Bantam is a borough in
Litchfield County
Litchfield County is in northwestern Connecticut. As of the 2020 census, the population was 185,186. The county was named after Lichfield, in England. Litchfield County has the lowest population density of any county in Connecticut and is the ...
,
Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...
, United States. The population was 759 at the
2010 census.
While separated for census and historic reasons, Bantam is governed as an integral part of the town of
Litchfield. Bantam is the 2nd least populous
borough
A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely.
History
In the Middle Ag ...
in Connecticut, only beaten by
Fenwick.
On July 10, 1989, many of the buildings in Bantam were heavily damaged by a tornado that ripped through Litchfield and
New Haven
New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,02 ...
Counties. The storm also caused considerable damage to the Litchfield County town of
Thomaston, and to the New Haven County towns of
Waterbury
Waterbury is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut on the Naugatuck River, southwest of Hartford and northeast of New York City. Waterbury is the second-largest city in New Haven County, Connecticut. According to the 2020 US Census, in 202 ...
,
Hamden and
North Haven.
Geography
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
, the borough has a total area of , all of it land.
Climate
This
climatic
Climate is the long-term weather pattern in an area, typically averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the mean and variability of meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to millions of years. Some of the meteorologic ...
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
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
system, Bantam has a
humid continental climate
A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and freezing ...
, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps.
Demographics
As of the 2010 census Bantam had a population of 759. The racial composition of the population was 96.6% white, 1.2% black or African American, 0.3% from other races and 1.8% from two or more races. 3.3% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.
[2010 population by race and Hispanic or Latino by place chart for Connecticut from the US Census]
At the
2000 census there were 802 people, 364 households, and 202 families residing in the borough. The population density was . There were 376 housing units at an average density of . The
racial makeup
A race is a categorization of humans based on shared physical or social qualities into groups generally viewed as distinct within a given society. The term came into common usage during the 1500s, when it was used to refer to groups of variou ...
of the borough was 96.01% White, 0.37% African American, 0.50% Native American, 0.75% Asian, 0.87% from other races, and 1.50% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.00%.
Of the 364 households, 28.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.2% were married couples living together, 6.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.5% were non-families. 40.1% of households were one person, and 25.0% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.20 and the average family size was 3.04.
In the borough the population was spread out, with 25.8% under the age of 18, 3.0% from 18 to 24, 28.8% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 20.3% 65 or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 83.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.8 males.
The median household income was $32,167 and the median family income was $50,938. Males had a median income of $42,000 versus $30,385 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $18,442. About 3.1% of families and 5.4% of the population were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...
, including 3.1% of those under age 18 and 10.3% of those age 65 or over.
Common ancestries reported were: Irish (21.1%), Italian (14.5%), German (14.0%), English (13.1%), French Canadian (10.1%), French (9.7%).
Education
Residents are zoned to
Litchfield Public Schools
Litchfield Public Schools is the school district of Litchfield, Connecticut
Litchfield is a town in and former county seat of Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 8,192 at the 2020 census. The boroughs of Banta ...
including
Litchfield High School.
References
External links
Borough of Bantam official website
{{authority control
Litchfield, Connecticut
Boroughs in Connecticut
Boroughs in Litchfield County, Connecticut