Washington, Connecticut
Location in Connecticut
Coordinates: 41°39′12″N 73°19′06″W / 41.65333, -73.31833
NECTA	None
Region	Northwestern Connecticut
Incorporated	1779
Government
- Type	Selectman-town meeting
- First selectman	Mark E. Lyon
Area
- Total	100.2 km² (38.7 sq mi)
- Land	98.9 km² (38.2 sq mi)
- Water	1.3 km² (0.5 sq mi)
Elevation	152 m (499 ft)
Population (2005)[1]
- Total	3,693
- Density	37/km² (97/sq mi)
Time zone	Eastern (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	Eastern (UTC-4)
ZIP code	06777, 06793, 06794
Area code(s)	860
FIPS code	09-79720
GNIS feature ID	0213524
Website: http://www.washingtonct.org/

Washington is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 3,596 at the 2000 census. It was supposedly the inspiration for the fictional town of Stars Hollow on the WB/CW TV series Gilmore Girls.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 38.7 square miles (100.3 km²), of which, 38.2 square miles (98.9 km²) of it is land and 0.5 square miles (1.3 km²) of it (1.34%) is water.

Principal communities

• Washington Green
• Washington Depot
• Marble Dale
• New Preston
• Woodville

Demographics

As of the census^[2] of 2000, there were 3,596 people, 1,416 households, and 951 families residing in the town. The population density was 94.2 people per square mile (36.4/km²). There were 1,764 housing units at an average density of 46.2/sq mi (17.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 95.66% White, 0.64% African American, 0.11% Native American, 1.56% Asian, 0.78% from other races, and 1.25% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.14% of the population.

There were 1,416 households out of which 28.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.6% were married couples living together, 6.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.8% were non-families. 26.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.94.

In the town the population was spread out with 24.4% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 23.9% from 25 to 44, 29.9% from 45 to 64, and 15.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 100.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.9 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $65,288, and the median income for a family was $80,745. Males had a median income of $51,610 versus $35,337 for females. The per capita income for the town was $37,215. About 2.7% of families and 3.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.5% of those under age 18 and 9.3% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

Route 202 runs east-west in the northern part of town, connecting the villages of Marble Dale, New Preston, and Woodville. Route 109 runs east-west near the town center. The main north-south highway is Route 47.Route 199 runs south from Washington Depot to Roxbury.

Education

Public Education

Regional School District 12 covers Washington, Bridgewater and Roxbury. The district runs these six schools:

• Reach Preschool (in Washington)
• Booth Free School (in Roxbury)
• Burnham School (in Bridgewater)
• Washington Primary School (in Washington)
• Shepaug Valley Middle School (in Washington)
• Shepaug Valley High School (in Washington)

Rumsey Hall School

Rumsey Hall School is a private boarding and country day school for kindergarten through ninth grade. Founded in 1900 the school moved to its current location in 1949, at which point it became coeducational. As of 2005, the school enrolled about 300 students and employs 55 full- and part-time faculty members. The school has 29 buildings on 147 acres along the Bantam River.

The Gunnery

The Gunnery, founded in 1850 is a coeducational boarding and day prep school for 295 students in grades nine through twelve. The school has a 220 acre campus bordering the village green of Washington.

Notable people, past and present

• Benjamin Delahauf Foulois (December 9, 1879 - April 25, 1967) Pioneer military aviator. Born and was buried in Washington, CT.
• William Hamilton Gibson (October 5, 1850 - July 16, 1896) was an American illustrator, author and naturalist.
• Thomas Hastings (1784–1872) an American composer, whose most famous work was the hymn Rock of Ages, was born in town.

This town inspired Gilmore Girls' creator Amy Sherman-Palladino to create Stars Hollow for the Gilmore Girls series on WB/CW after she stopped there on a road trip.

References

External links

Gunn Memorial Library, circa 1908

• Official town government Web site
• Gunn Memorial Library and Museum
• Northeast Connecticut Convention and Visitors Bureau
• Regional School District 12
• Northwest Connecticut Arts Council
• Northwestern Connecticut Community College in Winsted
• Steep Rock Reservation

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