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Stratford, Connecticut

2025-11-02T01:37:22Z

2601:183:4B82:E70:4C4B:E64C:7843:244D: /* Neighborhoods */

{{distinguish|Stamford, Connecticut|Stafford, Connecticut}}
{{Use American English|date=December 2016}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name = Stratford, Connecticut
| settlement_type = [[New England town|Town]]
| image_skyline = File:MMDA-Photos - 2021-05-03 - Town Hall, Stratford, Connecticut, USA.jpg
| image_caption = Stratford Town Hall
| image_seal = stratford_ct_seal.gif
| image_map = {{switcher|[[File:Fairfield County Connecticut incorporated and unincorporated areas Stratford highlighted.svg|230px|frameless|alt=Stratford's location within Fairfield County and Connecticut]]| [[Fairfield County, Connecticut|Fairfield County]] and Connecticut|[[File:Greater Bridgeport incorporated and unincorporated areas Stratford highlighted.svg|250px|frameless|alt=Stratford's location within the Greater Bridgeport Planning Region and the state of Connecticut]]| [[Greater Bridgeport Planning Region, Connecticut|Greater Bridgeport Planning Region]] and Connecticut|default=1}}
| image_map1 = {{maplink|frame=yes|plain=yes|frame-align=center|frame-width=280|frame-height=200|frame-coord=SWITCH:{{coord|qid=Q755140}}###{{coord|qid=Q779}}###{{coord|41|12|16|N|73|07|47|W}}|zoom=SWITCH:10;6;3|type=SWITCH:shape-inverse;point;point|marker=city|stroke-width=2|stroke-color=#000000|id2=SWITCH:Q755140;Q779;Q30|type2=shape|fill2=#ffffff|fill-opacity2=SWITCH:0;0.1;0.1|stroke-width2=2|stroke-color2=#808080|stroke-opacity2=SWITCH:0;1;1|switch=Stratford;Connecticut;the United States}}
| coordinates = {{coord|41|12|16|N|73|07|47|W|region:US-CT|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = United States
| subdivision_type1 = [[U.S. state]]
| subdivision_name1 = [[Connecticut]]
| subdivision_type2 = [[County (United States)|County]]
| subdivision_name2 = [[Fairfield County, Connecticut|Fairfield]]
| subdivision_type3 = [[Councils of governments in Connecticut|Region]]
| subdivision_name3 = [[Greater Bridgeport Planning Region, Connecticut|CT Metropolitan]]
| established_title = Settled
| established_date = 1639
| established_title2 = Incorporated
| established_date2 = April 13, 1643
| named_for = [[Stratford-upon-Avon]]
| government_type = [[Mayor-council]]
| leader_title = Mayor
| leader_name = [[Laura Hoydick]] (R)
| leader_title1 = Town Council
| leader_name1 = Chris Pia (R) Kaitlyn T. Shake (D) Lesette Franceshi (D) Gregory Cann (D) Kimberly Rice (D) Ken Poisson (R) Jean Marie Sutton (R) James Connor (R) William O'Brien (R) Laura Dancho (R)
| unit_pref = Imperial
| area_total_km2 = 51.5
| area_total_sq_mi = 19.9
| area_land_km2 = 45.6
| area_land_sq_mi = 17.6
| area_water_km2 = 5.9
| area_water_sq_mi = 2.3
| elevation_m = 15
| elevation_ft = 49
| population_total = 52355
| population_as_of = 2020
| population_density_sq_mi = 2,974.7
| postal_code_type = [[ZIP Code]]s
| postal_code = 06614, 06615
| area_code = [[Area code 203|203/475]]
| website = {{URL|http://www.townofstratford.com}}
| footnotes =
| timezone = [[Eastern Standard Time Zone|Eastern]]
| utc_offset = −5
| timezone_DST = [[Eastern Standard Time Zone|Eastern]]
| utc_offset_DST = −4
| blank_name = [[Federal Information Processing Standards|FIPS code]]
| blank_info = 09-74190
| blank1_name = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info = 0213514
}}
'''Stratford''' is a [[New England town|town]] in [[Fairfield County, Connecticut]], United States. It is situated on [[Long Island Sound]] at the mouth of the [[Housatonic River]]. The town is part of the [[Greater Bridgeport Planning Region, Connecticut|Greater Bridgeport Planning Region]], and the [[Greater Bridgeport|Bridgeport–Stamford–Norwalk Metropolitan Statistical Area]]. It was settled by [[Puritans]] in 1639.

The population was 52,355 as of the [[2020 United States Census|2020 census]].<ref name="Census 2020">{{cite web |url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?g=0600000US0900174190|title=Census - Geography Profile: Stratford town, Fairfield County, Connecticut |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=December 21, 2021}}</ref> It is bordered on the west by [[Bridgeport, Connecticut|Bridgeport]], to the north by [[Trumbull, Connecticut|Trumbull]] and [[Shelton, Connecticut|Shelton]], and on the east by [[Milford, Connecticut|Milford]] (across the [[Housatonic River]]). Stratford has a historical legacy in aviation, the military, and theater.

==History==
[[File:PostcardStratfordCTLibrary1909.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Stratford Public Library, as seen in a 1909 postcard]]
[[File:Trolley exploring - an electric railroad guide to historic and picturesque places about New York, New Jersey, and New England (1904) (14760880155).jpg|thumb|Street of the Triple Elms, as seen in the 1890s]]

===Founding and Puritan era===
Stratford was founded in 1639 by [[Puritan]] leader Reverend [[Adam Blakeman]], [[William Beardsley (settler)|William Beardsley]], and either 16 families (according to legend) or approximately 35 families (suggested by later research) who had recently arrived in [[Connecticut Colony]] from England seeking religious freedom. In 1639 the General Court in Hartford made reference to the town as the "new plantation at '''Pequannock'''".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stratfordhistoricalsociety.org/stratfordhistory.html|title=Stratford History|publisher=Stratford Historical Society|access-date=April 4, 2018}}</ref> In 1640 the community was known as '''Cupheag''', a Native American Paugussett word meaning "at the enclosed place" or "place of shelter".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://library.si.edu/digital-library/book/indianplacenames00hude|title=Indian Place Names of New England|author=John C. Huden|date=1962|work=library.si.edu|access-date=April 4, 2018}}</ref> By April 13, 1643, the growing town was known as '''Stratford''', in honor of [[Stratford-upon-Avon]] in England.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Connecticut Magazine: An Illustrated Monthly|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qoEyAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA334 |year=1903|publisher=Connecticut Magazine Company|page=334}}</ref>

Stratford is one of many towns in the northeastern [[Thirteen Colonies|American colonies]] founded as part of the [[Puritan migration to New England (1620–1640)|Great Migration]] in the 1630s when Puritan families fled an increasingly polarized [[England]] in the decade before the [[English Civil War|civil war]] between [[Charles I of England|Charles I]] and [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|Parliament]]. Some of the Stratford settlers were from families who had first moved from England to the [[Netherlands]] to seek religious freedom, like their predecessors on the ''[[Mayflower]]'', and decided to come to the [[New World]] when their children began to adopt the Dutch culture and language.

Like other Puritan or [[Pilgrims (Plymouth Colony)|Pilgrim]] towns founded during this time, early Stratford was a place where church leadership and town leadership were united under the pastor of the church, in this case Reverend Blakeman. The goal of these communities was to create perfect outposts of religious idealism where the wilderness would separate them from the interference of kings, parliaments, or any other secular authority.

During the [[witch trials in Connecticut]], [[Goody Bassett]] was hanged in Stratford in 1651.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |date=2023-11-03 |title=Goody Bassett Exonerated! |url=https://stratfordcrier.com/goody-bassett-exonerated-plaque/ |access-date=2025-10-17 |work=Stratford Crier |language=en}}</ref>

Blakeman ruled Stratford until his death in 1665, but as the second generation of Stratford grew up, many of the children rejected what they perceived as the exceptional austerity of the town's founders. This and later generations sought to change the religious dictums of their elders, and the [[utopia]]n nature of Stratford and similar communities was gradually replaced with more standard colonial administration. By the late 17th century, the Connecticut government had assumed political control over Stratford.

Many descendants of the original founding Puritan families remain in Stratford today after over 350 years; for centuries they often intermarried within the original small group of 17th century Pilgrim families. Despite its Puritan origins, Stratford was the site of the first [[Anglican]] church in Connecticut, founded in 1707 and ministered by the Rev. Dr. [[Samuel Johnson (Columbia)|Samuel Johnson]].<ref>[http://www.christchurchstratford.org/history.htm] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929080827/http://www.christchurchstratford.org/history.htm|date=September 29, 2007}}</ref> Settlers from Stratford went on to found other American cities and towns, including [[Newark, New Jersey|Newark]], [[New Jersey]], established in 1666 by members of the Stratford founding families who believed the town's religious purity had been compromised by the changes after Blakeman's death. Other towns such as [[Cambria, New York|Cambria]], [[New York (state)|New York]] (now [[Lockport (city), New York|Lockport, New York]]) were founded or expanded around new churches by Stratford descendants taking part in the westward migration. U.S. President [[Gerald Ford]] was a descendant of one of the Stratford founding families, that was led by William Judson.

===Towns created from Stratford===
Stratford was one of the two principal settlements in southwestern Connecticut, the other being [[Fairfield, Connecticut|Fairfield]]. Over time it gave rise to several new towns that broke off and incorporated separately. The following towns were created from parts of Stratford:
* [[Shelton, Connecticut|Shelton]] (originally Ripton) in 1789. In 1789 Ripton Parish separated from Stratford and became the Town of Huntington.
:*[[Monroe, Connecticut|Monroe]] created from Huntington in 1823
* [[Nichols, Connecticut|Nichols]] (originally Unity in 1725, then North Stratford in 1744)
* [[Long Hill, Trumbull, Connecticut|Long Hill]], (merged with Unity to form North Stratford in 1744)
:*[[Trumbull, Connecticut|Trumbull]], North Stratford separated from Stratford and became the town of Trumbull in 1797
* [[Bridgeport, Connecticut|Bridgeport]] (also partly from Fairfield) in 1821

===Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries===

A trolley was built connecting Lordship to Bridgeport in 1914, connecting the resort area to the neighboring city.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.lordshiphistory.com/TROLLEYwebpage.html | title=Lordship Trolley }}</ref>

==Geography==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the town has a total area of {{convert|19.9|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|17.6|sqmi}} is land and {{convert|2.3|sqmi}}, or 11.52%, is water. Stratford has a minimum elevation of zero feet above sea level along its coastline, with a maximum altitude of {{convert|295|ft}} near its northern border,<ref>U.S. Geological Survey 7.5 minute topographic map series, Ansonia quadrangle</ref> and an average elevation of {{convert|23|ft|m}}.{{Citation needed|date=August 2010}}

===Coastline and islands===
The town contains five islands, all in the [[Housatonic River]]. These are [[Carting Island]], [[Long Island (Connecticut)|Long Island]], [[Peacock Island (Connecticut)|Peacock Island]], and [[Pope's Flat]] north of [[Interstate 95 in Connecticut|Interstate 95]], as well as [[Goose Island (Connecticut)|Goose Island]]. None of these islands are habitable because of their low elevations. A sixth island known as Brinsmade Island washed away prior to 1964.<ref>{{cite book |author=Lewis G. Knapp |title=Stratford and the Sea |place=Charleston, SC |publisher=Arcadia |year=2002 }}</ref>

===Beaches===
'''Long Beach''' – Approximately {{convert|1.5|mi|km}} long, the eastern end of the beach is open to the public and has parking and lifeguards. The central part of the beach is a nature preserve whose land is set aside for wildlife, particularly nesting raptors, such as [[American kestrel]]s and [[osprey]]s. The western end of the beach was once the site of about 40 cottages, which were abandoned because of the town's discontinuation of the lease to the land. The cottages were demolished in fall 2010.

[[File:Stratfpt.jpg|thumb|[[Stratford Point Light]]]]
'''Russian Beach''' – Located between Long and Short beaches, Russian Beach has parking and the Point-No-Point walkway. Fishing is allowed, as is swimming although this beach has no lifeguards.

'''Short Beach''' – Short Beach Park is {{convert|30|acre|m2}} in size and sits at the mouth of the Housatonic River. It has three picnic pavilions, basketball courts, tennis courts, volleyball courts, a handicapped-accessible playground, a skateboard park, a lighted softball field, a soccer field, two baseball fields and a lacrosse field. The beach has {{convert|1000|ft|m}} of frontage with a concession stand, bathrooms, a deck and lifeguards. The park is also home to Short Beach Golf Course, a nine-hole par-3 course.

===Great Salt Marsh===
The Great Meadows Unit of the [[Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge]] is a key bird migration stopover. The open water area of the Great Salt Marsh is known as Lewis Gut.

[[File:ParadiseGreen2020.jpg|thumb|upright=2|right|Paradise Green Park. Shops in Paradise Green include a pharmacy, ice cream shop, restaurants, and a bakery.]]

===Neighborhoods===
* Beaver Dam
* Birdseye
* Floral Park
* Hawley Lane (shared with [[Trumbull, Connecticut|Trumbull]])
* [[Stratford Center Historic District|Historic District]]
* Hollister Heights
* [[Lordship, Connecticut|Lordship]]
* Long Beach
* [[Oronoque, Connecticut|Oronoque]]
* Oronoque Hills
* Oronoque Village
* Paradise Green
* Peck's Mill
* [[Putney, Connecticut|Putney]]
* South End
* Stony Brook Gardens
* [[Stratford Center Historic District|Stratford Center]]
* [[Stratford Downtown, Connecticut|Stratford Downtown]]
* Success Village
* Wooster Park

===Roosevelt Forest===
Located in the north end of Stratford, this {{convert|250|acre|km2|adj=on}} site is primarily a mixed [[deciduous forest]], with some wetlands and ponds. Named for President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]], it was set aside in the 1930s, when much of the infrastructure was created as a [[Works Progress Administration]] project. The forest includes campsites with cooking pits, picnic tables, and walking trails.

===Superfund sites===
[[File:Raymarkstratfordcleanup1.jpg|thumb|Cleanup of a Raymark Industries Superfund site, in Stratford]]
Stratford is the location of two [[Superfund]] sites designated by the [[United States Environmental Protection Agency]]. These include a variety of locations related to asbestos dumping and disposal by [[Raybestos|Raymark Industries]], whose manufacturing was previously headquartered in Stratford, and the former [[Stratford Army Engine Plant]]. The Raymark site is on the EPA's [[National Priorities List]]. Stratford Army Engine Plant is not on the National Priorities list, but is being cleaned up by the [[US Army]].

From 1919 to 1989, Raymark manufactured [[brake pad]]s and other [[friction]] products for the automobile industry under the name [[Raybestos]]. The company disposed of wastes containing [[lead]], [[asbestos]], [[Polychlorinated biphenyl|PCBs]] and other hazardous substances at its Stratford manufacturing plant. Raymark dried the waste material and made it available for use as fill material for lawns, playgrounds, and schoolyards. In 1993, the EPA and the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection began working together to complete the cleanup of contamination Raymark left behind in Stratford. EPA completed its cleanup of the contaminated residential properties in 1995 and the former Raymark plant property in 1997. Plans for cleanup of the Ferry Creek area and surrounding properties where additional Raymark waste was historically disposed are currently being developed by the EPA.<ref>[http://www.epa.gov/ne/pr/1997/pr0110b.html epa.gov: U.S. Sues Raymark Industries for Estimated $192 Million Cleanup of Connecticut Superfund Site] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030128210208/http://www.epa.gov/ne/pr/1997/pr0110b.html |date=January 28, 2003 }}</ref> The cost of cleaning up the Raymark Site is estimated to have exceeded $200 million.<ref>[http://www.epa.gov/ne/pr/1998/082798.html epa.gov: Settlement Protects Settling Stratford Homeowners from Superfund Costs] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061009183050/http://www.epa.gov/ne/pr/1998/082798.html |date=October 9, 2006 }}</ref>

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1820= 3438
|1850= 2040
|1860= 2294
|1870= 3032
|1880= 4251
|1890= 2608
|1900= 3657
|1910= 5712
|1920= 12347
|1930= 19212
|1940= 22580
|1950= 33428
|1960= 45012
|1970= 49775
|1980= 50541
|1990= 49389
|2000= 49976
|2010= 51384
|2020= 52355
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html |title=Census of Population and Housing |publisher=Census.gov |access-date=November 3, 2021 }}</ref>
}}
{{See also|List of Connecticut locations by per capita income}}
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2">{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=January 31, 2008 |title=U.S. Census website }}</ref> of 2010, there were 51,384 people, 20,095 households, and 13,614 families residing in the town. The population density was {{convert|2919.5|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 21,091 housing units at an average density of {{convert|1,198.4|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the town was 76.4% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 14.3% [[African American (U.S. Census)|Black]] or [[Race (United States Census)|African American]], 0.2% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 2.4% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.1% [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 4.2% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 2.5% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 13.8% of the population.

There were 20,095 households, out of which 28.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.1% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 14.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.3% were non-families. 27.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.11.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 23.0% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 23.5% from 45 to 64, and 19.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.6 males. The median income for a household in the town was $53,494, and the median income for a family was $64,364. Males had a median income of $45,552 versus $34,575 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the town was $26,501. About 3.5% of families and 5.0% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 5.6% of those under age 18 and 5.8% of those age 65 or over.

==Industry==
In 1939, one of the world's first successful commercial [[helicopter]]s was developed in Stratford by [[Igor Sikorsky]] and flown at his plant.<ref>[http://www.centennialofflight.gov/essay/Rotary/Sikorsky_VS300/HE8.htm] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081112050442/http://www.centennialofflight.gov/essay/Rotary/Sikorsky_VS300/HE8.htm|date=November 12, 2008}}</ref> His company, [[Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation]], is still the town's largest employer. Also in 1939, [[Lycoming Engines|Lycoming]] produced [[Curtiss-Wright|Wright]] [[radial engine]]s here. After [[World War II]], the plant was converted to produce [[turbine]]s.

The Vought-Sikorsky Aircraft Division in Stratford built a total of 7,829 [[F4U]] fighters from 1940 to 1952, including the prototype. These planes saw extensive combat in the Pacific Theatre of operations during World War II, and played a supporting role in the [[Korean War]]. A Corsair sits on a pedestal at the airport as a memorial to the war effort.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.uswarplanes.net/corsair.html |title=Corsair |publisher=Uswarplanes.net |date=May 29, 1940 |access-date=May 19, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081121032514/http://www.uswarplanes.net/corsair.html |archive-date=November 21, 2008 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The Stratford Eagles Composite Squadron, [[Civil Air Patrol]], is based in Stratford, at the Sikorsky Memorial Airport.

[[Athletic Brewing Company]], the leading U.S. manufacturer of [[Non-alcoholic drink|non-alcoholic]] [[Craft brewery and microbrewery|craft beer]], with a 61% market share in 2021 is based in Stratford.<ref>{{Cite news|date=January 13, 2021|title=Celebrity Backers Are Making Nonalcoholic Beer a Hot Investment|language=en|work=Bloomberg.com|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-01-13/athletic-brewing-non-alcoholic-beer-a-hot-celebrity-investment-dry-january|access-date=April 11, 2021}}</ref>

===Sikorsky Aircraft===
[[File:CSA-2005-05-05-102937.jpg|right|thumb|Sikorsky Aircraft [[UH-60 Black Hawk|Black Hawk]] helicopters in Iraq in 2005]]
Stratford is home to the headquarters of [[Sikorsky Aircraft]], a [[Lockheed Martin]] (LMT) subsidiary founded by [[Igor Sikorsky]], developer of the first successful American [[helicopter]]. Every [[Marine One]] (the helicopter of the [[President of the United States]]) has been manufactured in Stratford since 1957. On July 20, 2015, Lockheed Martin announced an agreement to purchase Sikorsky Aircraft from UTC for $9 billion.<ref>{{cite web|author1=Christopher Drew|author2=Chad Bray|date=July 20, 2015|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/21/business/dealbook/lockheed-martin-to-buy-sikorsky-aircraft-for-9-billion.html|title=Lockheed Martin to Buy Sikorsky Aircraft for $9 Billion|website=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=December 5, 2016}}</ref>

===Stratford Army Engine Plant===
The [[Stratford Army Engine Plant]] (SAEP) was a U.S. Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command installation and manufacturing facility, located along the Housatonic River and Main Street opposite Sikorsky Airport. Because of the [[Base Realignment and Closure]] actions of the [[United States Department of Defense]], closure of the plant was recommended in July 1995. The SAEP closed on September 30, 1998. For the next 11 years the Army was involved with "Team Stratford" to develop the property. The [[United States Army]], which owns the {{convert|78|acre|m2|adj=on}} site, auctioned it off on March 19, 2008,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.townofstratford.com/controls//eventview.aspx?MODE=SINGLE&ID=64 |title=Event Viewer |publisher=Townofstratford.com |access-date=January 2, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717082800/http://www.townofstratford.com/controls//eventview.aspx?MODE=SINGLE&ID=64 |archive-date=July 17, 2011 }}</ref> with a winning bid of $9,612,000 which also includes the {{convert|1,720,000|ft2|m2|adj=on}} facility of over fifty buildings. This bid failed to be paid off and is now being placed for rebid. Currently Robert Hartmann of [[Hartmann Development]] has a $1 billion plan to develop the former Army engine plant into a destination resort.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ctpost.com/default/article/Former-Army-plant-proposed-as-destination-resort-720226.php |title=Former Army plant proposed as destination resort - Connecticut Post |publisher=Ctpost.com |date=October 23, 2010 |access-date=January 2, 2011}}</ref>

==Transportation==
[[File:P1010073 M-2 8731 Stratford.jpg|thumb|[[Metro-North Railroad|Metro-North]] [[New Haven Line]] train at [[Stratford station (Connecticut)|Stratford station]]]]

===Air===
Although owned by the City of Bridgeport, [[Sikorsky Memorial Airport]] is located in Stratford. The {{convert|800|acre|km2|adj=on}} facility includes two paved runways (both under 4800 feet), a helipad, and two hangars. It provides helicopter service to New York and the [[Downtown Manhattan Heliport]] and is used as a landing site for blimps and small aircraft. In 2019, 155 aircraft were based at the airport, with an average of 136 operations per day.<ref>''[https://www.airnav.com/airport/KBDR AirNav: KBDR]''</ref>

===Rail===
[[Stratford (Metro-North station)]] is a stop on the [[New Haven Line]], {{convert|59|mi|km}} east of [[Grand Central Terminal]]. Average travel time into Manhattan is about 90 minutes. The station platforms are only long enough to handle four cars and the station has limited parking for fewer than 300 vehicles. It has three ticket machines, a bus connection to neighboring Bridgeport, and handicapped access.

===Roads===
Stratford is served by several major highways, including [[Interstate 95 in Connecticut|Interstate 95]] ([[Connecticut Turnpike]]), [[U.S. Route 1 in Connecticut|U.S. Route 1]] ([[Boston Post Road]]) (Boston Avenue and Barnum Avenue), the [[Merritt Parkway]] ([[Route 15 (Connecticut)|Route 15]]), [[Route 108 (Connecticut)|Route 108]] (Nichols Avenue and King Street), [[Route 110 (Connecticut)|Route 110]] (East Main Street and River Road), [[Route 113 (Connecticut)|Route 113]] (Lordship Boulevard and Main Street), and [[Route 130 (Connecticut)|Route 130]] (Stratford Avenue and Ferry Boulevard).

====Interstate 95 toll booths====
In January 1983 a truck slammed into a line of cars waiting to pay a toll on [[Interstate 95 in Connecticut|Interstate 95]] in Stratford, killing seven people. This accident was one of the reasons toll booths were removed throughout the state.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E02E0DE1E38F931A15752C0A965948260 |title=nytimes.com: Dead Identified In Turnpike Crash |location=Connecticut |work=The New York Times |date=January 22, 1983 |access-date=January 2, 2011}}</ref>

==Government==
{| class="wikitable" style="float:right; margin:1em; font-size:95%;"
|+ Stratford town vote by party in presidential elections<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://authoring.ct.gov//SOTS/Election-Services/Statement-Of-Vote-PDFs/General-Elections-Statement-of-Vote-1922|title = General Elections Statement of Vote 1922}}</ref>
|- style="background:lightgrey;"
! Year
! [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
! [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
! [[Third party (United States)|Third Parties]]
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[2024 United States presidential election|2024]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''58.54%''' ''15,708''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|40.29% ''10,812''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|1.17% ''314''
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[2020 United States presidential election|2020]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''61.58%''' ''17,363''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|37.30% ''10,516''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|1.12% ''315''
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[2016 United States presidential election|2016]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''54.37%''' ''13,729''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|41.72% ''10,534''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|3.91% ''988''
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[2012 United States presidential election|2012]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''58.54%''' ''13,483''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|40.48% ''9,324''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|0.99% ''227''
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[2008 United States presidential election|2008]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''58.29%''' ''14,626''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|40.65% ''10,199''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|1.06% ''265''
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[2004 United States presidential election|2004]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''49.42%''' ''12,057''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|48.97% ''11,945''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|1.61% ''393''
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[2000 United States presidential election|2000]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''54.36%''' ''12,310''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|40.41% ''9,152''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|5.23% ''1,184''
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[1996 United States presidential election|1996]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''50.21%''' ''11,148''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|36.10% ''8,015''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|13.69% ''3,040''
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|[[1992 United States presidential election|1992]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|36.60% ''9,796''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''40.77%''' ''10,914''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|22.63% ''6,059''
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|[[1988 United States presidential election|1988]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|41.94% ''10,346''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''56.95%''' ''14,048''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|1.10% ''272''
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|[[1984 United States presidential election|1984]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|33.76% ''8,814''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''65.78%''' ''17,174''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|0.47% ''122''
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|[[1980 United States presidential election|1980]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|36.69% ''9,187''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''53.87%''' ''13,489''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|9.44% ''2,363''
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|[[1976 United States presidential election|1976]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|43.57% ''10,885''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''55.67%''' ''13,908''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|0.75% ''188''
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|[[1972 United States presidential election|1972]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|32.05% ''8,012''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''65.23%''' ''16,304''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|2.72% ''680''
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|[[1968 United States presidential election|1968]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|41.54% ''9,815''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''49.34%''' ''11,659''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|9.12% ''2,155''
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[1964 United States presidential election|1964]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''58.10%''' ''13,465''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|41.90% ''9,710''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|0.00% ''0''
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[1960 United States presidential election|1960]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''50.30%''' ''11,590''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|49.70% ''11,452''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|0.00% ''0''
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|[[1956 United States presidential election|1956]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|28.64% ''5,728''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''71.36%''' ''14,271''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|0.00% ''0''
|}

The Town of Stratford operated under a [[council-manager government]] from 1921 until 2005 when it changed to a mayor-council type of government. The first mayor, James Miron, was elected in November 2005 to a four-year term. The second mayor was John Harkins.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.townofstratford.com/content/1302/1944/21242.aspx |title=Stratford, Connecticut - Mayor Harkins Biography |publisher=Townofstratford.com |access-date=January 2, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101005061133/http://www.townofstratford.com/content/1302/1944/21242.aspx |archive-date=October 5, 2010 }}</ref> The town has a ten-member [[Stratford Town Council|town council]], elected by district to two-year terms. It appoints one of its members to serve as chairman. The mayor and the council are responsible for setting policy through the enactment of ordinances and resolutions.
Current Mayor is Laura R. Hoydick (R)

==Emergency services==

===Emergency medical services===
Established in 1977, Stratford Emergency Medical Service (SEMS) is the state-licensed, third-service, advanced life support (paramedic) and basic life support, municipal EMS provider to the Town of Stratford. The department responds to approximately 8500 calls annually.[22]{{Citation needed|date=October 2018}}

===Fire department===
Established in 1909, the fire department operates out of four stations located throughout the town. The fire department staffs 4 engine companies, a truck company, a rescue unit, and a shift commander along with several specialized response units. The department responds to approximately 6000 calls annually.<ref>[http://www.townofstratford.com/content/1302/402/611/default.aspx] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100721233957/http://www.townofstratford.com/content/1302/402/611/default.aspx|date=July 21, 2010}}</ref>

===Police department===

Created in 1917, the Stratford Police Department has a force of 98 officers. The department's units include arson investigation, crime prevention, identification & forensic unit and narcotics & vice. Stratford also has a boat patrol, a [[Police dog|K-9 unit]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.townofstratford.com/content/1302/402/621/default.aspx |title=Stratford, Connecticut - Police Department |publisher=Townofstratford.com |date=December 22, 2010 |access-date=January 2, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101114013003/http://www.townofstratford.com/content/1302/402/621/default.aspx |archive-date=November 14, 2010 }}</ref> and an animal control unit.<ref>{{cite web |author=Michael Romsky |url=http://www.stratfordac.org/ |title=Stratford Animal Control | Home |publisher=Stratfordac.org |access-date=January 2, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110101185522/http://www.stratfordac.org/ |archive-date=January 1, 2011 }}</ref>

==Education==

===Public education===
Public education in Stratford is managed by the Stratford Board of Education, which operates 13 schools: two high schools, two middle schools, and nine elementary schools.<ref>[http://www.stratfordk12.org/ Stratford Public Schools]</ref> The district has about 6,800 students and 1,095 staff, including 577 teachers, counselors, and specialists.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://edsight.ct.gov/Output/District/HighSchool/1380011_201819.pdf |title=Connecticut SDE District Profile: Stratford School District|publisher=edsighy.ct.gov |date=October 1, 2018 |access-date=June 3, 2020}}</ref>

====High schools====
* [[Frank Scott Bunnell High School]]
* [[Stratford High School (Connecticut)|Stratford High School]]
* A.L.P.H.A. (formerly S.A.F.E.), an [[alternative school|alternative high school]] program of 55 students hosted at the Birdseye Municipal Complex<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.stratfordk12.org/Content/Program_Overview.asp |title=Program Overview for Stratford CT Public School's ALPHA Program |publisher=Stratfordk12.org |date=March 26, 2007 |access-date=January 2, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110424151235/http://www.stratfordk12.org/Content/Program_Overview.asp |archive-date=April 24, 2011 }}</ref>

====Middle schools====
* Harry B. Flood Middle School
* David Wooster Middle School

====Elementary schools====
* Chapel Street Elementary School
* Franklin Elementary School
* Lordship Elementary School
* Nichols Elementary School
* Second Hill Lane Elementary School
* Stratford Academy: Johnson House (elementary) (3–6)
* Eli Whitney Elementary School
* [[Victoria Leigh Soto|Victoria Soto]] Elementary School <ref>{{cite news|url=http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/01/14/16508448-connecticut-school-named-for-slain-newtown-teacher-victoria-soto?lite |title=Connecticut school named for slain Newtown teacher Victoria Soto - U.S. News |publisher=Usnews.nbcnews.com |date=October 24, 2012 |access-date=February 15, 2013}}</ref>
* Wilcoxson Elementary School

===Private education===
Stratford has two private ([[Catholic]]) elementary and middle schools:
* St. James School (K–8)
* St. Mark School (K–8)

===Higher education===
* The [[Connecticut School of Broadcasting]] maintains a location in Stratford and certifies students in television anchoring, commercial radio performance and journalism.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gocsb.com/index.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090622181539/http://www.gocsb.com/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 22, 2009 |title=Connecticut School of Broadcasting - Career in Radio & TV |publisher=Gocsb.com |access-date=January 2, 2011 }}</ref>
* [[Porter and Chester Institute]]'s main campus provides training programs in automotive technology, [[Computer-aided design|CAD]], [[electronics]], [[HVAC]], medical assistance, and other trades.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.porterchester.com/ |title=Technical Schools in CT and MA | Porter and Chester Institute |publisher=Porterchester.com |access-date=January 2, 2011}}</ref>
* The Stratford School for Aviation Maintenance Technicians is located at Sikorsky Memorial Airport.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cttech.org/SSAMT/index.htm |title=School For Aviation Maintenance Technicians |publisher=Cttech.org |access-date=January 2, 2011 |archive-date=February 16, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100216184634/http://www.cttech.org/ssamt/index.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Local attractions==

===National Helicopter Museum===
Located in the former Stratford railroad station, the [[National Helicopter Museum]] contains a photographic history of the helicopter and model helicopters. Notably, it displays the [[Lycoming T53]] jet engine, designed by Dr. [[Anselm Franz]] and manufactured at the [[Stratford Army Engine Plant]].

[[File:Short Beach II.jpg|thumb|Oysters at low tide. Short Beach is open from sunrise to sunset.]]
[[File:Short Beach I.jpg|thumb|Tree on Short Beach in Stratford, Connecticut]]

===Boothe Memorial Park===
{{Main|Boothe Memorial Park}}
The {{convert|30|acre|m2|adj=on}} Boothe homestead in the Putney area of Stratford is a rolling parkland containing the original Boothe homestead and an eclectic assortment of buildings collected by the Boothe brothers during their lives and added to by the Friends of Boothe.

A tollbooth that was in service from 1940 to 1988 on Connecticut's [[Merritt Parkway]] is on display in Boothe Memorial Park.

===Shakespeare Festival Theatre===
{{Main|American Shakespeare Theatre}}

In 1955 Stratford became home to the American Shakespeare Theatre, an 1,100-seat theatre{{citation needed|date=November 2014}} with grounds on the [[Housatonic River]]. The theatre featured such actors as [[Katharine Hepburn]], [[James Earl Jones]], [[Paul Newman]], [[Jessica Tandy]], [[Jane Alexander]], [[Hal Holbrook]], [[Roddy McDowall]], [[Nina Foch]] and [[Will Geer]]. [[John Houseman]] served as its artistic director during the late 1950s.

The company operating the theater ceased operations in the mid-1980s, and the building has been vacant since then. In February 2005, the Town of Stratford received the deed for the Stratford Festival Shakespeare Theater from the state of Connecticut. In 2006 it selected a New York City development company to reopen the theater as a tourist destination, but the company's contract was terminated in July 2007 because of lack of progress. In 2019 the theatre burned to the ground.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/Fire-Destroys-Historic-Shakespeare-Theatre-in-Stratford-504285771.html|title = Fire Destroys Historic Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford| date=January 13, 2019 }}</ref>

=== Stratford Library Shakespeare ===
Since 2002, the [[Hudson Shakespeare Company]] has presented one showing of their [[Shakespeare in the Park]] in the amphitheater behind the Stratford Library.

===Sites on the National Register of Historic Places===
* [[Boothe Homestead]] (1985)
* [[Capt. David Judson House]] (1973)
* [[Ephraim Wheeler House]] (1992)
* [[Isaac Lewis House (Stratford, Connecticut)|Isaac Lewis House]] (1991)
* [[Nathan B. Booth House]] (1992)
* [[Sterling Homestead]] (1976)
* [[Stratford Center Historic District]] (1983)
* [[Stratford Point Lighthouse]] (1990)
* [[Washington Bridge (Connecticut)|Washington Bridge]] (2004)

===Sterling House===
Since 1932, Sterling House has served as a community center for Stratford. Housed in a donated 1886 Romanesque mansion that was previously the home of [[John William Sterling]], it hosts recreational and leisure activities for adults and children, charity events, and volunteer activities. The grounds include a gazebo, a rose garden, and a {{convert|2|acre|m2|adj=on}} field.

==Sports==
Stratford is home to the [[Connecticut Brakettes]] women's [[fastpitch softball]] team. Formed in 1947 as the Raybestos Girl All-Stars, and later called the Raybestos Brakettes, they became known as the Stratford Brakettes in 1985 after Raybestos ceased its sponsorship. The team has posted 3,242 victories in 3,607 games played, as well as three world championships and 28 national [[Amateur Softball Association|A.S.A.]] championships, including a record eight consecutive titles from 1971 to 1978.<ref name="brakette_archive">{{cite web|url=http://www.stratfordbrakettes.com/|title=Brakettes Archives|access-date=October 21, 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090302010411/http://www.stratfordbrakettes.com/|archive-date=March 2, 2009}}</ref><ref name="hays">{{cite web|last=Hays|first=Graham|title=The saga of the Stratford Brakettes|url=https://www.espn.com/espn/page2/story?page=hays/080718|date=July 21, 2008|access-date=October 20, 2009|publisher=[[ESPN]]}}</ref> They also captured three consecutive titles in 2002, 2003, and 2004. Their most recent title came in 2006.<ref>[http://www.brakettes.com/national_tournaments.htm brakettes.com: National Championship results] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070218102523/http://www.brakettes.com/national_tournaments.htm |date=February 18, 2007 }}</ref><ref name="brakette_history">{{cite web|url=http://brakettes.com/history/|title=Brakettes (history)|access-date=October 21, 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090706064754/http://brakettes.com/history/|archive-date=July 6, 2009}}</ref> Nineteen former members have made the National Softball Hall of Fame, and 11 have been Olympians.<ref name="brakette_roster">{{cite web|url=http://www.stratfordbrakettes.com/alltime_roster.htm|title=Brakettes All-Time Roster|access-date=October 20, 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120225165159/http://www.stratfordbrakettes.com/alltime_roster.htm|archive-date=February 25, 2012}}</ref> I The Brakettes play at Frank DeLuca Hall of Fame Field.

==Media==

===Movies filmed in Stratford===
Movies filmed at least partially in Stratford:<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/search/title|title=IMDb: Most Popular Titles With Location Matching "Stratford, Connecticut, USA"|work=IMDb|access-date=December 5, 2016}}</ref>
* ''Butterfield Eight'' (1960)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://lordshiphistory.com/MOVIESwebpage.html |title=The History of Lordship! |publisher=Lordshiphistory.com |access-date=January 2, 2011}}</ref>
* ''The Battle'' (2001)
* ''Carnauba: A Son's Memoir'' (2001)
* ''Zero Day'' (2003)
* ''Das Kraftei'' – Raketenjäger ME 163 Komet (2004)
* ''Boxes'' (2005)
* ''Store'' (2006)
* ''Listen to Your Heart'' (2009)
* ''All Good Things'' (2010)
* ''Daddy for Lunch'' (2010)
* ''Sketchy Future'' (2010)
* ''Sicarii'' (2011)
* ''Chang Can Dunk'' (2023)

===Newspapers===
Stratford is served by Bridgeport's daily ''[[Connecticut Post]]'' and by the weekly digital Stratford Crier. The ''Stratford Star cesed publication in 2012''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.acorn-online.com/joomla15/stratfordstar/news.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091019090359/http://www.acorn-online.com/joomla15/stratfordstar/news.html |url-status=usurped |archive-date=October 19, 2009 |title=StratfordStar.com • News |publisher=Acorn-online.com |access-date=January 2, 2011 }}</ref>

==Sister cities==
Stratford has five sister cities:<ref>[http://www.sister-cities.org/icrc/directory/usa/CT "Online Directory: Connecticut, USA" at ''Sister Cities International''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061002205742/http://www.sister-cities.org/icrc/directory/USA/CT |date=October 2, 2006 }}. Retrieved March 27, 2007.</ref>
* {{flagdeco|UK}} [[Stratford-upon-Avon]], [[Warwickshire]], England, United Kingdom
* {{flagdeco|New Zealand}} [[Stratford, New Zealand|Stratford]], New Zealand
* {{flagdeco|Australia}} [[Stratford, Victoria|Stratford]], [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]], Australia
* {{flagdeco|Canada}} [[Stratford, Ontario|Stratford]], [[Ontario]], Canada
* {{flagdeco|Canada}} [[Stratford, Prince Edward Island|Stratford]], [[Prince Edward Island]], Canada

==Notable people==

* [[Andrew Adams (congressman)|Andrew Adams]] (1736–1797), jurist, Connecticut delegate to the Continental Congress, state chief justice and signer of the Articles of Confederation,<ref name="Marquis 1607-1896">{{cite book |title=Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607–1896 |publisher=Marquis Who's Who |location=Chicago |year=1963}}</ref> born in Stratford
* [[Raymond E. Baldwin]] (1893–1986), Stratford Town Court Prosecutor and Judge, [[United States Senator]], and 72nd and 74th [[Governor of Connecticut]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cslib.org/gov/baldwinr.htm |title=Raymond Earl Baldwin |publisher=Cslib.org |access-date=January 2, 2011}}</ref>
* [[Nathan Bangs]] (1778–1862), Methodist minister and second president of [[Wesleyan University]]<ref>[http://www.wesleyan.edu/president/past_presidents/nathan_bangs.htt]{{dead link|date=January 2011}}</ref>
* [[William Beardsley (settler)|William Beardsley]] (1605–1661), town founder buried in Stratford<ref>[http://www.frazierfarmsteadmuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Mr-BEARDSLEY.pdf Frazier Farmstead Museum]</ref>
* [[Adam Blakeman]] (1596–1665), Puritan leader who was a town founder and the first church minister<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BTI6rl97_pcC&q=%22Adam+Blakeman%22+%2BMinister&pg=PA1 |title=Genealogical notes, or contributions ... - Google Books |access-date=January 2, 2011|isbn=9780806301594 |last1=Goodwin |first1=Nathaniel |year=1982|publisher=Genealogical Publishing Com }}</ref>
* [[Tyler Bunch]], puppeteer and actor
* [[Efrain Chacurian]], member of the [[National Soccer Hall of Fame]] in [[Oneonta, New York|Oneonta]], [[New York (state)|New York]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://national.soccerhall.org/RNO_WATN/ChicoChacurian_WATN.htm |title=Archived copy |access-date=February 15, 2010 |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304045336/http://national.soccerhall.org/RNO_WATN/ChicoChacurian_WATN.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>
* [[Javier Colon]], singer-songwriter, winner of season one of ''[[The Voice (U.S. TV series)|The Voice]]'', grew up in Stratford and graduated from [[Frank Scott Bunnell High School|Bunnell High School]]
* [[Joseph Platt Cooke]] (1730–1816), [[Continental Army]] colonel in the [[American Revolution|Revolutionary War]], state politician, and twice a delegate to the [[Continental Congress]], born in Stratford<ref>{{cite web |url=http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=C000733 |title=COOKE, Joseph Platt - Biographical Information |publisher=Bioguide.congress.gov |access-date=January 2, 2011}}</ref>
* [[Vera Curtis]] (1880–1962), [[soprano]]<ref>{{cite news|title=Vera Curtis, Soprano, Dies at 82; Sang at the Met From '12 to '20|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=February 7, 1962|page=37}}</ref>
* [[Tony Dovolani]], ballroom dancer, cast member on ''[[Dancing with the Stars]]'', used to reside in Stratford<ref>{{cite web|last=Bagley |first=Jason |url=http://stratford.patch.com/groups/arts-and-entertainment/p/dancing-with-the-stars-winner-hails-from-stratford |title='Dancing with the Stars' Winner Hails from Stratford - Entertainment - Stratford, CT Patch |publisher=Stratford.patch.com |date=November 28, 2012 |access-date=May 19, 2013}}</ref>
* [[Anselm Franz]] (1900–1994), Austrian engineer, inventor of the [[Jumo 004]] and [[Lycoming T53|T53]] turbine engines
* [[Bancroft Gherardi]] (1832–1903), US Navy rear admiral and veteran of the [[Mexican–American War]] and [[American Civil War]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/pers-us/uspers-g/b-gherdi.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040530075853/http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/pers-us/uspers-g/b-gherdi.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 30, 2004 |title=US People-Gherardi, Bancroft, Rear Admiral, USN (1832-1903) |publisher=History.navy.mil |date=April 18, 2004 |access-date=January 2, 2011}}</ref>
* [[Joseph Hawley (captain)|Joseph Hawley]] (1603–1690), town recorder, representative, shipbuilder and yeoman
* [[William Samuel Johnson]] (1727–1819), signer of the [[United States Constitution]], first [[United States Senate|Senator]] for Connecticut, first President of [[Columbia University]], born and died in Stratford<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=J000182 |title=JOHNSON, William Samuel - Biographical Information |publisher=Bioguide.congress.gov |access-date=January 2, 2011}}</ref>
* [[Stephen King]], author, briefly lived in Stratford as a child<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.stephenking.com/the_author.html |title=About the Author |publisher=StephenKing.com |access-date=January 2, 2011}}</ref>
* [[George Ayres Leavitt]] (1822–1888), early [[New York City]] publisher, lived in Stratford part-time
* [[Nancy Marchand]] (1928–2000), actress (''Lou Grant'', ''The Sopranos''), resided in the [[Lordship, Connecticut|Lordship]] section of Stratford<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0545408/bio |title=Nancy Marchand |work=IMDb |access-date=December 5, 2016}}</ref>
* [[Moby]], songwriter-musician-singer, lived in Stratford (1974–1976), attending Birdseye Elementary School<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.moby.com/biography |title=biography |publisher=moby.com |access-date=January 2, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101227231313/http://www.moby.com/biography |archive-date=December 27, 2010}}</ref>
* [[Kenneth H. Olsen]], engineer and co-founder of Digital Equipment Corporation<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.invent.org/Hall_Of_Fame/114.html |title=Invent Now | Hall of Fame | Search | Inventor Profile |publisher=Invent.org |date=February 20, 1926 |access-date=January 2, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101205232254/http://www.invent.org/hall_of_fame/114.html |archive-date=December 5, 2010 }}</ref>
* [[Tom Penders]], college basketball coach and ESPN sports analyst, native of Stratford<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.townofstratford.com/content/1296/396/7913/15558/18550.aspx |title=Stratford, Connecticut - Proc-090610-Tom Penders (Sterling House) |publisher=Townofstratford.com |date=December 22, 2010 |access-date=January 2, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717082744/http://www.townofstratford.com/content/1296/396/7913/15558/18550.aspx |archive-date=July 17, 2011 }}</ref>
* [[David Plant]] (1783–1851), member of the [[United States House of Representatives]] for the 20th Congress, Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut 1823–1827<ref>{{cite web |url=http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=P000375 |title=PLANT, David - Biographical Information |publisher=Bioguide.congress.gov |access-date=January 2, 2011}}</ref>
* [[Igor Sikorsky]], founder of [[Sikorsky Aircraft]]
* [[Loring Smith]] (1890–1981), Broadway and motion picture actor born in Stratford<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0809143/bio |title=Loring Smith |work=IMDb |access-date=December 5, 2016}}</ref>
* [[Victoria Leigh Soto]] (1985–2012), school teacher. Attended Stratford High School, resided in Stratford. Victim of the [[Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting]]. Currently rests at the Union Cemetery in Stratford
* [[John William Sterling]] (1844–1918), philanthropist, corporate attorney, and major benefactor of Yale University<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZREwAAAAYAAJ&q=%22John+William+Sterling%22+biography+Yale+stratford&pg=RA15-PA212 |title=Prominent and progressive Americans ... - Google Books |date=November 7, 2008 |access-date=January 2, 2011}}</ref>
* [[Kenneth Tigar]], American actor and translator
* [[Gideon Tomlinson]] (1780–1854), noted lawyer, member of the [[United States House of Representatives]] (16th through 19th Congresses), [[United States Senate|Senator]] for Connecticut (22nd through 24th Congresses), and 25th Governor of Connecticut, born and interned in Stratford<ref>{{cite web |url=http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=T000300 |title=TOMLINSON, Gideon - Biographical Information |publisher=Bioguide.congress.gov |access-date=January 2, 2011}}</ref>
* [[David Wooster]], Major General in the [[American Revolutionary War]], born in Stratford<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.connecticutsar.org/sites/2009/09/statue-of-david-wooster.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110725192454/http://www.connecticutsar.org/sites/2009/09/statue-of-david-wooster.html |url-status=usurped |archive-date=July 25, 2011 |title=Historic Sites from the Connecticut Society of the Sons of the American Revolution |publisher=Connecticutsar.org |date=September 10, 2009 |access-date=January 2, 2011}}</ref>
* [[John Zaffis]], paranormal investigator on the [[Syfy]] original series ''[[Haunted Collector]]''

==Notes==
{{reflist|2}}

==Further reading==
{{Portal|Connecticut}}
* Calhoun, John D. & Lewis G. Knapp. ''Stratford: A Pictorial History, 1850–1970'', (Images of America Series) Arcadia Publishing, 1999. {{ISBN|0-7385-3579-6}}
* Knapp, Lewis G. ''In Pursuit of Paradise: History of the Town of Stratford, Connecticut''. West Kennebunk, ME: Phoenix Publishing, 1989. {{ISBN|0-914659-42-1}}
* Orcutt, Samuel. ''A History of the Old Town of Stratford and the City of Bridgeport, Connecticut''. New Haven, CT: Press of Tuttle, Morehouse & Taylor, 1886.
* Smith, Claude. ''The Stratford Devil''. New York: Walker, 1984. {{ISBN|0-8027-6544-0}}
* Wilcoxson, William Howard. ''History of Stratford, 1639–1939'', Stratford, CT: Stratford Tercentenary Commission, 1939.

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
{{wikivoyage|Stratford (Connecticut)|Stratford, Connecticut}}
* {{Official website|http://www.townofstratford.com/}}
* [http://www.stratford.lib.ct.us/ Stratford Library Association]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20020205002801/http://www.stratfordhistoricalsociety.com/ Stratford Historical Society]

{{Geographic Location
| Centre = Stratford
| North = [[Shelton, Connecticut|Shelton]]
| Northwest = [[Trumbull, Connecticut|Trumbull]]
| West = [[Bridgeport, Connecticut|Bridgeport]]
| East = [[Housatonic River]] / [[Milford, Connecticut|Milford]]
| South = [[Long Island Sound]]}}
{{Greater Bridgeport Planning Region, Connecticut}}
{{Fairfield County, Connecticut}}
{{Connecticut}}
{{New York metropolitan area}}
{{New England}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Stratford, Connecticut| ]]
[[Category:Towns in Fairfield County, Connecticut]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1639]]
[[Category:1639 establishments in Connecticut]]
[[Category:Towns in the New York metropolitan area]]
[[Category:Towns in Connecticut]]
[[Category:Populated coastal places in Connecticut]]
[[Category:Towns in Greater Bridgeport Planning Region, Connecticut]]

Old Lyme, Connecticut

2025-11-02T01:10:06Z

2601:183:4B82:E70:4C4B:E64C:7843:244D: /* On the National Register of Historic Places */

{{Use American English|date=June 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name = Old Lyme, Connecticut
| official_name = Town of Old Lyme
| settlement_type = [[New England town|Town]]
| image_skyline = Connecticut River near its mouth.JPG
| image_caption = View of the [[Connecticut River]] in Old Lyme near its mouth at [[Long Island Sound]]
| image_flag =
| image_seal = OldLymeCTseal.JPG
| image_map = {{switcher|[[File:New London County Connecticut Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Old Lyme Highlighted 2010.svg|250px|frameless|alt=Old Lyme's location within New London County and Connecticut]]| [[New London County, Connecticut|New London County]] and Connecticut|[[File:Lower Connecticut River Valley incorporated and unincorporated areas Old Lyme highlighted.svg|250px|frameless|alt=Old Lyme's location within the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region and the state of Connecticut]]| [[Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, Connecticut|Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region]] and Connecticut|default=1}}
| image_map1 = {{maplink|frame=yes|plain=yes|frame-align=center|frame-width=280|frame-height=200|frame-coord=SWITCH:{{coord|qid=Q1980190}}###{{coord|qid=Q779}}###{{coord|41|19|N|72|18|W}}|zoom=SWITCH:10;6;3|type=SWITCH:shape-inverse;point;point|marker=city|stroke-width=2|stroke-color=#000000|id2=SWITCH:Q1980190;Q779;Q30|type2=shape|fill2=#ffffff|fill-opacity2=SWITCH:0;0.1;0.1|stroke-width2=2|stroke-color2=#808080|stroke-opacity2=SWITCH:0;1;1|switch=Old Lyme;Connecticut;the United States}}
| coordinates = {{coord|41|19|N|72|18|W|region:US-CT|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = {{US}}
| subdivision_type1 = [[U.S. state]]
| subdivision_name1 = {{flag|Connecticut}}
| subdivision_type2 = [[County (United States)|County]]
| subdivision_name2 = [[New London County, Connecticut|New London]]
| subdivision_type3 = [[Councils of governments in Connecticut|Region]]
| subdivision_name3 = [[Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, Connecticut|Lower CT River Valley]]
| established_title = Incorporated
| established_date = 1855
| government_type = [[Board of selectmen|Selectman-town meeting]]
| leader_title = First selectwoman
| leader_name = Martha Shoemaker
| leader_title2 = Second Selectman
| leader_name2 = Jim Lampos
| leader_title3 = Third Selectwoman
| leader_name3 = Jude Read
| unit_pref = Imperial
| area_total_km2 = 74.6
| area_total_sq_mi = 28.8
| area_land_km2 = 59.8
| area_land_sq_mi = 23.1
| area_water_km2 = 14.8
| area_water_sq_mi = 5.7
| elevation_m = 6
| elevation_ft = 20
| population_total = 7628
| population_as_of = 2020
| population_density_km2 = auto
| timezone = [[Eastern Standard Time Zone|Eastern]]
| utc_offset = -5
| timezone_DST = Eastern
| utc_offset_DST = -4
| postal_code_type = ZIP code
| postal_code = 06371
| area_codes = [[Area codes 860 and 959|860/959]]
| blank_name = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info = 09-57040
| blank1_name = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info = 0213483
| website = {{URL|www.oldlyme-ct.gov}}
}}

'''Old Lyme''' is a coastal town in [[New London County, Connecticut]], United States, bounded on the west by the [[Connecticut River]], on the south by the [[Long Island Sound]], on the east by the town of East Lyme, and on the north by the town of Lyme. The town is part of the [[Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, Connecticut|Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region]].The main street of the town, Lyme Street, is a historic district with several homes once owned by sea captains. The town has had for many years a thriving art community. Its principal institutions include the [[Florence Griswold Museum]], the [[Lyme Art Association]], and the [[Lyme Academy of Fine Arts]]. The town is named after [[Lyme Regis]], England.

Several seasonal beach communities are in Old Lyme, such as Point O' Woods, Hawk's Nest, and Miami Beach. Several hundred people rent seasonal cottages and beach front homes from late May through mid October in Old Lyme. Hartford Avenue, the main street through beach area, features several small stores and a carousel for young children.

The town of Old Lyme contains several villages, including Black Hall, Laysville, Soundview, and South Lyme. The total population of the town was 7,628 at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]].<ref name="Census 2020">{{Cite web| url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?g=0600000US0901157040| title=Census - Geography Profile: Old Lyme town, New London County, Connecticut| publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]| access-date=December 18, 2021}}</ref>

==Background and history==
[[File:Old Lyme - Historic Blue Town Sign.jpg|thumb|Old Lyme - Historic Blue Town Sign]]
[[File:Railroad Bridge over Four Mile River view facing Old Lyme Seaview Road shore line.jpg|right|thumb|500x500px|Railroad Bridge over the Four Mile River's mouth, which connects East Lyme to Old Lyme's easternmost shoreline]]

Old Lyme is a community of about 7,600 permanent residents, in addition to several thousand seasonal vacationers who occupy rental homes and cottages in the summer. It is located on the east bank of the Connecticut River at its confluence with Long Island Sound, across the river from [[Old Saybrook, Connecticut|Old Saybrook]] on the west bank. Numerous examples of nautical style[[American colonial architecture|Colonial]], [[Federal architecture]], and modern architecture can be found throughout the town.

The town of [[Lyme, Connecticut|Lyme]] was set off from Saybrook (now known as [[Deep River, Connecticut|Deep River]]), which is on the west bank of the Connecticut River mouth, on February 13, 1665. South Lyme was incorporated from Lyme in 1855, then renamed Old Lyme in 1857, because it contains the oldest-settled portion of the Lymes.<ref>Burton, K. ''Old Lyme, Lyme, and Hadlyme.'' Arcadia Publishing,Charleston, SC, 2003 pp. 7-8.</ref> Old Lyme occupies about {{convert|27|sqmi|km2}} of shoreline, [[tidal marsh]], inland wetlands, and forested hills. Its neighbor to the north is the town of Lyme, and to the east is [[East Lyme, Connecticut|East Lyme]]. Other place names from the same root are [[Hadlyme North Historic District|Hadlyme]], a neighborhood in the town of Lyme and the town of [[East Haddam, Connecticut|East Haddam]], and South Lyme, a beach resort area of Old Lyme. The place name "Lyme" is derived from [[Lyme Regis]], a small port on the coast of [[Dorset]], England from which some of the early settlers immigrated in the 17th century.<ref>Caulkins, F.M. ''History of New London, Connecticut. From the first survey of the coast in 1612, to 1852.'' H.D. Utley, New London, 1895. 696 pp.</ref> The picturesque [[Old Lyme Cemetery]] contains the graves of the settlers. The [[Duck River (Connecticut)|Duck River]] flows through the cemetery and into the Connecticut River at [[Watch Rock Park]].

[[Lyme disease]] was named after the town. It was discovered in 1975 after a mysterious outbreak of what appeared to be [[juvenile rheumatoid arthritis]] in children who lived in Lyme and Old Lyme.

== Old Lyme Art Colony ==

{{main|Old Lyme Art Colony}}

The [[Florence Griswold]] House in Old Lyme housed an [[art colony]] for many years in the early 20th century to many prominent [[American Impressionism|American Impressionist painters]]. The Lyme Art Colony included [[Childe Hassam]], [[Edward Charles Volkert]], [[Willard Metcalf]], [[Wilson Irvine]], and [[Henry Ward Ranger]], among many others. These artists made Old Lyme a thriving art community, which still continues today.

The Griswold House was transformed into an art museum, the [[Florence Griswold Museum]], or affectionately called "Flo Gris", by residents of Old Lyme. Many American Impressionist paintings of the era are of subjects in and around the Griswold House and are featured in the museum, along with many other works and personal possessions of the artists who frequented there. The building of the [[Old Lyme Congregational Church]] is known for the many paintings that have been made of it, most notably by Childe Hassam.

==On the National Register of Historic Places==

[[File:Willard Metcalf May Night.png|thumb|right|200px|''[[May Night (Willard Metcalf painting)|May Night]]'', painting of the [[Florence Griswold House]] by [[Willard Metcalf]], 1906, in the collection of the [[Corcoran Gallery of Art]]]]

[[File:Church at Old Lyme Childe Hassam.jpeg|thumb|left|225px|''Church at Old Lyme'', oil on canvas, [[Childe Hassam]], 1905]]
*[[Bennett Rockshelter]] (added July 31, 1987)
* [[Florence Griswold House and Museum]] – 96 Lyme Street (added May 19, 1993)
* Lieutenant River III Site (added August 31, 1987)
* Lieutenant River IV Site (added August 31, 1987)
* Lieutenant River No. 2 (added August 31, 1987)
* Natcon Site (added August 31, 1987)
* [[Old Lyme Historic District]] – Lyme Street from Shore Road to Sill Lane, Old [[Boston Post Road]] from Sill Lane to Rose Lane (added November 14, 1971)
* [[Peck Tavern]] – 1 Sill Lane (added May 12, 1982)
* [[Springbank (Old Lyme, Connecticut)|Springbank]] – 69 Neck Road (added September 17, 2001)

==Geography and climate==
[[File:OldLyneCTbarefoot.JPG|thumb|200px|Barefoot tourists]]
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the town has a total area of {{convert|28.8|sqmi|km2}}, of which {{convert|5.7|sqmi|km2}}, or 19.85%, is water. The southern section of Old Lyme has a mostly flat topography, intersected with tidal marsh and swamp, while the northern sections of the town have a rocky and hilly terrain. Old Lyme lies in the [[Köppen climate classification]] zone Cfa, or mild [[temperate climate]]. The summers have highs in the 80s °F (and 90's F on occasion) and the winters have highs in the upper 30s to low 40s °F. The average annual precipitation is about 40 inches (100 cm), and about 28 inches of snow falls on average each winter. Snowcover is normally brief.

===Principal communities{{Citation needed|date=March 2018}}===
*Black Hall
*Laysville
*Lyme Station
*Old Lyme Center
*Sound View
*South Lyme
*Edge Lea
*Hatchetts Point
*Point O'Woods

Other minor communities and geographic features in the town are Between the Rivers, Black Hall Pond, Brighton Beach, Ferry Road, Flat Rock Hill, Four Mile River, Griswold Point, Hall's Corners, Hawk's Nest Beach, Homestead Circle, Johnnycake Hill, Miami Beach, Mile Creek, Neck Road, Old Colony Beach, Old Lyme Estates, Old Lyme Shores, Rogers Lake, Sill Lane, Smith's Neck, Tantummaheag, Tuttles Sandy Beach, Whippoorwill, and White Sand Beach.

===Rogers Lake===
Rogers Lake, located in the towns of Old Lyme and Lyme, is formed by a dam along Town Woods Road in Old Lyme. The lake's surface area is {{convert|265|acre|km2}}. Mill Brook, Grassy Hill Brook and Broad Swamp Brook feed into the lake. The lake's watershed is {{convert|4833|acre|km2}} of woodland. The outlet below the dam is Mill Brook, which is a tributary of the [[Lieutenant River]], a tributary of the Connecticut River.

Five small islands are on Rogers Lake, the largest of which has a small cottage built on it. Rogers Lake is stocked every year with [[brook trout|brook]] and [[rainbow trout]].
A street that runs along the north side of Rogers Lake is called Blood Street; it has lent its name to the town's rowing team, the Blood Street Sculls. Rogers Lake is also bordered by Grassy Hill Road and Town Woods Road, with a small lakeside neighborhood off of Rogers Lake Trail.

[[File:Hains Park, Rogers Lake - Old Lyme CT.jpg|thumb|Hains Park, Rogers Lake - Old Lyme CT]]

===Roger: The Rogers Lake Monster===
Roger is the name given to a legendary lake monster said to inhabit Rogers Lake, a freshwater body in Old Lyme, Connecticut. Like the Loch Ness Monster or Lake Champlain’s “Champ,” Roger’s existence remains hotly debated. While many locals dismiss him as folklore, others speculate he could be a distant relative of the plesiosaur, an ancient aquatic reptile. Though no scientific evidence has ever confirmed his presence, more than 200 reported sightings have kept the legend alive, drawing curious visitors to the Old Lyme and Lyme areas.

Long before colonial accounts, Native American tribes of Connecticut referred to the creature as “Caca-togo.”

According to the Connecticut Association of Cryptozoology (CAC), the first documented sighting of Roger took place in 1878. A member of the Old Lyme Art Colony, while setting up her easel on the lake’s northeast shore, reportedly saw a massive, long-necked, gray-skinned creature rise nearly 20 feet above the surface before slipping back beneath the water. Far from frightened, she later told her family she felt more wonder than fear. Over the years, artists of the colony began weaving Roger into their canvases, a whimsical tradition that led Lyme Art Academy historian Herbert A. Strekel to quip: “If Picasso had his red period and Monet had his blue period, then this was their Lake Monster period.”

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
| 1860 = 1304
| 1870 = 1362
| 1880 = 1387
| 1890 = 1319
| 1900 = 1180
| 1910 = 1181
| 1920 = 946
| 1930 = 1313
| 1940 = 1702
| 1950 = 2141
| 1960 = 3068
| 1970 = 4964
| 1980 = 6159
| 1990 = 6535
| 2000 = 7406
| 2010 = 7603
| 2020 = 7628
| footnote = U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www2.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/datasets/2010-2020/cities/SUB-EST2020_9.csv|title=City & Town Population totals 2010-2020|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=September 14, 2021}}</ref>
}}
{{See also|List of Connecticut locations by per capita income}}
[[File:OLdLymeCT1934.JPG|thumb|200px|Relaxing behind the Florence Griswold Museum in Old Lyme]]
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=January 31, 2008|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref> of 2010, 7,603 people, 2,958 households, and 2,153 families resided in the town. The population density was {{convert|320.6|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The 4,570 housing units had an average density of {{convert|197.8|/sqmi|/km2|abbr=on}}. The [[Race (United States Census)|racial makeup]] of the town was 97.37% White, 0.26% African American, 0.28% Native American, 1.16% Asian, 0.33% from other races, and 0.59% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 0.95% of the population.

Of the 2,958 households, 30.2% had children under 18 living with them, 63.2% were married couples living together, 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.2% were not families. About 22.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.50, and the average family size was 2.93.

[[File:OldLymeCT1927.JPG|thumb|200px|Poetically beautiful waterfront]]
In the town, the age distribution was 24.0% under 18, 3.6% from 18 to 24, 26.4% from 25 to 44, 29.2% from 45 to 64, and 16.7% who were 65 or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.0 males. For every 100 females 18 and over, there were 94.6 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $68,386, and for a family was $75,779. Males had a median income of $52,110 versus $39,158 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the town was $41,386. About 2.2% of families and 3.4% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 4.9% of those under age 18 and 1.8% of those age 65 or over.

===Voter registration===

{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="6" | Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of October 25, 2005<ref>{{cite web|title = Registration and Party Enrollment Statistics as of October 25, 2005 | publisher = Connecticut Secretary of State | access-date = February 21, 2007 | url = http://www.sots.ct.gov/ElectionsServices/lists/2005OctRegEnrollStats.pdf |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070126214308/http://www.sots.ct.gov/ElectionsServices/lists/2005OctRegEnrollStats.pdf  |archive-date = January 26, 2007}}</ref>
|-
! colspan="2" | Party
! Active voters
! Inactive voters
! Total voters
! Percentage
|-
| {{party color cell|Republican Party (United States)}}
| [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
| align="center" | 1,931
| align="center" | 66
| align="center" | 1,997
| align="center" | 32.76%
|-
| {{party color cell|Democratic Party (United States)}}
| [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
| align="center" | 1,384
| align="center" | 38
| align="center" | 1,422
| align="center" | 23.33%
|-
| {{party color cell|Independent Party (United States)}}
| [[Independent voter|Unaffiliated]]
| align="center" | 2,546
| align="center" | 119
| align="center" | 2,665
| align="center" | 43.73%
|-
| {{party color cell|Libertarian Party (United States)}}
| Minor Parties
| align="center" | 10
| align="center" | 0
| align="center" | 10
| align="center" | 0.16%
|-
! colspan="2" | Total
! align="center" | 5,871
! align="center" | 223
! align="center" | 6094
! align="center" | 100%
|}



==Schools==
From the towns of Old Lyme and Lyme, 1,450 children were enrolled in the five schools of Regional District 18 at the start of the 2011–2012 academic year. The students are enrolled based on age and location. Lyme Consolidated School is for prekindergarten through grade 5, Mile Creek School is for kindergarten through grade 5, Center School is for prekindergarten, Lyme-Old Lyme Middle School is for grades 6 through 8, and [[Lyme-Old Lyme High School]] is for grades 9 through 12. Regional School District 18 has a 13:1 student-to-faculty ratio, and spent $17,454 per pupil in the 2007–2008 school year. The district's girls' soccer and boys' basketball teams won the Shoreline Conference Championship during the 2010–2011 school year.

Old Lyme also has a number of students who attend private schools, including nearby parochial schools such as [[Xavier High School (Connecticut)|Xavier High School]], [[Mercy High School (Connecticut)|Mercy High School]], and [[Saint Bernard School]], and some students go to [[college preparatory school]]s such as [[the Williams School]] in [[New London, Connecticut|New London]].

==Colleges==
[[File:Lyme College AcademicCenter-1-.jpg|thumb|left|Lyme Academy College Academic Center]]
Founded in 1976 by Elisabeth Gordon Chandler as a [[figurative art]] academy for the teaching of [[sculpture]], [[drawing]], [[illustration]], and [[painting]], the [[Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts]] offers a [[bachelor of fine arts]] degree in the disciplines of painting and sculpture. The college also offers postbaccalaureate and three-year certificate programs. It is known for its focus on teaching techniques and the history and tradition of [[representational art]], centered on the study of nature and the figure. According to ''The New York Times'', "many in the art world believe [Lyme Academy] has contributed to a renaissance of representational art."<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/02/11/nyregion/the-view-from-old-lyme-an-academy-with-a-tradition-of-art-that-s-understandable.html|title=The View From: Old Lyme; An Academy With a Tradition of Art That's Understandable|last=Libby|first=Sam|date=February 11, 1996|work=The New York Times|access-date=March 3, 2018|archive-url=https://archive.today/20180303181159/http://www.nytimes.com/1996/02/11/nyregion/the-view-from-old-lyme-an-academy-with-a-tradition-of-art-that-s-understandable.html|archive-date=March 3, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Transportation==
The [[Estuary Transit District]] provides public transportation throughout Old Lyme and the surrounding towns through its 9 Town transit service. Services include connections to the Old Saybrook Train Station, served by [[Amtrak]] and [[Shore Line East]] railroads, as well as the New London Transportation Center, served by train and ferry service.

Old Lyme has sought to block attempts to update rail infrastructure in the Northeast, such as building high-speed rail.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Radelat |first=Ana |date=April 13, 2017 |title=CT rebellion against federal rail plan grows -- and may have impact |url=http://ctmirror.org/2017/04/13/ct-rebellion-against-federal-rail-plan-grows-and-may-have-impact/ |website=CT Mirror |language=en-US}}</ref>

[[Interstate 95 in Connecticut|Interstate 95]] runs through the center of the town, as [[U.S. Route 1 in Connecticut|U.S. Route 1]] travels mostly in the north. [[Connecticut Route 156|CT 156]] passes through the western and southerly section.

==Notable people==

* [[Jim Calhoun]] (born 1942), head coach of the [[University of Connecticut]]'s men's basketball team, which won three national championships, and who was enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2005; began his career as a coach in town at [[Lyme-Old Lyme High School]].
* [[Herb Chambers]] (born 1941), billionaire owner and president of Herb Chambers Companies auto dealerships
* [[Liam Corrigan]] (born 1997), Olympic [[Rowing (sport)|rower]] and gold medalist
* [[Elisabeth Gordon Chandler]] (1913–2006), sculptor, resident, and founder of the Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts
* [[Lois Darling]] (1917–1989), artist and illustrator<ref name="nytLD">[https://www.nytimes.com/1989/12/21/obituaries/lois-darling-72-dies-an-artist-and-a-writer.html?scp=51&sq=%22HMS%20Beagle%22&st=cse Lois Darling, 72, Dies; An Artist and a Writer], New York Times, December 21, 1970, accessed May 2010</ref>
* [[Helen Savier DuMond]] (1872–1968), painter, sculptor, and teacher<ref name="Benezit-2011">{{Cite web |date=October 31, 2011 |title=Mond, Helen Savier du |url=https://www.oxfordartonline.com/benezit/display/10.1093/benz/9780199773787.001.0001/acref-9780199773787-e-00124494 |url-access=subscription |access-date=2025-03-17 |website=[[Benezit Dictionary of Artists]] |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |language=en |doi=10.1093/benz/9780199773787.article.b00124494}}</ref>
* [[Albert Einstein]], who had a summer home on the Old Lyme shore<ref>{{Cite web |date=March 21, 2013 |title=Sailing the Connecticut Coast with Albert Einstein |url=http://patch.com/connecticut/mansfield/sailing-the-connecticut-coast-with-albert-einstein-5bbe11b8}}</ref>
* [[Chris Elliott]] (born 1960), actor and screenwriter, known best for his supporting role in the 1998 comedy ''[[There's Something About Mary]]''
* [[Walker Evans]], photographer; lived nearby in Lyme until his death in 1975<ref>Walker Evans: Photographer of America, Thomas Nau, Macmillan, 2007, p. 59</ref>
* [[Elsie Ferguson]] (1883–1961), actress
* [[Ella T. Grasso]] (1919–1981), first female governor of Connecticut, first woman to be elected governor in the United States who was not the wife or widow of a governor, awarded the [[Presidential Medal of Freedom]] by President [[Ronald Reagan]] in 1981, inducted into the [[National Women's Hall of Fame]] in 1993
* [[Childe Hassam]] (1859–1935), [[American Impressionist]], stayed in the [[Florence Griswold House]] as part of the [[Old Lyme Art Colony]]
* [[Wilson Irvine]] (1869–1936), American Impressionist, stayed in the [[Florence Griswold House]] as part of the [[Old Lyme Art Colony]]
* [[Peter Karter]] (1922–2010), founder of early recycling company
* [[Isabella Kirkland]] (born 1954), visual artist and biodiversity researcher
* [[Susanne Katherina Langer]] (1895–1985), philosopher, writer, and educator, one of the first female academic philosophers
* [[Ezra Lee]] (1749–1821), American colonial soldier known for commanding the [[Turtle (submersible)|Turtle]] submarine, is buried in [[Duck River Cemetery]] in Old Lyme
* [[Willard Metcalf]] (1858–1925), American Impressionist, stayed in the Florence Griswold House as part of the Old Lyme Art Colony
* [[Diana Muir]], writer and historian
* [[Roger Tory Peterson]] (1908–1996), naturalist, ornithologist, artist, and educator
* [[Henry Ward Ranger]] (1858–1916), American Impressionist, stayed in the Florence Griswold House as part of the Old Lyme Art Colony
*[[William S. Reyburn]] (1882-1946), U.S. Congressman
* [[Luanne Rice]] (born 1955), novelist
* [[Edwin J. Roland]] (1905–1985), Coast Guard admiral
* [[Elizabeth Tashjian]] (1912–2007), artist and founder of the Nut Museum in Old Lyme
* [[Edward Charles Volkert]] (1871–1935), American Impressionist, stayed in the Florence Griswold House as part of the Old Lyme Art Colony
* [[Clark Voorhees]] (1871–1933), American Impressionist, stayed in the Florence Griswold House as part of the Old Lyme Art Colony
* [[Morrison Waite]] (1816–1888), [[Chief Justice of the United States]] appointed by [[Ulysses S. Grant]], was born and lived in Old Lyme until leaving for college at Yale.
* [[Ellen Axson Wilson]] (1860–1914), first wife of president [[Woodrow Wilson]], came as an art student to the Florence Griswold House.

==See also==
{{Portal|Connecticut}}
* [[Duck River Cemetery]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
{{wikivoyage|Old Lyme}}
*[http://www.oldlyme-ct.gov/ Town of Old Lyme official website]
*[https://www.lymeline.com/ LymeLine.com Community News for Lyme & Old Lyme]

{{Connecticut}}
{{New London County, Connecticut}}
{{Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, Connecticut}}
{{Connecticut River}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Old Lyme, Connecticut| ]]
[[Category:Towns in New London County, Connecticut]]
[[Category:Connecticut populated places on the Connecticut River]]
[[Category:Populated coastal places in Connecticut]]
[[Category:Towns in Connecticut]]
[[Category:Towns in Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, Connecticut]]

Orange, Connecticut

2025-11-02T00:56:03Z

2601:183:4B82:E70:4C4B:E64C:7843:244D: /* On the National Register of Historic Places */

{{Distinguish|Orange, California}}
{{Use American English|date=July 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name = Orange, Connecticut
| official_name = Town of Orange
| settlement_type = [[New England town|Town]]
| image_skyline = Orange CT town hall.jpg
| image_caption = Orange Town Hall
| image_flag = FlagOfOrangeCT.png
| image_seal = Seal of Orange, Connecticut.png
| seal_size = 100px
| image_map = {{switcher|[[File:New Haven County Connecticut Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Orange Highlighted.svg|250px|frameless|alt=Orange's location within New Haven County and Connecticut]]| [[New Haven County, Connecticut|New Haven County]] and Connecticut|[[File:South Central Connecticut incorporated and unincorporated areas Orange highlighted.svg|250px|frameless|alt=Orange's location within the South Central Connecticut Planning Region and the state of Connecticut]]| [[South Central Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut|South Central Connecticut Planning Region]] and Connecticut|default=1}}
| image_map1 = {{maplink|frame=yes|plain=yes|frame-align=center|frame-width=280|frame-height=200|frame-coord=SWITCH:{{coord|qid=Q754766}}###{{coord|qid=Q779}}###{{coord|41|16|46|N|73|01|31|W}}|zoom=SWITCH:10;6;3|type=SWITCH:shape-inverse;point;point|marker=city|stroke-width=2|stroke-color=#000000|id2=SWITCH:Q754766;Q779;Q30|type2=shape|fill2=#ffffff|fill-opacity2=SWITCH:0;0.1;0.1|stroke-width2=2|stroke-color2=#808080|stroke-opacity2=SWITCH:0;1;1|switch=Orange;Connecticut;the United States}}
| coordinates = {{coord|41|16|46|N|73|01|31|W|region:US-CT|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = {{US}}
| subdivision_type1 = [[U.S. state]]
| subdivision_name1 = {{flag|Connecticut}}
| subdivision_type2 = [[County (United States)|County]]
| subdivision_name2 = [[New Haven County, Connecticut|New Haven]]
| subdivision_type3 = [[Councils of governments in Connecticut|Region]]
| subdivision_name3 = [[South Central Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut|South Central CT]]
| established_title = Incorporated
| established_date = 1822
| government_type = [[Board of selectmen|Selectman-town meeting]]
| leader_title = First selectman
| leader_name = James M. Zeoli (R)
| leader_title1 = Selectmen
| leader_name1 = Ralph Okenquist (R) John Carangelo (R) Judy W. Williams (R) Connor Deane (D) Mitchell R. Goldblatt (D)
| unit_pref = Imperial
| area_total_km2 = 45.1
| area_total_sq_mi = 17.4
| area_land_km2 = 44.5
| area_land_sq_mi = 17.2
| area_water_km2 = 0.6
| area_water_sq_mi = 0.2
| elevation_m = 65
| elevation_ft = 213
| population_footnotes =
| population_total = 14280
| population_as_of = 2020
| population_density_km2 = auto
| timezone = [[Eastern Standard Time Zone|Eastern]]
| utc_offset = -5
| timezone_DST = [[Eastern Standard Time Zone|Eastern]]
| utc_offset_DST = -4
| postal_code_type = ZIP code
| postal_code = 06477
| area_codes = [[Area codes 203 and 475|203/475]]
| blank_name = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info = 09-57600
| blank1_name = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info = 0213485
| website = {{URL|www.orange-ct.gov}}
}}
'''Orange''' is a town in [[New Haven County, Connecticut]], part of the [[South Central Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut|South Central Connecticut Planning Region]]. The population was 14,280 at the [[2020 United States Census|2020 census]].<ref name="Census 2020">{{cite web| url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?g=0600000US0900957600| title=Census - Geography Profile: Orange town, New Haven County, Connecticut| publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]| access-date=December 18, 2021}}</ref> The town is governed by a [[Board of Selectmen]].

==History==
The [[Paugussett]] and [[Algonquian peoples|Algonquian]] people previously inhabited the region that is now Orange. In 1639, [[Peter Prudden|Rev. Peter Prudden]] purchased the land from the Native Americans for six coats, ten blankets, one kettle, twelve hatchets, twelve hoes, two dozen knives and a dozen small mirrors.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.orange-ct.gov/index.htm |title=Welcome to the Town of Orange |website=www.orange-ct.gov |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031021030004/http://www.orange-ct.gov/index.htm |archive-date=October 21, 2003}}</ref> When originally settled by English colonists, Orange was the northern and eastern district of the now neighboring city of [[Milford, Connecticut|Milford]]; however, by 1822, the population of the area had grown to the point where residents desired to form their own separate community, thus forming the town of Orange.

The town is named after [[William III of England]], who was [[Prince of Orange]] from birth.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Connecticut Magazine: An Illustrated Monthly|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qoEyAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA334|year=1903|publisher=Connecticut Magazine Company|page=334}}</ref> William is remembered for succeeding [[James II of England|James II]], deposed in the [[Glorious Revolution]] of 1688. James II had been considered a [[despotism|despot]] in Connecticut; he had famously and unsuccessfully commissioned [[Edmund Andros]] to seize Connecticut's [[Charter Oak|Charter]].<ref name="orhist">[http://www.orangehistory.org/history.html History of Orange] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060926202331/http://www.orangehistory.org/history.html |date=September 26, 2006 }}</ref>

The town continued to grow throughout the 19th century. As early as 1848, a separation of Orange and [[West Haven, Connecticut|West Haven]] was considered. It was not until 1921 that the two were officially separated by act of the [[Connecticut General Assembly]] and
the new city of West Haven was formed out of the southeastern portion of Orange.<ref name="orhist" /> This left Orange a largely [[rural]] town, as the bulk of the urbanized population was ceded to West Haven. In the post-war years, however, Orange began suburbanizing at a rapid pace.

Early roads through the area included the [[Boston Post Road]] (now [[U.S. Route 1]]) and the Derby Turnpike (now [[Connecticut Route 34]]). The turnpike was originally an Indian path. A toll road through Orange, from [[New Haven, Connecticut|New Haven]] to [[Derby, Connecticut|Derby]], was built starting in 1800. The toll house was located in Orange; tolls ended in 1887.<ref name="derbytpike">{{cite web |url=http://www.conntact.com/archive_index/archive_pages/3321_Business_New_Haven.html |title=The Derby Turnpike, Priscilla Searles, Business New Haven, Jan 27, 1997 |publisher=Conntact.com |date=January 27, 1997 |access-date=January 9, 2013 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130119154601/http://www.conntact.com/archive_index/archive_pages/3321_Business_New_Haven.html |archive-date=January 19, 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The [[New Haven and Derby Railroad]] ran through Orange starting in 1871, with a station in Orange. At its peak, there were eleven trains per day in each direction along with one freight train. The advent of a trolley from New Haven to Derby (starting in 1904 and running until 1937) hastened the end to rail service (in 1925).<ref name="derbytpike" /> Later, the construction of the [[Wilbur Cross Parkway]] and [[Interstate 95 in Connecticut|Interstate 95]] brought highways through the area.

[[Orange station (Metro-North)|Orange station]] is a planned stop on [[Metro-North Railroad]]'s [[New Haven Line]]. Construction has been on hold since late 2017.

==Geography==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the town has a total area of 17.4 square miles (45.1 km{{sup|2}}), of which 17.2 square miles (44.5 km{{sup|2}}) is land and 0.2 square miles (0.6 km{{sup|2}}), or 1.38%, is water. It is bordered on the south by [[Milford, Connecticut|Milford]], on the east by [[West Haven, Connecticut|West Haven]], on the north by [[New Haven, Connecticut|New Haven]], [[Woodbridge, Connecticut|Woodbridge]] and [[Derby, Connecticut|Derby]] and on the west by the [[Housatonic River]] and [[Shelton, Connecticut|Shelton]]. The town limits include [[Wooster Island]] in the Housatonic River. The [[Wepawaug River|Wepawaug]], [[Indian River (Milford)|Indian]] and [[Oyster River (Connecticut)|Oyster]] rivers flow through the town.

==Demographics==
{{See also|List of Connecticut locations by per capita income}}
{{historical populations
| sources = <ref>{{cite web|author=Enter your Company or Top-Level Office |url=http://www.ct.gov/sots/cwp/view.asp?a=3188&q=392396 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081106201355/http://ct.gov/sots/cwp/view.asp?a=3188&q=392396 |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 6, 2008 |title=Connecticut State Register and Manual |publisher=Ct.gov |access-date=January 9, 2013}}</ref>
|1830 | 1,341
|1840 | 1,329
|1850 | 1,476
|1860 | 1,974
|1870 | 2,634
|1880 | 3,341
|1890 | 4,537
|1900 | 6,995
|1910 | 11,272
|1920 | 16,614
|1930<ref>The more densely settled eastern part of Orange was split off as the town of [[West Haven, Connecticut|West Haven]] in 1921, leading to the drop in population.</ref> | 1,530
|1940 | 2,009
|1950 | 3,032
|1960 | 8,547
|1970 | 13,524
|1980 | 13,237
|1990 | 12,830
|2000 | 13,233
|2010 | 13,956
|2020 | 14,280
}}
As of the [[census]] of 2000,<ref>[{{American Factfinder|twp|0900957600|general}} United States Census Data: General]</ref> there were 13,233 people, 4,739 households, and 3,895 families residing in the town. The population density was {{convert|770.0|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 4,870 housing units at an average density of {{convert|283.4|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the town was 94.08% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.79% [[African American (U.S. Census)|Black]] or [[Race (United States Census)|African American]], 0.08% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 3.84% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.01% [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 0.32% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 0.88% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 1.44% of the population.

There were 4,739 households, out of which 35.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 73.1% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 6.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.8% were non-families. 15.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.09.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.6% under the age of 18, 4.3% from 18 to 24, 24.5% from 25 to 44, 26.7% from 45 to 64, and 19.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.1 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $79,365, and the median income for a family was $88,583. Males had a median income of $58,946 versus $41,563 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the town was $36,471. About 2.1% of families and 2.5% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 1.4% of those under age 18 and 4.3% of those age 65 or over.<ref>[{{American Factfinder|twp|0900957600|economic}} United States Census Data: Economic]</ref>

{| class=wikitable
! colspan = 6 | Registration and party enrollment statistics as of October 26, 2010<ref>{{cite web | title = Registration and Party Enrollment Statistics as of October 26, 2010 | publisher = Connecticut Secretary of State | access-date = October 2, 2006 | url = http://www.sots.ct.gov/sots/lib/sots/electionservices/registration_and_enrollment_stats/2010_registration_and_enrollment_statistics.pdf | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150201160425/http://www.sots.ct.gov/sots/lib/sots/electionservices/registration_and_enrollment_stats/2010_registration_and_enrollment_statistics.pdf | archive-date = February 1, 2015 | url-status = dead }}</ref>
|-
! colspan = 2 | Party
! Active voters
! Inactive voters
! Total voters

|-
| {{party color cell|Republican Party (United States)}}
| [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
| style="text-align:center;"| 2,455
| style="text-align:center;"| 21
| style="text-align:center;"| 2,476

|-
| {{party color cell|Democratic Party (United States)}}
| [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
| style="text-align:center;"| 2,502
| style="text-align:center;"| 22
| style="text-align:center;"| 2,524

|-
| {{party color cell|Independent Party (United States)}}
| [[Independent voter|Unaffiliated]]
| style="text-align:center;"| 5,172
| style="text-align:center;"| 44
| style="text-align:center;"| 5,216

|-
| {{party color cell|Independent Party (United States)}}
| Minor parties
| style="text-align:center;"| 23
| style="text-align:center;"| 1
| style="text-align:center;"| 24
|-
! colspan = 2 | Total
! style="text-align:center;"| 10,152
! style="text-align:center;"| 88
! style="text-align:center;"| 10,240
|}

==Economy==
Orange is the home of the North American headquarters of [[Pez]] candies.<ref>[http://www.pez.com/about/ About us, Pez Candy, Inc.]</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Albert|first=Bridget|title=Candy Land: PEZ draws fans to Orange headquarters for tours|url=http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2012/03/02/business/doc4f51654aa7361634166011.txt|access-date=December 11, 2012|newspaper=The New Haven Register|date=March 2, 2012}}</ref> It is also the home of the headquarters of [[Avangrid]] and its subsidiaries [[Southern Connecticut Gas]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Southern Connecticut Gas - Contact Us|url=https://www.soconngas.com/wps/portal/scg/home/contactus/!ut/p/c5/04_SB8K8xLLM9MSSzPy8xBz9CP0os3gff093X2dzT0fHUBNjA08PVycDT3cvAzdvY_1wkA4kFYHuLq5AFd7ObpbensYmjiYQeQMcwNFA388jPzdVvyA7O83RUVERAFojmG4!/dl3/d3/L2dJQSEvUUt3QS9ZQnZ3LzZfTE9JR01DN0lBUUdCRTBJSExRVjY2TDIyQTc!/|access-date=June 24, 2013|archive-date=October 17, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151017180518/https://www.soconngas.com/wps/portal/scg/home/contactus/!ut/p/c5/04_SB8K8xLLM9MSSzPy8xBz9CP0os3gff093X2dzT0fHUBNjA08PVycDT3cvAzdvY_1wkA4kFYHuLq5AFd7ObpbensYmjiYQeQMcwNFA388jPzdVvyA7O83RUVERAFojmG4!/dl3/d3/L2dJQSEvUUt3QS9ZQnZ3LzZfTE9JR01DN0lBUUdCRTBJSExRVjY2TDIyQTc!/|url-status=dead}}</ref> and [[The United Illuminating Company]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Albert|first=Bridget|title=Orange businesses happy with UI move|url=http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2012/04/27/business/doc4f9b46e9293d1400397086.txt|access-date=December 11, 2012|newspaper=The New Haven Register|date=April 27, 2012}}</ref>

[[Tangoe|Tangoe, Inc.]], a provider of telecommunications management software, was formerly headquartered in Orange.<ref>{{cite web|title=Tangoe, Inc. - Orange, CT - Corporate Headquarters|url=http://www.tangoe.com/Company/general-information/Contact/corporate-headquarters.aspx|access-date=June 24, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130501041122/http://www.tangoe.com/Company/general-information/Contact/corporate-headquarters.aspx|archive-date=May 1, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref>
Orange was the home of the US headquarters of [[Saab-Scania]] from 1972 until 1992 when the company relocated to [[Norcross, Georgia]].<ref>{{cite web |title=SAAB-SCANIA of America – 60 Marsh Hill Rd, Orange, CT |url=http://www.saabhistory.com/2007/10/24/saab-scania-of-america-60-marsh-hill-rd-orange-ct/ |date=October 24, 2007 |work=Saab History |access-date=October 24, 2010}}</ref> From 1973–2010, [[Hubbell (company)|Hubbell]], a manufacturer of electrical products, was headquartered in Orange.<ref>{{cite news|last=Prevost|first=Lisa|title=Hubbell Plans Housing for Its Orange Site|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/09/realestate/09wczo.html|access-date=June 24, 2013|newspaper=The New York Times|date=May 7, 2010}}</ref> In 2013, the [[University of New Haven]] purchased the former Hubbell headquarters buildings to redevelop as a graduate school campus.<ref>{{cite news|last=Misur|first=Susan|title=University of New Haven looking to buy Hubbell property in Orange|url=http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2013/02/07/news/metro/doc511478dca59b2261231445.txt|access-date=June 26, 2013|newspaper=The New Haven Register|date=February 7, 2013}}</ref> Yale's West Campus is located on the Orange-[[West Haven]] town line, on a 136-acre property that was formerly occupied by [[Bayer HealthCare#Bayer HealthCare|Bayer]]. In 2013, the [[Yale School of Nursing]] relocated to a building on the Yale West Campus that is mostly on the Orange side of the town border.<ref>{{cite news|last=Shelton|first=Jim|title=Move-in day nears for Yale's new nursing school, campus on Orange-West Haven line bustling|url=http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2013/06/22/news/metro/doc51c662ca5a051697918609.txt|access-date=June 24, 2013|newspaper=The New Haven Register|date=June 22, 2013}}</ref>

About three percent of the 17 square miles in the town is farmed.<ref name=Living/> [[Field View Farm]], one of the [[List of oldest companies in the United States|oldest businesses in the United States]], has been operated by the Hine family since 1639.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/03/13/nyregion/350-year-old-farm-survives-the-odds.html |title=350-Year-Old Farm Survives the Odds |newspaper=[[New York Times]] |date=March 13, 1989 |access-date=March 28, 2012}}</ref><ref name="7Older">{{cite web|url=http://www.inc.com/ss/7-companies-older-america |title=7 Companies Older Than America |work=[[Inc. (magazine)|Inc.]] |date=July 3, 2012 |access-date=September 26, 2012}}</ref> Orange was also formerly home to the Everett B. Clark Seed Company which eventually
joined forces with other local seed growers to form [[Asgrow]], now a
division of [[Bayer]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://connecticuthistory.org/orange-seeds-yield-corn-alfafa-soy-and-more/|title=
Orange Seeds Yield Corn, Alfafa, Soy, and More |access-date=June 8, 2022|website=Connecticuthistory.org|date=
August 6, 2021 }}</ref>

The town has extensive retail development along the [[Boston Post Road]] corridor.<ref name=Living/>

During the [[Cold War]], Orange was a location for the permanent deployment of [[Project Nike|Nike]] missiles for the defense of [[Greater New Haven]]. The former site of the Nike missiles has since (from the late 1950s onward) been the home of the 103rd Air Control and Warning Squadron, later to become the 103rd Tactical Control Squadron and as it remains today the 103rd Air Control Squadron, a part of the [[Connecticut Air National Guard]].<ref>{{cite web |title=103rd Airlift Wing, Connecticut Air National Guard - Proud Heritage |url=http://www.103aw.ang.af.mil/history/proudheritage/index.asp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100902213632/http://www.103aw.ang.af.mil/history/proudheritage/index.asp |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 2, 2010 |work=The Official Web Site of 103rd Airlift Wing |access-date=October 24, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=103rd Air Control Squadron |url=http://www.goang.com/Unit/103rd+Air+Control+Squadron |access-date=October 24, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120617131753/http://www.goang.com/Unit/103rd+Air+Control+Squadron |archive-date=June 17, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Arts and culture==
===Events===
Orange exhibits its rural roots at the annual Orange Country Fair. This event originally ran from 1898 to 1912 and was revived in 1975. It has continued since then featuring horse, oxen and tractor pulls as well as exhibits of animals, flowers, fruits, vegetables and baked goods.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/legacies/CT/200002810.html |title=Orange Country Fair, Library of Congress Local Legacies |publisher=Lcweb2.loc.gov |access-date=January 9, 2013}}</ref> In early August, the town also promotes the Orange Volunteer Fireman's Carnival, which raises funds to support the [[volunteer fire department]]. Both events are held at the fairgrounds at High Plains Community Center near the center of town.

Orange was the site of one of the earliest computer camps,<ref>{{cite news|last=Harvey|first=Helen|title=Computer pioneer made a lot of campers happy|url=http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2002/06/09/import/4385864.txt|access-date=December 11, 2012|newspaper=The New Haven Register|date=June 9, 2002}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Humphrey|first=Mary|title=Learning With Computers|url=https://archive.org/stream/1982-06-compute-magazine/Compute_Issue_025_1982_Jun#page/n101/|access-date=December 11, 2012|newspaper=Compute! Magazine|date=June 1982}}</ref> held at the local Amity Jr. High School in 1977.

In the early nineteenth century, settlers from Orange founded [[Orange, Ohio|Orange]], [[Ohio]], then part of [[Connecticut Western Reserve|Connecticut's Western Reserve]].

On March 15–17, 2009, Orange hosted the 2009 ConnJam, a [[Boy Scouts of America|Boy Scout]] event in which over 3,000 Boy Scouts from the [[Connecticut Yankee Council]] attended events and camped over the weekend.<ref>{{cite web |title=Scout Jamboree in Orange |url=http://www.wtnh.com/dpp/mobile/news_wtnh_orange_boyscoutjamboree_200905161810 |date=May 16, 2009 |work=WTNH |publisher=LIN Television Corporation |access-date=October 24, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Connecticut Yankee Council, BSA |url=http://lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/legacies/CT/200002810.html |publisher=Connecticut Yankee Council |access-date=October 24, 2010}}</ref>

===On the National Register of Historic Places===
[[File:Orange-ct-the-academy.jpg|thumb|upright|The Academy]]
[[File:Case memorial library orange ct usa.jpg|thumb|Case Memorial Library]]

* [[Col. Asa Platt House]] – 2 Tyler City Road (added 2002). [[Federal architecture|Federal]] style. Built in 1810, it is thought to have been built by [[David Hoadley (architect)|David Hoadley]], who built the Orange Congregational Church. The nomination to the register, by Jan Cunningham, refers to "the elegant refinement of the interior", repeated elliptical forms in "the sunbursts of the mantelpieces; in the recessed panels below the parlor windows; in the capitals of the arches; and, in a wholly unexpected manner, in the high relief of the egg form that embellishes the simple mantel frieze in a second-floor chamber."<ref name =cttrust>{{cite web|url=http://cttrust.org/638?highlight=famed |title=CT Trust for Historic Preservation |publisher=Cttrust.org |access-date=January 9, 2013}}</ref>
* [[Henry F. Miller House]] – 30 Derby Avenue (added May 25, 2001). This [[international style (architecture)|international style]] house was completed in 1949 and featured at the time in the ''[[New Haven Register]]'' as "The House of Tomorrow".
* [[Orange Center Historic District (Orange, Connecticut)|Orange Center Historic District]] – Roughly Orange Center Road from Orange Cemetery to Nan Drive (added August 10, 1989). The district was originally established by the town January 13, 1978.<ref>[http://www.leaplibraries.org/orange/historicdistrict/index.htm Orange Connecticut Historic District]</ref> The Orange Congregational Church, designed by [[David Hoadley (architect)|David Hoadley]] and built in 1810 on the town green, is a centerpiece of the district. This [[Federal architecture|Federal style]] church features a [[Palladian window]], domed [[bell tower|belfry]] and a painted black oval "window" on the front tower.<ref name="or-hist-dist">Liz Deluca, "The Historic District, A Walking Tour", ''Our Town Newspaper'', June 10, 1997, pages 9-11.</ref> The district also includes the Stone-Otis House (Federal with [[Greek Revival]] portico), built circa 1830 (now a museum) and The Academy, a schoolhouse built in 1878 with [[Stick style]] elements, including an elaborate gable screen, also now a museum.<ref name="or-hist-dist"/>
* [[William Andrew House]] (also known as Bryan-Andrew House) – 131 Old Tavern Road (added 2002). Built about 1750 for the Bryan family, early settlers in North Milford. This area was known as "Bryan's Farms". The house includes a finely detailed front [[cornice]], feather-edged sheathing and hand-split [[lath]] laboriously installed without nails. The house later served as housing for dairy farm employees and was ultimately bought by the Town of Orange in 2000 to be restored for use as a museum.<ref name=cttrust/>

===Library===
* Case Memorial Library<ref name=Living>{{cite news|last=Hughes|first=C.J.|title=For Nature Lovers Who Also Shop-Hop|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/02/realestate/living-in-orange-conn-for-nature-lovers-who-also-shop-hop.html|access-date=June 24, 2013|newspaper=The New York Times|date=September 30, 2011}}</ref>

==Sports==
On August 18, 2005, the Orange Little League Girls softball team lost the championship game of the [[Little League Softball World Series]] to a team from [[McLean, Virginia]].<ref>{{cite web |title=SOUR ENDING Orange's bid for crown, perfection denied |url=http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2005/08/19/sports/15063237.txt?viewmode=fullstory |date=August 19, 2005 |work=New Haven Register |publisher=Journal Register Company |access-date=October 24, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Virginia beats Connecticut to win title |url=https://www.espn.com/sports/news/story?id=2137861 |date=August 19, 2005 |agency=Associated Press |access-date=October 24, 2010}}</ref>

==Education==
Orange is served by the regional [[Amity Regional High School]] in [[Woodbridge, Connecticut|Woodbridge]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.amityregion5.org/subsite/arhs |title=Amity High School |access-date=February 26, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130127192451/http://www.amityregion5.org/subsite/arhs |archive-date=January 27, 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Schools include:
* Mary L. Tracy, for kindergarten and pre-school
* Peck Place, first to sixth grades
* Turkey Hill, first to sixth grades
* Racebrook, first to sixth grades
* Amity Middle School, seven to eighth grades (Orange campus)

Southern Connecticut Hebrew Academy (formerly New Haven Hebrew Day School) is located here.{{citation needed|date=December 2022}}

==Notable people==

* [[Anni Albers]] (1899–1994), artist
* [[Josef Albers]] (1888–1976), artist
* [[William Atherton]] (born 1947), character actor, born and raised in Orange
* [[Art Ceccarelli]] (1930–2012), baseball player
* [[Christopher Collier (historian)|Christopher Collier]] (1930–2020), historian, professor and winner of the [[Newbery Medal]]
* [[John J. DeGioia]] (born 1957), president of [[Georgetown University]], raised in Orange
* [[Kristen Marie Griest|Kristen Griest]] (born 1989), Army Captain and one of the first two female graduates of the United States Army [[Ranger School]]
* [[Henry Lee (forensic scientist)|Henry Lee]] (born 1938), former resident, forensic scientist notable for his investigations of famous crimes
* [[Lev Nussberg]] (born 1937), is a Russian avant garde painter. Nussberg is the founder of Russian Kinetic Art
* [[Patrick B. O'Sullivan]] (1887–1978), U.S. Congressman and judge
* [[Tage Thompson]] (born 1997), [[NHL]] player for the [[Buffalo Sabres]].
* [[Stephen Valiquette]] (born 1977), ice hockey goaltender

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==
{{Portal|Connecticut}}
{{Commons category}}
*[http://www.orange-ct.gov/ Town of Orange official website]
*[http://www.orangectchamber.com Orange Chamber of Commerce]

{{Geographic Location
| Centre = Orange
| North = [[Derby, Connecticut|Derby]] / [[Woodbridge, Connecticut|Woodbridge]]
| Northeast = [[New Haven, Connecticut|New Haven]]
| East = [[West Haven, Connecticut|West Haven]]
| South = [[Milford, Connecticut|Milford]]
| West = [[Shelton, Connecticut|Shelton]] / [[Housatonic River]]
}}
{{Connecticut}}
{{New Haven County, Connecticut}}
{{South Central Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Orange, Connecticut| ]]
[[Category:Towns in New Haven County, Connecticut]]
[[Category:Towns in the New York metropolitan area]]
[[Category:Towns in Connecticut]]
[[Category:Towns in South Central Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut]]