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"West Hartford" redirects here. For the unincorporated community in Vermont, see West Hartford, Vermont.

West Hartford, Connecticut
Looking up Farmington Ave in West Hartford, Connecticut, 2004
Logo
Motto: Where City Style meets Village Charm
Coordinates: 41°46′04″N 72°45′14″W / 41.76778, -72.75389
NECTA	Hartford
Region	Capitol Region
Incorporated	1854
Government
- Type	Council-manager
- Town manager	James Francis
- Town council	Scott Slifka, Mayor Art Spada, Deputy Mayor Shari Cantor Barbara Carpenter Charles Coursey Maureen K. McClay Mark C. Sinatro Carolyn Thornberry Joseph Verrengia
Area
- Total	58.0 km² (22.4 sq mi)
- Land	56.9 km² (22.0 sq mi)
- Water	1.0 km² (0.4 sq mi)
Elevation	50 m (164 ft)
Population (2005)[1]
- Total	61,173
- Density	1,074/km² (2,781/sq mi)
Time zone	Eastern (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	Eastern (UTC-4)
ZIP code	06107, 0611x
Area code(s)	860
FIPS code	09-82590
GNIS feature ID	0213529
Website: http://www.west-hartford.com/

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 1 Geography 2 Demographics 3 Educational Institutions 3.1 Public and Private Schools 3.2 Colleges and Universities 4 Notable people 4.1 Conard graduates 4.2 Hall graduates 5 Retail 6 Points of interest 7 Notes and references 8 External links

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.

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.^{[citation needed]} Asians and Hispanics are huge groups, found through the town. Greater Hartford's biggest Asian population resides here.^{[citation needed]}

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]

The town is home to two public high schools, Conard High School and Hall High School, as well as 11 elementary schools and 3 middle schools in the West Hartford Public Schools. The elementary schools include Aiken, Braeburn, Bugbee, Charter Oak, Duffy, Morley, Norfeldt, Smith, Webster Hill, Whiting Lane and Wolcott. The three middle schools are King Philip, Sedgwick, and the newest Bristow Middle School, located where Kingswood-Oxford Middle school was formerly located. The eleven elementary schools are evenly distributed to either King Philip or Sedgwick, and those that enroll at Bristow are chosen by lottery. After middle school students continue onto high school with their same student body. Those at Sedgwick go on to Conard High School, while those at King Philip go to Hall High School, and students at Bristow return to the same school district they were in during elementary school.

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.

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

In alphabetical order:

• E. Alexander Bergstrom, conservationist
• Manute Bol, NBA player
• Chris Carrabba, singer/songwriter from Dashboard Confessional
• Joyce Cohen, actress
• Larry Collins, actor^[7]
• John Droney, politician and lawyer
• Dominick Dunne (b. 1925) and John Gregory Dunne, (1932-2003), famous writers, were born in Hartford and grew up in West Hartford.
• John Franklin Enders, Nobel Laureate 1954 for Medicine
• Jared Jordan, Drafted 45th by Los Angeles Clippers in the 2007 NBA Draft.
• Vincent Liff, director^[8]
• Edward Lorenz, American mathematician and meteorologist, early pioneer of chaos theory, inventor of the strange attractor notion, and coiner of the term butterfly effect
• Joseph Mascolo, American actor and soap opera veteran
• Edward Morley, namesake of Morley Elementary School, scientist best-known for the Michelson–Morley experiment
• Rita Morley, actress^[9]
• William Thompson Sedgwick, professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a key figure in shaping public health in the United States
• John O'Hurley, actor who played Elaine's boss on Seinfeld
• Peter Paige, actor
• Jimmy Shea, gold medalist in the 2002 Winter Olympics
• Cornelius J. Vanderbilt (1830–1882) disowned son of The Commodore, Cornelius Vanderbilt, died shortly after completing his estate (demolished) at West Hill (now part of the town).
• Noah Webster, American lexicographer, textbook author, Bible translator, spelling reformer, writer, and editor
• Korczak Ziolkowski, sculptor of Crazy Horse Memorial in South Dakota

Main article: 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

Main article: 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

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 is a 20-acre property that recently opened just east of West Hartford Center. Currently, the development includes Criterion Cinemas, Au Bon Pain, Lucy, Munsons Chocolates, The Cheesecake Factory, Moe's Southwest Grill, New York Sports Clubs (NYSC), Hartford Hospital Medical Group, Barnes and Noble, Crate and Barrel, Chow, various professional offices, and condominiums.

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.

• American School for the Deaf
• Elizabeth Park
• Noah Webster House
• Veterans Memorial Ice Skating Rink
• Congregation Beth Israel
• The Children's Museum
• Travelers Science Dome at the Gengras Planetarium

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", CNN Money, Cable News Network, 2006. Retrieved on 2007-06-11. 
6. ^ "Rating the Towns 2006: Population Over 50,000", Connecticut Magazine, 2006-12-04. Retrieved on 2007-06-11. 
7. ^ Larry Collins at the Internet Movie Database
8. ^ Vincent Liff at the Internet Movie Database
9. ^ Rita Morley at the Internet Movie Database

• Town of West Hartford
• Central Regional Tourism District

• West Hartford, Connecticut is at coordinates 41°46′04″N 72°45′16″W / 41.76765, -72.75441Coordinates: 41°46′04″N 72°45′16″W / 41.76765, -72.75441

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