Brooklyn, Connecticut

Brooklyn is a town in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 7,173 at the 2000 census. The town center village is listed by the U.S. Census Bureau as a census-designated place. The district of East Brooklyn is also listed as a separate census-designated place.

Settled in the 17th century and incorporated as its own town in 1786, Brooklyn is now one of the fastest growing towns in Windham County. It is home to the Brooklyn Fair, America's oldest continuously operating agricultural fair, as well as the Brooklyn Correctional Institution, a state-run medium security prison.

Brooklyn is the final resting place of Revolutionary War General Israel Putnam. Though he was originally buried in an above ground tomb in Brooklyn's South Cemetery, his remains had to be moved due to excessive visitors. In 1888, a statue of Putnam mounted on a horse was erected, and his sarcophagus placed in the foundation. The statue stands slightly south of the town green, in front of the post office. Brooklyn is also home of the Middle School Bobcats and Elemantry School Bears.

The town historical society operates the Brooklyn Historical Society Museum, which includes the Daniel Putnam Tyler Law Office.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 29.1 sqmi, of which, 29.0 sqmi of it is land and 0.2 sqmi of it (0.58%) is water.

Villages

 * Allen Hill
 * Barrett Hill
 * Brooklyn Center
 * Bush Hill
 * East Brooklyn
 * Stetson's Corners
 * Tatnic Hill
 * West Village
 * West Wauregan

On the National Register of Historic Places

 * Brooklyn Green Historic District &mdash; (added October 23, 1982)
 * Bush Hill Historic District &mdash; (added March 10, 1987).
 * Putnam Farm &mdash; Spaulding Road (added April 11, 1982)
 * Trinity Church &mdash; Church Street (added November 15, 1970)
 * Unitarian Meetinghouse &mdash; (added December 9, 1972)

Education
Residents are served by the Brooklyn School District's Brooklyn Elementary School (K-4) and Brooklyn Middle School.

Many Brooklyn high school students attend Woodstock Academy; Woodstock was designated as one of Brooklyn's high schools since 1987. Many Brooklyn high school students attend Killingly High School in Danielson. Some students attend H.H. Ellis Technical High School.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 7,173 people, 2,531 households, and 1,837 families residing in the town. The population density was 247.6 people per square mile (95.6/km²). There were 2,708 housing units at an average density of 93.5 per square mile (36.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 93.21% White, 3.67% African American, 0.64% Native American, 0.52% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.84% from other races, and 1.12% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.59% of the population.

There were 2,531 households out of which 34.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.9% were married couples living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.4% were non-families. 21.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 2.99.

In the town the population was spread out with 23.7% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 32.6% from 25 to 44, 23.7% from 45 to 64, and 12.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 107.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 108.5 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $49,756, and the median income for a family was $60,208. Males had a median income of $39,246 versus $28,889 for females. The per capita income for the town was $20,359. About 4.2% of families and 5.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.2% of those under age 18 and 3.2% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

 * David Low Dodge, manager or the first cotton factory in Connecticut and one of the founders of the New York Bible Society and the New York Tract Society, was born in town.
 * Elijah Paine (1757–1842), a Federalist U.S. senator from Vermont (1795–1801) was born in town.
 * Israel Putnam, a general in the Revolutionary War and a legendary figure in his day, had a farm in Brooklyn, where he died in 1790, and was buried in an above-ground tomb in Brooklyn's South Cemetery.
 * Michael Bruce Ross (1959–2005) was a serial killer born in town.