'Simsbury' is a suburban town in
Hartford County,
Connecticut,
United States. The population was 23,234 at the 2000 census. The town was incorporated as
Connecticut's twenty-first town in May
1670.
There are four
census-designated places in Simsbury:
Simsbury Center,
Tariffville,
Weatogue, and
West Simsbury.
The first
steel mill in the history of the
United States opened in Simsbury in
1728.
The
Ethel Walker School and Westminster School are private schools both located in Simsbury.
The International Skating Center of Connecticut is also located in Simsbury.
Three of the four state parks in Hartford County: Penwood State Park, Stratton Brook State Park, and Talcott Mountain State Park are located in Simsbury.
Simsbury's
sister city is
Wittmund, Germany.
Notable people, past and present
Skaters
★
Shizuka Arakawa (荒川 静香, born December 29, 1981) a Japanese figure skater who won the gold medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics, has trained at the International Skating Center of Connecticut in town.
★
Sasha Cohen (born October 26, 1984) the reigning U.S. National Champion figure skater and silver medalist at the 2006 Olympics, trained in Simsbury with Russian coach
Tatiana Tarasova, starting in the summer of 2002.
★
Ekaterina Gordeeva, winner of two Olympic gold medals (1988 and 1994), moved to Simsbury in the 1990s.
Others
★
Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968) worked on a tobacco farm in Simsbury during the summer of 1944 to earn money for college.
★
George McLean (1857-1932) was a U.S. senator and Simsbury resident who founded the 4,200-acre McLean Game Refuge in town.
★
Elisha Phelps (
1779-
1847) was a
United States Representative from Connecticut.
★
Jennifer Weiner, author
★
Rob Dibble, former MLB player
★
Sean Burke NHL Goalie (former Hartford Whaler)
★
Justin Foley Drummer of the bands
Killswitch Engage and
Blood Has Been Shed.
On the National Register of Historic Places

Main Street, about 1921
★ 'Amos Eno House' — Off U. S. 202 on Hopmeadow Rd. (added
May 3,
1975)
★ 'Capt. Elisha Phelps House' — 800 Hopmeadow St. (added
October 22,
1972)
★ 'Drake Hill Road Bridge' — Drake Hill Rd. at Farmington River (added
August 19,
1984)
★ 'East Weatogue Historic District' — Roughly, properties on East Weatogue St. from just N of Riverside Dr. to Hartford Rd., and Folly Farm property to S (added
August 19,
1990)
★ 'Eno Memorial Hall' — 754 Hopmeadow St. (added
May 2,
1993)
★ 'Heublein Tower' — Talcott Mountain State Park (added
July 30,
1983)
★ 'Horace Belden School '(Now the Town Hall/Police Station)' and Central Grammar School' — 933 Hopmeadow St. and 29 Massaco St. (added
April 25,
1993)
★ 'John Humphrey House' — 115 E. Weatogue St. (added
December 15,
1990)
★ 'Massaco Forest Pavilion' — Off Old Farms Rd., Stratton Brook State Park (added
October 4,
1986)
★ 'Robert and Julia Darling House' — 720 Hopmeadow St. (added
February 3,
1991)
★ 'Simsbury Bank and Trust Company Building' — 760-762 Hopmeadow St. (added
December 20,
1986)
★ 'Simsbury Center Historic District' — Roughly, Hopmeadow St. from West St. to Massaco St. (added
May 12,
1996)
★ 'Simsbury Railroad Depot' — Railroad Ave. at Station St. (added
April 26,
1976)
★ 'Simsbury Townhouse' — 695 Hopmeadow St. (added
May 2,
1993)
★ 'Tariffville Historic District' — Roughly bounded by Winthrop St., Main St., Mountain Rd., Laurel Hill Rd. and Elm St. (added
May 2,
1993)
★ 'Terry's Plain Historic District' — Roughly bounded by Pharos, Quarry and Terry's Plain Rds. and the Farmington R. (added 1993)
Geography
According to the
United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 88.9
km² (34.3
mi²). 87.7 km² (33.9 mi²) of it is land and 1.1 km² (0.4 mi²) of it (1.25%) is water.
Demographics
As of the
census² of 2000, there were 23,234 people, 8,527 households, and 6,591 families residing in the town. The
population density was 264.8/km² (685.7/mi²). There were 8,739 housing units at an average density of 99.6/km² (257.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 95.3%
White, 1.17%
African American,, 0.09%
Native American, 2.12%
Asian, 0.03%
Pacific Islander, 0.26% from
other races, and 1.03% from two or more races.
Hispanic or
Latino of any race were 1.54% of the population.
There were 8,527 households out of which 41.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.1% were
married couples living together, 6.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.7% were non-families. 19.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.12.
In the town the population was spread out with 29.5% under the age of 18, 3.6% from 18 to 24, 27.7% from 25 to 44, 26.6% from 45 to 64, and 12.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 94.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.3 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $82,996, and the median income for a family was $97,008. Males had a median income of $70,519 versus $42,136 for females. The
per capita income for the town was $39,710. About 1.0% of families and 2.2% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 1.6% of those under age 18 and 4.3% of those age 65 or over.
Crime Rates
Crime in Simsbury by Year
| Type | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 |
|---|
| Murders | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rapes | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Robberies | 4 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 2 |
| Assaults | 16 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 7 |
| Burglaries | 31 | 39 | 38 | 25 | 26 | 28 |
| Thefts | 182 | 188 | 194 | 183 | 187 | 182 |
| Auto Thefts | 7 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 8 |
Schools in Simsbury
Public high schools in Simsbury:
•
Simsbury High School (Students: 1,457; Location: 34 FARMS VILLAGE RD.; Grades: 09 - 12)
Private high schools in Simsbury:
•
Westminster School (Students: 353; Location: 995 HOPMEADOW STREET; Grades: 9 - 12)
•
Ethel Walker School (Students: 185; Location: 230 BUSHY HILL ROAD; Grades: 7 - 12; Girls only)
The Masters School
Public primary/middle schools in Simsbury:
• CENTRAL SCHOOL (Students: 479; Location: 29 MASSACO ST.; Grades: PK - 06)
• LATIMER LANE SCHOOL (Students: 623; Location: 33 MOUNTAIN VIEW RD.; Grades: KG - 06)
• SQUADRON LINE SCHOOL (Students: 849; Location: 44 SQUADRON LINE RD.; Grades: KG - 06)
• TARIFFVILLE SCHOOL (Students: 280; Location: 42 WINTHROP ST.; Grades: 01 - 06)
• TOOTIN' HILLS SCHOOL (Students: 537; Location: 25 NIMROD RD.; Grades: KG - 06)
• HENRY JAMES MEMORIAL SCHOOL (Students: 798; Location: 155 FIRETOWN RD.; Grades: 07 - 08)
• HOMEBOUND (Location: 933 HOPMEADOW STREET; Grades: PK - 12)
Private primary/middle schools in Simsbury:
• ST MARY SCHOOL (Students: 264; Location: 946 HOPMEADOW STREET; Grades: KG - 8)
• THE COBB SCHOOL MONTESSORI (Students: 145; Location: 112 SAND HILL RD; Grades: PK - 5)
External links
★
Simsbury Public Library's Website
★
Town of Simsbury
★
Simsbury Connecticut's Community Website
★
Simsbury local e-bulletin board
★
Central Regional Tourism District