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Suffield is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. It had once been within the boundaries of Massachusetts. In 1900, 3,521 people lived in Suffield; and in 1910, 3,841. The population was 13,552 at the 2000 census.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 42.9 square miles (111.2 km²), of which 42.2 sq mi (109.3 km²) is land and 0.7 sq mi (1.9 km² or 1.68%) is water.

The Metacomet Ridge, a mountainous traprock ridgeline that stretches from Long Island Sound to nearly the Vermont border, runs through the center of Suffield from south to north as West Suffield Mountain. The 51-mile (82 km) Metacomet Trail traverses the ridge.

History

For a town of its size, Suffield has had a remarkable effect on the history of the region and the nation. Its native and adopted sons include Rev. Ebenezer Gay, a renowned Congregational minister; U.S. Postmaster General Gideon Granger; real estate speculator Oliver Phelps, once the largest landowner in America; composer Timothy Swan; architect Henry A. Sykes; sculptor Olin Levi Warner; Seth Pease, surveyor of the Western Reserve lands in Ohio, most of which were controlled by Suffield financiers and speculators; and Thaddeus Leavitt, inventor of an early cotton gin, merchant and patentee of the Western Reserve lands. Thanks to the town's early prominence and wealth, it boasts an astonishing collection of early New England architecture. The Kent family, for whom the town's library is named, originated in Gloucester, Massachusetts, and boasted relations to many prominent early New England families, including the Dwight family of Northampton, Massachusetts, the Hooker family of Hartford, the Dudleys of Guilford, Connecticut and the Leavitts of Suffield.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 13,552 people, 4,660 households, and 3,350 families residing in the town. The population density was 321.0 people per square mile (124.0/km²). There were 4,853 housing units at an average density of 115.0/sq mi (44.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 88.67% White, 6.95% African American, 0.24% Native American, 0.94% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 2.03% from other races, and 1.13% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.25% of the population.

There were 4,660 households out of which 32.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.2% were married couples living together, 6.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.1% were non-families. 23.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.04.

In the town the population was spread out with 22.1% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 31.7% from 25 to 44, 24.1% from 45 to 64, and 14.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 116.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 121.1 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $66,698, and the median income for a family was $79,189. Males had a median income of $52,096 versus $35,188 for females. The per capita income for the town was $28,171. About 1.8% of families and 3.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.5% of those under age 18 and 6.2% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The town's public school system, Suffield Public Schools , includes Spaulding Elementary School, McAlister Intermediate School, Suffield Middle School, and Suffield High School.

Suffield is also the home of Suffield Academy,Connecticut Culinary Institute, and the International College of Hospitality Management

Historic homes and sites

Main Street, a designated historic district with the Green, three churches, Suffield Academy and vintage colonial and Victorian homes, typifies a New England town. Named for the Kent family of Suffield, the Kent Memorial Library is an important research center for source materials, records, and documents from north central Connecticut. A walk along Main Street reveals many examples of 18th and 19th century architecture. The Dr. Alexander King House, on the corner of Kent Avenue, and the Phelps-Hatheway House, a little farther north on Main Street, are museums open to the public from May to October.

Full list of town sites on the National Register of Historic Places

• Alexander King House — 232 S. Main St. (added May 26, 1976)
• Babb's Beach — 435 Babb's Rd. (added July 12, 2006)
• Farmington Canal-New Haven and Northampton Canal — Roughly from Suffield to New Haven (added October 12, 1985)
• Gothic Cottage — 1425 Mapleton Ave. (added March 25, 1982)
• Hastings Hill Historic District — 987-1308 Hill St., 1242 Spruce St. and 1085-1162 Russell Ave. (added October 14, 1979)
• Hatheway House (also known as "Phelps-Hatheway House & Garden") — 55 S. Main St., reflects two architectural styles: the original 1761 building is a typical colonial house, the 1794 north wing is one of the first examples of the Neoclassical style in the Connecticut River Valley (added September 6, 1975)
• Hilltop Farm — 1550-1760 Mapleton Ave. (added January 12, 2005)
• John Fuller House — 463 Halladay Ave. (added April 15, 1982)
• King's Field House — 827 North St. (added April 11, 1982)
• Lewis-Zukowski House — 1095 S. Grand St. (added March 21, 1990)
• Suffield Historic District — Runs along North and South Main Streets (added October 25, 1979)

References

1. Leavitt's daughter Jane Maria Leavitt, wife of Vermont Congressman Jonathan Hunt was the mother of architect Richard Morris Hunt, painter William Morris Hunt and photographer Leavitt Hunt
2. Famous Sons of Suffield, Historic Suffield, suffield-library.org
3. Suffield Historical Society
4. Family History of Samuel Kent, Suffield Historical Society
5. Genealogical Notes, or Contributions to the Family History of Some of the First Settlers of Connecticut and Massachusetts, Nathaniel Goodwin, Hartford, 1856
6. "Registration and Party Enrollment Statistics as of October 25, 2005" (PDF). Connecticut Secretary of State. Retrieved 2007-10-16.
7. Connecticut, Massachusetts & Rhode Island Tourbook, 2007 edition (2007). p60. AAA Publishing, Heathrow, Florda

External links

• Suffield Town Hall
• Suffield Historical Society
• Central Regional Tourism District
• Hatheway House, suffield-library.org
• King House Museum, suffield-library.org

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