Eastford, Connecticut

Eastford is a town in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of the Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region. The population was 1,649 at the 2020 census.^[1]

Eastford, Connecticut
Town
Town of Eastford
The Union Society of Phoenixville House
Seal Logo
Windham County and Connecticut  Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region and Connecticut
Show Eastford Show Connecticut Show the United States
Coordinates: 41°53′37″N 72°05′49″W
Country	United States
U.S. state	Connecticut
County	Windham
Region	Northeastern CT
Incorporated	1847
Government
• Type	Selectman-town meeting
• First selectman	Deborah Richards (R)
• State Senator	Jeff Gordon (R-35th District)
• State Rep.	Pat Boyd (D-50th District)
Area
• Total	29.2 sq mi (75.6 km2)
• Land	28.9 sq mi (74.8 km2)
• Water	0.3 sq mi (0.9 km2)
Elevation	653 ft (199 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	1,649
• Density	56/sq mi (22/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (Eastern)
ZIP code	06242
Area code(s)	860/959
FIPS code	09-21860
GNIS feature ID	213420
Major highways
Website	eastfordct.gov

History

Eastford was formed in 1847 when it was broken off from Ashford, Connecticut. The name "Eastford" is locational, for the town is east of Ashford.^[2]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 29.2 square miles (76 km²), of which 28.9 square miles (75 km²) is land and 0.3 square miles (0.78 km²) (1.20%) is water.

Principal communities

• Phoenixville—A 1930s book describes it as "a small crossroads hamlet on Still River, which grew up around a twine mill (1831), now abandoned."^[3]
• East Phoenixville
• North Ashford

On the National Register of Historic Places

• Benjamin Bosworth House – John Perry Rd. (added 1978)
• Natchaug Forest Lumber Shed – Kingsbury Rd., Natchaug State Forest (added 1986)
• Sumner-Carpenter House – 333 Old Colony Rd. (added 1991)
• Union Society of Phoenixville House – 4 Hartford Turnpike. (added 2007)

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1850	1,127		—
1860	1,005		−10.8%
1870	984		−2.1%
1880	855		−13.1%
1890	561		−34.4%
1900	523		−6.8%
1910	513		−1.9%
1920	496		−3.3%
1930	529		6.7%
1940	496		−6.2%
1950	598		20.6%
1960	746		24.7%
1970	922		23.6%
1980	1,028		11.5%
1990	1,314		27.8%
2000	1,618		23.1%
2010	1,749		8.1%
2020	1,649		−5.7%
U.S. Decennial Census[4]

See also: List of Connecticut locations by per capita income

At the 2000 census there were 1,618 people, 618 households, and 451 families living in the town. The population density was 56.0 inhabitants per square mile (21.6/km²). There were 705 housing units at an average density of 24.4 per square mile (9.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.78% White, 0.43% African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.37% Asian, 0.31% from other races, and 0.93% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.36%.^[5]

There were 618 households, out of which 100 have children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.1% were married couples living together, 6.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.0% were non-families. 21.8% of households were one person, and 9.1% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.06.

The age distribution was 26.3% under the age of 18, 5.6% from 18 to 24, 29.2% from 25 to 44, 25.4% from 45 to 64, and 13.4% 65 or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.0 males.

The median household income was $57,159 and the median family income was $62,031. Males had a median income of $45,000 versus $31,964 for females. The per capita income for the town was $25,364. About 4.4% of families and 6.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.0% of those under age 18 and 3.7% of those age 65 or over.

Eastford is a strongly Republican town. The town has voted for the Republican candidate every time since the 1856 election and since its founding in 1847 has never voted for a Democrat for president, the only town in Connecticut with this distinction. Even during President Lyndon B. Johnson's landslide in 1964, Eastford voters still preferred Barry Goldwater, the Republican candidate, by a comfortable 11.2% margin. Since 1992, however, the Democratic candidate has been more competitive. President Barack Obama only lost to Mitt Romney by 1 vote in 2012.^[6]

Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of October 27, 2009[7]
Party		Active Voters	Inactive Voters	Total Voters	Percentage
	Republican	391	25	416	34.84%
	Democratic	290	9	299	25.04%
	Unaffiliated	437	38	475	39.78%
	Minor Parties	0	0	0	0.0%
Total		1,121	73	1,194	100%

Presidential Election Results[6][8]
Year	Democratic	Republican	Third Parties
2020	43.5% 464	53.6% 572	2.9% 31
2016	38.6% 367	54.0% 513	7.4% 69
2012	49.0% 464	49.1% 465	1.9% 18
2008	48.9% 485	49.2% 488	1.9% 18
2004	44.0% 416	54.3% 513	1.7% 16
2000	44.3% 375	49.7% 421	6.0% 50
1996	38.1% 301	41.7% 329	20.2% 159
1992	32.7% 285	39.5% 344	27.8% 242
1988	34.9% 253	63.8% 463	1.3% 9
1984	26.2% 172	73.1% 479	0.7% 4
1980	29.1% 183	55.7% 350	15.2% 95
1976	36.0% 204	63.4% 359	0.6% 3
1972	29.6% 152	69.9% 359	0.5% 2
1968	24.4% 103	72.4% 305	3.2% 13
1964	44.4% 188	55.6% 236	0.00% 0
1960	21.0% 82	79.0% 309	0.00% 0
1956	15.6% 62	84.4% 335	0.00% 0

Education

Residents are zoned to the Eastford School District for grades Preschool through 8. The only school in the district is Eastford Elementary School. Most high schoolers attend Woodstock Academy. The town is near five alternative high schools: Ellis Vocational Technical School, Windham Technical School, Killingly Vocational Agricultural High School, ACT High School, and Quinebaug Middle College.

Notable people

• Andrew T. Judson (1784–1853), United States federal judge and US Congressman
• Nathaniel Lyon (1818–1861), the first Union General to be killed in the Civil War, buried here in his family plot

Trivia

There was once another Eastford in the state, which was renamed East Windsor shortly after its separation from Windsor.

Eastford is the site of Frog Rock, a rest stop and roadside attraction on U.S. Route 44.^[9]

References

1. "Census - Geography Profile: Eastford town, Windsor County, Connecticut". Retrieved December 15, 2021.
2. The Connecticut Magazine: An Illustrated Monthly. Connecticut Magazine Company. 1903. p. 332.
3. Federal Writer's Project for the State of Connecticut (1938). Connecticut; a Guide to Its Roads, Lore, and People. p. 434. ISBN 9781623760076. Retrieved May 29, 2013.
4. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
5. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
6. "General Election Statements of Vote, 1922 – Current". CT Secretary of State. Archived from the original on May 14, 2019. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
7. "Registration and Party Enrollment Statistics as of October 27, 2009" (PDF). Connecticut Secretary of State. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 17, 2010. Retrieved August 14, 2010.
8. "Election Night Reporting". CT Secretary of State. Archived from the original on April 28, 2016. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
9. Haar, Dan (August 18, 2014). "The Best Of Americana At Frog Rock Rest Stop". The Hartford Courant. Retrieved August 9, 2020.

• U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Eastford, Connecticut

External links

• Town government Web site