Somers ( ) 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
Tolland 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
Capitol Planning Region. The population was 10,255 at the
2020 census. The
town center is listed by the U.S. Census Bureau as a
census-designated place
A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only.
CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...
(CDP). In 2007, ''
Money Magazine'' listed Somers 53rd on its "100 Best Places to Live", based on "economic opportunity, good schools, safe streets, things to do and a real sense of community."
Bordering
Massachusetts
Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
, Somers is considered part of the city of
Springfield NECTA. Somers is southeast of Springfield and considered more oriented toward it than the city of
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 ...
, which lies to the southwest.
History
Somers was originally part of the Agawam Plantation in the 17th century. Agawam Plantation became
Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield is the most populous city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, and its county seat. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the ea ...
, in 1641 and in 1682, the Enfield Parish broke off from the Springfield settlement. In 1689, the first settler, Benjamin Jones, came to Somers in what was then East Enfield about a half mile from the current town center, it was only a summer house and in the winter, he and his family returned to Enfield. In 1711, several more families settled the Somers area to help start a village. The families of Kibbe, Pease, Root, and Megregory were the first to settle the area. The Village was given the name Wallop but was changed to East Enfield shortly after. In the year 1734, East Enfield became a town and was renamed Somers, after
John Somers, 1st Baron Somers. In the year 1749, Somers joined the
Connecticut Colony
The Connecticut Colony, originally known as the Connecticut River Colony, was an English colony in New England which later became the state of Connecticut. It was organized on March 3, 1636, as a settlement for a Puritans, Puritan congregation o ...
.
The Four Town Fair, which is usually held after the third weekend in September, is one of the oldest fairs in the country.
Little Sorrel, the favorite horse of Confederate general Stonewall Jackson, was born at a farm in Somers.
Geography
Somers is at .
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 (0.49%) is water. The town center CDP has a total area of , all land.
The town's highest point, Bald Mountain, at is the highest point along the
Connecticut River Valley in Connecticut. The rounded hill summit was recently purchased by the town and can be seen for many miles around.
Neighborhoods
*
Somers Center, location of
Somers Historic District
*
Somersville
*North Somers
*Hall Hill
*Gulf Road
*Billings Rd
*Woodcrest Village
*Osborn Place
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 10,417 people, 2,925 households, and 2,337 families living in the town. The population density was . There were 3,012 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 82.97%
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 ...
, 9.82%
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 ...
, 0.55%
Native American, 0.62%
Asian, 0.06%
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 ...
, 4.00% from
other races, and 1.98% 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 8.10% of the population.
There were 2,925 households, out of which 37.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 70.4% 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, 6.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.1% were non-families. 16.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.11.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 20.8% under the age of 18, 9.4% from 18 to 24, 35.6% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 10.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 154.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 171.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $65,273, and the median income for a family was $71,757. Males had a median income of $49,766 versus $35,329 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 $23,952. About 3.7% of families and 4.6% 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 3.3% of those under age 18 and 3.8% of those age 65 or over.
Town center
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 1,626 people, 628 households, and 457 families living in the
town center CDP. The population density was . There were 645 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 98.15%
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 ...
, 0.18%
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 ...
, 0.55%
Asian, 0.06%
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 ...
, 0.12% from
other races, and 0.92% 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 1.05% of the population.
There were 628 households, out of which 31.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.2% 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 27.2% were non-families. 23.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.05.
In the CDP the population was spread out, with 24.3% under the age of 18, 5.6% from 18 to 24, 26.9% from 25 to 44, 26.4% from 45 to 64, and 16.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.7 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP was $54,625, and the median income for a family was $64,107. Males had a median income of $45,893 versus $31,736 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 CDP was $24,874. About 4.0% of families and 6.8% 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 11.1% of those under age 18 and 7.5% of those age 65 or over.
Government and infrastructure
Two
Connecticut Department of Corrections prisons,
Northern Correctional Institution and
Osborn Correctional Institution,
[Northern Correctional Institution]
" Connecticut Department of Correction. Retrieved on August 16, 2010. are in Somers. Northern housed the state's death row for men.
Osborn housed the state's execution chamber.
Education
The Town of Somers is served by three schools, all located within the Somers Public School District. Somers Elementary School serves grades Pre-K through 5, Mabelle B. Avery Middle School, named CAS 2024 Middle School of the Year, serves grades 6 through 8, and
Somers High School serves grades 9 through 12. The district also houses the town's public library.
Recreation
The Town of Somers maintains several recreation facilities, the largest being the facility on Field Road which features a pavilion, playscape, tennis courts and ball fields. The
Shenipsit State Forest along with the
Shenipsit Trail is also partially in Somers, along with Soapstone Mountain, the highest point in the state forest. The
Scantic River State Park is also partially in Somers. The Northern Connecticut Land Trust also has several properties in town.
Notable people
*
George Abbe (1911–1989),
poet
A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...
and winner of
Shelley Memorial Award
*
S. Prestley Blake (1914–2021), long time resident, co-founder of the
Friendly's restaurant chain
*
William O. Collins (1809–1881), American Attorney General, Civil War general
*
Christopher Houlihan (born 1987), professional organist
*
Claire Labine (1934–2016), writer and producer
*
Gene Pitney (1940–2006), internationally famous singer/composer, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member, was a longtime resident of Somers
*
William Strong (1808–1895),
U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania and
Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States
An associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States is a Justice (title), justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, other than the chief justice of the United States. The number of associate justices is eight, as set by the J ...
was born in Somers
*
Loren P. Waldo (1802–1881),
U.S. Representative
*
Hannah Soar (born 1999), American freestyle skier
References
External links
The Town of Somers Home PageThe Town of Somers Government Page
{{authority control
Towns in Tolland County, Connecticut
Towns in Connecticut
Springfield metropolitan area, Massachusetts
Greater Hartford
Towns in Capitol Planning Region, Connecticut