Farmington, Connecticut

Farmington is a town located in Hartford County in the Farmington Valley area of central Connecticut in the United States. The population was 23,641 at the 2000 census. It is home to the world headquarters of several large corporations including Carrier Corporation, Otis Elevator Company, and Carvel. As an affluent suburb of Hartford, Farmington is often regarded as one of the most posh and desirable communities in the area. The town was listed among the "preppiest" suburbs in the United States in the tongue-in-cheek 1980s best-seller The Official Preppy Handbook.

Seventeenth and eighteenth centuries
Farmington was originally inhabited by the Tunxis Indian tribe. In 1640, a white settlement was established by residents of Hartford, making Farmington the oldest inland settlement west of the Connecticut River and one of the oldest communities in the state. Settlers found the area ideal because of its rich soil, location along the floodplain of the Farmington River, and valley geography.

The town and river were given their present names in 1645, which is considered the incorporation year of the town. The town's boundaries were later enlarged several times, making it the largest in the Connecticut Colony.

Farmington has been called the mother of towns because its vast area was divided to produce nine other central Connecticut communities.

The borough of Unionville, in Farmington's northwest corner, was once home to many factories harnessing the water power of the Farmington River.

Farmington is steeped in New England history. Main Street, in the historic village section, is lined with colonial estates, some of which date back to the 17th century. During the Revolutionary War, George Washington passed through Farmington on several occasions and referred to the town as "the village of pretty houses." In addition, French troops under General Rochambeau encamped in Farmington en route to Westchester County to offer crucial support to General George Washington's army.

Nineteenth century


The majority of Farmington residents were abolitionists and were active in aiding escaped slaves. Several homes in the town were "safe houses" on the underground railroad. The town became known as "Grand Central Station" among escaped slaves and their "guides".

Farmington played an important role in the famous Amistad trial. In 1841, 38 Mendi Africans and Cinque, the leader of the revolt on the Amistad slave ship, were housed and educated in Farmington after the U.S. government refused to provide for their return to Africa following the trial. The Mendi were educated in English and Christianity while funds were raised by residents for their return to Africa.

The Farmington Canal, connecting New Haven with Northampton, Massachusetts, passed through the Farmington River on its eastern bank and was in operation between 1828 and 1848. The canal's right of way and towpath was eventually used for a railroad, portions of which were active up to the 1990s. Much of the towpath and the railroad bed have been converted to a cycling and running trail running from New Haven to Northampton.

On the National Register of Historic Places

 * Austin F. Williams Carriagehouse and House &mdash; 127 Main Street (added 1998)
 * Farmington Historic District &mdash; Porter and Mountain Rds., Main and Garden Sts., Hatter's and Hillstead Lanes, and Farmington Ave. (added 1972)
 * First Church of Christ &mdash; 75 Main St. (added 1975)
 * Gen. George Cowles House &mdash; 130 Main St. (added 1982)
 * Gridley-Parsons-Staples Homestead &mdash; 1554 Farmington Ave. (added 1981)
 * Hill-Stead Museum &mdash; 35 Mountain Rd. (added 1991)
 * Pequabuck Bridge &mdash; Meadow Rd. at Pequabuck River (added 1984)
 * Shade Swamp Shelter &mdash; US 6 E of New Britain Ave. (added 1986)
 * Stanley-Whitman House &mdash; 37 High St. (added November 15, 1966)
 * West End Library &mdash; 15 School St., Unionville (added 2000)

Education
Students in Farmington have access to public schools that consistently rank among the best in the nation. The town has seven main public schools. The four K-4 elementary schools are Union School, West District School, Noah Wallace School, and East Farms School. The recently built West Woods Upper Elementary School houses all of grades 5-6 and features state of the art facilities. Irving A. Robbins Middle School houses grades 7-8. Farmington High School serves grades 9-12 for the entire town. In 2005, Farmington High School was ranked 125 on Newsweek Magazine's list of the best schools in the United States, in 2006 Farmington was ranked 269 and in 2007, 298.

Important institutions in town
Just above the village, off Mountain Road, lies the Hill-Stead Museum. The estate, completed in 1901 and designed for Alfred Atmore Pope by his daughter Theodate Pope Riddle, one of the first woman American architects, is known for its Colonial Revival architecture. Now a museum, its 19 rooms hold a nationally-recognized collection of Impressionist paintings by such masters as Manet, Monet, Whistler, Degas and Cassatt. It is also the sight of the annual Sunken Garden Poetry Festival, and is a National Historic Landmark.

Miss Porter's School, an exclusive college preparatory school for girls, is in Farmington. The school, whose buildings occupy much of the village center, is a significant historic and cultural institution in its own right. Founded in 1843 by educational reformer Sarah Porter, Miss Porter’s has long been one of the most selective preparatory schools for girls in the country. Famous alumni include Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Lilly Pulitzer and members of the Bush, Vanderbilt, and Rockefeller families.

The town is also home to the University of Connecticut Health Center, which employs over 5,000 people. The Health Center also houses John Dempsey Hospital. The hospital provides the only full-service emergency department in the Farmington Valley and a Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), one of only two in Connecticut.

Farmington is also home to TRUMPF Inc. TRUMPF is the largest manufacturer of fabricating machinery in the United States and a world market Leader in lasers used for industrial production technology.

Development issues
Many residents have repeatedly fought proposals by the state to widen Route 4, a main thoroughfare linking northwestern Connecticut to I-84, fearing that such a move would compromise the character and integrity of the town. With the recent relocation of Parsons Chevrolet, "on that crazy corner" just above the village, there is some suspicion that this widening of Route 4 will come sooner rather than later. Work has been delayed because of the town's fight to maintain the village aesthetic and requests for modifications to the proposed plan.

Farmington also faces a relatively strong demand for housing. The lure of Farmington's quality public school system, convenient location for commuters, charm, and name recognition continue to attract new home buyers. As such, town officials are faced with the task of accommodating new growth while respecting the preservation and need for open space. Farmington's real estate values are among the highest in Greater Hartford.

In January 2008, town residents overwhelmingly approved the purchase of nearly 100 acre of farmland. This blocked a proposal to convert the farm into a residential strip, something many feared would have compromised the town's rural feel.

Notable residents

 * Anna Roosevelt Cowles, eldest sister of President Theodore Roosevelt and aunt of Eleanor Roosevelt.
 * Theodate Pope Riddle, noted female architect and founder of Hill-Stead Museum
 * Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy resided here while a student at Miss Porter's School.
 * Oliver Wolcott, second secretary of the U.S. Treasury Department and signer of the Declaration of Independence died in town.
 * Wilford Woodruff, fourth president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) was born there.
 * Winchell Smith, playwright and director.
 * Wilmarth Lewis, founder of the Lewis Walpole Library in Farmington.
 * Suzy Whaley, the first female golfer to qualify for a PGA event.
 * Former New England Patriots football player Tebucky Jones.
 * Chauncey Langdon, a United States Representative from Vermont, was born in town.
 * Pawel Szajda, actor, was born here. He spent his youth here and visited the local High School.
 * Kevin Galvin, business/health care advocate.
 * Curtis James Jackson III, rapper more commonly known as 50 Cent.
 * Mike Tyson once lived there. In 2004 50 Cent bought Tyson's 18 acre compound, which is located about 2 mi southeast from the town center.
 * Erin Pac, U.S. Olympic Women's Bobsled Team & Two-Woman Bobsled Event Bronze Medalist at the 2010 Winter Olympics.
 * Eric Ashmont, on-air radio personality "Shmonty," was born and raised in Farmington, CT.

Historical populations
Sources: Interactive Connecticut State Register & Manual and U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 28.8 square miles (74.5 km²), of which, 28.1 square miles (72.7 km²) of it is land and 0.7 square miles (1.9 km²) of it (2.50%) is water.

Farmington borders the towns of Avon, Burlington, Newington, West Hartford, and Plainville, and the cities of New Britain and Bristol.

Farmington is mostly wooded. But there are also a myriad of meadows and hills in the east and southeast. There are also numerous ponds and lakes. The Farmington River runs through the town from the northwest from Burlington, enters Unionville, then takes a sharp near Farmington Center and flows north towards Avon. The Metacomet Ridge, a 100 mi range of low traprock mountain ridges, occupies the east side of Farmington as Pinnacle Rock, Rattlesnake Mountain, Farmington Mountain, and Talcott Mountain. The ridge is traversed by the 51 mi Metacomet Trail, a hiking trail and contains several rock walls and chimneys suitable for technical climbing. These climbing areas, as well as several other rockclimbing locations in Central Connecticut are documented in the 1995 book, Hooked on Traprock

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 23,641 people, 9,496 households, and 6,333 families residing in the town. The population density was 842.6 people per square mile (325.3/km²). There were 9,854 housing units at an average density of 351.2/sq mi (135.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 92.91% White, 1.55% African American, 0.12% Native American, 3.72% Asian, 0.59% from other races, and 1.11% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.19% of the population.

There were 9,496 households out of which 32.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.3% were married couples living together, 7.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.3% were non-families. 27.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.05.

In the town, the population was spread out with 24.4% under the age of 18, 4.7% from 18 to 24, 29.7% from 25 to 44, 25.7% from 45 to 64, and 15.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 90.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.3 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $67,073, and the median income for a family was $85,396 (these figures had risen to $82,455 and $106,599 respectively as of a 2007 estimate ). Males had a median income of $57,113 versus $39,156 for females. The per capita income for the town was $39,102. About 2.8% of families and 4.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.9% of those under age 18 and 7.5% of those age 65 or over.

Economy
Interstate 84 passes through the eastern edge of the town. The sprawling Westfarms Mall is also located on this end of town. The mall houses anchor stores Nordstrom, Lord and Taylor, and Macy's as well as a host of other retailers and restaurants.