Bloomfield is a

suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area. They are oftentimes where most of a metropolitan areas jobs are located with some being predominantly residential. They can either be denser or less densely populated ...

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 ...

in the

Capitol Planning Region, Connecticut The Capitol Planning Region is a planning region and county-equivalent in the U.S. state of Connecticut. As of the 2020 census, the population was 976,248, and was estimated to be 991,508 in 2024, making it the most populous planning region ...

, United States. The town's population was 21,535 at the 2020 census, Bloomfield's highest decennial census count ever. Bloomfield is best known as the

headquarters Headquarters (often referred to as HQ) notes the location where most or all of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. The term is used in a wide variety of situations, including private sector corporations, non-profits, mil ...

healthcare Health care, or healthcare, is the improvement or maintenance of health via the preventive healthcare, prevention, diagnosis, therapy, treatment, wikt:amelioration, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other disability, physic ...

services company

Cigna The Cigna Group is an American multinational for-profit managed healthcare and insurance company based in Bloomfield, Connecticut. Its insurance subsidiaries are major providers of medical, dental, disability, life and accident insurance and r ...

History

Originally land of the Poquonock Native Americans, the area was first settled in 1660 as part of Windsor, organized as the Parish of Wintonbury in 1736. Wintonbury comes from three names from neighboring towns Windsor, Farmington, and Simsbury. It was finally incorporated as the town of Bloomfield by 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. The ...

on May 28, 1835. Initially, the town's local economy was agriculturally based, mostly in shade tobacco, remaining as such until it developed as a postwar suburb of Hartford starting in the 1950s. Today, Bloomfield's local character varies. While the town's southern and eastern fringes are more densely populated and developed, the northern and western sections maintain a more rural feel with

meadow A meadow ( ) is an open habitat or field, vegetated by grasses, herbs, and other non- woody plants. Trees or shrubs may sparsely populate meadows, as long as they maintain an open character. Meadows can occur naturally under favourable con ...

s, woods, and some remaining farmland.

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 , of which is land and , or 0.63%, is water. Bloomfield is bordered by

Windsor Windsor may refer to: Places *Detroit–Windsor, Michigan-Ontario, USA-Canada, North America; a cross-border metropolitan region Australia New South Wales *Windsor, New South Wales ** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area Queen ...

to the northeast, East Granby to the north, Simsbury and Avon to the west, and

West Hartford West Hartford is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States, west of downtown Hartford. The town is part of the Capitol Planning Region. The population was 64,083 at the 2020 census. The town's popular downtown area is colloquiall ...

and

to the south. The northern border of Bloomfield is formed by the

Farmington River The Farmington River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 1, 2011 river located in northwest Connecticut, with major tributaries extending into southwest Massach ...

. The west side of the town is flanked by

Talcott Mountain Talcott Mountain of central Connecticut, with a high point of , is a long trap rock mountain ridge located west of the city of Hartford. The ridge, a prominent landscape feature, forms a continuous line of exposed western cliffs visible across ...

, part of the

Metacomet Ridge The Metacomet Ridge, Metacomet Ridge Mountains, or Metacomet Range of southern New England is a narrow and steep fault-block mountain ridge known for its extensive cliff faces, scenic vistas, microclimate ecosystems, and rare or endangered plants ...

, a mountainous

trap rock Trap rock, also known as either trapp or trap, is any dark-colored, fine-grained, non-granitic intrusive or extrusive igneous rock. Types of trap rock include basalt, peridotite, diabase, and gabbro.Neuendorf, K.K.E., J.P. Mehl, Jr., and J.A ...

ridgeline that stretches 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, ...

to nearly the

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

border. Notable features of the Metacomet Ridge in Bloomfield include Penwood State Park and the Tariffville Gorge of the Farmington River, on the borders of East Granby, Simsbury, and Bloomfield. The

Metacomet Trail The Metacomet Trail is a '' Blue-Blazed'' hiking trail that traverses the Metacomet Ridge of central Connecticut as part of the New England National Scenic Trail. Despite being easily accessible and close to large population centers, the tra ...

traverses the ridge.

Transportation

The major east–west throughway in Bloomfield is Route 218, which starts at the Simsbury Road/Hall Boulevard split at the

line and inches north toward Cottage Grove Road before heading eastbound. Bloomfield also has two major north–south highways: Blue Hills Avenue ( Route 187) and Bloomfield/Tunxis Avenues ( Route 189). These highways merge when approaching the

line but before returning to Bloomfield. Eleven bus routes in

Connecticut Transit CT Transit (styled as CT''transit'') is a public transportation bus system serving many metropolitan areas and their surrounding suburbs in the state of Connecticut. CT Transit is a division of the Connecticut Department of Transportation, alth ...

's Hartford Division serve Bloomfield: 36, 46, 50, 52, 54, 56, 72, 74, 76, 92, and 153.

Demographics

2020 census

2000 Census

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 20,486 people, 8,554 households, and 5,343 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 8,195 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 35.7%

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 ...

, 57.5%

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 ...

, 0.03% Native American, 1.9% Asian, 0.01%

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 ...

, 1.70% from other races, and 3% 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 5.6% of the population. There were 8,554 households, out of which 19.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.8% 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, 16.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.5% were non-families. 31.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.94. In the town, the population was spread out, with 21.4% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 24.5% from 25 to 44, 26.6% from 45 to 64, and 21.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47.9 years. For every 122 females there were 100 males. For every 130 females age 18 and over, there were 100 males. The median income for a household in the town was $73,519, and the median income for a family was $84,735. As of the

of 2000. Males had a median income of $42,860 versus $36,778 for females. 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 $28,843. U.S. Census Bureau, 2010-2014 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, About 5.8% of families and 7.9% 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 7.2% of those under age 18 and 6.7% of those age 65 or over.

Government and politics

Bloomfield has a

Town council A town council, city council or municipal council is a form of local government for small municipalities. Usage of the term varies under different jurisdictions. Republic of Ireland In 2002, 49 urban district councils and 26 town commissi ...

government. The Town Council elects a Chair, who is designated as Mayor, two weeks after the election. Mayor Danielle Wong began her first term as Mayor in November 2022. Bloomfield is reliably Democratic in presidential elections, having last voted Republican in

1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan after 57 years. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian Missionary, missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, E ...

Economy

Top employers

According to Bloomfield's 2023 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the town are:

Schools

Bloomfield is home to three secondary schools: the public Bloomfield High School, the inter-district Global Experience Magnet School (serving grades 6–12), and the Metropolitan Learning Center, a CREC school serving grades 6–12. Bloomfield Public Schools (Connecticut) also has: *Pre-K3–K The Wintonbury Early Childhood Magnet School *K–2 Laurel Elementary *3–4 Metacomet Elementary *5–6 Carmen Arace Intermediate *7–8 Carmen Arace Middle School

Sports

Bloomfield-based amateur soccer team 3rd Eye FC play in the United Premier Soccer League#Division 1[11United Premier Soccer League Division 1">1.html" ;"title="United Premier Soccer League#Division 1[11">United Premier Soccer League#Division 1[11United Premier Soccer League Division 1 New England Conference.

Notable people

* Clarence H. Adams (1905–1987), commissioner of U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and president of the Boston Celtics * George Ansbro (1915–2011), radio announcer * LeRoy Bailey Jr. (born 1946), pastor and author * Edward C. Banfield, political scientist * James G. Batterson (1823–1901), founder of Travelers Insurance Company * Julia Brace (1807–1884), deaf/blind woman of 19th Century *

Lawrence Clay-Bey Lawrence Marvin Clay-Bey (born December 14, 1965) is an American former professional boxer who fought at heavyweight. As an amateur he was a two-time winner (1995 and 1996) of the United States National Championships as well as a bronze medali ...

(born 1965), professional heavyweight boxer, born in town * Marcus Cooper (born 1990), cornerback for

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

* Joe D'Ambrosio (born 1953), sports broadcaster and play-by-play announcer *

Edgar Eno Edgar Eno was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly. Biography Eno was born on September 25, 1841, in Bloomfield, Connecticut. During the American Civil War, he was a member of the 12th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry Regiment of the Union Army ...

, state assemblyman for Wisconsin * Oliver Filley (1806–1881), mayor of St. Louis from 1858 to 1861 *

Dwight Freeney Dwight Jason Freeney (born February 18, 1980) is an American former professional football player who played as a defensive end and linebacker for 16 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), most notably as a member of the Indianapolis Col ...

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...

All-Pro defensive end for

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...

, attended Bloomfield High School * Bobby Gibson, educator and member of the

Connecticut House of Representatives The Connecticut 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 each ...

* Edward H. Gillette (1840–1918), congressman for Iowa, born in town *

Jessica Hecht Jessica Hecht (born June 28, 1965) is an American actress known for her roles as Gretchen Schwartz on ''Breaking Bad'', Susan Bunch on ''Friends'', Carol Mannheim on '' The Boys'', and Karen on ''Special''. She is also known for her expansive ...

(born 1965), actress *

Jaimoe John Lee Johnson (born July 8, 1944), frequently known by the stage names Jai Johanny Johanson and Jaimoe, is an American drummer and percussionist. He is best known as one of the founding members of the Allman Brothers Band and, with the death ...

, drummer for

Allman Brothers Band Allman may refer to: Music *The Allman Brothers Band, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame southern rock band, formed by Duane and Gregg Allman *The Allman Joys, an early band formed by Duane and Gregg Allman *The Gregg Allman Band People *Allman (surnam ...

* K.C. Jones (1932–2020),

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

Hall of Fame basketball player * Charles Kaman (1919–2011), aeronautical engineer, businessman, inventor and philanthropist *

Ellie Kanner Ellie Kanner, sometimes credited as Ellie Kanner-Zuckerman, is an American film and television director and former casting director. Career Kanner grew up in Bloomfield, Connecticut. From a young age, she wanted to move to Los Angeles and purs ...

, film and television director and former casting director *

Joža Karas Josef "Joža" Karas (May 3, 1926 – November 28, 2008) was a Polish-born Czech-American musician and teacher who located and made public music composed by inmates who worked at the Nazi concentration camp Theresienstadt during World War II. He ...

(1926–2008), musician and teacher who made public music composed by inmates of

Theresienstadt concentration camp Theresienstadt Ghetto was established by the SS during World War II in the fortress town of Terezín, in the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia ( German-occupied Czechoslovakia). Theresienstadt served as a waystation to the extermination c ...

during World War II *

Noella Marcellino Mother Noella Marcellino, O.S.B., (born Martha A. Marcellino; June 30, 1951) is an American Benedictine nun who has earned a doctorate in microbiology from the University of Connecticut. Studying fungi in France on a Fulbright Scholarship, she c ...

(born 1951),

Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...

nun who earned doctorate in microbiology from

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, ...

* Richard P. McBrien (1936-2015), Catholic theologian and author of landmark work 'Catholicism'. * Lewis Rome (1933–2015), state senator representing Bloomfield (1971–1979); long-time resident *

Anika Noni Rose Anika Noni Rose (born September 6, 1972) is an American actress. She is best known for voicing Tiana (The Princess and the Frog), Tiana in ''The Princess and the Frog'' (2009). She was named a Disney Legends, Disney Legend in 2011. Rose starred ...

(born 1972), singer and actress, born in town *

Nykesha Sales Nykesha Simone Sales (born May 10, 1976) is an American assistant coach at the University of Georgia. She is a former professional basketball player in the WNBA, as well as playing in the Bosnian league for the ZKK Mladi Krajisnik club. Her pri ...

(born 1976), WNBA basketball player, born in town *

Franz Schurmann Herbert Franz Schurmann (June 21, 1926 – August 20, 2010) was an American sociologist and historian who was best known for his research and writings about Communist China during the Cold War period. Schurmann taught at the University of Califo ...

(1926–2010), sociologist and historian * Johann Smith (born 1987), soccer player * Joseph M. Suggs Jr. (born 1940), politician, Bloomfield mayor, and

Connecticut State Treasurer The Connecticut State Treasurer serves the office of treasurer for the state of 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, Massachus ...

(1993–1995) * James Thorpe (1915–2009),

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private Ivy League research university in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial ...

professor and academic; lived his later years and died in town *

David Ushery David Ushery (born June 5, 1967) is an American television news anchor at WNBC News 4 New York, NBC's flagship owned and operated station. An integral member of the NBC 4 New York News team, Ushery has covered many of the largest and most visib ...

(born 1967), television news anchor. As of 2024 lead anchor at 4pm, 6pm, 11pm newscasts for WNBC4.https://www.ctinsider.com/news/article/david-ushery-nbc-4-new-york-chuck-scarborough-ct-19982134.php * Douglas Wimbish (born 1956), bass player

On the National Register of Historic Places

* Connecticut General Life Insurance Company (Cigna) Headquarters * Capt. Oliver Filley House

National Register of Historic Places listings in Hartford County, Connecticut __NOTOC__ This is a list of the National Register of Historic Places designations in Hartford County, Connecticut. This is intended to be a complete list of the properties and districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Hartford Co ...

* Francis Gillette House *

Old Farm Schoolhouse The Old Farm Schoolhouse, also known as the Brick School, is a historic schoolhouse at Park Ave. and School St. in Bloomfield, Connecticut. Built in 1795, it is the oldest surviving public building in Bloomfield. It was listed on the National R ...

* Southwest District School File:Connecticut General Life Insurance Company Headquarters.JPG, Cigna Headquarters File:Capt. Oliver Filley House.JPG, Capt. Oliver Filley House File:Francis Gillette House.JPG, Francis Gillette House File:Old Farm Schoolhouse.JPG, Old Farm Schoolhouse File:Southwest School District.JPG, Southwest School District

Places of interest

* The New England Muscle Bicycle Museum, with 120 bicycles from the 1960s and 1970s, is open by appointment *

The First Cathedral The First Cathedral, originally known as First Baptist Church, is a Black Baptist congregation in Hartford, Connecticut. It is the fifteenth oldest historically black church founded in the city and the third congregation to be known as First Ba ...

, the largest non-denominational church in

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 ...

References

External links

Town of Bloomfield official websiteWintonbury Historical SocietyBloomfield Public Library
{{authority control Towns in Hartford County, Connecticut Towns in Connecticut Greater Hartford Towns in Capitol Planning Region, Connecticut