MANCHESTER, CONNECTICUT

'Manchester' is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 54,743.^[2]

History

Manchester was settled by colonists around 1672 as a farming community. The many rivers and brooks provided power for paper, lumber and textile industries, and the town quickly evolved into an industrial center.
In 1838, the Cheney family started what became the 'world's largest silk mill'. Eventually, Manchester became an ideal industrial community. The mills, houses of the owners, and homes of the workers are now part of a National Historic Landmark District.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 71.7 km² (27.7 mi²). 70.6 km² (27.3 mi²) of it is land and 1.1 km² (0.4 mi²) of it (1.52%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census ² of 2000, there were 54,740 people, 23,197 households, and 14,010 families residing in the town. The population density was 775.4/km² (2,008.2/mi²). There were 24,256 housing units at an average density of 343.6/km² (889.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 82.77% White, 8.42% African American, 0.20% Native American, 3.15% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 3.12% from other races, and 2.31% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.54% of the population.
There were 23,197 households out of which 28.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.8% were married couples living together, 13.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.6% were non-families. 31.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.93.
In the town the population was spread out with 22.8% under the age of 18, 8.0% from 18 to 24, 33.0% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 14.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 91.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.7 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $49,426, and the median income for a family was $58,769. Males had a median income of $41,893 versus $32,562 for females. The per capita income for the town was $25,989. About 6.0% of families and 8.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.1% of those under age 18 and 7.7% of those age 65 or over.

Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of October 25, 2005^[3]
Party		Active Voters	Inactive Voters	Total Voters	Percentage	Democratic	10,612	584	11,196	33.86%	Republican	6,249	374	6,623	20.03%	Unaffiliated	14,150	1,069	15,219	46.03%	Minor Parties	25	2	27	0.08%
Total		31,036	2,029	33,065	100%

Places of interest

Main Street (looking South from Center Street)

Manchester is home to one hospital, the Manchester Memorial Hospital.
Manchester is also home to Manchester Community College; a two-year community college that offers general education classes during the summer; and East Catholic High School; a highly rated parochial school.
Manchester is also known for The Shoppes at Buckland Hills, an enclosed shopping mall, The Plaza at Buckland Hills and the nearby strip mall, Buckland Plaza. In the last decade, the area surrounding the mall, which extends into the town of South Windsor, has been blanketed with numerous big box shopping outlets and plazas and quickly transformed into a shopping hub for the state's residents.

Bissell Street (looking East of Main Street)

As a center of the silk industry in America from the late 19th through the mid-20th Century, the "Cheney Family" historic district [1] showcases mills refurbished as apartments and includes nearby museums.
Manchester is perhaps most famous for its incredibly popular Manchester Road Race which is held every Thanksgiving Day. The race has over 10,000 participants yearly, as well as thousands of spectators. For New Englanders, it is second in popularity only to the Boston Marathon.^[4]

Schools

Public Elementary

Keeney School:
179 Keeney St
Manchester, CT 06040
(860) 647-3354
Washington School:
94 Cedar St
Manchester, CT 06040
(860) 647-3332
Nathan Hale School:
160 Spruce St
Manchester, CT 06040
(860) 647-3346
Waddell School:
163 Broad St
Manchester, CT 06042
(860) 647-3392
Buckley School:
250 Vernon St
Manchester, CT 06042
(860) 647-3302
Bowers School:
141 Princeton St
Manchester, CT 06042
(860) 647-3313
Robertson School:
65 N School St
Manchester, CT 06042
(860) 647-3372
Verplanck School:
126 Olcott St
Manchester, CT 06040
(860) 647-3383
Martin School:
140 Dartmouth Rd
Manchester, CT 06040
(860) 647-3367
Highland Park School:
397 Porter St
Manchester, CT 06040
(860) 647-3430
Odyssey Community Charter School:
579 West Middle Turnpike
Manchester, CT 06040
(860) 645-1234
www.odysseyschool.org

Transportation

Roads

Interstates

Manchester has parts of three interstate highways located within its borders.Google Map of Manchester

★

Interstate 84 runs East/West in the Northern section of town between the borders of East Hartford and Vernon.

★

Interstate 384 spurs from I-84 in the Western section of Manchester and runs the width of town in the East/West direction to the Bolton town line.

★

Interstate 291 spurs from I-84 in the Western section of town and runs Northwest to the South Windsor border.
All three interstates share a complicated interchange near the town's border with East Hartford.

U.S. highways

The U.S. Highways

Route 6 &

Route 44 together constitute Manchester's principal East/West arterial.
Route 44 enters town from the West at the border with East Hartford on West Middle Turnpike. Less than a mile from the town line, Route 44 is joined by Route 6 which enters Manchester concurrently with I-84. Routes 6 & 44 run concurrently through town along West Middle Turnpike, Center St., East Center St., East Middle Turnpike, and New Bolton Rd. The Routes exit town to the East at the Bolton town line.

Connecticut state highways

There are two signed Connecticut state highways that go through Manchester.

★

Connecticut Route 30 is an East/West arterial in the Northern section of town. Route 30 enters town from South Windsor as Deming St. Then as Tolland Turnpike, it junctions with and runs concurrently with Route 83 to the Vernon town line.

★

Connecticut Route 83 is Manchester's principal North/South arterial. Starting as South Main St. at the Southern border with Glastonbury, Route 83 becomes Main St. through the center of town, then turns East for 350 yards as North Main St., turns North again as Oakland St., then finally combines with Route 30 at Tolland Turnpike and exits town at the Vernon line.

Public transportation

Manchester is served by the Hartford division of Connecticut Transit. The B, YM, and Z routes connect Manchester directly to the city of Hartford.^[5]

Rail

No passenger service currently exists in town. Freight service from Hartford is provided by Connecticut Southern Railroad.^[6]

Airports

★ Hartford-Brainard Airport is located in Hartford's south end, approximately a ten to fifteen minute drive from most parts of town.

★ Bradley International Airport, Connecticut's principal commercial aviation airport, is located in Windsor Locks, Connecticut, about a fifteen to twenty minute drive from Manchester.

Bicycling

Manchester has several on and off-road bicycle routes. The two most popular routes are the Charter Oak Greenway and the Hop River State Park Trail. Portions of each of those routes have been designated as parts of the East Coast Greenway.^[7]

Sports

Team	Sport	League	Championships	Venue
'Manchester Silkworms'	Baseball	New England Collegiate Baseball League';' ''Southern Division''	0	North West Park

Notable people, past and present

★ Daniel C. Burbank (born in Manchester), NASA astronaut

★ Chris Clark (hockey player), currently plays for the Washington Capitals of the NHL (grew up in South Windsor, Connecticut, but was born at Manchester Memorial Hospital).

★ Mary Ann Handley, Connecticut state senator

★ Larry Lisciotti (born in Manchester), professional pool player

★ Emily Cheney Neville (born in Manchester), author

★ Fred Norris (childhood hometown), The Howard Stern Show cast member and sound effects maestro. During an interview on Sirius Satellite Radio in January 2006, Norris expressed disappointment with Manchester's commercial development, changing from a once rural tobacco town to a shopping mecca which he described as, "mall after mall after mall." "No offense, Manchester, but you've really gone downhill," Norris added.

★ Frederick Walker Pitkin (born in Manchester), governor of Colorado from 1879 to 1883

★ Alan Sandals (born and schooled in Manchester), former candidate for Democratic nomination for the 2006 Pennsylvania U.S. Senate race

★ Christopher Spencer (born in Manchester and worked for Cheney Brothers),[2][3] inventor of Spencer repeating rifle

★ Dana White (born in Manchester), president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship

References

1. U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates
2. 06040 - Fact Sheet - American FactFinder
3. Registration and Party Enrollment Statistics as of October 25, 2005
4. King, Peter; One Fine Day- Aggravating/Enjoyable Travel Note of the Week; ''Monday Morning Quarterback'' December 2, 2002; Sports Illustrated Online; retrieved December 29, 2006
5. Connecticut Transit ''Hartford Routes & Schedules''; Updated November 20, 2006
6. ''Connecticut Southern Railroad Railmap''; Railamerica.com
7. Connecticut Department of Transportation ''Index to Trails in Connecticut by Town''

External links

★ Town of Manchester official website

★ Downtown Special Services District

★ Manchester Area Conference of Churches

★ Home Town Locator page

★ 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article on Manchester, Connecticut:

★
★ Text from www.1911encyclopedia.org

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