Coventry, Connecticut

Coventry, Connecticut
Town

Seal

Location in Tolland County, Connecticut
Coordinates: 41°47′04″N 72°20′20″W / 41.78444°N 72.33889°W / 41.78444; -72.33889Coordinates: 41°47′04″N 72°20′20″W / 41.78444°N 72.33889°W / 41.78444; -72.33889
Country United States
State Connecticut
NECTA Hartford
Region Windham Region
Incorporated 1712
Government
  Type Council-manager
  Town manager John A. Elsesser
  Town council Julie A. Blanchard (R), Council Chair
Matthew D. O'Brien (R), Vice-Chair
Richard Williams Jr (R), Secretary
Andrew Brodersen (R)
Hannah Pietrantonio (D)
Lisa Thomas (D)
Thomas Pope (R)
Area
  Total 38.4 sq mi (99.5 km2)
  Land 37.7 sq mi (97.7 km2)
  Water 0.6 sq mi (1.7 km2)
Elevation 656 ft (200 m)
Population (2010)
  Total 12,445
  Density 330.0/sq mi (127.3/km2)
Time zone EST (UTC-5)
  Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code 06238
Area code(s) 860
FIPS code 09-17800
GNIS feature ID 0213413
Website http://www.coventryct.org/

Coventry (KOV-ən-tree) is a town in Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 12,435 at the 2010 census. The birthplace of Captain Nathan Hale, Coventry is home to the Nathan Hale Homestead, which is now a museum open to the public.

Coventry was incorporated in May 1712.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 38.4 square miles (99 km2) of which 37.7 square miles (98 km2) is land and 0.6 square miles (1.6 km2) (1.67%) is water.

Principal communities

History

Coventry was named in October 1711, the first town in the colonies to be named "Coventry" for Coventry in the West Midlands, United Kingdom.

Settlement and founding

The first house in Coventry was said to have been built near the shore of Lake Wangumbaug by Nathaniel Rust, a Hartford, Connecticut, man, originally from Northampton, Massachusetts. The entire Rust family is said to have made their final move to Coventry from Massachusetts in a group of a dozen families in 1709. Along with Nathaniel Rust, the names of some of the earliest settlers were David Lee, Thomas Root, Samuel Gurley, Ebenezer Searl, Joseph Petty, Benjamin James and Benjamin Carpenter. Four other settlers were also from Northampton and two from Reading.[1]

The land was said to have originally been given to men from Hartford by Joshua, Indian sachem. The Connecticut General Assembly, held in Hartford in 1706, appointed William Pitkin, Joseph Tallcot, William Whiting and Richard Lord, as a committee with full power to lay out the bounds of the town and divisions of the land, to admit inhabitants. A 1711 revision added Nathaniel Rust to the committee and the task of procuring a minister of the gospel.[2] The first church was established in October 1714.

St. Mary's Church is a Roman Catholic church in Coventry. The church is part of the Diocese of Norwich, under the Archdiocese of Hartford. It is located at 1600 Main Street.

To the present

The old center of the town is in South Coventry, near the intersection of Main Street (Route 31) and Stonehouse Road (Route 275). In the 19th century, there was a small industrial center including mills powered by the water from Coventry Lake Brook as it flowed towards the Willimantic River. South Coventry Village, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, also includes several Victorian houses, a museum, the main branch of the public library and the Bidwell Tavern, a bar/restaurant established in 1822. The Bidwell used to keep Coventry's town records in the "vault" area behind the bar, as well as hosting town meetings.[3] A few doors away is the W.L Wellwood General Store, which under new ownership has been renamed "Coventry Country Store". The general store was originally built in 1787 making it one of, if not the oldest General Store in America (a past owner claimed to have not found an older store). In all, the area has over 100 historical buildings on the national register.

North Coventry's settlement is less dense, and its housing and businesses are of more recent construction. In the 18th century, this section of the town was largely used for dairy and vegetable farming. As the United States expanded westward, many farming families left the rocky fields of Connecticut for the more fertile land of the Ohio River valley. Most of the farms in North Coventry were abandoned, and the land reclaimed by second-growth forest. In the 1960s and 1970s, tract housing developments were built on some of this land, mainly raised ranch or split-level houses on one acre (4,000 m²) lots. Development slowed from the mid-1970s through the 1990s, but several new developments were constructed in North Coventry after 1990. These tend to feature larger houses on two acre (8,000 m²) lots.

Places of interest

On the National Register of Historic Places

Strong-Porter House

Miscellaneous information

Twinned cities

Annual events

Memorial Day-Memorial Day Parade—Capt. Nathan Hale is recognized along with members of the Armed Forces

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
18202,058
18501,984
18602,0855.1%
18702,65727.4%
18802,043−23.1%
18901,875−8.2%
19001,632−13.0%
19101,606−1.6%
19201,582−1.5%
19301,554−1.8%
19402,10235.3%
19504,04392.3%
19606,35657.2%
19708,14028.1%
19808,8959.3%
199010,06313.1%
200011,50414.3%
201012,4358.1%
Est. 201412,419[5]−0.1%
U.S. Decennial Census[6]
Town of Coventry
Population by year[7]
Census
year
Population

1790   2,130
1800   2,021
1810   1,938
1820   2,058
1830   2,119
1840   2,081
1850   1,984
1860   2,085
1870   2,057
1880   2,043
1890   1,875
1900   1,632
1910   1,606
1920   1,582
1930   1,554
1940   2,102
1950   4,043
1960   6,358
1970   8,140
1980   8,895
1990 10,063
2000 11,504
2010 12,435

At the 2010 census,[8] there were 12,435 people, 4,783 households and 3,426 families residing in the town. The population density was 330.0 per square mile (127.3/km²). There were 4,783 occupied housing units. 316 vacant housing units. The racial makeup of the town was 94.00% White, 0.90% African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.80% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.20% from other races, and 1.40% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.60% of the population.

There were 4,783 households which 31.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.5% were married couples living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.4% were non-families. 20.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.01.

23.3% of the population were under the age of 18, 12.1% from 15 to 24, 25.0% from 25 to 44, 33.2% from 45 to 64, and 10.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41.5 years. 50.6% of the population were male and 49.4% were female. 38.4% of the males were over the age of 18. 38.2% of the females were over the age of 18. For every 100 females there were 102.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.8 males.

The median household income was $86,244, and the median family income was $91,931. Males had a median income of $65,572 versus $53,690 for females. The per capita income for the town was $34,524 About 2.4% of families and 3.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.9% of those under age 18 and 1.1% of those age 65 or over.

Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of October 25, 2005[9]
Party Active voters Inactive voters Total voters Percentage
  Democratic 2,045 59 2,104 26.66%
  Republican 1,481 37 1,518 19.23%
  Unaffiliated 4,128 132 4,260 53.98%
  Minor Parties 9 1 10 0.13%
Total 7,663 229 7,892 100%

Education

Notable people, past and present

International relations

Twin towns – Sister cities

Coventry, Connecticut is twinned with:

Notes

Climate

This climatic region is typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Coventry has a humid continental climate, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps.[12]

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Coventry, Connecticut.

References

  1. http://articles.courant.com/1994-10-21/news/9410210701_1_town-hall-office-building-life-size-statue
  2. Connecticut Glass Museum website
  3. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2014". Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  4. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  5. Population of Connecticut Towns: 1756-2000. Connecticut State Register and Manual.
  6. "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2015-01-03.
  7. "Registration and Party Enrollment Statistics as of October 25, 2005" (PDF). Connecticut Secretary of State. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-09-23. Retrieved 2006-10-02.
  8. Griffin, Mary (2011-08-02). "Coventry's twin towns". Coventry Telegraph. Retrieved 2013-08-06.
  9. "Coventry - Twin towns and cities". Coventry City Council. Archived from the original on 2013-04-14. Retrieved 2013-08-06.
  10. Climate Summary for Coventry, Connecticut
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