Rocky Hill, Connecticut

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Rocky Hill, Connecticut
settlement_type = Town


imagesize =
image_caption =

---

mapsize = 250x200px
map_caption = Location in Hartford County, Connecticut
established_title = Incorporated
established_date = 1843
subdivision_type2 =
subdivision_name2 =
government_type = Council-manager


mapsize1 =
map_caption1 =
subdivision_type = NECTA
subdivision_name = Hartford
subdivision_type1 = Region
subdivision_name1 = Capitol Region
leader_title = Town manager
leader_name = Barbara R. Gilbert
leader_title1 = Town council
leader_name1 = Anthony P. LaRosa, Mayor
Larry deBear
Mary Ellen Flynn
Lori Massey Littmann
Timothy Moriarty
Rocco Sanzo
Barbara Orsini Surwilo
Philip J. Sylvestro
Frank Szeps
area_magnitude =
area_total_km2 = 35.7
area_land_km2 = 34.8
area_water_km2 = 0.9
area_total_sq_mi = 13.8
population_as_of = 2005
population_total = 18760
population_density_km2 = 537
population_density_sq_mi = 1390
timezone = Eastern
utc_offset = -5
timezone_DST = Eastern
utc_offset_DST = -4
area_land_sq_mi = 13.5
area_water_sq_mi = 0.3
elevation_m = 68
elevation_ft = 223
latd = 41 |latm = 39 |lats = 26 |latNS = N
longd = 72 |longm = 39 |longs = 36 |longEW = W
region =
postal_code_type = ZIP code
postal_code = 06067
website = [http://www.ci.rocky-hill.ct.us/ www.ci.rocky-hill.ct.us]
area_code = 860
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 09-65370
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 0213497
footnotes =

Rocky Hill is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 17,966 at the 2000 census. Rocky Hill was part of Wethersfield, the neighboring town to the north, until it was indepedently incorporated in 1849.

Rocky Hill is a typical bedroom community as many residents commute to work in the larger urban centers of Hartford to the north and New Haven to the south.

In 2003, Rocky Hill was voted the #1 Sportstown in Connecticut by Sports Illustrated for demonstrating high quality involvement in facilitating and enhancing community sports. [ [http://www.rhparkrec.org/special/SportstownAward.html "Rocky Hill Named Sports Illustrated 50th Anniversary Sportstown for the State of Connecticut"] , December 2, 2003]

In 2007, Rocky Hill was named #35 in Money Magazine's 'Best Places to Live Top 100', citing easy commuting to Hartford, local job availability, strong schools, and a central location between New York City and Boston. [ [http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2007/moneymag/0707/gallery.BPTL_top_100.moneymag/35.html "Money Magazine Best Places to Live 2007 Top 100: Number 35] ]

Rocky Hill is the home of is one of the largest dinosaur track sites in North America, Dinosaur State Park.

WFSB-TV, Channel 3, is currently stationed in Rocky Hill. The Hartford broadcast station takes up residence in a $23 million, 65,000-square-foot broadcasting facility in the Corporate Ridge office park.

Elden Hale, senior vice president of the Meredith Broadcasting Group and General Manager of WFSB, said Rocky Hill's proximity to I-91, Route 9, Route 2 and I-84 was a crucial element in the decision.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 35.7 km² (13.8 sq mi). 13.4 square miles (34.8 km²) of it is land and 0.3 square miles (0.9 km²) of it (2.54%) is water.

Bordering Rocky Hill to the north is Wethersfield, with Newington to the north-west, Berlin to the south-west, and Cromwell to the south. The Connecticut River forms the eastern border. I-91 runs through the town with exits at the two main local highways, Route 3 at exit 23 and Route 99 at exit 24. Route 3 travels from Cromwell through Rocky Hill into Wethersfield, eventually crossing the Connecticut River into Glastonbury. The north-south Route 99 parallels the Connecticut River for the length of town.

The town of Rocky Hill is named after the ridge along the Connecticut River in the northeast section that is now Rocky Hill River Park.

Demographics

As of the 2000 Census, Rocky Hill had a population of 17,966 in 7,557 households, with 4,519 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,335.4 people per square mile (515.7/km²). There were 7,962 housing units at an average density of 591.8/sq mi (228.6/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 90.20% White, 3.42% African American, 0.11% Native American, 3.97% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.01% from other races, and 1.27% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.20% of the population.

There were 7,557 households out of which 24.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.9% were married couples living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.2% were non-families. 32.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.93.

In terms of age, 19.7% of the population were under the age of 18, 6.1% were between 18 and 24, 31.9% were 25 to 44, 25.8% were 45 to 64, and 16.5% were 65 or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 97.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.7 males.

The median household income in the town was $60,247, and the median income for a family was $72,726. Males had a median income of $48,555 versus $39,625 for females. The per capita income for the town was $29,701. About 1.2% of families and 2.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.8% of those under age 18 and 3.0% of those age 65 or over.

Points of Interest

* The Rocky Hill-Glastonbury Ferry to Glastonbury, which is purported to be the nation's oldest continuously running ferry (though it closes every winter due to ice).
* Dinosaur State Park, which displays fossilized dinosaur footprints discovered in Rocky Hill in the 1960s.
* The Connecticut Library For The Blind and Physically Handicapped.
* The State Veteran's Home and Hospital, located in Rocky Hill since 1940 [ [http://www.ct.gov/ctva/cwp/view.asp?a=2005&q=290842 "History of Connecticut Veteran's Home"] ]
* The former headquarters of Ames Department Stores, which closed in 2002.

Notes

External links

* [http://www.ci.rocky-hill.ct.us/ Town of Rocky Hill]
* [http://www.rockyhill.com/ Rocky Hill Website]
* [http://www.enjoycentralct.com/index.cfm Central Regional Tourism District]
* [http://www.dinosaurstatepark.org/ Dinosaur State Park]
* [http://rockyhillhistory.org/ Rocky Hill Historical Society]
* [http://www.rhparkrec.org/ Rocky Hill Parks & Recreation]
* [http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2007/moneymag/0707/gallery.BPTL_top_100.moneymag/35.html]