East Haven, Connecticut

East Haven, Connecticut
—  Town  —
Seal
Location in New Haven County, Connecticut
Coordinates: 41°17′44″N 72°51′45″W / 41.29556°N 72.8625°W / 41.29556; -72.8625Coordinates: 41°17′44″N 72°51′45″W / 41.29556°N 72.8625°W / 41.29556; -72.8625
Country	United States
State	Connecticut
NECTA	New Haven
Region	South Central
Incorporated	1785
Government
– Type	Mayor-council
– Mayor	April Capone Almon (D)
Area
– Total	13.4 sq mi (34.8 km2)
– Land	12.3 sq mi (31.8 km2)
– Water	1.1 sq mi (3.0 km2)
Elevation	30 ft (9 m)
Population (2005)
– Total	28,755
– Density	2,338.8/sq mi (903/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (UTC-5)
– Summer (DST)	Eastern (UTC-4)
ZIP code	06512, 06513
Area code(s)	203
FIPS code	09-22910
GNIS feature ID	0213425
Website	Official Town of East Haven Website

East Haven is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 28,189. The town is just 3 minutes from downtown New Haven. East Haven is 35 miles (56 km) from Hartford, 82 miles (132 km) from New York City, 99 miles (159 km) from Providence, Rhode Island and 140 miles (230 km) from Boston.

Located 3 miles (4.8 km) east of New Haven, Connecticut it is part of the Greater New Haven area.

History

Welcome to East Haven

The area, now known as East Haven, was obtained by Puritan settlers Reverend John Davenport and Theophilus Eaton on November 29, 1638 as part of the purchase of New Haven, Connecticut from Sachem Momauguin of the local Quinnipiack tribe. Additional land was, in what is now known as Foxon, was purchased from Indian Chief Montowese on December 11, 1638.

In 1639 Thomas Gregson, petitioned for the purchase of Solitary Cove, later called Morris Cove. This was granted on August 5, 1644 and was the last piece of land that made up the original town of East Haven. The original town boundaries were from the harbor and Quinnipiac River on the west to the Branford and North Branford town line on the east. The southern boundary is the Long Island Sound to the North Haven town line in the north.

East Farms, as it was first called, was considered a parish of the New Haven Colony. Settlers settled into Morris Cove and what is now the “center” of East Haven in 1639. The first Connecticut ironworks, the third in New England, was founded on the shores of Furnace Pond in 1655. Originally called Lonotononket (Great Pond) by the Quinnipiac Indians, today it’s called Lake Saltonstall. With Branford and North Branford having had settlers since 1643, people from the New Haven Colony started to settle the Foxon section in 1683.

In 1665, the New Haven Colony was merged with the Connecticut Colony (Hartford) under a charter from King Charles II. With the success of the ironwork mill, the area became known as Iron Works Village. In 1675 Iron Works Village petitioned the Connecticut Colony to become a separate town. Negotiations with New Haven regarding land never succeeded. This eventually led to the relinquishing of village privileges in 1685. Efforts were again made in 1703 and the Connecticut Colony granted the town petition for township in May 1707 and the name was changed from Iron Works Village to East Haven. With some outstanding land issues with New Haven and a minor feud with Governor Gordon Saltonstall resulted in the rescinding of the township status and the area was once again a parish of New Haven^[1]

In 1706 the first public school building was built in East Haven followed by the appointment of a School Committee in 1707.

Jacob Hemingway, the original Yale student, served as the first pastor (1704–1754) of the Congregational Church. Several meeting houses were built in East Haven and in January 1772 the Society of East Haven authorized the expense of $1,000.00 to build a new 65’ by 50’ meeting house. As the new meeting house was being built, the building was extended by 8’ and a steeple was added. In 1774 the Old Stone (Congregational) Church was finished and Nicholas Street was named its first minister.

During the American Revolution, the area saw troop movement and encampment by both revolutionary and British forces. On July 5, 1779, British forces led by General William Tryon landed from war ships, attacked Black Rock Fort in Morris Cove and captured its 19 defenders. The British were then able to march into New Haven and East Haven. General Lafayette and revolutionary forces also visited town and encamped on the green. During the American Revolution East Haven lost 16 men. John Howe was killed at the Black Rock Fort. Fifteen other men died, mostly on British prison ships in Long Island Sound. After the war, Black Rock Fort was abandoned.

The Town of East Haven became an incorporated town in May 1785. At the initial town meeting, Isaac Chidsey was named First Selectman on July 5, 1785.

When relationship between the United States of America and Britain deteriorated in the early 19th century, the government decided to re-fortify Black Rock Fort. A new masonry wall was built for fortification. Six guns were installed and a new barracks for 50 men and a magazine were built. The fort was renamed Fort Nathan Hale, in honor of a Connecticut patriot. During the War of 1812, the fort successfully defended the area from several British raids.

Civil War cannon from Fort Hale. Installed on the East Haven Green.

In 1863 a new Fort Hale was built to defend against possible raids by the Confederate States. Built next to the ruins of the original fort, the fortification included an earthen rampart, five fortified bunkers, eighteen guns and a moat with a draw bridge. The fort did not see any action during the Civil War.

During the American Civil War, East Haven lost 15 men. Two men, Charles Benoit and James Murphy died at the infamous Andersonville prison in Georgia.

East Haven western border was the Quinnipiac River and the town was in charge of four bridges that crossed it. In 1881 East Haven was facing a financial problem. The repairing and maintaining of the four bridges that crossed the Quinnipiac River, highway maintenance and payments to Civil War Soldiers presented the town with a $200,000.00 debt. The bridges contributed $180,000.00 of that debt. Combined with request for additional town services, the Board of Selectman voted to sell Fair Haven, Granniss Corners and Morris Cove to New Haven. After a public vote where East Haven residence voted 123 to sell and 9 not to sell, the three sections were ceded to New Haven. Over night the town's debt was paid, the town’s population dropped by 70% and its land mass dropped by 33%.

Since the 1850s, Lake Saltonstall had become a major amusement center in the region. The lake was used heavily during the summer and by skaters in the winter. The lake, which borders the towns of East Haven and Branford, was sold in 1895 to the New Haven Water Company.

The new East Haven continued to grow. In 1892, after several businesses and the town hall were destroyed in a fire, the Board of Selectmen voted to install fire hydrants in the center of town and ordered 500 feet (150 m) of hose. Fighting town fires was handled by citizens that came to the fire. By 1899, several young town members formed a volunteer fire department. They applied for state recognition and started serving the town on January 2, 1900.

Policing East Haven was handled by New Haven sheriffs until 1900 or so when the town hired Jim Smith to be the town’s first Constable. Smith used the barn on his farm as the jail. The constable staff continued to grow until it was organized in 1925 under the Board of Public Safety which included the East Haven Fire Department and the newly organized East Haven Police Department.

Technology was improving the lives of the residents. 1898 saw gas lights being installed in East Haven. By 1903, four streets were lighted by gas lights. The town established its own telephone company in 1899 and had 75 customers before selling its holding to the local telephone company. Electric lights made their debut in 1918.

The East Haven Library was established in 1909. With an increase in population, especially citizens of Irish and Italian descent, the first Roman Catholic Church opened in East Haven in 1916.

World War I cost the lives of 5 East Haven men.

The town voted to build a new town hall in 1927. At a cost of $135,000.00 the new town hall was dedicated on August 11, 1928. Over 5,000 residents attended the open house. The next month, on September 22, 1928, the new East Haven Library was opened and dedicated.

World War II saw many men from East Haven going overseas. Twenty-four of them died in the war.

After World War II, East Haven benefited from families moving out of large cities into the rural areas. The population of East Haven nearly doubled from the end of the war to 1960. The population increase was also assisted by the building of Interstate 95 through the center of town in 1951.

The Vietnam War was kind to East Haven. Lance Corporal Richard J. Wolcheski, USMC, was the only East Haven casualty of this war.

Large retail stores and fast food franchises started to build outlets on both U.S. 1 and State Route 80 in the 1960s and 1970s. The downtown area went through re-development in the 1970s which saw the East Haven Mall built. Condominiums were built in the Center and Foxon sections. The town added its Athletic Complex, a new swimming pool to the High School. The new East Haven Police Headquarters was finished in 1973.

The downtown area is undergoing another re-development effort that started in 2004. The project will transform the downtown area from the 1970s city look back to a look of an old New England town, with period lighting and brick sidewalks.

On March 16, 2009, the town came to an agreement with neighboring New Haven over the future of Tweed-New Haven Regional Airport, which straddles the boundary between the two municipalities, ending over 40 years of strife.

Geography and climate

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 13.4 square miles (34.8 km²). 12.3 square miles (31.8 km²) of it is land and 1.1 square miles (3.08 km²) of it (8.57%) is water. East Haven also conatins Stony Island, approximately 660 yards (600 m) from East Haven Town Beach in Long Island Sound.^[2]

If one were to look at East Haven on a map, it is taller than it is wide. It is bordered on the south by Long Island Sound, on the west by New Haven, Connecticut, on the north by North Haven, Connecticut and on the east by Branford, Connecticut, Lake Saltonstall and North Branford, Connecticut. East Haven shares with New Haven the land belonging to local Tweed-New Haven Airport and Alling Memorial Golf Course.

Geology

During the Paleozoic Era, 450 to 250 million years ago), several plates collided to form the giant super continent called Pangaea. East Haven was located in the middle of this collision and the results can be seen today with the schists, gneisses and granites which are exposed.^{[citation needed]}

When Pangaea was broken up, during the Triassic and Jurassic Periods, volcanic activity occurred, depositing basalt or trap rock. Earthquakes can still be felt in the area. In January 2001 the area was rocked by an earthquake originating in Madison, Connecticut.^{[citation needed]}

It is estimated that Connecticut was covered by glaciers at least two times. The last glacial is estimated to be 1,800 feet (550 m) thick in the New Haven, Connecticut area. 22,000 years ago, the glacier moved south, eroding mountains and pushed through East Haven and depositing large amounts of glacier till to form Long Island. 14,000 years ago the glacier retreated and shaped the coastline, formed Long Island Sound and created Lake Saltonstall. It also deposited glacial till, soil, sand, rocks and boulders that the ice carried south from the north.^{[citation needed]}

The coast is primarily covered gneiss rock (including granite), schist and quartzite and is part of the coastal slope. The remaining sections are part of the Central Valley and are covered with clastic sedimentary rock (redbeds, conglomerate, sandstone, brownstone and shale). This soft surface has been resedimineted by a number of floods, making the soil soft and fertile and ideal for farm land.^{[citation needed]}

Brownstone, a sedimentary rock that erodes easily, was easily dug into by glaciers and carved out many lakes and valleys. The area surrounding Farms River and Lake Saltonstall on the East Haven and Branford border is an example of this. The brownstone that did not erode was used for building foundations and rock fences found throughout New England.^{[citation needed]}

Deposits of basalt (lava flow) can be found in the north and northeast sections of East Haven. Several quarries can be found in this area. Traprock (basalt) is turned into crushed stone. It is primarily used in construction and the in the bedding of roads. Sand and gravel from glacial till is the second most profitable quarried rock. They are used as fill, in concrete, leach fields or for road sand.^{[citation needed]}

Animals and plants

When Pangaea was broken up, East Haven had forests. Dinosaurs, reptiles and mammals roamed the area. Dinosaur track ways, like those found in Rocky Hill, Connecticut at the Dinosaur State Park were recently found at a construction site near Lake Saltonstall. The tracks were made by Eubrontes. Fossils of Triassic period reptile have been found in the area. Stegomus, was covered with armor plates and looked similar to an armadillo.

Today, East Haven is mostly covered with broadleaf, hardwood trees. There are a few conifer (evergreen) forests, mostly around Lake Saltonstall. Salt marshes are located in areas around Long Island Sound.

Dinosaurs have been replaced with deer, coyote, squirrel, fox, chipmunks and rabbit. Garter snakes can be found in the area. Pheasants, grouse, ducks and wild turkey can be found in East Haven as well as cardinals, blue jay, warblers, crows, sparrows, parrots, woodpeckers and sea gull. Trout can be found in the fresh water lakes. Bluefish, bass, crabs and clams can be found in Long Island Sound.

Communities

Old Stone Church

The residents of the town divide it into three large "sections" rather than a number of smaller neighborhoods. These sections are:

Foxon

The area which borders Branford and North Branford on the east, New Haven on the west to about Grannis Pond in the south and surrounds State Route 80. This is the hilliest section of town. It counts among its landmarks the town high school, Foxon Park Beverage (a locally famous soda manufactury), and Camp Murray, a Girl Scouts of the USA day camp. Grannis Pond use to host a YMCA camp until the land was sold and developed.

Momauguin

The area is located in the southern section of East Haven, from Morris Cove section of New Haven on the west to Branford on the east and starting at Short Beach Road in the north. This section includes the town beach, numerous condominiums and summer cottages. The area near Tweed New Haven Airport has an industrial park that includes Town Fair Tire Centers Headquarters and Calabro Cheese Corporation.

"The Center"

The Center is not actually the geographical center of town but rather the hub of most things administrative. Landmarks of "The Center" include the Town Hall, Fire Department Headquarters, Hagaman Memorial Library, the "old" East Haven High School and other administrative buildings. The Police Department and Public Works Department reside on the "center" - Foxon line.

The most recognizable landmark in East Haven is the Old Stone Church. Built in 1774, the steeple of the church stands out against the low horizon.

The original high school now houses the East Haven Historical Society, and a teen center.

The Town Green is a 2.4-acre (9,700 m²) park located at the eastern end of the central business district (two blocks east of the town hall) and is mostly covered by trees. There are monuments dedicated to honor war veterans and firefighters. The focal point of the green is their gazebo or bandstand. The Green is the site of the annual East Haven Fall Festival and summer concerts.

Margaret Tucker Park is considered the second East Haven Green, with its location across the street from Town Hall and the Old Stone Church. Plans are be developed to add additional land to the park, along with a water fountain.

Included in section is the "West End", which borders New Haven, CT. The area has seen a decline of the neighborhood over the past decade^[when?] or so and blight has stepped in. Efforts are underway to revitalize the area that most residents^[who?] think have been overlooked with all the focus of the re-development efforts in the center of town.

The Senior Center is also located one block from Town Hall. This facility is for all seniors 60 years of age and older. Many activities are planned on a daily basis as well as a daily lunch program. It is a great place for all seniors to visit and enjoy time with friends. Enjoy trips and get information on all senior programs.^{[citation needed]}

Climate

Looking north on Thompson Avenue. The steeple of the Old Stone Church can be seen in the center of the photo. 02/06/2001

East Haven's climate is tempered by its location on Long Island Sound and experiences a continental climate which is common in New England. Winters are usually milder, with less snow accumulation, than those found inland. In a normal winter East Haven averages 27 inches (68.58 cm) of snowfall. It is not unusual to have a dusting of snow by the coast and an inch of snowfall in the northern areas of East Haven. The town is vulnerable to Nor'easter weather systems that can drop heavy rain or snow in the region. The Blizzard of 1888 dropped about 40 inches of snow, while the Blizzard of 1978 dropped almost 2 feet (0.61 m).

Summers are moderately warm and humid, though cooler than inland. Though rare, the region does experience high [heat waves] and sometime 100 °F (38 °C) days. Precipitation is evenly spread throughout the year.

East Haven enjoys a fairly long growing season with the last frost occurring in mid April and the first frost occurring in mid October. On an average East Haven sees 207 sunny days and 158 cloud or rainy days.

Severe weather does occur in East Haven. The area has been hit by several hurricanes, most recently in August 2011 when Hurricane Irene severely damaged numerous shore areas. ^[3] In 1985, Hurricane Gloria eye came across the state 22 west of East Haven. The area was without electricity. telephone and cable TV service for 7 days. Tornadoes sometimes occur in Connecticut. Though the town has not been directly effected, a tornado did touch down in Hamden, Connecticut just 3 miles (4.8 km) away.

Month	-Jan-	-Feb-	-Mar-	-Apr-	-May-	-Jun-	-Jul-	-Aug-	-Sep-	-Oct-	-Nov-	-Dec-	--Year--
Avg high °F (°C)	35°F (2°C)	37°F (3°C)	44°F (7°C)	55°F (13°C)	64°F (18°C)	75°F (24°C)	80°F (27°C)	78°F (26°C)	71°F (22°C)	62°F (17°C)	51°F (11°C)	39°F (4°C)	57°F (14°C)
Avg low temperature °F (°C)	23°F (-5°C)	23°F (-5°C)	30°F (-1°C)	37°F (3°C)	46°F (8°C)	57°F (14°C)	62°F (17°C)	60°F (16°C)	53°F (12°C)	44°F (7°C)	35°F (2°C)	26°F (-3°C)	41°F (5°C)
Rainfall in. (mm)	3.7" (95mm)	3.7" (94mm)	4.1" (105mm)	3.7" (94mm)	3.7" (95mm)	3.3" (84mm)	4.0" (101mm)	4.2" (107mm)	3.6" (91mm)	3.5" (88mm)	3.7" (95mm)	3.8" (97mm)	45.0" (1145mm)
Source: Weatherbase

Demographics

Town of East Haven Population by year * land sold to New Haven [1]
1790	1,025
1800	1,004
1810	1,209
1820	1,237
1830	1,229
1840	1,382
1850	1,670
1860	2,292
1870	2,714
1880*	3,057
1890*	955
1900	1,167
1910	1,795
1920	3,520
1930	7,815
1940	9,094
1950	12,212
1960	21,388
1970	25,120
1980	25,028
1990	26,144
2000	28,189
2010 est.	28,973

As of the census^[4] of 2000, there were 28,189 people, 11,219 households, and 7,494 families residing in the town. The population density was 2,298.4 people per square mile (887.8/km²). There were 11,698 housing units at an average density of 953.8 per square mile (368.4/km²).

The total gender makeup of the town is 14,094 (47.9%) male and 15,324 (52.1%) female. Age distribution of the estimate 2007 population of the town is as follows:

• ages 0 to 4 years old - 828 (3%) male and 777 (3%) female
• ages 5 to 17 years old – 2,370 (8%) male and 2,279 (8%) female
• ages 18 to 24 years old – 1,216 (4%) male and 1,138 (4%) female
• ages 25 to 49 years old – 5,231 (18%) male and 5,393 (18%) female
• ages 50 to 64 years old – 2,602 (9%) male and 3,028 (10%) female
• ages 65 and above – 1,847 (6%) male and 2,709 (9%) female^[5]

The racial makeup of the town is 91.72% White, followed by 5.68% Hispanic or Latino, 2.55% African American, 2.84% Asian, 2.79% from other races and 0.01% Native American.^[5]

Italian ancestry makes up 43.1% of the population of East Haven, giving it the fourth highest percentages of Italians in the country, followed by 18.8% Irish, 8.0% Polish, 8.0% German, 6.6% English and 3.4% French. 7.1% of the population of East Haven is foreign born.

There were 11,583 households out of which 28.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.6% were married couples living together, 12.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.2% were non-families. 27.8% of all households were made up of individuals (single person) and 11.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.08.

The median age of a house is 40.5 years. The median house purchase price is $123,100.00 and median monthly rental is $1,001.00.

The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 91.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.8 males.

The town is primarily considered a Democratic town, though it has elected a Republican mayor in the last 5 of 6 elections. There are 15,925 registered voters in East Haven. 5,683 registered Democrats, 2,544 Republicans, 7,681 unaffiliated and 17 registered to minor parties.^[6] The town voted 56% for Barack Obama in 2008, which was actually a much smaller margin of victory compared to neighboring towns.

The median income for a household in the town was $57,887. About 3.5% of families and 5.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.7% of those under age 18 and 9.1% of those age 65 or over.

78.1% of the adult population (25 years and old) have a high school degree or higher. 22% have some college education and 17.1% of the same population has a bachelor’s degree or higher.^[5]

1.85% of the population work at home. 1.81% of the population use mass transportation, 9.46% car pool and 84.93% drive alone.

East Haven has an unemployment rate of 4.1%

Government

East Haven Town Hall

When the town was incorporated in 1785, the system of government was that of selectmen and town meeting. When elections are held, the three people with the most votes were elected selectmen. The person with the most votes became the first selectman. Over the years the number of selectmen changed until it reached seven during the 1950s.

In 1960, the system of government was changed from selectmen – town meeting system to selectmen – representative town meeting. This system of government lasted until 1969, when the town charter was changed to a mayor – town council based government. In the 1969 general election, Francis W. Messina became the first mayor of East Haven, having been the incumbent first selectman.

April Capone Almon defeated Mayor Joe Maturo on November 6, 2007 by an apparent 21 votes. The slim margin of victory forced an automatic recount. On November 11, 2007, the recount showed Almon increasing her margin of victory to 63 votes, but discrepancies forced a second recount. On November 14, 2007, Almon was certified as the winner over Maturo by 25 votes. Almon became the first female mayor of East Haven and also the youngest at age 32.

Joe Maturo defeated Mayor April Capone Almon on November 8, 2011 by an apparent 31 votes. The slim margin of victory forced an automatic recount. On November 12, 2007, Maturo was certified as the winner over Almon by 34 votes. By winning a sixth term, Maturo becomes the lonest serving mayor.

Mayors of East Haven
	Mayor	Years Served
1	Francis W. Messina (R)	1969–1975
2	Anthony Proto (D)	1975–1985
3	Robert M. Norman (R)	1985–1991
4	Henry J. Luzzi (D)	1991–1997
5	Joseph Maturo, Jr. (R)	1997–2007
6	April Capone Almon (D)	2007–2011
7	Joseph Maturo, Jr. (R)	2011–present

The 2006 Mill Rate is 37.75. Total revenue in 2006 was $78,564,860.00 with total expenditures of $77,845,635.00. Moody's Bond rating for the town is A3.^[5]

Crime

The East Haven Police Department employs over 50 uniformed officers. Crime rose in 2010, but the town's crime index still remains at half the national average.

There were 26 registered sex offenders living in East Haven as of October 2011. The ratio of East Haven residents to the number of sex offenders is 1128 to 1.^[7][8]

Type	-1980-	-1985-	-1990-	-1995-	-2000-	-2001-	-2002-	-2003-	-2004-	-2005-	-2006-	-2007-	-2008-	-2009-	-2010-
Murders	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	0
Rapes	0	2	0	1	3	7	11	7	0	0	1	6	4	3	3
Robberies	16	15	27	24	15	23	23	17	15	21	17	26	22	18	20
Assaults	21	13	30	3	39	36	32	20	2	10	6	10	24	14	20
TOTAL Violent Crimes	38	30	57	28	58	66	66	44	18	31	25	42	50	35	43
Burglaries	369	158	194	212	115	108	126	74	75	93	99	123	121	147	119
Larceny	724	630	615	872	467	549	561	480	422	470	386	513	590	500	744
Auto Thefts	111	78	156	169	80	104	103	84	96	127	96	107	108	71	81
Arson	na	na	na	na	2	2	2	5	0	4	5	2	3	0	1
TOTAL Property Crimes	1204	866	965	1253	664	760	792	643	593	694	581	743	819	718	944

2010 is the last reported year. Statistics are published yearly by the FBI.^{[9][10][11][12] [13]}

Economy

Retail services dominate three stretches of roads in East Haven; Main Street and U.S. 1 in the center of town and State Route 80 in the Foxon Section. East Haven has two Industrial Parks on land adjacent to Tweed-New Haven Airport which houses many manufacturing and distribution companies.

There are approximately 528 companies that employee 6,593 employees in East Haven. The top 5 employers are Super Stop & Shop, Thermatool Corporation, Village at Mariners Point (healthcare), Laural Woods (healthcare) and Talmadge Park Health Care(healthcare).^[14]

Business sector of East Haven are divided by 32.4% service workers, 31.9% in trade, 9.7% in manufacturing, 8.1% construction or mining, 6.6% in financial or real estate, 4.7% in transportation and utilities, 1.0% in agriculture and 5.7% in town government.^[14]

East Haven Grand List (2006) was $1,098,580,900.00. Retail sales from 2005 was $282,660,713.00. East Haven Labor Force (those of working age) is 16,205 residents. 15,386 or 94.95% are employed while 819 or 5.05% of the employable residents are unemployed.^[5]

• Calabro Cheese Corporation, founded in 1953, also calls East Haven home. They specialize in producing the following Italian cheeses: Ricotta, Mozzarella, Parmesan, Romano, and a line of select specialty cheeses. Calabro Cheese was the first Italian cheese company to develop fat-free ricotta cheese with no fat, no salt, and no preservatives added. Calabro Cheese has won numerous awards for a number of their cheeses and its products can be found in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Southeast Pennsylvania, the Pacific Northwest, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Minnesota, Ohio, Georgia, Illinois, Florida, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maryland and Bermuda.

• Foxon Park Beverages, Inc., founded over 80 years ago in nearby New Haven, is a family owned and operated business. Their bottled soda and dispensed syrups can be found in many of New Haven County's popular restaurants and delis. Foxon Park Soda with pizza has become a tradition for many people living in the area.

• Town Fair Tire Center headquarters is located on Coe Avenue in East Haven. Town Fair Tire Centers started in Fairfield, CT and has grown to be the largest tire dealer in New England.

Education

Schools

Education in the New Haven Colony was important. The colonist had required that each parish provide a common school. Prior to 1700, the parish education was being provided by the Congregational Church. The town voted in 1706 to build the first public school. The school was located around what is now 260 Hemingway Avenue. In 1707 the town established a School Board to oversee the education system. By 1728 East Haven had split their system into 4 school districts.

The first town high school was opened on September 28, 1936 in the "Center" of town. Prior to the building of the high school, students had to apply to local area town high schools for acceptance into their school system. A new junior high school complex was built in 1957. In 1997, a new high school campus was built in the Foxon section of town.

Today the school system operates 12 schools. In 2006 there were 3,743 students enrolled in the East Haven Public School system, with 311 Certified Staff and 68 Non-Certified Staff. The towns budget allocated $44,282,000.00 to the Board of Education or approximately $11,830.00 per student.

The average class size: Grade K 16.4, Grade 2 18.4, Grade 5 19.0, Grade 7 18.0, High School 21.3. There are 13.9 students per teacher, 748 students per library staff, and 3.7 students per computer. The school system, for the class of 2006, had a drop out rate of 2.1 compared to the state rate of 6.6. There are an additional 266 students attending St. Vincent DePaul Catholic School and 400 adults enrolled in the Adult Education Program.

• Deer Run School enrolls 351 students in Grades PK-2
• Grove J Tuttle School enrolls 240 students in Grades 3-5
• D. C. Moore School enrolls 249 students in Grades PK-2
• Momauguin School enrolls 239 students in Grades 3-5
• Dominick H. Ferrara School enrolls 194 students in Grades 3-5
• Overbrook School enrolls 261 students in Grades K-2
• Joseph Melillo Middle School enrolls 528 students in Grades 6-8
• East Haven Academy enrolls 249 Students in Grades 3-8
• East Haven High School enrolls 1,260 students in Grades 9-12
• Pathway enrolls 31 students in Grades 7-12
• As of the 2010-2011 school year Robert W. Carbone School is shut down and is where the current East Haven Academy is located. Hays School is also closed.

Connecticut Mastery Test Results
Grade		-Reading-	-Math-	-Writing-
3rd Grade	Town State	42.3 52.3	53.0 60.8	50.3 59.4
4th Grade	Town State	47.3 57.0	56.3 65.1	53.8 62.3
5th Grade	Town State	61.6 61.4	58.2 64.6	66.0 66.0
6th Grade	Town State	65.5 64.3	65.6 64.6	67.4 63.9
7th Grade	Town State	59.0 65.9	64.1 60.4	58.0 60.3
8th Grade	Town State	73.1 66.6	60.4 64.0	64.3 60.8
Connecticut Academic Performance Test (CAPT) Results
Grade		-Reading-	-Math-	-Writing-	-Science-
10th Grade	Town State	27.5 45.6	31.0 45.2	36.1 52.9	32.4 44.4

SAT Results Class of 2006
	-Math-	-Verbal-
Town State	470 510	456 505

Information from Strategic School Profile 2006-07 compiled by Connecticut Department of Education ^[15]

Library

The East Haven Library was established in 1909. The library occupied several locations in the center of town before a gift from Isaac Hagaman allowed for a permanent building to be built. On September 22, 1928 the East Haven Library was opened. During the years of 1973 and 1974, the library added a two story addition to the complex. Today the Hagaman Memorial Library, named to honor of Isaac Hagaman, holds approximately 59,201 books, 2,065 Audio Materials, 4,128 Video Materials and 90 serial subscriptions. The library has an extensive children’s library and facilities are available for community meetings.^[16]

Infrastructure

Health and medicine

East Haven does not have its own hospital but does have several excellent facilities within 3 to 5 miles (8.0 km) in New Haven, Connecticut. The Hospital of St. Raphael, Yale-New Haven Hospital, a major teaching hospital affiliated with the Yale School of Medicine, Yale-New Haven Children’s Hospital and Yale-New Haven Psychiatric Hospital. A VA medical center is located in West Haven, Connecticut.

Transportation

East Haven is served by Tweed New Haven Regional Airport, which is located on the border between East Haven and New Haven, Connecticut.

Though East Haven does not have a train station, there are two stations within close driving distance. Union Station is located three miles (5 km) from the center of town in New Haven, Connecticut and a commuter station is located equal distance in Branford, Connecticut. Both are serviced by commuter railroad services to New York and other coastal Connecticut towns, and New Haven's Union Station has Amtrak train service to Boston and many other cities.

Interstate 95 runs from east to west through the “Central” portion of East Haven. Interstate 91, which is located west of the town does connect with State Route 80 which intersects the town in Foxon, running east to west. State Route 100 connects Foxon with the “Center” of town, running north to south. U.S. 1 intersects the town through the “Center”, paralleling Interstate 95.

The Connecticut Transit Bus Company, a state run mass transportation system services the town

Utilities

Water supply is provided by the Regional Water Authority. Lake Saltonstall, located on the border between East Haven and Branford, Connecticut provides drinking water to the south section of East Haven as well as being a recreational facility for hiking and fishing. The northern section is served by Lake Guillard in North Branford, Connecticut. The New Haven Regional Water Pollution Control Authority is responsible for sewage-disposal services with facilities located in New Haven, Connecticut

United Illuminating is the exclusive distributor of electric power to the town. Natural gas is distributed by the Southern Connecticut Gas Company with several sections being served by local propane distribution companies. AT&T is the primary wired telephone service provider for the area. Phone service is also available from various national wireless companies and the local cable television provider. Cable television is available from Comcast. Satellite television is available from AT&T (Dish Network) and DirecTV.

People and Culture

East Haven is known for its Italian-American ethnic heritage.

The town of East Haven has a notable mention in the film Ocean's Twelve at the beginning. This is the town in which George Clooney's and Julia Roberts's characters are hiding after the heist from the Ocean's Eleven (2001) remake.

Media and newspapers

• Newspapers: The town is served by one daily newspaper and two weekly newspapers. The New Haven Register is printed seven days a week. The East Haven Courier is the weekly paper.
• Media: The town is served by ETV, a local Public-access television cable TV channel on the Comcast System. A local ABC affiliate is in New Haven, Connecticut, WTNH TV Channel 8. East Haven can receive 15 on air televisions channels, 13 AM radio transmission and 20 FM radio transmission.

Museums

• East Haven Historical Society
• The Shore Line Trolley Museum was founded in 1945 as the Branford Electric Railway Association (BERA). The Branford Electric Railway Association was founded to preserve the heritage of the trolley car, as well as artifacts and documents from the trolley era. The museum holds nearly one hundred trolley vehicles. The Shore Line Trolley Museum, just past the East Haven Green, operates the Branford Electric Railway, a National Historic Site. The railway is the oldest continuously operating suburban trolley line in the United States.

National Register of Historic Places

East Haven has two nationally registered historic sites:

• East Haven Green Historic District - (added April 11, 2002)
• First Congregational Church of East Haven - (added March 25, 1982)

Town events

• Every fifth years it hosts the Columbus Day Parade (which is shared between New Haven, Connecticut, West Haven, Connecticut, North Haven, Connecticut, and Hamden, Connecticut)
• The town of East Haven sponsors a town wide beach party to bring the town together to celebrate Independence Day.
• The town also host the Fall Festival, which is patterned after a town fair which many New England towns host throughout the fall season.

Notable residents

• Cy Bentley (1850–1872), Major League Baseball player for one season with the Middletown Mansfields, born in East Haven.^[17]
• Kori Gardner and Jason Edward Hammel of the pop music duo Mates of State
• Henry Winkler, most notably known as the actor who played "The Fonz" on the hit-show "Happy Days" resided in the Momaugin area of East Haven during the years he attended Yale for acting classes.

References

Connecticut portal

1. ^ "State of Connecticut: Online Access to Government". http://www.ct.gov. Retrieved 2007-08-19. 
2. ^ http://connecticutwatertrails.com/CWTA%20-%20Connecticut%20Coastal%20Paddling%20-%20New%20Haven%20County%20-%20East%20Haven%20-%20Stony%20Island.htm
3. ^ http://www.ctnow.com/weather/hc-irene-east-haven-0830-20110829,0,203340.story.
4. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
5. ^ ^{a b c d e} "East Haven Connecticut CERC Town Profile". Connecticut Economic Resource Center. http://products.cerc.com/pdf/tp/easthaven.pdf. Retrieved 2008-12-12. ^{[dead link]}
6. ^ "Summary of Registration and Party Enrollment in Connecticut by Congressional District, October 2007". State of Connecticut. http://www.sots.ct.gov/sots/cwp/view.asp?a=3188&q=415140. Retrieved 2008-12-12. 
7. ^ "Registered sex offenders in East Haven, Connecticut". City-data.com. http://www.city-data.com/so/so-East-Haven-Connecticut.html. Retrieved 2007-08-19. 
8. ^ "Connecticut Department of Public Safety Sex Offender Registry". www.sor.state.ct.us. http://www.sor.state.ct.us/pls/sor/wsor$offender.startup?Z_CHK=0. Retrieved 2008-12-12. 
9. ^ "Uniform Crime Reports 1985 to 2005". www.disastercenter.com/. http://www.disastercenter.com/conn/crime/1616.htm. Retrieved 2008-07-05. 
10. ^ "2006 Crime Statistics by City". Connecticut Post. Archived from the original on 2008-06-02. http://web.archive.org/web/20080602201618/http://www.connpost.com/localnews/ci_7564122. Retrieved 2008-07-05. 
11. ^ "Table 8 (Connecticut) - Crime in the United States 2007". www.fbi.gov. http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2007/data/table_08_ct.html. Retrieved 2008-12-13. ^{[dead link]}
12. ^ "Table 8 (Connecticut) - Crime in the United States 2008". www.fbi.gov. http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2008/data/table_08_ct.html. Retrieved 2010-04-17. ^{[dead link]}
13. ^ "Table 8 (Connecticut) - Crime in the United States 2010". www.fbi.gov. 
14. ^ ^{a b} "East Haven, Connecticut Town Profile". City Economic Research Center, Inc.. http://products.cerc.com/pdf/tp/easthaven.pdf. Retrieved 2008-12-13. ^{[dead link]}
15. ^ "Strategic School Profile 2006-07". Connecticut State Department of Education. http://www.csde.state.ct.us/public/der/ssp/dist0607/dist026.pdf. Retrieved 2008-12-13. 
16. ^ "Hagaman Memorial Library website". http://www.hagamanlibrary.info. 
17. ^ "Cy Bentley's career statistics". retrosheet.org. http://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/B/Pbentc101.htm. Retrieved 2008-09-09. 

External links

• East Haven, Connecticut official site
• Hagaman Memorial Library
• Town of East Haven Photo Gallery
• View a map of East Haven Historic sites
• [2]