Stafford is a
town
A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world.
Origin and use
The word "town" shares an ori ...
in
Tolland County
Tolland County is a county in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Connecticut. As of the 2020 census, its population was 149,788. It is incorporated into 13 towns and was originally formed on 13 October 1785 from portions of eastern H ...
,
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 capita ...
,
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 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
, settled in 1719. The population was 11,472 at the
2020 United States Census
The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...
. The community consists of the downtown area of
Stafford Springs and the more rural villages of Crystal Lake, Ellithorpe,
Hydeville, Orcuttsville, Staffordville,
Stafford Hollow, Village Hill, and West Stafford. The town most likely derives its name from
Staffordshire, in England.
History
The Colonial Town of Stafford began as a
rural
In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry typically are descri ...
agricultural community in the eastern part of
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 the ...
. It became part of
Tolland County
Tolland County is a county in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Connecticut. As of the 2020 census, its population was 149,788. It is incorporated into 13 towns and was originally formed on 13 October 1785 from portions of eastern H ...
upon the latter's formation on 13 October 1785. The easy availability of water power from the tributaries of the
Willimantic River
The Willimantic River is a tributary of the Shetucket River, approximately 25 mi (40 km) long in northeastern Connecticut in the New England region of the United States.
It is formed in northern Tolland County, near Stafford Springs ...
led to
industrialization, and this abundance of power helped generate local population growth. By the mid-19th century, Stafford was connected by
railroad
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...
to markets across
New England
New England is a region comprising 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 Can ...
, and before the State Highway projects of the 1920s and 1930s, the town had a
trolley connection to Rockville, CT.
During the
Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same 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 ...
, factories in Stafford made cannonballs and other war supplies for the northern forces.
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 t ...
, the town has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it (1.38%) is water; it is the 4th largest town in Connecticut based on area.
Stafford Springs is located at the intersection of Routes
190
Year 190 ( CXC) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Aurelius and Sura (or, less frequently, year 943 ''Ab urbe condita'' ...
and
32, in the northeastern region of the state. The community consists of the downtown area of
Stafford Springs and the more rural villages of Crystal Lake, Ellithorpe,
Hydeville, Orcuttsville, Staffordville,
Stafford Hollow, Village Hill, and West Stafford.
While the town has managed to maintain its
New England
New England is a region comprising 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 Can ...
mill-town charm and culture, it is also a bedroom commuter town feeding into larger area communities. Many residents drive into
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 ...
,
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
, and
Enfield
Enfield may refer to:
Places Australia
* Enfield, New South Wales
* Enfield, South Australia
** Electoral district of Enfield, a state electoral district in South Australia, corresponding to the suburb
** Enfield High School (South Australia)
...
,
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 capita ...
, as well as
Springfield,
Massachusetts
Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...
, all of which can be reached in about a 30-mile auto commute. It is also about a half-hour drive to the
University of Connecticut
The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university in Storrs, Connecticut, a village in the town of Mansfield. The primary 4,400-acre (17.8 km2) campus is in Storrs, approximately a half hour's drive from H ...
's main campus in
Storrs.
The highest point in town is the western slope of Burley Hill at 1,300'.
Burley Hill's "summit" is 1,315'.
Demographics
In 2011, there were 12,192 people, 4,819 households, and 3,086 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 4,956 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 95.51%
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 o ...
, 0.69%
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 ...
, 0.16%
Native American, 1.10%
Asian, and 2.53% from
other races
Other often refers to:
* Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy
Other or The Other may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack
* ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
or 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 forme ...
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 3.04% of the population.
In 2019, there were 11,893 people and 4,707 households residing in the town. The population density was . The racial makeup of the town was 94.7%
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 o ...
, 0.9%
Black or African American, 0.1%
American Indian and Alaska Native
Native Americans, also known as American Indians, First Americans, Indigenous Americans, and other terms, are the Indigenous peoples of the mainland United States (Indigenous peoples of Hawaii, Alaska and territories of the United States are ...
, 1.0%
Asian, 0.0%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, 3.0%
Two or More Races
2 (two) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 1 and preceding 3. It is the smallest and only even prime number. Because it forms the basis of a duality, it has religious and spiritual significance in many cultur ...
, 3.5%
Hispanic or Latino
''Hispanic'' and '' Latino'' are ethnonyms used to refer collectively to the inhabitants of the United States who are of Spanish or Latin American ancestry (). While the terms are sometimes used interchangeably, for example, by the United States ...
, 92.4%
White alone, not Hispanic or Latino.
The age population was evenly spread out, with 18.2% under the age of 18, 64.4% from 18 to 64, and 17.4% who were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females, there were 93.1 males.
The
median income for a household in the town was $74,386. 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 $37,359. About 6.2% of the population was 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 ...
.
Most of the town's population is located in 7 villages with nearly half in
Stafford Springs. The rest of the town, particularly the northern 1/3, is rural and forested.
Education
At the present time there are one primary, one elementary, one middle and one high school in Stafford.
The primary school, West Stafford, serves children in Pre-K and kindergarten. Stafford Elementary school serves children in grades one through five. The middle school is for grades 6–8, and the high school is grades 9–12.
Stafford High School fields competitive teams in football,
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...
, cross country, track,
soccer,
field hockey
Field hockey is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with ten outfield players and a goalkeeper. Teams must drive a round hockey ball by hitting it with a hockey stick towards the rival team's shooting ...
,
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...
and
softball
Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...
and in more recent years wrestling, as well as offering an active intramural sports program. Each spring the music, arts, and drama departments of the high and middle schools put on plays and musical productions. A variety of
extracurricular activities
An extracurricular activity (ECA) or extra academic activity (EAA) or cultural activities is an activity, performed by students, that falls outside the realm of the normal curriculum of school, college or university education. Such activities a ...
rounds out the school program.
Medical
Johnson Memorial Medical Center is a 90-bed acute care facility, located on Route 190 in Stafford, The Hospital offers inpatient and outpatient services, including medical and surgical,
obstetrics and
gynecology,
pediatrics, mental health, intensive/coronary care, oncology,
physical rehabilitation
Physical therapy (PT), also known as physiotherapy, is one of the allied health professions. It is provided by physical therapists who promote, maintain, or restore health through physical examination, diagnosis, management, prognosis, patien ...
and emergency care. The facility was built in 1975. It has an adjoining professional building which houses the practices of area doctors.
[Johnson Memorial Medical Center](_blank)
/ref>
Evergreen Health Care Center opened in 1989, is a nursing facility located on the hospital campus consisting of 120 long term care beds and a 30-bed sub-acute rehabilitation unit and a 30-bed Memory Support Unit for residents with Alzheimer's disease. Evergreen and JMH serve several area towns.
Family Birth Suites at the Nirenberg Center is a state of the art birthing center featuring six private birthing suites designed to accommodate patients throughout their stay, for labor, delivery, recovery, and postpartum care.
Evergreen, JMH, and the Nirenberg Center serve several area towns.
Stafford hosts offices of a number of physician
A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...
s, dentists, optometrists, chiropractor
Chiropractic is a form of alternative medicine concerned with the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of mechanical disorders of the musculoskeletal system, especially of the spine. It has esoteric origins and is based on several pseudoscien ...
s, physical therapist
Physical therapy (PT), also known as physiotherapy, is one of the allied health professions. It is provided by physical therapists who promote, maintain, or restore health through physical examination, diagnosis, management, prognosis, patien ...
s and other health professionals. The Stafford Veterinary Center serves the needs of large and small animals.
Recreation
The town has several tennis courts, ball fields, soccer fields, and several parks. In addition, there are private hunting and fishing clubs, as well as recreational swimming and tennis clubs. During the spring and summer there is an active Little League
Little League Baseball and Softball (officially, Little League Baseball Inc) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization[Stafford Motor Speedway
Stafford Motor Speedway is a semi-banked 1/2 mile paved oval located in Stafford Springs, Connecticut. Stafford Speedway holds weekly racing every Friday night May through September. This track is known as the home of the SK Modifieds and drive ...]
attracts tens of thousands of spectators every year and is a fixture of spring and summer. There is a small public beach on Staffordville Lake which is a summertime destination for many residents. Stafford also has (limited) access to Sandy Beach on Crystal Lake in Ellington. Plans are being developed to provide hiking and multi-use trails within Stafford. There are two bed and breakfast
Bed and breakfast (typically shortened to B&B or BnB) is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast. Bed and breakfasts are often private family homes and typically have between four and eleven rooms, wit ...
s as well as a few campgrounds (Sun Valley, Roaring Brook and Mineral Springs) that provide accommodation for visitors.
Government
Stafford is governed by a three-member Board of Selectmen, elected by voters in odd-numbered years for two-year terms. The Town has no charter but is governed under the general statutes of the State of Connecticut, and under ordinances specific to the Town which have been adopted by popular vote at town meetings.
Stafford is served by the Connecticut State Police
The Connecticut State Police (CSP) is a division of the Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection responsible for traffic regulation and law enforcement across the state of Connecticut, especially in areas not served by ...
through the Resident State Trooper program. The town has both CSP Uniformed troopers, as well as Stafford uniformed officers. The barracks of Troop C of the State Police are located nearby, just off Interstate Highway 84
The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Highway System (United States), National ...
in Tolland. Full-time and part-time constables also serve with resident troopers.
Two volunteer fire departments cover Stafford with strategically located firehouses (West Stafford Fire, Stafford Fire #1). The Stafford Fire Department has two locations, one in the Staffordville district (Station 145) and the second in the Stafford Springs District (Station 245). The Town also has a volunteer ambulance organization which serves the area.
The Stafford Public Library continually offers public service programs and special events for the community.http://www.staffordlibrary.org
/ref>
A modern sewer plant, constructed in 1972, serves about a third of the Town; the commercial and industrial areas of the Town lie largely in the Service District. Curbside pick-up of municipal refuse and recyclable materials is available within the Stafford Springs Service District.
In the Connecticut General Assembly
The Connecticut General Assembly (CGA) is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is a bicameral body composed of the 151-member House of Representatives and the 36-member Senate. It meets in the state capital, Hartford. Th ...
, Stafford is represented by State Representative Kurt Vail
Kurt Vail is an American politician and member of the Republican party. He is a current member of the Connecticut House of Representatives representing Connecticut's 52nd assembly district in the General Assembly. The district is made up of al ...
and State Senator Dan Champagne
Dan Champagne is an American politician currently serving as a Connecticut State senator representing the 35th District. Which encompasses various towns in Northeastern Connecticut. Champagne was first elected in 2018 and is a member of the Republ ...
.
Notable people
* Alvin Alden (1818–1882), Wisconsin state legislator; born in town
* Jack Arute
Jack Arute III ( ; born September 28, 1950) is an American former sportscaster for the NFL and college sports for Sirius XM Radio. He used to be an auto racing pit reporter and college football sideline reporter for ESPN and ABC, and covered the ...
(born 1950), sports commentator and president Stafford Motor Speedway
Stafford Motor Speedway is a semi-banked 1/2 mile paved oval located in Stafford Springs, Connecticut. Stafford Speedway holds weekly racing every Friday night May through September. This track is known as the home of the SK Modifieds and drive ...
* Penny Bacchiochi
Penny Bacchiochi (born ) is an American Republican politician, who served as a state representative in Connecticut. She was first elected to the House in 2002 and was re-elected in 2004 and 2006. She unsuccessfully sought the office of Lieutenant ...
(born ), former Connecticut House of Representatives
The Connecticut State House of Representatives is the lower house in the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The house is composed of 151 members representing an equal number of districts, with ...
legislator
A legislator (also known as a deputy or lawmaker) is a person who writes and passes laws, especially someone who is a member of a legislature. Legislators are often elected by the people of the state. Legislatures may be supra-national (for ex ...
; raised in town
* Matt Bessette
Matthew James Bessette (born December 28, 1984) is a retired American mixed martial artist currently competing in CES MMA where he is the reigning Featherweight Champion. A professional competitor since 2007, he has also competed for Bellato ...
(born 1984), American mixed martial artist
* John Buckley (1885–1959), Connecticut state legislator and US district attorney; born in town
* Ernest Cady
Ernest Cady (September 6, 1842 – February 16, 1908) was an American businessman and politician who served as the 65th Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut from 1893 to 1895.
Early life
Cady was born on September 6, 1842 in Stafford, Connectic ...
(1842–1908), 45th Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut
* Attilio R. Frassinelli
Attilio R. "Pop" Frassinelli (August 7, 1907 – February 9, 1976) was an American politician who was the 98th lieutenant governor of Connecticut from 1967 to 1971.
Early life
Frassinelli was born August 7, 1907, in Stafford Springs, Tolland Coun ...
(1907–1976), 78th Lieutenant Governor of 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 capita ...
from 1967 to 1971
* Moses G. Leonard (1809–1899), US Congressman for New York; born in town
* Charles Lewandoski (born 1985), former NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and ...
driver
* Erasmus D. Peck (1808–1879), US Congressman for Ohio
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
; born in town
Climate
References
External links
Town government Web site
Stafford Public Schools Website
View of Stafford Springs in 1878
{{authority control
Towns in Tolland County, Connecticut
Towns in Connecticut
Greater Hartford
1719 establishments in the Thirteen Colonies