Ashford, Connecticut

Ashford is a town in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 4,098 at the 2000 census. It was founded in 1714. Eastford was a part of Ashford until 1848 or 1847, when the former split off to organize its own town. For this reason North Ashford is located in northeast Eastford. Ashford is home to the largest Boy Scout camp in Connecticut, June Norcross Webster Scout Reservation and Paul Newman's Hole in the Wall Gang Camp.

Boston Hollow, a deep ravine, is also in Ashford.

History
President George Washington, returning from his tour of the country in the fall of 1789, was chagrined to be involuntarily abandoned in the village on a Sunday. It was contrary to law to hire a conveyance on that day, which was observed by villagers, to Washington's great annoyance.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 39.5 sqmi, of which, 38.8 sqmi of it is land and 0.7 sqmi of it (1.80%) is water.

On the National Register of Historic Places

 * Ashford Academy &mdash; Fitts Road (added 1988)
 * Church Farm &mdash; 396 Mansfield Road (added December 17, 1988)
 * Knowlton Memorial Hall &mdash; 25 Pompey Hollow Road (added April 17, 1994)
 * Mixer Tavern &mdash; 14 Westford Road (added April 17, 1994)

Demographics
As of 2010 Ashford had a population of 4,317. The racial and ethnic composition of the population was 94.1% white, 1.0% black or African American, 0.4% Native American, 1.3% Asian, 1.1% from some other race, 2.1% from two or more races and 3.5% Hispanic or Latino of any race.

As of the census of 2000, there were 4,098 people, 1,578 households, and 1,084 families residing in the town. The population density was 105.6 people per square mile (40.8/km²). There were 1,699 housing units at an average density of 43.8 per square mile (16.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 95.71% White, 1.00% African American, 0.27% Native American, 1.02% Asian, 0.44% from other races, and 1.56% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.00% of the population.

There were 1,578 households out of which 34.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.5% were married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.3% were non-families. 20.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.0% 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 3.05.

In the town the population was spread out with 25.6% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 32.0% from 25 to 44, 25.6% from 45 to 64, and 8.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 99.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.1 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $55,000, and the median income for a family was $61,693. Males had a median income of $42,117 versus $31,942 for females. The per capita income for the town was $26,104. About 3.4% of families and 5.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.1% of those under age 18 and 8.7% of those age 65 or over.

Notable residents, past and present

 * Desireé Bassett (1992-), child guitar prodigy and recording artist.
 * Walter Eli Clark (1869–1950), journalist, last Governor of the District of Alaska and the first Governor of the Alaska Territory was born in Ashford.
 * Clay Dreslough (1970-) Game designer and creator of the Baseball Mogul series of products.
 * Galusha A. Grow (1822–1907) Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1861 to 1863, was born in Ashford.
 * Elias Keyes, (1758–1844), born in Ashford, United States Congressman from Vermont.
 * Thomas Knowlton (1740–1776) military officer in the American Revolution, whom led Knowlton's Rangers, America's first Army intelligence unit. He grew up in Ashford.
 * Nathaniel Lyon (1818–1861), born in Ashford, the first Union general to be killed in the American Civil War, grew up on a farm in Ashford.
 * Paul Newman (1925–2008), award winning actor, film director and philanthropist, was a seasonal resident of Ashford from the opening of the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp in 1988.
 * Eliphalet Nott (1773–1866), native of Ashford, president of Union College, and from 1829 to 1845 simultaneously was president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He was also the inventor of the first stove for anthracite coal.
 * Valerie Wilson Wesley (born 1947), mystery writer.

Education
Elementary and middle school-aged residents attend Ashford School, the town's only school. This school educates students from pre-k through grade eight. In February 1979, the town's board of education considered closing the school in response to a budget crisis.

High school-aged residents may attend E. O. Smith High School in Mansfield, Connecticut, part of Regional School District 19. They also can go to Windham Technical High School or ACT.

Powerball jackpot winner
A ticket bought for the Powerball drawing of October 3, 2007 in Ashford won the jackpot, the first sold in Connecticut since June 2005. The holder of the winning ticket could have received an annuity valued at $15 million but instead chose to receive the cash value of the ticket, over $7 million.