Wallingford is a town in

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., ...

, centrally located between

New Haven New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,023 ...

and Hartford, and Boston and New York City. The population was 44,396 at the 2020 census. The community was named after Wallingford, in England.

History

The

Connecticut General Assembly The Connecticut General Assembly (CGA) is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is a bicameral body composed of the 151-member House of Representatives and the 36-member Senate. It meets in the state capital, Hartford. ...

created the town on October 10, 1667. This original plot of land near the Quinnipiac River is now considered Main Street. Starting on May 12, 1670, there were 126 people who lived in temporary housing, and five years later in 1675 there were 40 permanent homes. In 1697 Wallingford was the site of the last

witchcraft trial A witch-hunt, or a witch purge, is a search for people who have been labeled witches or a search for evidence of witchcraft. The classical period of witch-hunts in Early Modern Europe and Colonial America took place in the Early Modern perio ...

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

. Winifred Benham was thrice tried for witchcraft and acquitted all three times. The

1878 Wallingford tornado The Wallingford Tornado was a violent tornado that struck the town of Wallingford, Connecticut, on Friday, August 9, 1878. The tornado, unofficially rated F4 by tornado expert Thomas P. Grazulis, destroyed most of the town, killing about 34 p ...

struck on August 9 of that year. It killed at least 29 and possibly as many as 34 people in Wallingford, the most by any tornado event in Connecticut history. Wallingford is home to a large variety of industries and major corporations spanning the spectrum of the medical, health care, service, hi-tech specialty metal manufacturing and research development. The development of the Barnes Industrial Parks, Casimir Pulaski Industrial Park, Centract Park and MedWay Industrial Park have greatly contributed to a diversified tax base. An Interchange Zone which permits restrictive commercial development of office parks, research and development centers and hotels was created at the intersection of interstate 91 and Route 68. The Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, the town's largest taxpayer, has established a research and development facility in Wallingford's MedWay Industrial Park. The Bristol-Myers Squibb Company moved out in 2017 and the structures were demolished in 2018. In terms of Wallingford's manufacturing and design history, silver-producing companies like Hall, Elton & Co., Simpson, Hall, Miller & Co. and R. Wallace & Sons are of particular note. Simpson, Hall, Miller & Co. as well as Wallingford's Watrous Manufacturing Co. later became part of the International Silver Company, which was headquartered in the neighboring city of Meriden. File:PostcardWallingfordCTNewYorkInsulatedWireCompanyFactoryCirca1910.jpg, New York Insulated Wire Company, 1910. File:PostcardWallingfordCTLibryAndMarlboroughHouse1909.jpg, Library and Marlborough House, . File:PostcardQuinniipiacRiverBridgeWallingfordCT1907.jpg, Bridge and falls at Quinnipiac River in Wallingford, 1907.

Education

The Wallingford Public School System consists of eight elementary schools: Cook Hill, E. C. Stevens, Highland, and Moses Y. Beach Elementary Schools covering Pre-K to second grade and Parker Farms, Pond Hill, Rock Hill, and Mary G. Fritz Elementary Schools covering grades three to five; two middle schools, Dag Hammarskjöld and James H. Moran; and two high schools,

Lyman Hall Lyman Hall (April 12, 1724 – October 19, 1790) was an American Founding Father, physician, clergyman, and statesman who signed the United States Declaration of Independence as a representative of Georgia. Hall County is named after him. He ...

and Mark T. Sheehan.

Private schools

* Choate Rosemary Hall, a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

, co-educational,

college-preparatory A college-preparatory school (usually shortened to preparatory school or prep school) is a type of secondary school. The term refers to public, private independent or parochial schools primarily designed to prepare students for higher educat ...

boarding school * Heritage Baptist Academy * Holy Trinity School

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 39.9 square miles (103.3 km), of which 39.0 square miles (101.1 km) is land and 0.9 square miles (2.2 km), or 2.16%, is water. The town of Wallingford sits astride the Quinnipiac River in northern

. It is south of Meriden and about north of

. Towns bordering Wallingford are Cheshire, Durham, Hamden, Meriden, Middlefield, North Branford and North Haven. Situated in the Hartford-New Haven- Springfield corridor, Wallingford is traversed by

U.S. Route 5 U.S. Route 5 (US 5) is a north–south United States highway running through the New England states of Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Vermont. Significant cities along the route include New Haven, Connecticut; Hartford, Connecticut; and Springf ...

Interstate 91 Interstate 91 (I-91) is an Interstate Highway in the New England region of the United States. It provides the primary north–south thoroughfare in the western part of the region. The Interstate generally follows the course of the Connec ...

, and State Highways Route 15 ( Wilbur Cross Parkway), Route 68, Route 71 and Route 150.

Principal communities

* East Wallingford * Quinnipiac (partly in North Haven) * Tracy * Wallingford Center *

Yalesville Yalesville is an unincorporated village in Wallingford, Connecticut, United States. The village was founded in 1677, and was originally called "First Falls". It was renamed Yalesville in 1808. History A Committee to locate a mill at the first ...

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 2020, there were 44,396 people and 18,518 households residing in the town. According to the 2018 American Community Survey, the

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

was 1,146.8 people per square mile. There were 19,914 housing units. The racial makeup of the town was 86%

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 ...

, 2%

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 ...

, less than 1% Native American, 4% Asian, less than 1% from other races, and 1% from two or more races.

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 7% of the population. There were 18,518 households, out of which 64% were married couples living together, 12% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18% were non-families. The average household size was 2.4. The 2021 median household income was $88,573, a 7% increase from the prior year. Wallingford's average household income was $105,374 and the mean family income was $127,343. The per capita income in the town was $44,813. More than 40% of all households earn more than $100,000 per year, with 9.2% earning more than $200,000. In the town, the population's ages were spread out, with 24.0% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 30.7% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.7 males.

Economy

Top employers

Top employers in Wallingford according to the town's 2020 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report:

Transportation

Wallingford is also located on the New Haven–Springfield Line with daily passenger service to points north and south and to New York City via a connection in New Haven. It is served at Wallingford station by the CT Rail ( Connecticut Department of Transportation) Hartford Line trains and by

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak () , is the national passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates inter-city rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous U.S. States and nine cities in Canada. ...

's '' Hartford Line,'' ''

Northeast Regional The ''Northeast Regional'' is an intercity rail service operated by Amtrak in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic United States. In the past it has been known as the ''NortheastDirect'', ''Acela Regional'', or ''Regional''. It is Amtrak's busi ...

'', and ''

Valley Flyer The ''Valley Flyer'' was a short-lived named passenger train of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. The all-heavyweight, "semi-streamlined" train ran between Bakersfield and Oakland, California (through California's San Joaquin Vall ...

''. Tweed New Haven Airport ( HVN) in East Haven and

Bradley International Airport Bradley International Airport is a public international airport in Windsor Locks, Connecticut, United States. Owned and operated by the Connecticut Airport Authority, it is the second-largest airport in New England. The airport is about half ...

(

BDL Bradley International Airport is a public international airport in Windsor Locks, Connecticut, United States. Owned and operated by the Connecticut Airport Authority, it is the second-largest airport in New England. The airport is about halfw ...

) in

Windsor Locks Windsor Locks is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 12,613. It is the site of Bradley International Airport, which serves the Greater Hartford-Springfield region and occupies approxim ...

are the closest commercial airports to Wallingford.

Sports

In 1943 and 1944 the

Boston Braves The Atlanta Braves, a current Major League Baseball franchise, originated in Boston, Massachusetts. This article details the history of the Boston Braves, from 1871 to 1952, after which they moved to Milwaukee, and then to Atlanta. During it ...

held spring training in Wallingford at Choate's Winter Exercise Building. The town is the home of the Connecticut Bearcats, a

New England Football League The New England Football League (NEFL) is a semi-professional american football league based in Salisbury, Massachusetts and owned by Thomas Torrisi. It is the largest semi-professional league in New England. The NEFL was founded in 1994 and was ...

team.

Notable people

* Alice Blaski, outfielder in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League *

Stephen R. Bradley Stephen Row Bradley (February 20, 1754 – December 9, 1830) was an American lawyer, judge and politician. He served as a United States Senator from the state of Vermont and as the President pro tempore of the United States Senate during the ...

, United States Senator * Michael Buckley, YouTuber * Bates Cooke, US Congressman * D.J. Cotrona, actor * Pasquale DeBaise (1926–2022), businessman and Connecticut state legislator * Beverly Donofrio,

author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...

* Morton Downey, singer, businessman * Morton Downey, Jr. (1932–2001), talk show host *

Lauren Geremia Lauren Geremia (born 1982) is an American interior designer based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Lauren Geremia was born in 1982 in Wallingford, Connecticut. Characterized as an "upstart designer for tech," her clients include Instagram (she d ...

, interior designer * Robert Gober, influential contemporary artist *

Dorothy Kosinski Dorothy M. Kosinski is an American scholar of nineteenth and twentieth-century art, curator and the director (since 2008) of The Phillips Collection, an art museum in Washington, D. C. Biography Kosinski was born in Meriden, Connecticut, into a C ...

, art scholar * Raoul Lufbery, World War I flying ace *

John A. McGuire John Andrew McGuire (February 28, 1906 – May 28, 1976) was a U.S. Representative from Connecticut. Born in Wallingford, Connecticut, McGuire attended the public schools. He was a student at Lyman Hall High School, Wallingford, in 1924, and ...

, member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

* Art Nugent, cartoonist, creator of '' Uncle Art's Funland'' *

Jay Allen Sanford Jay Allen Sanford (born February 18, 1960) is an American author and cartoonist best known for his work with Revolutionary Comics, Carnal Comics, and Pacific Comics. He began writing the comic book '' Rock ‘N’ Roll Comics'' (created by Todd L ...

, author and cartoonist * Samuel Simpson, silversmith and entrepreneur * Hilton Valentine (1943–2021), musician associated with The Animals, moved to Wallingford in 1977

Points of interest

* Choate Rosemary Hall * Oakdale Theatre *

Paul Mellon Arts Center The Paul Mellon Arts Center (PMAC) is an arts building on the campus of Choate Rosemary Hall, Wallingford, Connecticut designed by architect I. M. Pei. The original design began in 1968 and the building was completed in 1972. It was funded in la ...

Yalesville Underpass The Yalesville Underpass is a 30-degree skew arch bridge carrying the railroad over Route 150 and Route 71 in Wallingford, Connecticut Wallingford is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, centrally located between New Haven an ...

National Register of Historic Places

Ten buildings and districts in Wallingford are listed on 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 ...

: * Center Street Cemetery, added August 1, 1997 * Franklin Johnson House, added November 23, 1998 * John Barker House, added August 3, 1974 * Joseph Blakeslee House, added April 13, 1998 *

Nehemiah Royce House The Nehemiah Royce House, also known as the Washington Elm House, is a historic home located at 538 North Main Street in Wallingford, Connecticut. The saltbox house was constructed in 1672. George Washington visited the house twice, first in 17 ...

, added August 24, 1998 * Samuel Parsons House, added April 12, 1982 * Samuel Simpson House, added June 18, 1986 * Theophilus Jones House, added January 30, 1992 * Wallingford Center Historic District, added December 2, 1993 * Wallingford railroad station, added November 19, 1993

Citations

General references

* Davis, Charles Henry Stanley (1870)
''History of Wallingford, Conn., from Its Settlement in 1670 to the Present Time, Including Meriden, which was One of Its Parishes until 1806, and Cheshire, which was Incorporated in 1780''
Meriden, CT: Charles Henry Stanley Davis. * Gillespie, Charles Bancroft (1895)
''Souvenir History of Wallingford, Connecticut, 1895''
New Haven, CT: Journal Publishing Co. * Kendrick, John B. (1878)
''History of the Wallingford Disaster''
Hartford, CT: Case, Lockwood and Brainard Co.

External links

Town of Wallingford official website

Maps of Wallingford (1881–1919) online

History books on Wallingford (1870–1918) online
{{Authority control 1667 establishments in Connecticut Populated places established in 1667 Towns in Connecticut Towns in New Haven County, Connecticut Towns in the New York metropolitan area