North Branford is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an o ...

New Haven County New Haven County is a county in the south central part of the U.S. state of Connecticut. As of the 2020 census, the population was 864,835, making it the third-most populous county in Connecticut. Two of the state's top 5 largest cities, Ne ...

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

. The population was 13,544 at the 2020 census. The town is primarily known for agriculture and for other points of interest including

Lake Gaillard Lake Gaillard in North Branford, Connecticut, began during the 1920s, when the New Haven Water Company (which is now South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority) started buying land in North Branford from the area of Totoket Mountain to wh ...

and Northford Ice Pavilion. Wallingford, Durham, and North Haven border it to the north- East Haven to the west, Guilford to the east, and Branford to the south. The town has the neighborhoods of Totoket, Wood Chase, Sea Hill, Twin Lakes, Ashley Park, and Doral Farms. North Branford also includes the village of Northford.

History

This early mill and farming community incorporated from Branford in 1831. The year prior, Maltby Fowler had opened a button-making shop. Its success along with the inventiveness of his six sons—who devised a range of machines to produce such things as screws, embossed silk, pins, and horseshoe nails—saw the rise of new manufactures along the town's Farm River. By the early 1900s, North Branford's abundant supply of trap rock, a material used for making roadways, made quarrying a growth industry. Today, the town's manufacturing sector is concentrated in electronics and electronic components.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of th ...

, the town has a total area of 26.6 square miles (69.0 km), of which 24.9 square miles (64.5 km) is land and 1.7 square miles (4.5 km) (6.49%) is water. Neighboring towns are Wallingford and

Durham Durham most commonly refers to: *Durham, England, a cathedral city and the county town of County Durham *County Durham, an English county * Durham County, North Carolina, a county in North Carolina, United States *Durham, North Carolina, a city in N ...

to the north,

Guilford Guildford is a town in Surrey, England. It gives its name to the Borough of Guildford, the Diocese of Guildford and the Parliamentary constituency of Guildford. Guildford, Guilford, or Gildford may also refer to: Places Australia * Guild ...

to the east, Branford to the south, and North Haven and East Haven to the west. Much of the town's acreage is dominated by Totoket Mountain, part of the

Metacomet Ridge The Metacomet Ridge, Metacomet Ridge Mountains, or Metacomet Range of southern New England is a narrow and steep fault-block mountain ridge known for its extensive cliff faces, scenic vistas, microclimate ecosystems, and rare or endangered plants. ...

, a mountainous

trap rock Trap rock, also known as either trapp or trap, is any dark-colored, fine-grained, non-granitic intrusive or extrusive igneous rock. Types of trap rock include basalt, peridotite, diabase, and gabbro.Neuendorf, K.K.E., J.P. Mehl, Jr., and J.A. ...

ridgeline that stretches from

Long Island Sound Long Island Sound is a marine sound and tidal estuary of the Atlantic Ocean. It lies predominantly between the U.S. state of Connecticut to the north and Long Island in New York to the south. From west to east, the sound stretches from the Eas ...

almost to the

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provin ...

border. The north side of Saltonstall Mountain is also located in North Branford. Totoket Mountain contains Lake Gaillard, a reservoir, formed in 1926, managed by the South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority (SCCRWA). The SCCRWA maintains a network of hiking trails on Totoket Mountain in the Big Gulph area of Northford. The SCCRWA is said to own one-third of the town's area. Totoket Mountain, 720 feet high, is the highest point of the town in the Northford neighborhood.

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...

of 2000, there were 13,906 people (6,303 of which reside in the village of Northford), 5,132 households, and 3,869 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 5,246 housing units at an average density of 210.5/sq. mi. (81.3/km). The racial makeup of the town was 96.50%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race were 1.80% of the population, 1.19%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.92% Asian, 0.84% from two or more races, 0.06% Native American, and 0.02%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

. There were 5,132 households, of which 35.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.2% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.6% were nonfamilies. 20.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70, and the average family size was 3.15. In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.6% under the age of 18, 5.7% from 18 to 24, 29.5% from 25 to 44, 25.5% from 45 to 64, and 13.7% who were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.2 males; for every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.9 males. The median income for a household in the town was $64,438, and the median income for a family was $71,813. Males had a median income of $46,852 versus $33,469 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the town was $28,542. About 1.2% of families and 1.6% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 0.9% of those under age 18 and 3.7% of those age 65 or over. The Totoket, an Algonkian speaking native tribe, lived in the Branford and North Branford area.

Education

The high school in town is North Branford High School; their athletic teams are known as the North Branford Thunderbirds. The middle school is North Branford Intermediate School; it has just recently undergone a new construction project which renovated an existing structure and added approximately to the school. Their teams are known as the North Branford Thunderbirds. There are two elementary schools, Jerome Harrison (JHS) and Totoket Valley (TVES). In mid- 2010, the decision was made to rearrange grades and close the Stanley T. Williams elementary school in Northford.

Historical preservation

Headquartered in town is the Totoket Historical Society, Inc. Founded in 1958 as the Northford Historical Institute, the society runs four historic buildings in town: the Reynolds Beers House (the main museum and office), the Miller Barn, the "Little White Gas Station", and the Little Red Schoolhouse. THS has a collection of local historical artifacts, many now being digitized. The Society's vast collection includes items such as historical photographs, business documents and ledgers, and documents relating to land transfer and the incorporation of the town, as well as many more assorted documents. In the Miller Barn is a collection of vintage farm equipment. The Reynolds-Beers House is open regularly, and other Society buildings are opened to the public on predetermined dates or by appointment.

Notable locations

Branford Steam Railroad The Branford Steam Railroad is standard-gauge industrial railroad that serves the Tilcon Connecticut stone quarry in North Branford, Connecticut, in the United States. It was founded in 1903 by Louis A. Fisk, a businessman from Branford, C ...

, a formerly steam-powered freight railroad in town, utilized by Tilcon for the transportation of its products to shoreline barges. * Northford Ice Pavilion *

* Northford Center Historic District added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

in 2002

Commerce

North Branford contains many commercial offices, such as Tilcon, Fire-Lite Alarms, and many more businesses located on major roads in North Branford and Northford.

Notable people

Charlotte Fowler Baldwin Charlotte Fowler Baldwin (November 7, 1805 – October 2, 1873) was an American missionary. She was a member of the Fourth Company of missionaries sent to the Hawaiian Islands by the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions. Early life ...

(1805–1873), American missionary in Hawaii *

Adam Erne Adam Dennis Erne (born April 20, 1995) is an American professional ice hockey winger for the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the Lightning in the 2nd round (33rd overall) of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. Pl ...

(born 1995), NHL player for the

Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference, and are ...

Robert Ward Robert Ward may refer to: Politicians *Robert Ward (MP for City of York) * Robert Ward (1754–1831), Irish MP for Wicklow Borough, Killyleagh and Bangor * Robert Ward (American politician) (1952–2021), American lawyer and politician * Robert Wa ...

(died 2021), longest-serving minority leader of the

Connecticut House of Representatives The Connecticut State House of Representatives is the lower house in the Connecticut General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The house is composed of 151 members representing an equal number of districts, with ...

Paul F. Zukunft Paul Frederick Zukunft (born 30 January 1955) is a retired admiral of the United States Coast Guard who served as the 25th commandant. He was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the Commandant, with the rank of admiral, in May 2014 and relieved Ro ...

(born 1955), Commandant of the

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, m ...

References

External links

Town of North Branford official websiteTotoket Historical SocietyGrown in North Branford/Northford Farm Map
{{authority control Towns in New Haven County, Connecticut Towns in the New York metropolitan area Towns in Connecticut