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:''"West Hartford" redirects here. For the unincorporated community in Vermont, see West Hartford, Vermont.''
'West Hartford' is a town located in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The town was incorporated in 1854. Prior to that date, the town was a parish of Hartford. West Hartford is accessible by major thoroughfares including Interstate 84 which passes through the mid-southern portion of town and U.S. Route 44 which passes through the town from Hartford to Avon Mountain.
As of 2004, the town had an estimated total population of 64,255. The town is a mostly upmarket suburb of Hartford. The town has a vibrant downtown called 'West Hartford Center'. This area is centered around Farmington Avenue and South/North Main Street. West Hartford Center has been the community's hub since the late 1600s.

Contents

Geography

Demographics

Educational Institutions

Public and Private Schools

Colleges and Universities

Notable people

Conard graduates

Hall graduates

Retail

Points of interest

Notes and references

External links

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 57.9 km² (22.4 mi²). 56.9 km² (22.0 mi²) of it is land and 1.0 km² (0.4 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 1.70% water.
West Hartford is adjacent to and west of Hartford, the State capital, and neighbors Bloomfield, Newington, Farmington, and Avon. West Hartford is approximately 100 miles southwest of Boston, Massachusetts and 100 miles northeast of New York City.

Demographics

'Historical population of West Hartford[2]
1850	4,411
1860	1,296
1870	1,533
1880	1,828
1890	1,930
1900	3,186
1910	4,808
1920	8,854
1930	24,941
1940	33,776
1950	32,402
1960	32,382
1970	38,031
1980	41,301
1990	50,110
2000	61,046[3]
2004	64,225
2009	64,939[4]

As of the census² of 2004, there are 64,225 people and 25,171 households residing in the town. The population density is 1,117.0/km² (2,892.6/mi²). There are 25,332 housing units at an average density of 445.0/km² (1,152.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the town is 85.96% White, 4.78% African American, 0.12% Native American, 4.80% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 2.61% from other races, and 1.66% from two or more races. 6.27% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
The household demographics can be further characterized as follows: 29.8% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.9% are married couples living together, 9.3% have a female householder with no husband present, and 35.2% are non-families. 29.6% of all households are made up of individuals and 14.4% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.39 and the average family size is 3.00.
In the town the population is spread out with 22.1% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 22.9% from 45 to 64, and 19.5% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 40 years. For every 100 females there are 85.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 80.6 males.
The median income for a household in the town is $66,843. The per capita income for the town is $33,468. 4.5% of the population and 2.9% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 4.4% of those under the age of 18 and 5.1% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
The diversity of the West Hartford town can be shown by its many neighborhoods. The Farmington Avenue area is very diverse, containing the state's largest Jewish and the town's largest Black community. Asians and Hispanics are huge groups, found through the town. Greater Hartford's biggest Asian population resides here.

Educational Institutions

In 2006 ''Money Magazine'' ranked West Hartford as the 10th most educated town in the United States, as measured by the percentage of town residents holding graduate or professional degrees.^[5]
''Connecticut Magazine'' 2006 rankings put West Hartford Public School education in the top three be among all the cities and towns in Connecticut and for its population class of greater than 50,000 people behind only Greenwich and Fairfield.^[6]

Public and Private Schools

The town is home to two public high schools, Conard High School and Hall High School, as well as 14 elementary and middle schools in the West Hartford Public Schools.
The town also hosts many private and parochial schools including most notably the American School for the Deaf, Kingswood-Oxford School, Renbrook School, Northwest Catholic High School, the Hebrew High School of New England, the Solomon Schechter Day School, St. Brigid School, and the German School of Connecticut.

Colleges and Universities

Institutions of higher learning located in town include the following colleges and universities:

★ University of Connecticut Greater Hartford Campus

★ University of Hartford

★ Saint Joseph College

Notable people

★ Jared Jordan, Drafted 45th by Los Angeles Clippers in the 2007 NBA Draft.

★ Noah Webster, American lexicographer, textbook author, Bible translator, spelling reformer, writer, and editor

★ Manute Bol, NBA player

★ Jimmy Shea, gold medalist in the 2002 Winter Olympics

★ Edward Lorenz, American mathematician and meteorologist, early pioneer of chaos theory, inventor of the strange attractor notion, and coiner of the term ''butterfly effect''

★ John Franklin Enders, Nobel Laureate 1954 for Medicine

★ Edward Morley, namesake of Morley Elementary School, scientist best-known for the Michelson–Morley experiment

★ William Thompson Sedgwick, professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a key figure in shaping public health in the United States

★ Chris Carrabba, singer/songwriter from Dashboard Confessional

★ Peter Paige, actor

★ Joseph Mascolo, American actor and soap opera veteran

★ Korczak Ziolkowski, sculptor of Crazy Horse Memorial in South Dakota

★ John Droney, politician and lawyer

★ Joyce Cohen, actress

★ E. Alexander Bergstrom, conservationist

★ John O'Hurley, actor who played Elaine's boss on Seinfeld

★ Larry Collins, actor^[7]

★ Rita Morley, actress^[7]

★ Vincent Liff, director^[7]

Conard graduates

Main articles: Conard High School#Notable alumni


★ Jim Shea, class of 1987, 2002 Olympic gold medal winner

★ James Naughton, actor, winner of the Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical (1990, 1997)

★ David Naughton, class of 1969, actor (''An American Werewolf in London'')

★ Peter Dante, actor

★ Jack Sonni, guitarist for Dire Straits (1985–1988)

★ Matt Sinatro, class of 1978, Major League Baseball player and coach

Hall graduates

Main articles: Hall High School (Connecticut)#Notable alumni


★ Roger Sperry, neuropsychologist and Nobel Prize laureate

★ Wavy Gravy, peace activist and "official clown" of the Grateful Dead

★ Charlie Kaufman, Academy Award-winning screenwriter (''Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind'', ''Adaptation'', ''Being John Malkovich'')

★ David Alan Basche, actor (''United 93'', ''War of the Worlds'')

★ Brian Rosenworcel, musician and member of the band Guster

★ Michael Schur, writer and producer (''The Office'', ''Saturday Night Live'')

★ Brad Mehldau, jazz pianist

Retail

West Hartford is one of the main retail centers of the Greater Hartford region. The community is home to shopping, dining and business districts;

★ 'West Hartford Center', which features over 140 shops, restaurants and businesses, all with storefronts built to resemble a New England Village. The variety of shops and restaurants is world class, including upscale local and regional restaurants, fine art galleries, local book shops, a doggy bakery, high-end jewelry stores, distinctive gift shops, home furnishings, and unique clothing stores with the latest fashions.


★ 'Westfarms Mall', located on the border of West Hartford and Farmington is an upscale mall with 160 specialty shops, clothing stores and restaurants. The mall includes the first Nordstrom location in Connecticut.

★ 'Blue Back Square' (under development) is a 20-acre property being built just east of West Hartford Center, will include an art cinema, upscale shops, restaurants and luxury condominiums, business and medical offices and a fitness center.
Other retail areas and shopping districts include the Elmwood section of West Hartford, Park Road, Bishops Corner, and Corbins Corner;

★ 'Elmwood Center' is neighborhood shopping area which runs along the southern section of town. A variety of businesses are interspersed throughout the area including local and ethnic restaurants, florists, cleaners, pharmacies and a health club.

★ 'Park Road' is a diverse shopping area with ethnic markets, local restaurants, a plethora of hair salons, clothing and tailoring, jewelry stores, garden centers, and general service stores. Local and area merchants host a parade every autumn known as the ''Park Road Parade''. The parade route runs down Park Road from the Hartford border through the shopping district.

★ 'Bishops Corner', located in the northern part of town, is accessed by U.S. Route 44. The retail area is anchored by multiple grocery and natural-food stores, high-end chain restaurants, and medical services.

★ 'Corbin's Corner' is located across from Westfarms Mall with many national and regional retail shops and restaurants.

Points of interest

★ American School for the Deaf

★ Elizabeth Park

★ Noah Webster House

★ Veterans Memorial Ice Skating Rink

★ Emanuel Synagogue

★ Congregation Beth Israel

Notes and references

1. U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates
2. [1][2][3]
3. Previously 63,589 before border dispute with Hartford
4. Estimate by Town Hall
5. Best Places to Live– Most educated
6. Rating the Towns 2006: Population Over 50,000
7.
8.
9.

External links

★ Town of West Hartford

★ Central Regional Tourism District