Canton, Connecticut

Canton, Connecticut
—  Town  —
Seal
Location within Hartford County, Connecticut
Coordinates: 41°51′42″N 72°54′33″W / 41.86167°N 72.90917°W / 41.86167; -72.90917Coordinates: 41°51′42″N 72°54′33″W / 41.86167°N 72.90917°W / 41.86167; -72.90917
Country	United States
State	Connecticut
NECTA	Hartford
Region	Capitol Region
Incorporated	1806
Government
– Type	Selectman-town meeting
– First selectman	Richard J. Barlow
Area
– Total	25.0 sq mi (64.8 km2)
– Land	24.6 sq mi (63.6 km2)
– Water	0.5 sq mi (1.2 km2)
Elevation	397 ft (121 m)
Population (2000)
– Total	8,840
– Density	404/sq mi (156/km2)
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
– Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	06019, 06020, 06022, 06059
Area code(s)	860
FIPS code	09-12270
GNIS feature ID	0213404
Website	http://www.townofcantonct.org/

Canton is a rural town, incorporated in 1806, in Hartford County, Connecticut. The population was 8,840 at the 2000 census, and has grown to 10,292 as of the 2010 census. It is bordered by Granby on the north, Simsbury on the east, Avon and Burlington on the south, New Hartford on the west, and Barkhamsted on the northwest. Running through it is the Farmington River. The town includes the villages of North Canton, Canton Center, Canton (Canton Valley), and Collinsville. In September 2007, Collinsville was ranked in Budget Travel magazine as one of the "Ten Coolest Small Towns In Connecticut."^{[citation needed]}

History

At the Collins ax factory in Collinsville, Elisha Root invented the important industrial technique of die casting.

Points of interest

The Canton Historical Museum, in Collinsville, is located in a building of the former Collins Axe Company, one of the first ax factories in the world which was founded by Samuel W. Collins. It displays a 19th-century general store, a post office, a printing press and blacksmith and barber shops. Vehicles, tools and farm implements are also exhibited, as well as a working railroad diorama, Victorian fashions, toys and dolls.^[1]

The town is on the Farmington River, and Collinsville Canoe & Kayak is the largest specialty canoe and kayak store in New England. A rail trail also runs through Canton.^[2]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 25.0 square miles (65 km²), of which, 24.6 square miles (64 km²) of it is land and 0.5 square miles (1.3 km²) of it (1.88%) is water. The town center was defined in the 2000 census as a census-designated place (CDP) known as Canton Valley. The CDP has a total area of 1.8 square miles (4.7 km²), all land.

Demographics

As of the census^[3] of 2000, there were 8,840 people, 3,516 households, and 2,492 families residing in the town. The population density was 359.7 people per square mile (138.9/km²). There were 3,616 housing units at an average density of 147.2 per square mile (56.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.15% White, 0.53% African American, 0.05% Native American, 0.72% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.49% from other races, and 1.04% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.28% of the population.

There were 3,516 households out of which 33.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.2% were married couples living together, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.1% were non-families. 24.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.0% 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 2.98.

In the town the population was spread out with 25.4% under the age of 18, 4.2% from 18 to 24, 30.8% from 25 to 44, 27.7% from 45 to 64, and 11.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 94.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.9 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $65,013, and the median income for a family was $80,533. Males had a median income of $49,980 versus $37,652 for females. The per capita income for the town was $33,151. About 1.9% of families and 2.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.2% of those under age 18 and 0.5% of those age 65 or over. The median income for a household (Est. in 2009) has rose in the town of Canton due to an increase of home sales in the past decade. Canton was listed as one of the fastest growing towns in CT (circa 2006) and is steadily growing.

Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of October 25, 2005[4]
Party		Active Voters	Inactive Voters	Total Voters	Percentage
	Republican	1,859	2	1,861	29.08%
	Democratic	1,797	1	1,798	28.09%
	Unaffiliated	2,714	2	2,716	42.44%
	Minor Parties	25	0	25	0.39%
Total		6,395	5	6,400	100%

Town center

As of the census^[3] of 2000, there were 1,565 people, 749 households, and 409 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 886.7 people per square mile (343.3/km²). There were 764 housing units at an average density of 432.9 per square mile (167.6/km²). The racial makeup of the CDP was 96.93% White, 0.58% African American, 0.32% Asian, 1.09% from other races, and 1.09% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.15% of the population.

There were 749 households out of which 25.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.4% were married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.3% were non-families. 40.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.09 and the average family size was 2.84.

In the CDP the population was spread out with 22.2% under the age of 18, 3.9% from 18 to 24, 33.0% from 25 to 44, 24.3% from 45 to 64, and 16.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 88.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.2 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $46,543, and the median income for a family was $64,028. Males had a median income of $45,938 versus $32,298 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $25,206. About 6.6% of families and 7.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.8% of those under age 18 and 1.7% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

The town is served by U.S. Routes 44 and 202 as well as Connecticut Routes 177, 179, and 309. Commuter bus service to Hartford is provided by Connecticut Transit Hartford; a Park & Ride lot is on Old River Road in Collinsville. Intercity train and bus services are provided from Union Station in Hartford, and the nearest large airport is Bradley International Airport, about 13 miles (21 km) away in Windsor Locks.

Notable residents, past and present

• Lucien Barbour (1811–1880), U.S. Representative for Indiana was born in town.
• Philemon Bliss (1813–1889), U.S. Representative for Ohio was born in town.
• Samuel W. Collins (1802–1871), Founder of the Collins Axe Factory for which Collinsville is named.
• Danny Hoffman (1880–1922), major league baseball player was born in town.
• Uriel Holmes (1764–1827), U.S. Representative for Connecticut lived his later years and died in town.
• Merrill I. Mills (1819–1882), Mayor of Detroit, Michigan, was born in town.
• Anson Greene Phelps (1781–1853), industrialist and philanthropist, grew up in town.
• William E. Simonds (1842–1903), US Civil War veteran, Medal of Honor recipient and U.S. Representative for Connecticut was born in Collinsville, Connecticut.
• David Vaudreuil (1966-), Major League Soccer player and coach grew up in town.

References

1. ^ Connecticut, Massachusetts & Rhode Island Tourbook 2007 Edition. (2007) p 57. AAA Publishing, Heathrow, Florida
2. ^ Collier, Christopher Percy, "10 Coolest Small Towns, Conn." article in Budget Travel, September 2007, retrieved November 12, 2008
3. ^ ^{a b} "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
4. ^ "Registration and Party Enrollment Statistics as of October 25, 2005" (PDF). Connecticut Secretary of State. Archived from the original on 2006-09-23. http://web.archive.org/web/20060923151511/http://www.sots.ct.gov/ElectionsServices/lists/2005OctRegEnrollStats.pdf. Retrieved 2006-10-02. 

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• [2]

External links

Connecticut portal

• Town of Canton
• Canton Connecticut's Community Website
• Central Regional Tourism District
• Canton Public Schools history Web page
• Canton Historical Museum
• Roaring Brook Nature Center