| Durham, Connecticut |
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| middlesex county, connecticut | |
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Durham is a Town in Middlesex County , Connecticut , United States . Durham is a former Farming Village on the Coginchaug River in central Connecticut . It has grown into a wealthy suburb due to its peaceful character and central location in the state. Every autumn, during the last weekend in September, the town hosts the wildly successful Durham Fair , one of the largest Agricultural Fairs in New England. The population was 6,627 at the 2000 census. GEOGRAPHY According to the United States Census Bureau , the town has a total area of 61.5 Km&2 (23.8 Mi&2 ). 61.1 km&2 (23.6 mi&2) of it is land and 0.4 km&2 (0.2 mi&2) of it (0.67%) is water. Miller's Pond State Park is located within the town. HISTORY First settled in 1699 by Guilford resident Caleb Seward , Durham was originally called Coginchaug by the Native American s who lived near the swampy area. Durham is renowned for having one of the first Public Libraries in the United States. It was founded in 1733, two years after Benjamin Franklin started the Philadelphia library.1 p. 235 In the 1830s Durham came to prominence as the birthplace of Richard P. Robinson, who was tried for and acquitted of the infamous murder of Helen Jewett . DEMOGRAPHICS As of the Census 2 of 2000, there were 6,627 people, 2,277 households, and 1,871 families residing in the town. The Population Density was 108.4/km&2 (280.8/mi&2). There were 2,349 housing units at an average density of 38.4/km&2 (99.5/mi&2). The racial makeup of the town was 96.68% White , 1.15% Black or African American , 0.18% Native American , 0.85% Asian , 0.30% from Other Races , and 0.85% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.54% of the population. There were 2,277 households out of which 41.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 72.3% were Married Couples living together, 7.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.8% were non-families. 14.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.85 and the average family size was 3.17. In the town the population was spread out with 29.0% under the age of 18, 4.8% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 27.4% from 45 to 64, and 9.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 100.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.4 males. The median income for a household in the town was $77,639, and the median income for a family was $82,864. Males had a median income of $51,250 versus $38,833 for females. The Per Capita Income for the town was $29,306. About 1.3% of families and 1.7% of the population were below the Poverty Line , including 0.4% of those under age 18 and 3.1% of those age 65 or over. NOTABLE RESIDENTS
DURHAM MEADOWS SUPERFUND SITE The Durham Meadows superfund site encompasses and area of town around the abandoned Merriam Manufacturing and Durham Manufacturing companies. Both companies disposed of orgainic solvents, paint wastes, and degreasers in open lagoons and buried drums. The waste leached into the town's water supply, contaminating several private wells with Methylene Chloride , 1,4-dioxane , and other Volitile Organic Carbon s (VOC's). The USEPA and Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection are coordinating clean up and monitoring efforts, including the delivery of free bottled water to effected residents. LIST OF NATIONAL HISTORIC SITES IN DURHAM
REFERENCES http://yosemite.epa.gov/r1/npl_pad.nsf/f52fa5c31fa8f5c885256adc0050b631/9434A73086E515C18525690D00449688?OpenDocument |
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