Windham County, Connecticut

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Windham County (Script error: No such module "IPAc-en". Script error: No such module "Respell".) is one of the eight counties in the U.S. state of Connecticut, located in its northeastern corner. As of the 2020 census, the population was 116,418,[1] making it the least populous county in Connecticut. It forms the core of the region known as the Quiet Corner. Windham County is included in the Worcester, MA-CT Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Boston-Worcester-Providence, MA-RI-NH-CT Combined Statistical Area. The entire county is within the Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley National Heritage Corridor, as designated by the National Park Service.

History

The area that is now Windham County became of interest to the English around 1635, but went unsettled for over fifty years due to its lack of access to the shore. John Winthrop the Younger took a strong interest to this land, purchased land from the Narragansetts, and was given permission by the court of Connecticut to settle in October 1671. In 1678, a tract of land, called Joshua's Tract (Joshua was the son of Mohegan chief Uncas), was willed to Connecticut officials, and in February 1682, it was gifted to Samuel and Daniel Mason. In 1684, 1200 acres of land was sold to Jonathan Curtis, Thomas Dudley and Samuel Mason, among others, by the Nipmunks.[2]

Windham County was created from Hartford and New London counties on May 12, 1726, by an act of the Connecticut General Court. The act establishing the county states:

That the west bounds of the town of Lebanon, the north
bounds of Coventry, the north bounds of Mansfield till it
meet with the southwest bounds of Ashford, the west bounds
of Ashford, the east bounds of Stafford, the Massachusetts
line on the north, and Rhode Island line on the east, the north
bounds of Preston, and north bounds of Norwich, containing
the towns of Windham, Lebanon, Plainfield, Canterbury,
Mansfield, Coventry, Pomfret, Killingly, Ashford, Voluntown
and Mortlake, shall be one entire county, and called by the
name of County of Windham.[3]

In May 1749, the town of Woodstock (formerly New Roxbury), Worcester County, Province of Massachusetts Bay, was unilaterally annexed by Connecticut Colony and assigned to Windham County. In 1785, the town of Union (incorporated in 1734) was transferred to the newly formed Tolland County. Over the next century, Windham County would lose several towns to Tolland and New London counties: Coventry to Tolland in 1786, Lebanon to New London in 1824, Columbia and Mansfield to Tolland in 1827, and Voluntown to New London in 1881. New towns were formed over the years using land from the original towns of the county: Thompson in 1785, Brooklyn and Hampton in 1786, Sterling in 1794, Chaplin in 1822, Eastford in 1847, Putnam in 1855, and Scotland in 1857. The final boundary adjustment occurred on April 7, 1885, when the boundary dispute between the towns of Windham and Mansfield was resolved.[4]

On June 6, 2022, the U.S. Census Bureau formally recognized Connecticut's nine councils of governments as county equivalents instead of the state's eight counties. Connecticut's county governments were disbanded in 1960, and the councils of governments took over some of the local governmental functions. Connecticut's historical counties continue to exist in name only, and are no longer considered for statistical purposes.[5]

Geography

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Bison Farm

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of Script error: No such module "convert"., of which Script error: No such module "convert". is land and Script error: No such module "convert". (1.6%) is water.[6]

The highest point in Windham County is Snow Hill in Ashford at 1,210 feet.

Adjacent counties

Template:Rivers of Connecticut

Climate

Template:Windham County weatherbox

Government

County level government in the state of Connecticut was abolished in 1960. All government affairs and services are administered by either the state or local municipality.

The office of county high sheriff was abolished by constitutional referendum in 2000. All former functions of the county sheriff's office are now carried out by the state marshals service. The last high sheriff (or official for that matter) of Windham County was Thomas W. White, who left office in 2000 due to the discontinuation of the county sheriff's departments in Connecticut.

Transportation

Roads

Major highways through Windham County include Interstate 395, which runs north–south from the New London County line at Plainfield to the Massachusetts state line at Thompson. The southern part of I-395 is part of the Connecticut Turnpike, which branches off the interstate in Killingly and runs east–west from I-395 exit 35, to U.S. Route 6 at the Rhode Island state line.

Other north–south routes include Route 12, which parallels I-395 through many local communities, Route 169, a National Scenic Byway traveling through rural communities from the New London County line in Canterbury to the Massachusetts state line in Woodstock. Other secondary north–south roads are Routes 89, 198, 97, 21, and 49.

Major east–west routes are U.S. Route 44 from the Tolland County line at Ashford to the Rhode Island state line at Putnam, and U.S. Route 6 from the Tolland County line at Windham to the Rhode Island state line at Killingly. U.S. Route 6 has short expressway segments in Windham and Killingly. Other secondary east–west roads are Routes 14, 101, 171, and 197.

Air

Windham Airport is the primary airport for the county, located three miles from Willimantic. Other smaller airports include Woodstock Airport and Danielson Airport.

Biking

There are many bike paths in the county. The major two trails are the Air Line State Park Trail and the Hop River State Park Trail, both these trails enter the county through Windham. The Hop River Trail ends at the Air Line Trail shortly after entering the county, while the Air Line Trail continues all the way into Putnam. Another section of the Air Line Trail is in Thompson, which continues to the border with Massachusetts which it counties as the Southern New England Trunkline Trail. Another shorter trail is the Moosup Valley State Park Trail that starts in Plainfield and continues down into the state border with Rhode Island which it continues as Washington Secondary Rail Trail. Smaller trails include the Quinebaug River Trail and the Putnam River Trail.

Law enforcement

The primary law enforcement agency most Windham County towns is the Connecticut State Police, primarily Troop D based in Danielson which serves Brooklyn, Canterbury, Chaplin, Eastford, Hampton, Killingly, Pomfret, Putnam (outside the SSD), Scotland, Sterling, Thompson, Woodstock and I-395 between exit 28 and the MA border. Troop C, based in Tolland, covers the town of Ashford, and Troop K, based in Colchester, covers the town of Windham.

Only three municipalities in the county (the town of Plainfield, the Willimantic Special Services District, and the Putnam Special Services District), have their own local police departments that serve as the primary law enforcement in those areas. Eastern Connecticut State University located in Willimantic also has its own local police department (established under Connecticut General Statutes Sec. 10a-142) which serves as the primary law enforcement agency for the university campus even though they are located within the Willimantic Special Services District.

The Windham County Sheriff's Department was disbanded in 2000 and their former duties are now carried out by the Connecticut State Marshals Service.

Most towns in the county have local Constables that carry out some municipal legal and security functions.

Demographics

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Historical population
CensusPop.Template:Sronly%±
179028,881—
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181028,611Script error: No such module "String".%
182031,684Script error: No such module "String".%
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188043,856Script error: No such module "String".%
189045,158Script error: No such module "String".%
190046,861Script error: No such module "String".%
191048,361Script error: No such module "String".%
192052,815Script error: No such module "String".%
193054,086Script error: No such module "String".%
194056,223Script error: No such module "String".%
195061,759Script error: No such module "String".%
196068,572Script error: No such module "String".%
197084,515Script error: No such module "String".%
198092,312Script error: No such module "String".%
1990102,525Script error: No such module "String".%
2000109,091Script error: No such module "String".%
2010118,428Script error: No such module "String".%
2020116,418Script error: No such module "String".%
U.S. Decennial Census[7]
1790-1960[8] 1900-1990[9]
1990-2000[10] 2010-2018[11]

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2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 116,418. Of the residents, 19.9% were under the age of 18 and 17.6% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 41.3 years. For every 100 females there were 97.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 95.9 males. 49.4% of residents lived in urban areas and 50.6% lived in rural areas.[12][13][14]

The racial makeup of the county was 81.6% White, 2.1% Black or African American, 0.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.7% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 5.7% from some other race, and 8.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race comprised 12.4% of the population.[14]

There were 45,874 households in the county, of which 28.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 26.2% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 27.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[13]

There were 49,590 housing units, of which 7.5% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 68.2% were owner-occupied and 31.8% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.3% and the rental vacancy rate was 5.0%.[13]

Racial and ethnic composition

Windham County, Connecticut – Racial and ethnic composition
<templatestyles src="Nobold/styles.css"/>Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
Race / Ethnicity (NH = Non-Hispanic) Pop 1980[15] Pop 1990[16] Pop 2000[17] Pop 2010[18] Pop 2020[19] % 1980 % 1990 % 2000 % 2010 % 2020
White alone (NH) 88,908 96,098 96,666 101,138 91,844 96.31% 93.73% 88.61% 85.40% 78.89%
Black or African American alone (NH) 625 1,022 1,739 1,995 2,064 0.68% 1.00% 1.59% 1.68% 1.77%
Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH) 262 337 453 436 326 0.28% 0.33% 0.42% 0.37% 0.28%
Asian alone (NH) 225 737 901 1,360 1,960 0.24% 0.72% 0.83% 1.15% 1.68%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH) x [20] x [21] 34 38 17 x x 0.03% 0.03% 0.01%
Other race alone (NH) 206 70 92 126 506 0.22% 0.07% 0.08% 0.11% 0.43%
Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) x [22] x [23] 1,469 1,984 5,242 x x 1.35% 1.68% 4.50%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2,086 4,261 7,737 11,351 14,459 2.26% 4.16% 7.09% 9.58% 12.42%
Total 92,312 102,525 109,091 118,428 116,418 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00%

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 118,428 people, 44,810 households, and 30,343 families residing in the county.[24] The population density was Script error: No such module "convert".. There were 49,073 housing units at an average density of Script error: No such module "convert"..[25] The racial makeup of the county was 89.6% white, 2.2% black or African American, 1.2% Asian, 0.5% American Indian, 4.2% from other races, and 2.3% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 9.6% of the population.[24] In terms of ancestry, 18.8% were Irish, 13.5% were English, 11.7% were French Canadian, 11.5% were Italian, 10.2% were German, 9.3% were Polish, and 2.9% were American.[26]

Of the 44,810 households, 32.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.0% were married couples living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 32.3% were non-families, and 24.6% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.01. The median age was 39.2 years.[24]

The median income for a household in the county was $59,370 and the median income for a family was $69,642. Males had a median income of $48,880 versus $36,873 for females. The per capita income for the county was $26,457. About 8.7% of families and 11.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.0% of those under age 18 and 7.7% of those age 65 or over.[27]

Demographics breakdown by town

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Rank Town Per capita
income 		Median
household
income 		Median
family
income 		Population Number of
households
1 Eastford Town $36,784 $76,786 $93,295 1,749 690
2 Woodstock Town $36,342 $74,000 $88,737 7,964 3,151
3 Hampton Town $34,642 $79,943 $84,079 1,863 747
4 Pomfret Town $33,910 $68,278 $82,917 4,247 1,582
5 Ashford Town $32,842 $69,407 $79,157 4,317 1,716
6 Chaplin Town $32,188 $62,679 $72,426 2,305 920
7 Canterbury Town $30,453 $70,902 $84,093 5,132 1,934
8 Scotland Town $29,371 $75,417 $79,722 1,726 637
9 Thompson Town $27,222 $60,951 $74,613 9,458 3,730
10 Putnam Town $26,506 $51,180 $61,168 9,584 3,950
11 Sterling Town $25,557 $64,500 $74,405 3,830 1,383
12 Killingly Town $25,215 $53,192 $65,496 17,370 6,749
13 Brooklyn Town $25,124 $68,851 $76,224 8,210 2,989
14 Plainfield Town $24,825 $61,500 $69,096 15,405 5,726
15 Danielson Borough $22,798 $55,097 $56,831 4,051 1,627
16 Windham Town $20,272 $40,063 $48,145 25,268 8,906

Politics

Windham County leaned toward Democratic candidates at the presidential level from 1992 to 2012 but then swung its support to Republican candidate Donald Trump in 2016, 2020, and 2024, even as Trump lost Connecticut all three times. Trump won it by double digits in 2024, his best performance in the state.

Windham remained Democratic downballot in the state's Senate races during Trump's first term, in 2016 and 2018. However, in the leadup to Trump's second, nonconsecutive term, the county started shifting rightward in the Senate races as well; the Republican candidates won Windham in 2022 and 2024 despite losing statewide.

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Communities

Boroughs are incorporated portions of one or more towns with separate borough councils, zoning boards, and borough officials. Villages are named localities, but have no separate corporate existence from the towns they are in.

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Education

School districts include:[30]

K-12:

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Secondary:

Elementary:

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There is also Woodstock Academy, a privately endowed publicly funded high school.

See also

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References

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  1. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  2. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  3. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  4. ↑ Newberry Library – Connecticut Atlas of Historical County Boundaries Script error: No such module "webarchive".
  5. ↑ https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/06/06/2022-12063/change-to-county-equivalents-in-the-state-of-connecticut Federal Register: Change to County-Equivalents in the State of Connecticut
  6. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  7. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  8. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  9. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  10. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  11. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  12. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  13. ↑ a b c Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  14. ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  15. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  16. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  17. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  18. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  19. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  20. ↑ included in the Asian category in the 1980 Census
  21. ↑ included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census
  22. ↑ not an option in the 1980 Census
  23. ↑ not an option in the 1990 Census
  24. ↑ a b c Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  25. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  26. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  27. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  28. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  29. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  30. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1". - Text list

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External links

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