North Haven is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

in New Haven County,

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

, United States on the outskirts of

New Haven New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is the third largest city in Co ...

. The town is part of the South Central Connecticut Planning Region. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 24,253. North Haven is home of the

Quinnipiac University Quinnipiac University ( ) is a private university in Hamden, Connecticut, United States. The university grants undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees. It also hosts the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute. History What became ...

School of Health Sciences, the School of Nursing, School of Law, School of Education, and School of Medicine on Bassett Road. North Haven has easy access to

Interstate 91 Interstate 91 (I-91) is an Interstate Highway in the New England region of the United States. It is the primary north–south thoroughfare in the western part of the region. Its southern terminus is in New Haven, Connecticut, at I-95, whi ...

and the Wilbur Cross Parkway ( Route 15). It is near Sleeping Giant State Park and less than from downtown

and

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

History

In his will of 1714, the Reverend James Pierpont (1659–1714) of New Haven gave to his neighbors in the Northeast Parish, as North Haven was called, "provided those neighbors will set their meeting house there and do their training and burying there." The first meeting house, completed in 1722, stood on the Green, west of what is now known as the Old Center Cemetery. About half of the original Pierpont gift remains today as the North Haven Green.

Ezra Stiles Ezra Stiles ( – May 12, 1795) was an American educator, academic, Congregationalist minister, theologian, and author. He is noted as the seventh president of Yale College (1778–1795) and one of the founders of Brown University. According ...

enumerated about forty families living in North Haven in the early part of the eighteenth century. All of these people were multipurpose farmers, producing what they needed for themselves and their families. In 1786, the General Assembly permitted North Haven to incorporate as a town, separate from New Haven. New roads were built to facilitate communication, namely the Hartford Turnpike in 1798 and the Middletown Turnpike in 1813. The first United States census counted 1,236 people in the agricultural community of North Haven in 1790. However, the 1789 Grand List had found 1,620 sheep in North Haven, with the sheep outnumbering the residents. By the middle of the nineteenth century, signs of the

Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution, sometimes divided into the First Industrial Revolution and Second Industrial Revolution, was a transitional period of the global economy toward more widespread, efficient and stable manufacturing processes, succee ...

were apparent. In 1838, the New Haven and Hartford Railroad had laid its tracks along the level sand plains by the

Quinnipiac River The Quinnipiac River ( ) is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 1, 2011 long river in the New England region of the United States, located entirely in the state of ...

. In addition, small industries such as the manufacture of agricultural implements in Clintonville began in 1830. In the 1850 census, 62% of the population was listed as farmers. One-third of the residents worked in various nonagricultural occupations such as mechanics, brickmakers, and shoemakers. After the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

, the expanding production of bricks, especially by the I.L. Stiles Co., brought immigrants to North Haven from Ireland, Germany, Italy, and Poland. By 1880, 11 out of 100 people had been born outside of the United States. In the 1880s, Solomon Linsley, a North Haven architect, built the Memorial Town Hall and the new District 4 School. Linsley designed and built 32 Victorian style houses and public buildings in North Haven. By 1900, public transportation was important to North Haven residents. Eighteen passenger trains stopped at the Broadway station every day. The Airline Railroad ran through Montowese and Clintonville to Middletown. Trolleys ran from Montowese to New Haven. After 1900, the line was extended north to Wallingford. After

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, the automobile changed life in this country town. The brickyards along the river were the major industry. However, residents who owned a car could live in North Haven and commute to New Haven for their jobs. Small real estate development began to grow up along the southern edge of town. Significant population growth occurred at the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. North Haven's population increased rapidly, quadrupling between 1945 and 1970. The establishment of two factories,

Pratt & Whitney Pratt & Whitney is an American aerospace manufacturer with global service operations. It is a subsidiary of RTX Corporation (formerly Raytheon Technologies). Pratt & Whitney's aircraft engines are widely used in both civil aviation (especially ...

and Marlin Firearms, spurred the subsequent population increase. This population shift necessitated the building of a new police station, firehouse, library, and five schools in the 1950s and 1960s to accommodate the needs of the growing community. The town continues to grow and expand until this day. In spite of its rapid growth throughout the past few decades, however, this

New England New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...

town still retains its

town meeting Town meeting, also known as an "open town meeting", is a form of local government in which eligible town residents can directly participate in an assembly which determines the governance of their town. Unlike representative town meeting where ...

form of government. Those interested in an in-depth look at the history of North Haven should refer to ''Amidst Cultivated and Pleasant Fields: A Bicentennial History of North Haven, Connecticut'' by Lucy McTeer Brusic. Several copies are available to borrow at the North Haven Memorial Library.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the town has a total area of 21.1 square miles (54.6 km), of which 20.8 square miles (53.8 km) is land and 0.3 square miles (0.8 km), or 1.52%, is water. North Haven is located less than from

Long Island Sound Long Island Sound is a sound (geography), marine sound and tidal estuary of the Atlantic Ocean. It lies predominantly between the U.S. state of Connecticut to the north and Long Island in New York (state), New York to the south. From west to east, ...

. North Haven is south of

Hartford Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...

, northeast of

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, west of Providence and southwest of

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

. The center of town is an area stretching along

U.S. Route 5 U.S. Route 5 (US 5) is a north–south United States Numbered Highway running through the New England states of Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Vermont. Significant cities along the route include New Haven, Connecticut; Hartford, Conn ...

, from approximately its interchange with I-91 in the north to Bailey Road in the south. North Haven borders the City of New Haven and the towns of East Haven, Hamden, North Branford, and Wallingford.

Principal communities

*North Haven Center *Clintonville *Montowese *Green Acres *Ridge Road

Demographics

In the 2010 decennial census, information on North Haven was organized according to the North Haven Census Designated Place (CDP), having an area of . As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 24,093 people, 9,491 households, and 6,632 families residing in the town. The racial makeup of the town was

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, Native American, Asian,

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, 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 th ...

, from other races, and from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were of the population. Of the 9,491 households in the North Haven CDP, had children under the age of 18 living with them, were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, had a female householder with no husband present, and were non-families. Of all households were made up of individuals, and had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61, and the average family size was 3.09. As of the 2010 census, there were people under the age of 18; from 18 to 24; from 25 to 44; from 45 to 64; and who were 65 years of age or older, 5 of these being more than 100 years old. The median age was 45.5 years. Among the 24,093 people in the CDP, were male and female. The 2019 median income for a household in the town was US$96,598, and the median income for a family was US$119,371; this compares to median values in 2010 of US$83,588 and US$94,916 (US$98,002 and US$111,283, respectively, in 2019 dollars). ----Conversion from 2010 to 2019 dollars done using the online site https://www.in2013dollars.com/. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $47,106 in 2019, as compared to $38,286 in 2010 ($44,888 in 2019 dollars). ----Conversion from 2010 to 2019 dollars done using the online site https://www.in2013dollars.com/. In 2019, men had a median income of US$63,030 versus US$44,826 for women; this can be compared to 2010 values of US$53,365 and US$33,075, respectively (US$114,901 and US$52,556, respectively, in 2019 dollars). ----Conversion from 2010 to 2019 dollars done using the online site https://www.in2013dollars.com/. The

percent difference In any quantitative science, the terms relative change and relative difference are used to compare two quantities while taking into account the "sizes" of the things being compared, i.e. dividing by a ''standard'' or ''reference'' or ''starting ...

between the earnings of men and women narrowed between 2010 and 2019, going from 47% to 34%. In 2010, about 2.0% of families lived 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 ...

; this had increased to about 3.5% by 2019, as compared to the state rate of about 6.8%. ---- ---- In 2010, about individuals living below the poverty line; this had increased to about in 2019, as compared to the state rate of about . ---- ---- For 2019, those people living below the poverty line included 281 (6.8%) people below 18 years of age and 239 (4.5%) people 65 years or older.

Political registration

The table below shows both party registration and activity. The increase decrease indicators refer to percentage changes in excess of 1%; where change has been <1%, the no change indicator was used. Minor parties represented in all three years 2000, 2010 and 2020 were the

Green Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by a com ...

and

Libertarian Libertarianism (from ; or from ) is a political philosophy that holds freedom, personal sovereignty, and liberty as primary values. Many libertarians believe that the concept of freedom is in accord with the Non-Aggression Principle, according ...

Parties. The

Reform Reform refers to the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc. The modern usage of the word emerged in the late 18th century and is believed to have originated from Christopher Wyvill's Association movement, which ...

Party was represented in 2000, but was replaced by the

Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

Party in 2010 and 2020.

Economy

North Haven has a growing commercial, retailing and manufacturing base which employs approximately 12,640 people. There are more than 75 manufacturing and commercial firms in North Haven, 40 of which are assessed at over $1,000,000. North Haven has five industrial parks containing , and hosts such corporate tenants as Connecticut Container Corp. and O.F. Mossberg & Sons. In 2013, Sustainable Building Systems, an international construction and tech firm, will consolidate its headquarters in North Haven, creating over 400 jobs. North Haven is a division headquarters for surgical device-maker

Medtronic Medtronic plc is an American-Irish medical device company. The company's legal and executive headquarters are in Republic of Ireland, Ireland, while its operational headquarters are in Minneapolis, Minneapolis, Minnesota. Medtronic rebased to I ...

. In summer 2019,

Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon (company), an American multinational technology company * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek myth ...

began operating an 855,000 square-foot fulfillment center in North Haven, providing over 1,500 jobs. The facility is capable of shipping over 1,000,000 items per day. The economy of North Haven is also based on education. North Haven is home to several of

's graduate schools. It is also the home to a branch of Gateway Community College and

The University of Connecticut The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university system with its main campus in Storrs, Connecticut, United States. It was founded in 1881 as the Storrs Agricultural School, named after two benefactors. In 1893, ...

New Haven County Extension Center. North Haven is near

and other New-Haven based schools, making it a popular place to live for university faculty and staff.

Top employers

Top employers in North Haven according to the town's 2023 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report

Education

There are four public elementary schools in North Haven: * Clintonville * Green Acres * Montowese * Ridge Road There is also one public middle school and one public high school: * North Haven Middle School * North Haven High School Gateway Community College used to have a North Haven campus located on Bassett Road. The main campus building was originally part of the North Haven public school system until its sale to the college.

operates a graduate education campus in town. The university purchased the campus from Wellpoint, Inc. in September 2007. The university renovated an existing building on the campus, which now serves as home to the Frank H. Netter M.D. School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University, the School of Health Sciences, the School of Nursing, the School of Law, and the School of Education.

New Haven County Extension Center is also located in North Haven.

Notable people

* David Apter (1924–2010), political scientist and sociologist * Michael Barbaro (born 1979), journalist and host of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' news podcast, '' The Daily'' * Giovanni Calderón (born 2002), soccer player * Joshua Calderón (1996), soccer player * Charles H. Eglee (born 1951), television and film screenwriter and producer *

Dan Fegan Dan Fegan (February 11, 1962 – February 25, 2018) was an American sports agent and lawyer, active within the National Basketball Association. Biography Fegan graduated from Yale Law School and operated out of a Los Angeles law firm. His first c ...

(1962–2018), NBA agent, North Haven High School and Yale Law School alumni * Kevin Gilbride (born 1951), former offensive coordinator, New York Giants * Donald Kagan (1932–2021), historian and classicist at

* Paul Marcarelli (born 1970), actor and screenwriter * John M. Merriman (1946–2022), Yale professor, French historian, and writer * Tim O'Brien (born 1964), illustrator and President of the Society of Illustrators * Barbara Ostfeld (born 1952), first female cantor to be ordained in Reform Judaism *

John Aristotle Phillips John Aristotle Phillips (born August 23, 1955) is a U.S. entrepreneur specializing in political campaigns, who became famous for attempting to design a nuclear weapon while a student, leading to him being dubbed The A-Bomb Kid by the media. "A-Bo ...

(born 1955), entrepreneur *

(1727–1795), president of Yale University * David Vanacore, composer * Tiffany Weimer (born 1983), soccer player

In popular culture

The 2017

Hallmark Channel Hallmark Channel is an American cable television network owned by Hallmark Media, a subsidiary of Hallmark Cards. The channel broadcasts family-oriented general entertainment programming, including television series and made-for-TV movies. ...

Christmas movie "Romance at Reindeer Lodge" was primarily filmed on location at a North Haven home.

Notable sites

* Peter's Rock *

State Park * Wharton Brook State Park

References

External links

Town of North Haven official website
{{authority control Towns in New Haven County, Connecticut Towns in the New York metropolitan area Towns in Connecticut Towns in South Central Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut