Storrs, CT

Storrs ( ) is a village and census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Mansfield in eastern Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. The village is part of the Capitol Planning Region. The population was 15,979 at the 2020 census.

Storrs is dominated economically and demographically by the main campus of the University of Connecticut and the associated Connecticut Repertory Theatre.

History

Storrs was named after Charles and Augustus Storrs, two brothers who founded the University of Connecticut (originally called the Storrs Agricultural College) by giving the land () and $6,000 in 1881.
In the aftermath of September 2005's Hurricane Katrina, '' Slate'' named Storrs "America's Best Place to Avoid Death Due to Natural Disaster."

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the community has an area of 14.9 km (5.7 mi²), of which 14.7 km (5.7 mi²) is land and 0.1 km (0.04 mi²) (0.53%) is water.

Climate

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 10,996 people, 1,630 households, and 645 families residing in the community. The population density was 748.8/km (1,939.3/mi²). There were 1,701 housing units at an average density of 115.8/km (300.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the community was 81.10% White, 5.67% African American, 0.09% Native American, 9.13% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 1.70% from other races, and 2.26% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.40% of the population.

There were 1,630 households, out of which 15.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 33.6% were married couples living together, 4.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 60.4% were non-families. 34.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.70.

The age distribution, heavily influenced by the University of Connecticut, was 4.0% of the population under the age of 18, 76.1% from 18 to 24, 10.1% from 25 to 44, 3.9% from 45 to 64, and 5.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 21. For every 100 females, there were 91.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.1 males.

The median income for a household in the community was $76,000 and the median income for a family was $64,833. Males had a median income of $34,766 versus $23,229 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $9,947. About 10.0% of families and 33.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.4% of those under age 18 and 8.2% of those age 65 or over. Standard measures of poverty can be misleading when applied to communities dominated by students, such as Storrs.

Transportation

The community includes the intersection of state roadways U.S. Route 44 and Connecticut Route 32 in Mansfield Depot. U.S. Route 6, a medium state freeway that runs through Hartford to Providence, Rhode Island, has an interchange with Storrs Road ( Connecticut Route 195) on the town border with Willimantic; Storrs Road runs north and intersects with Route 44 at the "four corners", a colloquial name for the intersection, continuing through Coventry and Tolland to meet with Connecticut Route 74.

Willington Hill Road ( Connecticut Route 320) and South Eagleville Road ( Connecticut Route 275) act as major roadways to access the village from the north and south, respectively. Willington Hill Road begins in nearby Willington and merges into Storrs Road at the "four corners". South Eagleville Road offers a junction to Storrs Road from Route 32 in Coventry.

Intermodal services

The Nash-Zimmer Transportation Center, located on Royce Circle in the "downtown" area, acts as a de-facto hub for intermodal services, with a parking garage and waiting room.

Local bus service is provided by the Windham Region Transit District (WRTD), with two routes that connect to local points of interest. Route 674 travels toward Willimantic, including stops at the local Big Y supermarket and the East Brook Mall, and route 675 offers stops along Hunting Lodge Road toward Mansfield Depot. WRTD also operates ''HuskyGo'' shuttle service in partnership with the UConn transportation services office, which provides access to on-campus locations and stops along Storrs Road ( Connecticut Route 195) for students.

Express bus service is provided by CT Transit as route 913, which travels between Storrs and Hartford. The express route makes limited stops at commuter lots in Tolland, Vernon, and Manchester connecting at The Shoppes at Buckland Hills toward Hartford Union Station. A number of runs begin and end at the Sigourney Street CT Fastrak station in Hartford.

Limited intercity bus service is provided by Peter Pan Bus Lines, who run extra routes to Hartford Union Station and to Providence, RI.

Former and proposed services

Until 1955 inter-city train service was available nine miles to the south at Willimantic station on the New Haven Railroad's '' Nutmeg'' line and on trains between Waterbury, Hartford and Boston. From 1991 to 1995, Willimantic was served by Amtrak's '' Montrealer'' service. Schedules would refer to the stop as "''Willimantic, CT (Storrs)'' ", owing to the stop's close proximity to the village and use by students.

A plan for expanded passenger rail service in eastern Connecticut through to Vermont, the Central Corridor Rail Line, includes reviving service to Willimantic and the construction of a new Mansfield/Storrs stop. Other proposals for local and high-speed rail projects in Connecticut have included planned stops in Storrs and in nearby Tolland to service UConn.

Notable people

* Regina Barreca, humorist and UConn professor of English literature and feminist theory
* Audrey P. Beck, college professor and Connecticut state legislator
* Rivers Cuomo, lead singer/guitarist of the alternative rock band Weezer, grew up in Storrs and attended the local secondary school, E.O. Smith High School
* Cheo Hodari Coker, television writer and producer for '' Luke Cage'', '' Ray Donovan'', and '' Southland''
* Wally Lamb, best-selling author of the books ''She's Come Undone'' and ''I Know This Much Is True''. Both were selected for Oprah's Book Club.
* Dan Orlovsky, ESPN college football and NFL analyst, former quarterback for the Detroit Lions
* Tim Page, Pulitzer Prize-winning music critic and biographer of Dawn Powell
* Jonathan Pelto, American politician
* Samuel Pickering, professor at the University of Connecticut, inspiration for the character Mr. Keating in the film '' Dead Poets Society''
* Dom Sigillo, retired American football player, played for the Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions.
* Charles and Augustus Storrs, brothers, business partners, benefactors and co-founders of the University of Connecticut
* Peter Tork (''ne'' Peter Halsten Thorkelson), member of The Monkees. He attended E.O. Smith High School; he was class of 1959 and made the class of 2005 commencement speech.
* Wendy O. Williams, lead singer for the 1970s and 1980s punk rock band the Plasmatics, lived in town from 1991 until her death in 1998

See also

* WHUS FM 91.7

References

{{Authority control

Census-designated places in Tolland County, Connecticut
Mansfield, Connecticut
Villages in Connecticut