Bethel, Connecticut

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Bethel, Connecticut
Town
Official seal of Bethel, Connecticut
Seal
Location in Fairfield County and the state of Connecticut.
Location in Fairfield County and the state of Connecticut.
Coordinates: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Country United States
State Connecticut
NECTA Danbury
Region Housatonic Valley
Incorporated 1855
Government
 • Type Selectman-town meeting
 • First selectman Matthew S. Knickerbocker (D)
 • Selectman Richard C. Straiton (D)
 • Selectman Paul R. Szatkowski (R)
Area
 • Total 16.9 sq mi (43.8 km2)
 • Land 16.8 sq mi (43.5 km2)
 • Water 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km2)
Elevation 482 ft (147 m)
Population (2010)[1]
 • Total 18,584
 • Density 1,100/sq mi (420/km2)
Time zone Eastern (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) Eastern (UTC-4)
ZIP code 06801
Area code(s) 203
FIPS code 09-04720
GNIS feature ID 0213390
Website bethel-ct.gov

Bethel (/ˈbɛθəl/) is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, about 69 miles (111 km) from New York City. Its population was 18,584 at the 2010 census.[1] The town center is defined by the U.S. Census Bureau as a census-designated place (CDP). The core area of the town center has also been designated as a historic district.

The town is near Interstate 84 and has a train station on the Danbury Branch of Metro-North's New Haven Line.

History

Bethel was first settled around 1700. The first houses built in Bethel were in the 1730s or 1740s; they are located at 27 Grassy Plain Street and 63 Grassy Plain Street. 1759 – church members such as Ebenezer Hickok, Lemuel Beebe, Isaac Hoyt, Thomas Starr, and Phineas Judd found it both difficult to travel to church in Danbury and when there, to get a seat. They petitioned the General Assembly to form two distinct ecclesiastical societies, the First and Second Congregational Societies, creating a new second parish in the eastern portion of Danbury. The new area was called Bethel (which means house of God). 1760 – 71 people were members of the church. Bethel ran most of its affairs through the church.(Bethel's first Congregational minister was Noah Wetmore) 1760 – Captain Benjamin Hickock built the house at 245 Greenwood Avenue and used it as a tavern. 1777 (April) – the city's records were burned by the British in the British raid on Danbury. Late 1700s – P. T. Barnum’s grandfather built one of the town's earliest hotels, the Barnum Tavern.[2]

On the National Register of Historic Places

Historic pictures

  • PostcardBethelCTBirdseyeViewCirca1910.jpg

    Bird's eye view, ca. 1910

  • PostcardFountainBethelCT1914.jpg

    P.T. Barnum Fountain, ca. 1914

  • Greenwood Avenue, ca. 1909

  • PostcardBethelCTSouthSTca1910.jpg

    South Street, ca. 1910

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 16.9 square miles (44 km2), of which 16.8 square miles (44 km2) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2), or 0.53%, is water. The CDP corresponding to the town center has a total area of 4.1 square miles (11 km2), all land. Bethel borders Redding to the south, Danbury to the west, Brookfield to the north, and Newtown to the east.

In Bethel

Bethel Sycamore

Notable people

Movies filmed in Bethel

The following films were at least partially shot in Bethel.[7]

Demographics

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See also: List of Connecticut locations by per capita income
Historical population
Year Pop. ±%
1860 1,711 —    
1870 2,311 +35.1%
1880 2,727 +18.0%
1890 3,401 +24.7%
1900 3,327 −2.2%
1910 3,792 +14.0%
1920 3,201 −15.6%
1930 3,886 +21.4%
1940 4,105 +5.6%
1950 5,104 +24.3%
1960 8,200 +60.7%
1970 10,945 +33.5%
1980 16,004 +46.2%
1990 17,541 +9.6%
2000 18,067 +3.0%
2010 18,584 +2.9%
Source: [8]

As of the 2010 census Bethel had a population of 18,584. The racial and ethnic composition of the population was 88.8% white, 1.8% black or African American, 0.1% Native American, 4.5% Asian, 2.8% from some other race and 1.9% from two or more races. 7.6% of the population was Hispanic or Latino from any race.[9]

As of the census[10] of 2000, there were 18,067 people, 6,505 households, and 4,846 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,075.7 people per square mile (415.5/km²). There were 6,653 housing units at an average density of 396.1 per square mile (153.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town in 2005 was 85.86% White, 1.91% African American, 0.26% Native American, 4.58% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 3.20% from other races or of multiple races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.33% of the population. 20.2% were of Italian, 17.5% Irish, 9.1% German, 7.0% English, 6.7% American and 6.0% Polish ancestry according to Census 2000.[11] 88.7% spoke English, 4.4% Spanish, 3.3% Portuguese, 1.5% German and 1.0% French as their first language.[12]

There were 6,505 households out of which 38.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.4% were married couples living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.5% were non-families. 20.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.76 and the average family size was 3.23.

In the town the population was spread out with 27.3% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 31.9% from 25 to 44, 24.6% from 45 to 64, and 10.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 95.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.1 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $68,891, and the median income for a family was $78,358. Males had a median income of $51,816 versus $36,544 for females. The per capita income for the town was $28,927. About 1.2% of families and 2.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.3% of those under age 18 and 5.5% of those age 65 or over.

Voter registration and party enrollment as of October 25, 2005[13]
Party Active voters Inactive voters Total voters Percentage
  Republican 2,732 95 2,827 24.84%
  Democratic 2,569 125 2,694 23.68%
  Unaffiliated 5,468 288 5,756 50.58%
  Minor parties 93 9 102 0.90%
Total 10,862 517 11,379 100%

Town center

As of the census of 2000, there are 9,137 people, 3,639 households, and 2,358 families residing in the CDP. The population density is 2,237.8 inhabitants per square mile (864.7/km²). There are 3,744 housing units at an average density of 354.3 persons/km² (916.9 persons/mi²). The racial makeup of the CDP is 89.96% White, 1.61% African American, 0.13% Native American, 4.40% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.67% from other races, and 2.20% from two or more races. 4.63% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 3,639 households out of which 33.7% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.7% are married couples living together, 11.5% have a woman whose husband does not live with her, and 35.2% are non-families. 28.9% of all households are made up of individuals and 10.6% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.51 and the average family size is 3.14.

In the CDP the population is spread out with 25.9% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 35.1% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 10.8% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 36 years. For every 100 females there are 91.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 88.3 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP is $57,276, and the median income for a family is $66,672. Males have a median income of $45,815 versus $35,989 for females. The per capita income for the CDP is $25,888. 3.0% of the population and 1.1% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 0.7% are under the age of 18 and 6.6% are 65 or older.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ http://www.nynjctbotany.org/
  3. ↑ http://www.marxisthistory.org/subject/usa/eam/ycleague.html
  4. ↑ http://www.bethel.k12.ct.us/bhs/information/ROTC/pages/distinguished.html
  5. ↑ Dixon, Ken, "Music Hall of Fame proposed for state", article in Connecticut Post in Bridgeport, Connecticut, April 26, 2007 ("Thurston Moore, leader of alt-rock legends Sonic Youth, who grew up in Bethel")
  6. ↑ http://www.ctpost.com/news/slideshow/What-was-CT-like-26-years-ago-81926/photo-5546204.php
  7. ↑ http://www.imdb.com/search/title?locations=Bethel,%20Connecticut,%20USA
  8. ↑ http://www.sots.ct.gov/RegisterManual/SectionVII/SecVIITOC.htm
  9. ↑ 2010 population by race and Hispanic or Latino by place chart for Connecticut from the US Census
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/DTTable?_bm=y&-context=dt&-ds_name=DEC_2000_SF3_U&-CONTEXT=dt&-mt_name=DEC_2000_SF3_U_PCT016&-tree_id=
  12. ↑ http://www.mla.org/map_data_results&state_id=9&place_id=4790&cty_id=
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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