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Tolland, Connecticut
Official seal of Tolland, Connecticut
Location in Tolland County, Connecticut
Coordinates: Script error: No such module "ISO 3166".
Country United States
State Connecticut
NECTA Hartford
Region Capitol Region
Incorporated 1715
Government
 • Type Council-manager
 • Town manager Steven Werbner
 • Town council Rick Fields (D), Chm.
Bill Eccles (R), Vice Chm.
Rob Green (R)
Paul Krasusky (D)
Kristen Morgan (D)
Joe Sce (R)
Dave Skoczulek (D)
Area
 • Total
40.3 sq mi (104.4 km2)
 • Land 39.7 sq mi (102.9 km2)
 • Water 0.6 sq mi (1.5 km2)

Tolland is a town in Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 15,052 at the 2010 census.

History[]

CountyJailMuseumTollandCT gobeirne

Old County Jail Museum

Tolland was named in May, 1715, and incorporated in May, 1722. According to some, the town derives its name from being a toll station on the old road between Boston and New York. Alternatively, its name could have been taken after Tolland in Somerset, England. Today Interstate 84, the main highway connecting New York City, Hartford, Connecticut and Boston, bisects Tolland, but the town retains a charming village feel. Tolland Green is the informal center of the community, and a national historic district. The Green's features include an old-fashioned penny candy and antiques store known to locals as the 'Red and White'; the town's original 19th-century town hall, now an arts center; the 'Old Tolland Jail' museum; the 'Tolland Inn' bed and breakfast; and the Hicks-Stearns Museum, a restored Victorian house. The architectural styles on display, including the white steeples of several churches, are reminiscent of a picture-postcard New England scene. The town is also home to the supposedly haunted 'Benton Homestead'.

HicksStearnsMuseumTollandCT gobeirne

Hicks-Stearns Family Museum

Many of the town's adults work in Hartford, located about 25 minutes away, often at one of the city's many insurance companies, or for the neighbouring University of Connecticut in Storrs to the south. A family-oriented town, the landscape of Tolland is primarily composed of large houses, and mansions on plots of around two acres. Undeveloped, forested land covers the area between the town's many residential developments. Containing two state forests and several municipal parks, the town retains a relatively rural character.

In September 2006 Tolland opened the new Tolland High School to support the growing number of students. The town is also expanding with new commercial and residential developments.

Tolland is an affluent town, and has ranked among "Best places to live in America" by CNN/Money magazine in the "small town" category several times:

Year Ranking
2005 29th[1]
2009 27th[2]
2011 37th[3]
2015 34th[4]

In April 2008, Wes Craven began filming scenes for his 2009 movie My Soul to Take inside the former Tolland High School.[5]

Geography[]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 40.3 sq mi (104.4 km2), of which 39.7 sq mi (102.8 km2) is land and 0.58 sq mi (1.5 km2) (1.46%) is water.

Nearby towns include Coventry, Ellington, Mansfield, Stafford, Vernon, and Willington, Connecticut.

Climate data for Tolland, Connecticut
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °F (°C) 33
(1)
37
(3)
44
(7)
56
(13)
67
(19)
75
(24)
79
(26)
78
(26)
71
(22)
60
(16)
50
(10)
38
(3)
57.3
(14.1)
Average low °F (°C) 18
(−8)
22
(−6)
28
(−2)
38
(3)
47
(8)
57
(14)
62
(17)
60
(16)
53
(12)
42
(6)
35
(2)
24
(−4)
40.5
(4.7)
Precipitation inches (mm) 3.79
(96.3)
3.47
(88.1)
4.44
(112.8)
4.53
(115.1)
3.97
(100.8)
4.46
(113.3)
3.94
(100.1)
3.81
(96.8)
4.09
(103.9)
4.60
(116.8)
4.57
(116.1)
4.21
(106.9)
49.88
(1,267)
Source: [6]

Demographics[]

Historical populations
Census Pop.
1820 1,597
1850 1,406
1860 1,310 −6.8%
1870 1,216 −7.2%
1880 1,169 −3.9%
1890 1,037 −11.3%
1900 1,036 −0.1%
1910 1,126 8.7%
1920 1,040 −7.6%
1930 1,064 2.3%
1940 1,192 12.0%
1950 1,659 39.2%
1960 2,950 77.8%
1970 7,857 166.3%
1980 9,694 23.4%
1990 11,001 13.5%
2000 13,146 19.5%
2010 15,052 14.5%
Est. 2014 14,872 [7] 13.1%
U.S. Decennial Census[8]
BarberJohnWarnerCentralPartOfTolland

South View of the Central Part of Tolland, wood block engraving from a sketch by John Warner Barber for his Historical Collections of Connecticut (New Haven, 1836)

As of the census[9] of 2000, there were 13,146 people, 4,586 households, and 3,788 families residing in the town. The population density was 331.0 people per square mile (127.8/km²). There were 4,665 housing units at an average density of 117.5 per square mile (45.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.36% White, 0.57% African American, 0.08% Native American, 1.19% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.39% from other races, and 0.81% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were .75% of the population.

There were 4,586 households out of which 42.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 74.4% were married couples living together, 1.9% had a female householder, and 17.4% were non-families. 13.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.83 and the average family size was 3.12.

In the town, the population was spread out with 28.3% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 31.7% from 25 to 44, 26.8% from 45 to 64, and 7.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 99.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.1 males. The median income for a household in the town was $135,398 as of Census 2000, and, according to CNN/Money magazine's 2009 "Best Places to Live", the median income for a family in 2009 was $136,772.[2] Males had a median income of $91,659 versus $57,795 for females. The per capita income for the town was $54,571. About .6% of families and .7% of the population were below the poverty line, including .5% of those under age 18 and .2% of those age 65 or over.

Government[]

HicksMemorialMunicipalCenterLibraryTollandCT gobeirne

Hicks Memorial Municipal Center and Library

Tolland was governed by town meeting until November 1973, when it adopted a new charter.[10] The principal governing body of Tolland is the elected Town Council, which is responsible for making policy and major decisions about the town's future. The day-to-day operations of the town are handled by a Town Manager, a paid professional appointed by the Council and charged with implementing and executing Council policy and decisions.

The Council consists of seven unpaid members elected in a general election in the town every two years. Currently, the Council consists of three Republicans and four Democrats, and was elected in November 2015. The council selects its own chairman and vice-chairman, with the chairman traditionally being the highest vote-getter among the four majority-party members and the vice-chairman the highest among the minority party members, though the council is not under obligation to follow this pattern. Except for Executive Sessions (which are held to renegotiate contracts with Town employees, among other reasons) meetings are open to the public and contain a time for citizens to address the Council from the floor. As of December 2005, meetings were held on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of the month at 7:30pm at the Hicks Municipal Building at 21 Tolland Green.

Notable locations[]

  • The Daniel Benton Homestead was built in 1720 and is the oldest home in Tolland. It is now a museum.[11]
  • The Old County Jail and Museum (Tolland, Connecticut) is a property including the 1856 jail which operated until 1968 and attached Jailer's home.[12]

On the National Register of Historic Places[]

  • Tolland County Courthouse- listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1977.
  • Tolland Green Historic District – founded in 1706 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.

Notable people[]

  • Edward K. Beale (1970-), Author, USCG helicopter pilot during Hurricane Katrina; raised in Tolland and graduated from Tolland High School.
  • Daniel C. Burbank (1961–), NASA astronaut; raised in Tolland and graduated from Tolland High School.
  • Henry D. Cogswell (1820–1900), dentist and a crusader in the temperance movement; born in Tolland.[13]
  • William W. Eaton (1816–1898), US Congressman and US Senator; born in Tolland and a resident of Tolland.[14]
  • Jonathan Hatch Hubbard (1768–1849), US Congressman for Vermont; born in Tolland.[15]
  • Charles R. Ladd (1822–1903), lawyer, politician and Massachusetts Auditor; born in Tolland.
  • David Passaro (1966–), CIA contractor and former US Army Ranger; graduated from Tolland High School.[16]
  • Shubal Stearns (1706–1771), evangelist, preacher of the Separate Baptists; resident of Tolland.[17]
  • James Stevenson (1981–), actor; raised in Tolland.[18]
  • Ingeborg B. Swanback (1940-1992), Connecticut 20th Century Pilgrim; Born in Munich Germany - resident of Tolland [19]
  • Loren P. Waldo (1802–1881), lawyer and US Congressman; resident of Tolland.[20]
  • Nancy Wyman, Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut and former State Controller; resident of Tolland.[21]

References[]

  1. ^ http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bplive/2005/snapshots/36588.html
  2. ^ a b http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bplive/2009/snapshots/CS0976290.html
  3. ^ http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bplive/2011/snapshots/CS0976290.html
  4. ^ http://time.com/money/3984469/tolland-connecticut-best-places-to-live-2015/
  5. ^ http://www.upi.com/Entertainment_News/2008/04/05/Craven-filming-at-old-Conn-high-school/UPI-36431207411499/
  6. ^ "Monthly Averages for Tolland, CT (06084)". Weather.com. March 2012. http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/06084. Retrieved March 18, 2012. 
  7. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2014". http://www.census.gov/popest/data/cities/totals/2014/SUB-EST2014.html. Retrieved June 4, 2015. 
  8. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. http://www.census.gov/prod/www/decennial.html. Retrieved June 4, 2015. 
  9. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder2.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
  10. ^ http://www.tolland.org/about/
  11. ^ http://www.tollandhistorical.org/danielbentonhomestead
  12. ^ http://www.connecticutsar.org/sites/2009/06/the-old-county-jail-and-museum.html
  13. ^ "Cogswell Fountain". Rockville CT. http://rockvillect.us/Cogswell/fountain.htm. Retrieved October 24, 2012. 
  14. ^ "EATON, William Wallace, (1816 - 1898)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=E000028. Retrieved October 24, 2012. 
  15. ^ "HUBBARD, Jonathan Hatch, (1768 - 1849)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=H000886. Retrieved October 24, 2012. 
  16. ^ "Shubal Stearns (1706-1771)". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/19/national/19DETA.html. Retrieved October 24, 2012. 
  17. ^ "Shubal Stearns (1706-1771)". North Carolina History Project. http://www.northcarolinahistory.org/encyclopedia/143/entry/. Retrieved October 24, 2012. 
  18. ^ "James Stevenson". IMDb. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1932411/bio. Retrieved October 24, 2012. 
  19. ^ Template:Library of congress catalog no: 77-73319
  20. ^ "WALDO, Loren Pinckney, (1802 - 1881)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=W000037. Retrieved October 24, 2012. 
  21. ^ "LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR NANCY WYMAN". Office of the Lieutenant Governor. http://www.ltgovernor.ct.gov/wyman/cwp/view.asp?a=4016&Q=470990&wymanNav=. Retrieved October 24, 2012. 

External links[]


This page uses content from the English language Wikipedia. The original content was at Tolland, Connecticut. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with this Familypedia wiki, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons License.
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