Scotland is a
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 ...
in
Windham 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 town is part of the
Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region. As of the
2020 census, the town population was 1,576. Scotland is a predominantly rural town, with agriculture being the principal industry. Scotland is the least populous town in Windham County.
Geography
According to the
U.S. Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 18.7 square miles (48.3 km), of which 18.6 square miles (48.2 km) is land and 0.1 square mile (0.1 km) (0.27%) is water. It was incorporated in 1857.
History
In 1700, Isaac Magoon purchased of land from then
Windham and thus began Scotland's History. He named the town Scotland as a way of commemorating his ancestral home. Scotland was incorporated in May 1857.
Government
The town still maintains the
town meeting
Town meeting, also known as an "open town meeting", is a form of local government in which eligible town residents can directly participate in an assembly which determines the governance of their town. Unlike representative town meeting where ...
as its form of government with a board of selectmen. The town also has eight boards & commissions, including Inlands & Wetlands, Planning & Zoning and Board of Education.
Education
Scotland Elementary School, located on Brook Road, serves grades Pre-K–6 for the town, which is part of Regional School District 11.
Attractions
Scotland is home to the D'Elia Antique Tool Museum,
a museum established in 2005 in the Scotland Public Library building. It holds more than 1,200 antique woodworking
planes dating to the mid-18th century.
The
Samuel Huntington Birthplace, birthplace of
Samuel Huntington, a
Founding Father, is on Huntington Road (
CT Route 14).
Transportation
CT Route 14 passes east–west through the town.
Route 97 goes north–south through the town. The
Providence and Worcester Railroad
The Providence and Worcester Railroad (P&W; ) is a Class II railroad operating of tracks in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Connecticut, as well as New York (state), New York via trackage rights. The company was founded in 1844 to build ...
runs through the southwestern part of the town, but doesn't stop.
On the National Register of Historic Places
*
March Route of Rochambeau's Army: Palmer Road: Palmer Road, from intersection with Miller Road to east of junction with Pudding Hill Road (added July 6, 2003)
*
Samuel Huntington Birthplace:
Route 14, west of
Route 97 (added December 11, 1971)
*
Edward Waldo House: Waldo Rd., intersects with
Route 97 (added 1978)
Demographics
At the
2020 census there were 1,576 people, 553 households, and 425 families living in the town. The population density was . There were 577 housing units at an average density of . The
racial makeup of the town was 97.69% White, 0.45% African American, 0.06% Native American, 0.51% Asian, 0.19% Pacific Islander, 0.51% from other races, and 0.58% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.31%.
Of the 553 households 37.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.5% were married couples living together, 6.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.0% were non-families. 15.7% of households were one person and 4.9% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.16.
The age distribution was 28.2% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 31.7% from 25 to 44, 25.3% from 45 to 64, and 8.9% 65 or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.0 males.
The median household income was $56,848 and the median family income was $60,147. Males had a median income of $40,871 versus $29,830 for females. The per capita income for the town was $22,573. About 4.0% of families and 4.7% 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 4.7% of those under age 18 and 10.9% of those age 65 or over.
Notable person
*
Samuel Huntington (1731–1796) a leading
American Patriot during the
American Revolution
The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...
and a
Founding Father and delegate to the
Second Continental Congress
The Second Continental Congress (1775–1781) was the meetings of delegates from the Thirteen Colonies that united in support of the American Revolution and American Revolutionary War, Revolutionary War, which established American independence ...
in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
, where he signed the
Declaration of Independence
A declaration of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the territory of another state or failed state, or are breaka ...
References
External links
Official Scotland website
{{authority control
1857 establishments in Connecticut
Scottish-American history
Towns in Connecticut
Towns in Windham County, Connecticut
Towns in Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut