Burlington, Connecticut

History

The area that includes present-day Burlington was originally inhabited by the Tunxis tribe.

The town was once part of larger Farmington Plantation. In 1785, it split away and became a part of the town of Bristol. On June 16, 1806, Burlington became a town in its own right. Cottage industries flourished in the early decades of the town, including multiple clock-making operations. Upon the completion of the Farmington Canal in 1829, many industries ceased operations or moved to neighboring towns.

In 1968, the remainder of the New Haven and Northampton Railroad branch that originally went to New Hartford and passed through Burlington was abandoned due to The Collins Company shutting down nearby factory operations in 1966. The existing railway has since been converted into a multi-use paved rail trail that is a part of the New Haven and Northampton Canal Greenway.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 78.8 km2, of which 77.0 km2 is land and 1.7 km2, or 2.19%, is water. Almost half of the land in the town is owned by three public water supply companies and the State of Connecticut.

Burlington is home to the State of Connecticut Fish Hatchery, Nassahegon State Forest, the Nepaug Reservoir, and Sessions Woods Wildlife Management Area. Johnnycake Mountain is the highest point in the town at 1,165 ft (355 m). The Tunxis Trail runs through the town north to south.

Burlington presently borders the municipalities of Avon, Bristol, Canton, Farmington, Harwinton, New Hartford, and Plymouth.

Climate

According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Burlington has a warm-summer humid continental climate, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps. The hottest temperature recorded in Burlington was 100 F on July 21–22, 1991, July 23, 2011, and June 24, 2025, while the coldest temperature recorded was -25 F on February 14, 2016.

|Jan record high F = 72 |Feb record high F = 80 |Mar record high F = 83 |Apr record high F = 94 |May record high F = 95 |Jun record high F = 100 |Jul record high F = 100 |Aug record high F = 98 |Sep record high F = 97 |Oct record high F = 89 |Nov record high F = 83 |Dec record high F = 75

|Jan avg record high F = 57.3 |Feb avg record high F = 58.9 |Mar avg record high F = 67.0 |Apr avg record high F = 82.3 |May avg record high F = 88.8 |Jun avg record high F = 91.7 |Jul avg record high F = 93.5 |Aug avg record high F = 91.5 |Sep avg record high F = 88.2 |Oct avg record high F = 79.6 |Nov avg record high F = 70.6 |Dec avg record high F = 60.5 |year avg record high F = 95.5

|Jan avg record low F = -1.1 |Feb avg record low F = 0.0 |Mar avg record low F = 8.3 |Apr avg record low F = 24.3 |May avg record low F = 33.8 |Jun avg record low F = 43.3 |Jul avg record low F = 50.7 |Aug avg record low F = 49.6 |Sep avg record low F = 38.5 |Oct avg record low F = 27.1 |Nov avg record low F = 17.6 |Dec avg record low F = 7.0 |year avg record low F = -4.6

|Jan record low F = -18 |Feb record low F = -25 |Mar record low F = -6 |Apr record low F = 13 |May record low F = 22 |Jun record low F = 27 |Jul record low F = 37 |Aug record low F = 35 |Sep record low F = 24 |Oct record low F = 16 |Nov record low F = 1 |Dec record low F = -13

|Jan snow depth inch = |Feb snow depth inch = |Mar snow depth inch = |Apr snow depth inch = |May snow depth inch = |Jun snow depth inch = |Jul snow depth inch = |Aug snow depth inch = |Sep snow depth inch = |Oct snow depth inch = |Nov snow depth inch = |Dec snow depth inch = |year snow depth inch =

|access-date = June 27, 2025 |access-date = June 27, 2025

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 9,326 people, 3,303 households, and 2,691 families residing in the town. The racial makeup of the town was 96.5% White, 0.6% African American, 0.0% Native American, 1.5% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 0.5% from other races, and 0.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 2.6% of the population.

There were 3,303 households, out of which 40.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 71.4% were married couples living together, 6.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 14.5% were non-families. 18.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.82 and the average family size was 3.13.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 29.0% under the age of 19, 6.4% from 20 to 29, 10.2% from 30 to 39, 20.6% from 40 to 49, 23.7% from 50 to 64, and 5.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42.5 years.

Economic figures for the town include a median income for a household at $105,250, and the median income for a family at $114,544. About 2.3% of families have incomes under $15,000/year and 11.9% of families have incomes over $200,000/year.

Economy

Burlington has a central business district which primarily runs along Spielman Highway (Route 4). In hopes of further developing the central business district, a Library Lane Advisory Commission was formed in June 2021 to help provide concepts for the use of the property. The Library Lane Advisory Commission presented a final report in January 2022 to the Board of Selectmen that focused on types of development, resident survey results, architecture and design, infrastructure improvements, and traffic studies.

Parks and recreation

Burlington has four (4) recreation facilities with the newest being Johnnycake Mountain Park that was established in 2024. The other recreation facilities include Foote Road Recreation Complex, Malerbo Recreation Complex, and Nassahegan Recreation Complex which consist of playgrounds, soccer fields, lacrosse fields, baseball fields, and softball fields.

Sports

Burlington has annual road and trail races road that pass through the community, such as the Burlington to Collinsville Classic 10K that begins at Burlington's Lake Garda Elementary School and runs along the Farmington River on the New Haven and Northampton Canal Greenway and finishing in Collinsville.

The Tunxis Trail Races, which are organized by the Burlington Land Trust throughout the year, typically include 5K, 8K, 30K, and 60K distances that pass through notable landmarks.

Government and politics

Education

In 1779, the Congregational Church laid out nine school districts, each with its own schoolhouse. In 1948, Burlington Consolidated School opened to replace these schoolhouses. By 1962, the Regional School District #10 was established to serve Burlington and Harwinton.

The four current schools within the district are;

• Lake Garda School (Pre-K to Grade 4) - Opened in 1965
• Harwinton Consolidated School (Pre-K to Grade 4) - Opened in 1948
• Har-Bur Middle School (Grade 5 to Grade 8) - Opened in 1973
• Lewis S. Mills High School (Grade 9 to Grade 12) - Opened in 1961

The Burlington Consolidated School is currently used as Town Hall by Burlington after it was closed 1965.

Infrastructure

Airports

Johnnycake Mountain Meadows Airfield (22B) was an airport in the northwestern corner of Burlington and was sometimes referenced as "Mountain Meadows". The airport had a 2,400 ft northwest to southwest runway with a flight school and fuel depot that closed on April 1, 2004 after the owner no longer wanted an airport on his property.

On September 2, 2023, a single-engine plane made an emergency landing in the cornfield slightly south of the airport with no casualties.

Emergency services

The Burlington Volunteer Fire Department (BVFD) provides fire, rescue and emergency medical services to Burlington. The fire department operates four (4) stations;

• Station 1 - Headquarters - 719 George Washington Turnpike
• Station 2 - Chippens Hill - 120 West Chippens Hill Road
• Station 3 - Whigville - 354 Jerome Avenue
• Station 4 - Lake Garda - 87 Monce Road

Notable locations

• Brown Tavern (also referred to as Elton Tavern)
• Hart's Corner Historic District
• Hitchcock-Schwarzmann Mill
• John Wiard House
• Sessions Woods Wildlife Management Area
• Seventh Day Baptist Cemetery (also referred to as Green Lady Cemetery)
• Treadwell House

Notable people

• Romeo Elton (1790-1870), academic and author
• Samuel Griswold (1790–1867), industrialist born in Burlington
• Leonidas Lent Hamline (1797–1865), Methodist Episcopal bishop and founder of Hamline University; born in Burlington
• Heman Humphrey (1779-1861), author and clergyman, 2nd President of Amherst College; raised in Burlington
• Bernard Moses (1846-1931), academic and author
• Silas Brooks (1824-1906), early American balloonist raised in Burlington

References

References

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2. {{GNIS. 0213401
3. "Census - Geography Profile: Burlington town, Hartford County, Connecticut". [[United States Census Bureau]].
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5. (1903). "The Connecticut Magazine: An Illustrated Monthly". Connecticut Magazine Company.
6. Peck, Epaphroditus. (1906). "Burlington, Connecticut". Bristol press publishing co..
7. Karr, Ronald Dale. (2017). "The Rail Lines of Southern New England". Branch Line Press.
8. "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Census Summary File 1 (G001): Burlington town, Hartford County, Connecticut". [[United States Census Bureau]].
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10. (2022-07-20). "Tunxis Trail - Connecticut Forest and Park Association".
11. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov.
12. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
13. "Library Lane Advisory Commission (LLAC) Report to the Board of Selectman". Town of Burlington.
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16. "Registration and Party Enrollment Statistics as of October 31, 2024". Connecticut Secretary of State.
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19. Stacom, Don. (10 May 2004). "A Big Debate Over a Tiny Airport". Hartford Courant.
20. Kalentek, Olivia. (2 September 2023). "Plane lands in cornfield near old airport in Burlington". WFSB.