Avon, Connecticut

Avon, Connecticut
Town
Seal
Location within Hartford County, Connecticut
Coordinates:
Country	United States
State	Connecticut
NECTA	Hartford
Region	Capitol Region
Incorporated	1830
Government
• Type	Council-manager
• Town manager	Brandon Robertson
• Town council	Mark W. Zacchio (R), Chrm Douglas Evans (R) Heather Maguire (R) William Stokesbury (R) David Pena (D)
Area
• Total	23.5 sq mi (60.9 km2)
• Land	23.1 sq mi (59.9 km2)
• Water	0.4 sq mi (1.0 km2)
Elevation	276 ft (84 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	18,098
• Density	745/sq mi (288/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	Eastern (UTC-4)
ZIP code	06001
Area code(s)	860
FIPS code	09-02060
GNIS feature ID	0213385
Website	Avon

Avon is an affluent town in the Farmington Valley region of Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. As of 2010, the town had a population of 18,098.

Avon is a suburb of Hartford. Avon Old Farms School, a prestigious boarding school, is located there. In 2005, Avon was named the third-safest town in America by Money Magazine. It is home to the Pine Grove School House, which was built in 1865 and remains open today as a museum.

Avon is home to Avon High School as well as two elementary schools, Pine Grove Elementary and Roaring Brook Elementary, an intermediate (grades 5–6) school Thompson Brook, and a middle school (grades 7–8) Avon Middle School.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 23.5 square miles (61 km²), of which 23.1 square miles (60 km²) is land and 0.4 square miles (1.0 km²) is water.

The East side of Avon is flanked by Talcott Mountain, part of the Metacomet Ridge, a mountainous trap rock ridgeline that stretches from Long Island Sound to near the Vermont border. Talcott Mountain is a popular outdoor recreation resource notable for its towering western cliff faces. The 51-mile (82 km) Metacomet Trail traverses the Talcott Mountain ridge.

History

Avon was settled in 1645 and was originally a part of Farmington. In 1750, the parish of Northington was established in the northern part of Farmington, to support a Congregational church more accessible to the local population. Its first pastor was Ebenezer Booge, a graduate of Yale Divinity School who arrived in 1751. In 1830, the Connecticut General Assembly incorporated Northington as the town of Avon.

Public library

The Avon Free Public Library can be traced back to 1791 when Rev. Rufus Hawley started collecting money from residents to purchase books for a community library. In 1798, Samuel Bishop, a prominent citizen, began offering library services within his home with a collection of 111 titles.

The library is a member of Library Connection, Inc., the cooperative regional automated circulation and online catalog database system, CONNECT, to which 33 libraries belong. Through this system, over 4 million volumes are available through interlibrary loan, the statewide reciprocal borrowing arrangement which encompasses over 160 libraries.

Notable locations

Derrin House

• Avon Congregational Church built in 1819 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.

Properties owned by the Avon Historical Society

• Derrin House – 18th-century farmhouse
• Living Museum – former schoolhouse
• Pine Grove School House – former schoolhouse

Avon Mountain traffic accidents

The section of Talcott Mountain, known as Avon Mountain, between Avon and West Hartford, is known for the climb of U.S. Route 44, and the most direct path to Hartford from much of the Farmington Valley and Litchfield County. One of the worst traffic accidents in Connecticut history occurred at the intersection of Route 44 and Route 10 at the foot of Avon Mountain.

On July 29, 2005, the driver of a dump truck lost control of his brakes and swerved to avoid traffic waiting in his lane at the stoplight. On the eastbound side of the road, the truck then collided with rush hour traffic waiting at the light. Four people, including the driver of the truck, died in the crash. Former Governor M. Jodi Rell proposed safety improvements for this road in the aftermath of the accident.

In September 2007, the driver of another truck lost control. The truck, traveling westbound on U.S. Route 44 at Route 10, crashed into the Nassau Furniture building at about 11 am, taking out a column that supports the roof of the building. No major injuries resulted from the crash.

The accidents prompted the State of Connecticut to modify Route 44 through the addition of a runaway truck ramp just above the Avon Old Farms Inn and the straightening and widening of the road on the western slope of the mountain. The accidents and the reconstruction of the road have been heavily covered by local media including the Hartford Courant.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1850	995		—
1860	1,059		6.4%
1870	987		−6.8%
1880	1,057		7.1%
1890	1,182		11.8%
1900	1,302		10.2%
1910	1,337		2.7%
1920	1,534		14.7%
1930	1,738		13.3%
1940	2,258		29.9%
1950	3,171		40.4%
1960	5,273		66.3%
1970	8,352		58.4%
1980	11,201		34.1%
1990	13,937		24.4%
2000	15,832		13.6%
2010	18,098		14.3%
Est. 2014	18,421		1.8%
U.S. Decennial Census

See also: List of Connecticut locations by per capita income

As of 2010, Avon had a population of 18,098. The racial composition of the population was 89.8% white, 1.5% black or African American, 6.3% Asian, 0.7% from other races and 1.7% from two or more races. 3.4% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.

As of the census of 2000, there were 15,832 people, 6,192 households, and 4,483 families residing in the town. The population density was 684.8 people per square mile (264.4/km²). There were 6,480 housing units at an average density of 280.3 per square mile (108.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 94.93% White, 0.98% African American, 0.05% Native American, 2.96% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.28% from other races, and 0.77% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.57% of the population.

There were 6,192 households, out of which 34.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.8% were married couples living together, 4.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.6% were non-families. 23.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.03.

In the town, the population was spread out with 26.1% under the age of 18, 3.3% from 18 to 24, 26.1% from 25 to 44, 29.5% from 45 to 64, and 15.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.0 males.

The mean income for a household in the town is $155,707, and the mean income for a family is $186,289. Males had a median income of $76,882 versus $44,848 for females. The per capita income for the town was $51,706. About 0.9% of families and 1.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.2% of those under age 18 and 1.9% of those age 65 or over.

Voter registration and party enrollment as of October 25, 2005
Party		Active voters	Inactive voters	Total voters	Percentage
	Republican	3,956	187	4,143	35.11%
	Democratic	2,655	100	2,755	23.35%
	Unaffiliated	4,639	251	4,890	41.44%
	Minor parties	10	1	11	0.09%
Total		11,260	539	11,799	100%

Notable Residents

• Will Friedle, actor
• Jessica Lundy, actor
• Kia McNeill, professional soccer player
• Stuart Scott ESPN reporter who covered the NBA and other sports.
• Glen Wesley former NHL player, lived in Avon during his tenure with the Hartford Whalers.
• David Yoo, author
• Mike Golic

Historical populations

1830	1,025
1840	1,001
1850	995
1860	1,059
1870	987
1880	1,057
1890	1,182
1900	1,302
1910	1,337
1920	1,534
1930	1,738
1940	2,258
1950	3,171
1960	5,273
1970	8,352
1980	11,201
1990	13,937
2000	15,832
2010	18,098

Sources: Interactive Connecticut State Register & Manual and U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division

External links

• Avon Official Municipal Web Site
• Pine Grove Schoolhouse
• Central Regional Tourism District
• Avon Public Schools Website
• Avon Free Public Library Website