code(s)	203/475
FIPS code	09-78740
GNIS feature ID	0213522
Website	www.town.wallingford.ct.us

History

The Connecticut General Assembly created the town on October 10, 1667. This original plot of land near the Quinnipiac River is now considered Main Street. Starting on May 12, 1670, there were 126 people who lived in temporary housing, and five years later in 1675 there were 40 permanent homes.[5]

In 1697 Wallingford was the site of the last witchcraft trial in New England. Winifred Benham was thrice tried for witchcraft and acquitted all three times.[6]

The 1878 Wallingford tornado struck on August 9 of that year. It killed at least 29 and likely 34 people in Wallingford, the most by any tornado event in Connecticut history.

Wallingford is home to a large variety of industries and major corporations spanning the spectrum of the medical, health care, service, hi-tech specialty metal manufacturing and research development. The development of the Barnes Industrial Parks, Casimir Pulaski Industrial Park, Centract Park and MedWay Industrial Park have greatly contributed to a diversified tax base. An Interchange Zone which permits restrictive commercial development of office parks, research and development centers and hotels was created at the intersection of lnterstate 91 and Route 68.[7] The Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, the town's largest taxpayer, has established a research and development facility in Wallingford's MedWay Industrial Park. The Bristol-Myers Squibb Company moved out in 2017 and the structures were demolished in 2018.

In terms of Wallingford's manufacturing and design history, silver-producing companies like Hall, Elton & Co.[8], Simpson, Hall, Miller & Co.[9] and R. Wallace & Sons are of particular note[10]. Simpson, Hall, Miller & Co. as well as Wallingford's Watrous Manufacturing Co. later became part of the International Silver Company, which was headquartered in the neighboring city of Meriden.[11]

• 
  New York Insulated Wire Company, 1910.
• 
  Library and Marlborough House, about 1909.
• 
  Bridge and falls at Quinnipiac River in Wallingford, 1907.

Education

The Wallingford Public School System consists of eight elementary schools: Cook Hill, E. C. Stevens, Highland, and Moses Y. Beach Elementary Schools covering Pre-K to second grade and Parker Farms, Pond Hill, Rock Hill, and Mary G. Fritz Elementary Schools covering grades three to five; two middle schools, Dag Hammarskjold and James H. Moran; and two high schools, Lyman Hall and Mark T. Sheehan. [12][13]

Private schools

• Choate Rosemary Hall, a private, co-educational, college-preparatory boarding school [14]
• Heritage Baptist Academy [15]
• Holy Trinity School

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 39.9 square miles (103.3 km²), of which 39.0 square miles (101.1 km²) is land and 0.9 square miles (2.2 km²), or 2.16%, is water.

The town of Wallingford sits astride the Quinnipiac River in northern New Haven County. It is 5 miles (8 km) south of Meriden and about 13 miles (21 km) north of New Haven. Towns bordering Wallingford are Cheshire, Durham, Hamden, Meriden, Middlefield, North Branford and North Haven. Situated in the Hartford-New Haven-Springfield corridor, Wallingford is traversed by U.S. Route 5, Interstate 91, and State Highways Route 15 (Wilbur Cross Parkway), Route 68, Route 71 and Route 150.

Principal communities

• East Wallingford
• Quinnipiac (partly in North Haven)
• Tracy
• Wallingford Center
• Yalesville

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1820	2,237		—
1850	2,595		—
1860	3,206		23.5%
1870	3,676		14.7%
1880	4,686		27.5%
1890	6,584		40.5%
1900	9,001		36.7%
1910	11,155		23.9%
1920	12,010		7.7%
1930	14,278		18.9%
1940	14,788		3.6%
1950	16,976		14.8%
1960	29,920		76.2%
1970	35,714		19.4%
1980	37,274		4.4%
1990	40,822		9.5%
2000	43,026		5.4%
2010	45,135		4.9%
Est. 2017	44,741	[16]	−0.9%
U.S. Decennial Census[17]

As of the census[18] of 2000, there were 43,026 people, 16,697 households, and 11,587 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,102.7 people per square mile (425.7/km²). There were 17,306 housing units at an average density of 443.5 per square mile (171.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 94.77% White, 1.02% African American, 0.17% Native American, 1.75% Asian, 1.16% from other races, and 1.14% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.52% of the population.

There were 16,697 households out of which 32.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.3% were married couples living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.6% were non-families. Of all households 25.6% were made up of individuals and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.07.

Wallingford is an upper middle class suburban community with a 2018 median household income of $79,420[19] and an average household income of $104,679.[20] The per capita income in the town was $42,096.[21]

In the town, the population was spread out with 24.0% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 30.7% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.7 males.

Commuter Rail Line

Wallingford is also located on the New Haven-Hartford-Springfield rail line with daily passenger service to points north and south and to New York City via a connection in New Haven. It is served by the CTrail Hartford Line (consisting of Connecticut Department of Transportation and Amtrak trains) and by Amtrak's Northeast Regional, and Valley Flyer.

Sports

From 1943 to 1944 the Boston Braves held spring training in Wallingford at Choate's Winter Exercise Building.[22] The town is the home of the Connecticut Bearcats, a New England Football League team.

Notable people

• Alice Blaski, outfielder in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League[23]
• Stephen R. Bradley, United States Senator[24]
• Bates Cooke, US Congressman[25]
• D.J. Cotrona, actor[26]
• Beverly Donofrio, author[27]
• Morton Downey, singer, businessman[28]
• Morton Downey, Jr. (1932–2001), talk show host[29]
• Lauren Geremia, interior designer[30]
• Robert Gober, influential contemporary artist
• Hostage Calm, Punk band
• Dorothy Kosinski, art scholar[31]
• Raoul Lufbery, World War I flying ace[32]
• John A. McGuire, member of the United States House of Representatives [33]
• Art Nugent, cartoonist, creator of Uncle Art's Funland
• Jay Allen Sanford, author and cartoonist[34]
• Samuel Simpson, silversmith and entrepreneur

Points of interest

Paul Mellon Arts Center, designed by I. M. Pei.

• Choate Rosemary Hall
• Oakdale Theatre
• Paul Mellon Arts Center
• Yalesville Underpass

National Register of Historic Places

Ten buildings and districts in Wallingford are listed on the National Register of Historic Places:[35]

• John Barker House, added August 3, 1974
• Joseph Blakeslee House, added April 13, 1998
• Center Street Cemetery, added August 1, 1997
• Franklin Johnson House, added November 23, 1998
• Theophilus Jones House, added January 30, 1992
• Nehemiah Royce House, added August 24, 1998
• Samuel Parsons House, added April 12, 1982
• Samuel Simpson House, added June 18, 1986
• Wallingford Center Historic District, added December 2, 1993
• Wallingford railroad station, added November 19, 1993

Footnotes

1. "Town of Wallingford, Connecticut". Town of Wallingford, Connecticut. Retrieved September 22, 2012.
2. "Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (DP-1): Wallingford town, New Haven County, Connecticut". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 1, 2012.
3. "Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (DP-1): Wallingford Center CDP, Connecticut". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved October 15, 2012.
4. The Connecticut Magazine: An Illustrated Monthly. Connecticut Magazine Company. 1903. p. 335.
5. "History and Description". Town.wallingford.ct.us. Retrieved 2016-08-23.
6. Demos, John Putnam. Entertaining Satan: Witchcraft and the Culture of Early New England. Oxford Press, 2004, page 409.
7. "About The Town of Wallingford, CT | Town of Wallingford". www.wallingford.ct.us. Retrieved 2020-06-29.
8. (April 3, 2017). Hall, Elton & Co. designs in collections and in expositions-- and historical information. artdesigncafe. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
9. (April 3, 2016). Simpson, Hall, Miller & Co. design catalogues and historical information. artdesigncafe. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
10. (April 2, 2016). R. Wallace & Sons / Wallace Silversmiths design catalogues and historical information. artdesigncafe. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
11. (May 15, 2016). Watrous Manufacturing Company designs, exhibitions, design catalogues and historical information. artdesigncafe. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
12. "Home". Hts-wallingford.org. Retrieved 2016-08-23.
13. "Wallingford Public Schools". Wallingford.k12.ct.us. 2016-02-22. Retrieved 2016-08-23.
14. "Home - Choate Rosemary Hall". Choate.edu. Retrieved 2016-08-23.
15. "Home | Heritage Baptist Church". Hbc4.me. Retrieved 2016-08-23.
16. "Estimated Populations in Connecticut as of July 1, 2017" (PDF). Retrieved February 20, 2019.
17. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
18. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
19. "Living in Wallingford". Niche. Retrieved 2020-06-28.
20. "06492 ZIP Code Demographics & Rankings". connecticut.hometownlocator.com. Retrieved 2020-08-01.
21. "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Wallingford town, New Haven County, Connecticut". www.census.gov. Retrieved 2020-06-28.
22. The ESPN Baseball Encyclopedia. Sterling Publishing. 2007. p. 1789. ISBN 1-4027-4771-3.
23. "Alice Blaski". All American Girls Professional Baseball League Players Association, Inc. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
24. "BRADLEY, Stephen Row, (1754 - 1830)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
25. "COOKE, Bates, (1787 - 1841)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
26. "D.J. Cotrona". TV.com. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
27. "Donofrio's Unique Life Is, at Last, a Film". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
28. Galon, Buddy (2005). Dearly Departed: A Personal View of Celebrity Funerals. AuthorHouse. p. 51.
29. Bradley, Edwin M. (2004). The First Hollywood Musicals: A Critical Filmography of 171 Features, 1927 Through 1932. McFarland. p. 31.
30. Shulman, Ken. "Team Works". Metropolis Magazine. Retrieved March 13, 2015.
31. "Phillips Collection Taps Dallas Curator To Succeed Director". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
32. "World War I Flying Ace Raoul Lufbery". ConnecticutHistory.org#sthash.IEibE0Y1.dpuf. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
33. "McGUIRE, John Andrew, (1906 - 1976)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved January 13, 2014.
34. "San Diego Reader staff bios". San Diego Reader. Retrieved February 16, 2015.
35. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.

References

• Charles Henry Stanley Davis, History of Wallingford, Conn., from Its Settlement in 1670 to the Present Time, Including Meriden, which was One of Its Parishes until 1806, and Cheshire, which was Incorporated in 1780. Meriden, CT: Charles Henry Stanley Davis, 1870.
• John B. Kendrick, History of the Wallingford Disaster. Hartford, CT: Case, Lockwood and Brainard Co., 1878.
• Charles Bancroft Gillespie, Souvenir History of Wallingford, Connecticut, 1895. New Haven, CT: Journal Publishing Co., 1895.

External links

• Town of Wallingford official website
• Maps of Wallingford (1881–1919) online
• History books on Wallingford (1870-1918) online