Rocky Hill is a town in

Hartford County Hartford County is a county located in the north central part of the U.S. state of Connecticut. According to the 2020 census, the population was 899,498, making it the second-most populous county in Connecticut. Hartford County contains th ...

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 (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the ...

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 Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

. 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 A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many o ...

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 t ...

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 Ames Department Stores Inc. was an American chain of discount stores based in Rocky Hill, Connecticut, United States. The company was founded in 1958 with a store in Southbridge, Massachusetts, and at its peak operated 700 stores in 20 states, ...

, 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. The Census Bureau is part 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 the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitu ...

to the southwest, and

Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three Ki ...

to the south. The

Connecticut River The Connecticut River is the longest river in the New England region of the United States, flowing roughly southward for through four states. It rises 300 yards (270 m) south of the U.S. border with Quebec, Canada, and discharges at Long Islan ...

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 Connec ...

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, Queensland Canada * British Columbia Highway 99 * Ontario Highway 99 (former) * Saskatchewan Highway 99 China * G99 Expressway India * National Highway 99 (India) ...

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. Glastonbur ...

. 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 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 ...

, 3.42%

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 ...

, 0.11% 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 O ...

, 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 ...

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 ...

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 is the local school district. Rocky Hill High School 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 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