Litchfield is a

borough A borough is an administrative division in various English language, English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History ...

in, and the village center of, the

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 ...

of Litchfield in Litchfield 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. The population was 1,258 at the 2010 census. The entire borough was designated a Connecticut

historic district A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains historic building, older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal p ...

in 1959 by special act of the state General Assembly and is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

. Part of the borough is also a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...

, the Litchfield Historic District.Borough of Litchfield Historic District Commission
Town of Litchfield website, accessed January 28, 2010

History

LitchfieldHD EastStreet houses on North side

The borough of Litchfield was incorporated as a village in 1818, one of only two villages ever established in the state. In 1879 it was rechartered as a borough.

Old and Historic Litchfield Historic District

In 1959, the entire borough was designated an historic district by a special act of the Connecticut General Assembly, with the name "Old and Historic Litchfield Historic District". It was the first such district in Connecticut. Subsequently, on November 24, 1968, a central portion of the borough was given National Historic Landmark status as the " Litchfield Historic District", and on November 29, 1978, the entire borough was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) as an historic district. The 1978 NRHP listing was an area including 459 buildings. and As a result of the state historic district designation, exterior changes to structures in the district that are visible from a public way must be reviewed and approved by the Litchfield Historic District Commission. The review process is intended to prevent changes that would be "incongruous with the District's historic and architectural character."

Geography

Litchfield borough is at the center of the town of Litchfield and of Litchfield County.

U.S. Route 202 U.S. Route 202 (US 202) is a spur route of U.S. Route 2, US 2. It follows a northeasterly and southwesterly direction stretching from Delaware in the south to Maine in the north and traveling through the states of Pennsylvania, N ...

passes through the center of the borough at the Litchfield Green, leading northeast to Torrington and southwest to New Milford. Connecticut Route 63 runs north from the Litchfield Green to Goshen and south to Watertown, and Connecticut Route 118 leads east to Harwinton. 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 borough has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

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 2000, there were 1,328 people, 573 households, and 350 families residing in the borough. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was 368.9/km (953.5/mi²). There were 624 housing units at an average density of 173.3/km (448.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the borough was 97.97%

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 ...

, 0.30%

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 ...

, 0.15% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 0.38% from other races, and 0.90% 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 1.51% of the population. There were 573 households, out of which 28.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.8% 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, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.9% were non-families. 35.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.94. In the borough the population was spread out, with 22.6% under the age of 18, 4.0% from 18 to 24, 23.3% from 25 to 44, 29.7% from 45 to 64, and 20.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.6 males. The median income for a household in the borough was $58,333, and the median income for a family was $77,843. Males had a median income of $59,375 versus $35,156 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 borough was $38,789. About 4.6% of families and 4.8% 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 5.5% of those under age 18 and 5.3% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Residents are zoned to Litchfield Public Schools including Litchfield High School.

References

External links

Borough of Litchfield official websiteTown of Litchfield
{{DEFAULTSORT:Litchfield (Borough), Connecticut Boroughs in Connecticut Boroughs in Litchfield County, Connecticut Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut National Register of Historic Places in Litchfield County, Connecticut