Rocky Hill is a town in Hartford County,

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 United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

. The population was 20,845 at the 2020 census. It was originally land of the Wangunks (a tribe of Native Americans). Europeans began to settle the area of Rocky Hill in 1650, as part of Wethersfield, the neighboring town to the north. In 1722, the area became known as Stepney Parish, until it was independently incorporated in 1843. Rocky Hill’s location on the Connecticut River made it a natural port for Wethersfield and an early center for shipbuilding, agricultural, and trade. Rocky Hill is a typical bedroom community as many residents commute to work in the larger urban centers of

Hartford Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since ...

to the north 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 134,023 ...

to the south. Rocky Hill is the home to the Dinosaur State Park. Rocky Hill also was once the headquarters of Ames Department Stores, which ceased business operations in 2002.

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 An economy is an area of th ...

, the town has a total area of . is land and (2.78%) is water. Bordering Rocky Hill to the north is Wethersfield, with Newington to the northwest,

Berlin Berlin is Capital of Germany, the capital and largest city of Germany, both by area and List of cities in Germany by population, by population. Its more than 3.85 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European U ...

to the southwest, and Cromwell to the south. The Connecticut River forms the eastern border.

Interstate 91 Interstate 91 (I-91) is an Interstate Highway in the New England region of the United States. It provides the primary north–south thoroughfare in the western part of the region. The Interstate generally follows the course of the Connect ...

runs through the town with exits at the two main local highways, Route 3 at exit 23 and

Route 99 International * European route E99 Australia * Springbrook Road, Springbrook Road, Queensland Canada * British Columbia Highway 99 * Ontario Highway 99 (former) * Saskatchewan Highway 99 China * G99 Taiwan Ring Expressway, G99 Expressway ...

at exit 24. Route 3 travels from Cromwell through Rocky Hill into Wethersfield, eventually crossing the Connecticut River into

Glastonbury Glastonbury (, ) is a town and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated at a dry point on the low-lying Somerset Levels, south of Bristol. The town, which is in the Mendip district, had a population of 8,932 in the 2011 census. Glastonb ...

. The north-south Route 99 parallels the Connecticut River for the length of town. The town of Rocky Hill is named after the ridge along the Connecticut River in the northeast section that is now Rocky Hill River Park.

Demographics

As of the 2000 Census, Rocky Hill had a population of 17,966 in 7,557 households, with 4,519 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 7,962 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 90.20%

White White is the lightness, 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 diffuse reflection, reflect and scattering, scatter all the ...

, 3.42%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

, 0.11% Native American, 3.97% Asian, 0.03%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of Ocea ...

, 1.01% from other races, and 1.27% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, 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 viceroyalties for ...

or Latino people of any race were 3.20% of the population. There were 7,557 households, out of which 24.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.9% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.2% were non-families. Of all households 32.5% were made up of individuals, and 9.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.93. In terms of age, 19.7% of the population were under the age of 18, 6.1% were between 18 and 24, 31.9% were 25 to 44, 25.8% were 45 to 64, and 16.5% were 65 or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.7 males. The

median household income The median income is the income amount that divides a population into two equal groups, half having an income above that amount, and half having an income below that amount. It may differ from the mean (or average) income. Both of these are ways of ...

in the town was $60,247, and the median income for a family was $72,726. Males had a median income of $48,555 versus $39,625 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the town was $29,701. About 1.2% of families and 2.9% 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 ...

, including 1.8% of those under age 18 and 3.0% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Rocky Hill Public Schools Rocky Hill Public Schools or Rocky Hill School District is a school district headquartered in Rocky Hill, Connecticut. Schools * Rocky Hill High School * Griswold Middle School * Moser School * Stevens Elementary School * West Hill Elementary Sc ...

is the local school district.

Rocky Hill High School Rocky Hill High School is a four year high school in Rocky Hill, Connecticut. Overview The school was constructed in 1980, and has a rated capacity of 750. The school underwent a $50 million, 3-year renovation from 2014-2017, which expanded th ...

has a student body of approximately 800 students. Albert D. Griswold Middle School enrolls about 600 students. Moser Intermediate School enrolls about 500 students. Stevens Elementary School enrolls about 500 students. West Hill Elementary School enrolls around 525 students.

Points of interest

* The

Rocky Hill-Glastonbury Ferry ''Rocky'' is a 1976 American sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It is the first installment in the ''Rocky'' franchise and stars Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, and Burgess ...

, which is purported to be the nation's oldest continuously running ferry service (though it closes every winter due to ice) * Dinosaur State Park, which displays fossilized dinosaur footprints discovered in Rocky Hill in the 1960s * Quarry Park, an park on a former trap rock quarry in northeast Rocky Hill that originally was in operation from the 1920s to the 1950s * The Connecticut Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped * The State Veteran's Home and Hospital, located in Rocky Hill since 1940 * Academy Hall, a museum run by the Rocky Hill Historical Society * The John Robbins House * Elm Street Historic District * Center Cemetery * Henkel Corporation's U.S. Headquarters for Adhesive Technologies and R&D * The headquarters of the

Connecticut Lottery The Connecticut Lottery Corporation, also called the CT Lottery, is the official lottery in Connecticut. It was created in 1971 by then-Gov. Thomas Meskill, who signed Public Act No. 865. The first tickets were sold on February 15, 1972. The Con ...

* The studios of CBS-affiliated television station WFSB Channel 3

References

External links

Town of Rocky Hill official websiteRocky Hill Historical Society
{{authority control Greater Hartford Connecticut populated places on the Connecticut River Towns in Connecticut Towns in Hartford County, Connecticut