Easton is a town in
Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 7,605 at the time of the
2020 census.
Easton contains the historic district of
Aspetuck Aspetuck is a village, which in Connecticut is an unincorporated community on the Aspetuck River, in Fairfield County, Connecticut, mostly in the town of Easton but extending also into Weston.
It is significant for being the location of the Aspect ...
and the
Plattsville census-designated place
A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only.
CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...
. Part of the
Greater Bridgeport
Greater Bridgeport is the metropolitan area centered on the city of Bridgeport in the U.S. state of Connecticut. The area is located in Southwestern Connecticut. In its most conservative form the area consists of the city of Bridgeport and fiv ...
area, which is in turn a part of the
New York metropolitan statistical area, it is bordered by the towns of
Fairfield, Connecticut
Fairfield is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It borders the city of Bridgeport and towns of Trumbull, Easton, Weston, and Westport along the Gold Coast of Connecticut. As of 2020 the town had a population of 61,512 ...
to the south,
Redding to the north,
Weston to the west, and
Monroe and
Trumbull Trumbull may refer to:
Places United States
* Trumbull County, Ohio
** Trumbull Township, Ashtabula County, Ohio
* Trumbull, Connecticut
* Trumbull, Nebraska
* Fort Trumbull, Connecticut
* Mount Trumbull Wilderness in Arizona
People Surname
* ...
to the east.
History
Easton was first settled in 1757 by men and women from Fairfield. In 1762 a congregation called the North Fairfield Society was established, and it gradually evolved into Easton. In 1787 Weston, then including lands now defined as Easton, was incorporated out of Fairfield. The area was slow to develop because of the rough hills along the
Aspetuck River
The Aspetuck River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 1, 2011 river in the U.S. state of Connecticut. The river rises in the hills located in Huntington State Par ...
, and so it was not until 1845 that what is now Easton separated from Weston. Today, half of the town's property is owned by the Aquarion Water Company of Connecticut, the major supplier of water in the area.
The deaf and blind activist
Helen Keller lived the last several years of her life in Easton. Her house is still intact today and has been owned by several families since her death. The local middle school is named for her.
The 2009
Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree was a
Norway Spruce
''Picea abies'', the Norway spruce or European spruce, is a species of spruce native to Northern, Central and Eastern Europe.
It has branchlets that typically hang downwards, and the largest cones of any spruce, 9–17 cm long. It is very close ...
donated from a private residence in Easton.
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 town has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it (4.2%) is water.
Demographics
As of the census
of 2010, there were 7,490 people, 2,465 households, and 2,077 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 2,511 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 96.74%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
, 0.22%
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 0.04%
Native American, 2.02%
Asian
Asian may refer to:
* Items from or related to the continent of Asia:
** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia
** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia
** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 0.01%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...
, 0.41% from
other races, and 0.55% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...
or
Latino
Latino or Latinos most often refers to:
* Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America
* Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States
* The people or cultures of Latin America;
** Latin A ...
of any race were 1.76% of the population.
Of the 2,465 households, 42.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 75.8% were married couples living together, 6.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 15.7% were non-families. 12.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.95 and the average family size was 3.23 individuals.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 21.7% under the age of 18, 5.5% from 18 to 24, 24.7% from 25 to 44, 37% from 45 to 64, and 16.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.3 males. The sex ratio is 94.3 males per 100 females.
The median income for a household in the town was $132,000, and the median income for a family was $155,227. Males had a median income of $101,636 versus $83,333 for females. The per capita income for the town was $59,546. About 2.2% of families and 3.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.4% of those under age 18 and 2.6% of those age 65 or over.
Arts and culture
Places listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
include
Aspetuck Historic District,
Ida Tarbell House, and
Bradley-Hubbell House. The annual Easton Fireman's Carnival is an event run by the Easton Fire Department that occurs every summer. It features games and food in addition to rides provided by the Stewart Amusement Company. The carnival's proceeds help pay the yearly operating costs, improvements to house and equipment, and high priority gear. In 2020, the carnival was canceled for the first time in 63 years due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
.
Government
Historically, Easton has been a reliably Republican stronghold. However, in
2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...
, town residents voted for
Democrat
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (United States) (D)
**Democratic ...
Hillary Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...
with a plurality. In
2020
2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...
,
Joe Biden improved upon the Democratic margin in the town.
2019 municipality election
Easton was seen as a shifting-
liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
town in the wake of the 2019 municipality election. In the
First Selectman election,
Democrat
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (United States) (D)
**Democratic ...
David Bindelglass won, defeating
Republican Wendy Bowditch. It was an upset, as Easton is known to be a solid-
Republican stronghold.
Education
Easton has three schools: Samuel Staples Elementary school, for children in grades from kindergarten to 5th grade, Helen Keller Middle School, for children in grades 6 through 8, and the private school Easton Country Day for children K–12 (formerly Phoenix Academy). High school students attend
Joel Barlow High School
Joel Barlow High School is a public high school serving students in ninth through twelfth grades in Redding, Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The school serves Easton and Redding students.
The school is the sole institution in the ...
in Redding.
Media
Easton is served by multiple
TV stations, notably
WTNH
WTNH (channel 8) is a television station licensed to New Haven, Connecticut, United States, serving the Hartford–New Haven market as an affiliate of ABC. It is owned by Nexstar Media Group alongside MyNetworkTV affiliate WCTX (channel 59), al ...
,
WFSB,
WVIT
WVIT (channel 30) is a television station licensed to New Britain, Connecticut, United States, broadcasting NBC programming to the Hartford–New Haven market. It is owned and operated by the network's NBC Owned Television Stations division alo ...
, among many others.
Easton is also served by
New York City Metropolitan Area
The New York metropolitan area, also commonly referred to as the Tri-State area, is the largest metropolitan area in the world by urban area, urban landmass, at , and one of the list of most populous metropolitan areas, most populous urban agg ...
stations because the town is in that area.
Easton also is in the radius of many
radio stations. Most notably
WSHU,
WFOX,
WEBE
WEBE (107.9 FM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Westport, Connecticut, carrying an adult contemporary format known as "WEBE108". Owned by Connoisseur Media, the station serves both the Greater New Haven and Fairfield County areas. The ...
, and
WEZN.
Newspapers
Easton has many local
newspaper
A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background.
Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, sports a ...
s of its own, but most of them are not well documented, with almost no info on them online. Despite this, these newspapers are printed and physical.
Easton Courier (1978–2018)
The Easton Courier began production in 1978.
It was a print newspaper, different than its successor in 2020. It stopped publication in 2018 due to a lack of advertisements.
Easton Courier (2020–present)
The successor to the Easton Courier began work in 2018 after its closure. It began when Jim Castonguay, Director of the School of Communications, Media and the Arts at
Sacred Heart University, reached out to former Easton Courier chief editor Nancy Doniger via
LinkedIn
LinkedIn () is an American business and employment-oriented online service that operates via websites and mobile apps. Launched on May 5, 2003, the platform is primarily used for professional networking and career development, and allows job se ...
, proposing the idea of a news publication created by students and faculty partnered up with the citizens of Easton. Local leaders embraced the idea after being presented with it. The newspaper began publication on February 29, 2020, as an online source with involvement from the town government. Since the newspaper is a
nonprofit
A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
, it runs on
donations from the public. An article asking for your donation remains continuously on the newspaper's website
due to that fact. A new article about donations appeared on December 18, 2021, but it isn't continuously being featured.
Infrastructure
Emergency medical services
Easton Volunteer Emergency Medical Service was established in 1946 and currently has two ambulances, a staff of three Chief officers, two career technicians and 29 volunteers.
Fire department
Easton is protected by eight paid firefighters of the Easton Fire Department (EFD) and the volunteer firefighters of the Easton Volunteer Fire Company # 1. Founded in 1921, EFD operates out of one fire station, and runs an apparatus fleet of three engines, one attack engine, one haz-mat unit, one brush unit, and one command vehicle. The Easton Fire Department responds to over 500 emergency calls annually. In 2015, the fire department responded to 539 incidents.
Police department
The Easton Police Department includes a K9 unit, D.A.R.E, and an animal control unit. The Easton Police Explorer Post 2001 is an affiliated with the department. Easton Police are also first responders for all EMS calls in town. They are all certified EMR's or EMT's and can provide oxygen, perform basic first aid, and defibrillation.
Bridge
The
Route 59 bridge in Easton, which carries more than 10,000 cars and trucks every day over the
Mill River, has a substructure rated in critical condition by state safety inspectors. In 2007, the bridge was one of 12 in the southwestern part of the state with "critical" safety inspection ratings.
Bridge Construction
In 2019, construction was conducted on a South Park Avenue bridge over
Mill River which ended in the summer of 2020. In May 2021, construction on another bridge on South Park Avenue began which ended in December of the same year.
Notable people
*
Anne Baxter
Anne Baxter (May 7, 1923 – December 12, 1985) was an American actress, star of Hollywood films, Broadway productions, and television series. She won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe, and was nominated for an Emmy.
A granddaughter of Fra ...
, actress
[
* Phoebe Brand, blacklisted actress
* Elise Broach, children's book author
* Morris Carnovsky, actor
* ]Hume Cronyn
Hume Blake Cronyn Jr. OC (July 18, 1911 – June 15, 2003) was a Canadian-American actor and writer.
Early life
Cronyn, one of five children, was born in London, Ontario, Canada. His father, Hume Blake Cronyn, Sr., was a businessman and ...
, actor[https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C06E3DA153DF93BA25753C1A9649C8B63&sec=&pagewanted=print Kaufman, Joanne. "Weekender: Easton, Conn." article in '']The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', October 12, 2002, accessed September 25, 2006
* Debrah Farentino
Debrah Farentino (born September 30, 1959) is an American actress, producer and journalist. She began her career starring in the CBS daytime soap opera ''Capitol'' from 1982 to 1987, before moving to prime time with a female leading role in the ...
, actress and journalist
* Edna Ferber
Edna Ferber (August 15, 1885 – April 16, 1968) was an American novelist, short story writer and playwright. Her novels include the Pulitzer Prize-winning '' So Big'' (1924), ''Show Boat'' (1926; made into the celebrated 1927 musical), '' Cim ...
, playwright and novelist[
* ]Eileen Fulton
Eileen Fulton (born Margaret Elizabeth McLarty; September 13, 1933) is an American actress. She is known for her television role as Lisa Grimaldi, Lisa on the CBS soap opera ''As the World Turns'', a role that she played almost continuously for 5 ...
, TV actress[
* Helen Keller, blind and deaf author; the town’s middle school is named in her honor][
* Kevin Kilner, stage/television/movie actor
* ]Gary Mendell
Gary Mendell is the Chairman of HEI Hotels & Resorts, and Founder & CEO of Shatterproof.org.
Gary Mendell is the founder and CEO of Shatterproof. Mendell founded Shatterproof following his son Brian's death in 2011 due to addiction. Mendell is t ...
, founder of the national non-profit Shatterproof[
* ]James Prosek
James Prosek (born May 23, 1975) is an United States of America, American artist, writer and naturalist. He was born in Connecticut and grew up in the town of Easton, CT where he still lives. His father was born in Santos, Brazil and his mother i ...
, painter and author
* Dan Rather, CBS News anchor
* Igor Sikorsky
Igor Ivanovich Sikorsky (russian: И́горь Ива́нович Сико́рский, p=ˈiɡərʲ ɪˈvanəvitʃ sʲɪˈkorskʲɪj, a=Ru-Igor Sikorsky.ogg, tr. ''Ígor' Ivánovich Sikórskiy''; May 25, 1889 – October 26, 1972)Fortie ...
, aircraft designer[
* Jessica Tandy, actress][
* ]Ida M. Tarbell
Ida Minerva Tarbell (November 5, 1857January 6, 1944) was an American writer, investigative journalist, biographer and lecturer. She was one of the leading muckrakers of the Progressive Era of the late 19th and early 20th centuries and pione ...
, "muckraker
The muckrakers were reform-minded journalists, writers, and photographers in the Progressive Era in the United States (1890s–1920s) who claimed to expose corruption and wrongdoing in established institutions, often through sensationalist publ ...
" known for helping to break up the Standard Oil monopoly"[
* Johnny Winter, blues guitarist][
]
See also
* 1807 Weston meteorite. Fell in portion of Weston which is now modern-day Easton
Notes
External links
Town of Easton official website
Historical Society of Easton official website
of ''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', July 8, 2001
{{authority control
Towns in Fairfield County, Connecticut
Towns in the New York metropolitan area
Towns in Connecticut