Citizendia
Your Ad Here

This article is about the town. The New England town is the basic unit of local government in each of the six New England states For the borough, see Newtown (borough), Connecticut. Newtown is a borough in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, within the town of Newtown. Connecticut ( is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America.
Newtown, Connecticut
Location in Connecticut
Location in Connecticut
Coordinates: 41°23′54″N 73°17′35″W / 41.39833, -73.29306
NECTA Bridgeport-Stamford
Region Housatonic Valley
Incorporated 1711
Government
 - Type Selectman-town meeting
 - First selectman Joseph E. A New England City and Town Area or NECTA is a geographic and statistical entity defined by the U The Board of Selectmen is commonly the executive arm of Town Governments in the New England region of the United States. Borst
Area
 - Total 153. Area is a Quantity expressing the two- Dimensional size of a defined part of a Surface, typically a region bounded by a closed Curve. 1 km² (59. Square Kilometre ( US spelling square kilometer) symbol km2, is a decimal multiple of the SI unit of 1 sq mi)
 - Land 149. The square mile is an imperial and US unit of Area equal the area of a square of one statute mile. 6 km² (57. 8 sq mi)
 - Water 3. 4 km² (1. 3 sq mi)
Elevation 121 m (397 ft)
Population (2005)
 - Total 26,996
 - Density 180/km² (467/sq mi)
Time zone Eastern (UTC-5)
 - Summer (DST) Eastern (UTC-4)
ZIP code 06470
Area code(s) 203
FIPS code 09-52980
GNIS feature ID 0213475
Website: www.newtown-ct.gov

Newtown is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The elevation of a Geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point often the mean sea level. The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit Population density (in agriculture standing stock and Standing crop) is a measurement of Population per unit area or unit volume The Eastern Time Zone ( ET) of the Western Hemisphere falls mostly along the east coast of North America and the west coast of South America UTC−5 is the Time offset used in the North American Eastern Time Zone during Standard time and in the North American Central Time Zone during Daylight saving time ( DST The Eastern Time Zone ( ET) of the Western Hemisphere falls mostly along the east coast of North America and the west coast of South America UTC−4 is the Time offset used in the Atlantic Standard Time Zone in Canada in winter and the North American Eastern Time Zone during A telephone numbering plan is a plan for allocating Telephone number ranges to countries regions areas and exchanges and to non-fixed telephone networks Area code 203 is a Telephone Area code that covers the southwestern part of Connecticut. Federal Information Processing Standards ( FIPS) are publicly announced standards developed by the United States Federal government for use by all non-military The Geographic Names Information System ( GNIS) is a database that contains name and locative information about more than two million physical and cultural features located throughout Named after the extremely large area of salt-marshes and swamps both on the coast and inland Fairfield County is located in the southwestern corner of the U Connecticut ( is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The population was 25,031 according to the 2000 census. Newtown was founded in 1705 and incorporated in 1711.

Fairfield County's only state prison, Garner Correctional Institution, is located on Nunnawauk Road

Contents

Government

Elected to a two year term, the Board of Selectmen supervise the administration of the affairs of the town, except those matters which by the General Statute or Town Charter are exclusively committed to the Board of Education or other departments. The Board of Selectmen is commonly the executive arm of Town Governments in the New England region of the United States. They are led by a First Selectman, who is the Chief Executive and Administrative Officer of the Town. The current First Selectman is Joseph Borst (R). Justices of the Peace are Charles B. Browne, III (D), Gregory J. Bunger (U), Margaret Jepsen (R) LeReine Frampton (D), J. David Goldin (U), Lily Goosman (R), Cheryl M. Johnson (U), Marianne C. Malkin (U), Susan Beth Merchant (D), Barbara O’Connor (R), Thomas Paisley (R), Evan Pitkoff (U), JoAnn M. Robling (D), Lillian S. Strickler (R), and Deborah O. Stiewing (D).

The Borough of Newtown occupies about 1,252 acres (or roughly a square mile) in the central part of town. Incorporated in 1824 by an act of the Connecticut General Assembly, it is one of only nine boroughs in the State. [1]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 59. The United States Census Bureau (officially Bureau of the Census as defined in Title) is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census 1 square miles (153. The square mile is an imperial and US unit of Area equal the area of a square of one statute mile. 0 km²), of which, 57. Square Kilometre ( US spelling square kilometer) symbol km2, is a decimal multiple of the SI unit of 8 square miles (149. 6 km²) of it is land and 1. 3 square miles (3. 4 km²) of it (2. 22%) is water.

Newtown is the state's fifth largest town in area and is bordered by Bethel, Bridgewater, Brookfield, Easton, Monroe, Oxford, Redding and Southbury. Bethel is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, about sixty miles from New York City. Bridgewater is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. Brookfield is a town located in northern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. Easton is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. Monroe is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. Oxford is a town located in western New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. Redding is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. Southbury is a town located in western New Haven County, Connecticut, United States north of Oxford and Newtown and east

History

Main article: History of Newtown, Connecticut

The town of Newtown, originally known as Quanneapague, was purchased from the Pohtatuck Indians in 1705. The history of Newtown Connecticut. To 1800 American Revolution Newtown was a stronghold of Tory sentiment during the early American Revolutionary Settled from Stratford and incorporated in 1711, Newtown was a stronghold of Tory sentiment during the early American Revolutionary War. Stratford is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, located on Long Island Sound at the mouth of the Housatonic In the political tradition of some English-speaking countries, the term Tory has referred to a variety of political parties and Creeds since it was In this article the inhabitants of the thirteen colonies that supported the American Revolution are primarily referred to as "Americans" with occasional references to "Patriots" French General Rochambeau and his troops encamped here in 1781 on their way to the siege of Yorktown, Virginia, which ended the Revolution. The Siege of Yorktown or Battle of Yorktown in 1781 was a decisive victory by a combined assault of American forces led by General George Washington The Commonwealth of Virginia ( is an American state An important crossroads throughout its early history, the village of Hawleyville briefly emerged as a railroad center and the town's population grew to over 4,000 circa 1881. In the following decades, the population dwindled to a low of 2,635 in 1930 before again growing. Newtown covers an area of approximately 60 square miles.

Local industry has included the manufacture of furniture, tea bags, combs, fire hose, folding boxes, buttons, and hats, as well as farming and mica and feldspar mining. The game of Scrabble was developed here by James Brunot. The verb "to scrabble" also means to scratch scramble or scrape about see Wiktionaryscrabble.

Among notable residents have been James Purdy, an African American farmer who was part of the Underground Railroad, and Mary Elizabeth Hawley, Newtown's benefactress. The Underground Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and Safe houses used by 19th century Black slaves in the United States

Landmarks

Newtown has a number of local landmarks. Perhaps the most famous is the flag pole, first erected in 1876. The Newtown Bee, the local weekly newspaper, has been serving the area since 1877, and owned (and operated) by the Smith family since 1881. Another important building, located across from the flagpole, is Newtown Meeting House, which served as the town's Congregational Church for many years. The rooster weathervane (a town symbol), located atop the meeting house is said to have been used as a target by French soldiers encamped here in 1781 during the Revolutionary War.

Hawley School is another old and famous landmark. Constructed in the 1920s, it has been used as a whole-town school, a high school, and an elementary school. It is currently an elementary school. Though it has been many different school functions, its original section has remained much the same. Two additions have been added since its construction.

Newtown is also home to the famous "Fairfield Hills" Mental Hospital which was erected in the 1930s. Fairfield Hills was a mental institution for many decades. Fairfield State Hospital (also known as Fairfield Hills State Hospital or Fairfield Hills) a Psychiatric hospital in Newtown Connecticut, which It was closed in 1995. Fairfield Hills was used as the set of the juvenile facility in the movie Sleepers in 1995. Newtown recently purchased the property, and, as of 2007, the town is considering a somewhat controversial plan for its usage. The mental institution is believed by some to be haunted, and, to this day, attracts volumes of ghost hunters.

Edmond Town Hall

The building, completed in the 1930s, contains some town offices and has a variety of rooms for all occasions, including the Alexandria Room for weddings, parties and recitals; and a gymnasium for sports, parties and craft shows. Smaller meeting rooms are also present.

The Board of Managers is composed of six members serving six year terms. At each regular Town Election, two members are elected, both of whom may not be members of the same political party. According to Town Charter, the Board "shall have the exclusive care and maintenance of Edmond Town Hall and all grounds and buildings appurtenant thereto, together with all powers and duties prescribed for said Board by Special Act No. 98 of the 1931 session by which it was created, as amended by Special Act No. 517 of the 1953 session".

The architect for this building was Philip Sutherland, who also designed Cyrenius H. Booth Library.

The Edmond Town hall is also notable for its movie theater. The theater shows popular movies shortly after they leave mainstream theaters, and is the only $2 movie theater in Connecticut. It is a popular spot for middle school and high school students. The town hall was constructed for the community by a local benefactress Mary Elizabeth Hawley and dedicated in 1930. The building was named for Miss Hawley’s maternal great grandfather Judge William Edmond.

Cyrenius H. Booth Library

Newtown's public library was opened December 17, 1932 with a capacity for 25,000 volumes. The library is a posthumous gift of Mary Elizabeth Hawley and was named after her maternal grandfather, a doctor in town from 1820 until his death in 1871. Hawley's gift not only paid for construction of the building, but included a trust fund of about $250,000 which resulted in the town not financing the library until the 1980s. [2]

Cyrenius H. Booth Library, Newtown, Connecticut
Cyrenius H. Booth Library, Newtown, Connecticut

Designed by Philip Sutherland, who also designed Newtown's Edmond Town Hall, the building was considered one of the most modern libraries of its time, with several innovative features. The building was fire proof, had cork floors and acoustic ceiling tiles to deaden sound, and had a built-in humidifying unit and a centralized vacuum cleaner. [2]

In January 1998 an addition to the rear of the building was completed and officially opened. The expansion doubled the available floor space and provides areas for meetings and displays of art and local historical artifacts from the library's large collection. [2]

On the National Register of Historic Places

Parks & Recreation

The town of Newtown offers many programs for area residents and there are numerous parks and fields offering playgrounds, swimming, tennis, softball, baseball, volleyball, lacrosse, soccer, as well as a nature center and trails. Events 310 - Pope Miltiades is elected 626 - In fear of assassination Li Shimin ambushes and kills his rival Year 1982 ( MCMLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar) Events 1174 - Jocelin, Abbot of Melrose, is elected Bishop of Glasgow. Year 1996 ( MCMXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar) Prominent Newtown parks include Treadwell Park, Dickinson Park, and Collis P. Huntington State Park. Activities Canoeing Cross-Country Skiing Hiking Horseback Riding Mountain Treadwell park, named after former selectman Timothy Treadwell, contains recreation facilitied and the town pool. Dickinson park used to contain a swimming pool (really more like a swimming "pond"), which was a large asphalt-lined bowl shaped depression surrounded by a grass "beach". It was a uniquely safe design for children because there was no "deep end" anywhere around the periphery of the pool/pond. Unfortunately, it lacked a formal filtration system and required attendants to periodically row out and manually add chlorine to the water. It was removed and filled in in 2006.

Demographics

As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 25,031 people, 8,325 households, and 6,776 families residing in the town. A census is the procedure of acquiring information about every member of a given population The population density was 433. Population density (in agriculture standing stock and Standing crop) is a measurement of Population per unit area or unit volume 4 people per square mile (167. 3/km²). There were 8,601 housing units at an average density of 148. 9/sq mi (57. 5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 95. 14% White, 1. 75% Black or African American, 0. 14% Native American, 1. 40% Asian, 0. 04% Pacific Islander, 0. 64% from other races, and 0. 89% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2. 36% of the population.

There were 8,325 households out of which 44. 7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 73. 3% were married couples living together, 5. NOTICE TO WOULD-BE ROMEOS ************** 8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18. 6% were non-families. 14. 8% of all households were made up of individuals and 5. 8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2. 90 and the average family size was 3. 24.

In the town the population was spread out with 29. 3% under the age of 18, 4. 4% from 18 to 24, 32. 5% from 25 to 44, 25. 1% from 45 to 64, and 8. 7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 104. 9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103. 5 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $90,193, and the median income for a family was $99,192. Males had a median income of $68,965 versus $42,217 for females. The per capita income for the town was $37,786. Per capita income means how much each individual receives in monetary terms of the yearly income generated in the country About 2. 2% of families and 3. 1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3. The poverty threshold, or poverty line, is the minimum level of Income deemed necessary to achieve an adequate Standard of living in a given country 0% of those under age 18 and 3. 9% of those age 65 or over.

Notable residents, past and present

Among notable residents have been James Purdy, who helped slaves escape to Canada in the 1850s and ministered to smallpox victims during the American Civil War; Elizabeth Hawley, Newtown's benefactress; Joseph F. Engelberger, an engineer and entrepreneur who is often credited with being the "Father of Robotics" - the Robotics Industries Association annually presents the Joseph F. Smallpox is an Infectious disease unique to humans caused by either of two virus variants named Variola major and Variola minor. Causes of the war See also Origins of the American Civil War, Timeline of events leading to the American Civil War The coexistence of a slave-owning South Joseph ("Joe" F Engelberger ( New York City, July 26, 1925 is an Engineer and Entrepreneur who is often credited with being the "Father Engelberger Awards to "persons who have contributed outstandingly to the furtherance of the science and practice of robotics. "; Actor Anthony Edwards known for his roles in Top Gun, Gotcha!, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise and the television series ER; and Bruce Jenner, 1976 Summer Olympics decathlon gold medalist. This article is about the American actor For the British academic see A Top Gun is a 1986 American Film directed by Tony Scott and produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer in association with Gotcha! is a 1985 action film starring Anthony Edwards and Linda Fiorentino. Fast Times at Ridgemont High is a 1982 American coming-of-age teen - Comedy film written by Cameron Crowe (adapted Revenge of the Nerds II Nerds in Paradise is the 1987 Sequel to the 1984 comedy Revenge of the Nerds. ER is an Emmy Award -winning American Medical drama series created by Novelist Michael Crichton and airing on William Bruce Jenner (born October 28, 1949, in Mount Kisco New York) is a U The 1976 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad, were an International Multi-sport event held in Montreal, Quebec The decathlon is an Athletic event consisting of ten Track and field events Jenner attended Newtown High School. Newtown High School is a Public school in Newtown Connecticut.

Other notable residents (in alphabetical order):

Bruce Degan, illustrator of the Magic School Bus series

Notes

  1. ^ [1] Web page titled "Welcome to the Town of Newtown!", town government Web site, accessed March 28, 2007
  2. ^ a b c [2] Cruson, Daniel, "The Cyrenius H. Jenna Von Oÿ (born May 2, 1977) is an American actress and Country singer best known as Stevie van Lowe on the UPN Events 37 - Roman Emperor Caligula accepts the titles of the Principate, entitled to him by the Senate. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Booth Library History", Web page at Cyrenius H. Booth Library Web site, accessed March 28, 2007
  3. ^ American FactFinder. Events 37 - Roman Emperor Caligula accepts the titles of the Principate, entitled to him by the Senate. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. United States Census Bureau. The United States Census Bureau (officially Bureau of the Census as defined in Title) is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census Retrieved on 2008-01-31. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 1504 - France cedes Naples to Aragon. 1606 - Gunpowder Plot: Guy Fawkes
  4. ^ [3]"About the Author" section of a Web page titled "Chicken Little by Steven Kellogg" at Powell's Books Web site ("Steven Kellogg lives in Sandy Hook, Connecticut. "), accessed March 28, 2007

External links

Events 37 - Roman Emperor Caligula accepts the titles of the Principate, entitled to him by the Senate. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century.
© 2009 citizendia.org; parts available under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License, from http://en.wikipedia.org
 Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic