Pomfret, Connecticut Explained

Pomfret, Connecticut
Official Name:Town of Pomfret
Settlement Type:Town
Motto:Picturesque Pomfret
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name: United States
Subdivision Type1:U.S. state
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name2:Windham
Subdivision Type3:Region
Subdivision Name3:Northeastern CT
Established Title:Incorporated
Established Date:1713
Leader Title:First selectman
Leader Name:Maureen A. Nicholson (D)
Leader Title1:State Senator
Leader Name1:Mae Flexer
(D-29th District)
Leader Title2:State Rep.
Leader Name2:Patrick Boyd
(D-50th District)
Government Type:Selectman-Town Meeting
Area Total Km2:105.2
Area Land Km2:104.4
Area Water Km2:0.7
Area Total Sq Mi:40.6
Unit Pref:Imperial
Population As Of:2020
Population Total:4266
Population Density Km2:40.9
Timezone:Eastern
Utc Offset:-5
Timezone Dst:Eastern
Utc Offset Dst:-4
Area Land Sq Mi:40.3
Area Water Sq Mi:0.3
Elevation M:131
Elevation Ft:430
Coordinates:41.8667°N -130°W
Postal Code Type:ZIP code
Postal Code:06259, 06258
Website:http://www.pomfretct.com/
Area Code:860/959
Blank Name:FIPS code
Blank Info:09-61030
Blank1 Name:GNIS feature ID
Blank1 Info:0213490
Blank2 Name:Major highways

Pomfret is a town located in Windham County, Connecticut, United States, with a population of 4,266 according to the 2020 United States Census. The town is part of the Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region. The town was incorporated in 1713 and was named after Pontefract in West Yorkshire, England. The land on which Pomfret stands today was purchased from Native Americans in 1686 in a deal known as the "Mashmuket Purchase" or "Mashamoquet Purchase".[1]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 40.6sqmi, of which 40.3sqmi is land and 0.3sqmi (0.64%) is water. Pomfret is bordered on the north by Woodstock, on the east by Putnam and Killingly, on the west by Eastford, and on the south by Brooklyn and Hampton.

Villages

Pomfret includes several villages, neighborhoods, or sections:

Other geographic features

The principal roads through the town are U.S. Route 44 (running east–west) and Routes 169 (running north–south), and 101 (running east–west).

Mashamoquet State Park and Wolf Den State Park are both located in Pomfret, near the intersection of US 44 and CT 101. Wolf Den State Park is the alleged site of General Israel Putnam's slaying of the last wolf in Connecticut. Rocky paths connect the small cave, which is the actual wolf den with a glacially positioned boulder called the Indian Chair. Camping and cook-out facilities are available for a nominal fee.

The Air Line Trail, a former railroad bed, joins the town of Pomfret with its neighbor to the east, Putnam. The Airline Trail runs seven miles (11 km), much of it through an Audubon Society property named the Bafflin Sanctuary, a 700acres nature preserve.Pomfret has no formal town center due to the town's significant southward expansion after its establishment, first around Mortlake, later absorbing that town. The town office is located on US Route 44. The Congregational Church, until its destruction by fire on December 7, 2013, stood on the eastern edge of the old town green on Pomfret Hill, across from the Pomfret School, a college preparatory school founded in 1894. Approximately one mile north of the Congregational Church site is Christ Episcopal Church, which contains several windows designed and constructed by Louis Comfort Tiffany. Across from Christ Church on the west side of Route 44 is the Rectory School,[2] founded in 1920. At the divergence point of US 44 and CT 169 is Most Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church.

Town House Road is the location of the historic Pomfret Town House, built in 1841 at a location chosen by a committee of Selectmen from neighboring towns when Pomfret citizens could not agree on a location; it is listed on the National Register. Pomfret First Church was established in today's Pomfret Hill area; Pomfret Second Church covered what is largely today's Town of Brooklyn; while Pomfret Third Church was established in today's Abington area.

Demographics

See also: List of Connecticut locations by per capita income. As of the census[3] of 2010, there were 4,247 people, 1,582 households, and 1,123 families residing in the town. The population density was 105.4sp=usNaNsp=us. There were 1,684 housing units at an average density of 41.8sp=usNaNsp=us. The racial makeup of the town was 95.7% White, 0.6% African American, 0.1% Native American, 1.6% Asian, 0.3% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.9% of the population.

Of the 1,582 households: 31.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.3% were married couples living together, 7.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.0% were non-families. 22.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.05.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.8% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 23.4% from 25 to 44, 32.6% from 45 to 64, and 12.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.6 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $82,661, and the median income for a family was $96,641. Males had a median income of $54,042 versus $45,526 for females. The per capita income for the town was $39,712. About 3.8% of families and 6.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.5% of those under age 18 and 6.4% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Major firms in Pomfret include:

Education

Pomfret residents are zoned to the Pomfret Community School for grades Kindergarten through 8. Pomfret students are eligible to attend Woodstock Academy,[4] which became Pomfret's zoned high school in 1987[5]

Two private schools, the Pomfret School and the Rectory School, are also located in Pomfret.

Historic sites

A 380acres portion of the town, along Pomfret Street, is listed as a historic district on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. The Pomfret Street Historic District comprises properties along Route 169, from Bradley Road to Woodstock Road. The district was added to the National Register in 1998.

Other properties listed on the National Register in the town are:

Notable people

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: The Connecticut Magazine: An Illustrated Monthly. 1903. Connecticut Magazine Company. 334.
  2. http://www.rectoryschool.org/ Rectory School
  3. Web site: U.S. Census website. United States Census Bureau. January 31, 2008.
  4. Web site: Pomfret Connecticut : Board of Education . www.pomfretct.com . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20040202070516/http://pomfretct.com/board_education.html . February 2, 2004.
  5. http://www.woodstockacademy.org/alumni/brochure.pdf#search=%22Woodstock%20Academy%20Pomfret%22
  6. Book: Ferril . William Columbus . Sketches of Colorado: being an analytical summary and biographical history of the State of Colorado as portrayed in the lives of the pioneers, the founders, the builders, the statesmen, and the prominent and progressive citizens who helped in the development and history making of Colorado . 1911 . Western Press Bureau Company . 268–269 . June 1, 2020 . en.
  7. Web site: Pomfret Street Cemetery, Pomfret Ct.