Durham, Connecticut

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 23.8 sqmi, of which 23.6 sqmi is land and 0.2 square mile (40 ha or 0.67%) is water. The town center CDP has a total area of 6.3 sqmi, of which 6.3 sqmi is land and 0.16% is water.

The west side of Durham is flanked by the Metacomet Ridge, a mountainous trap rock ridgeline that stretches from Long Island Sound to nearly the Vermont border. Notable features of the Metacomet ridge in Durham include Trimountain, Fowler Mountain, Pistapaug Mountain, and the northern tip of Totoket Mountain. The 50-mile (80-kilometer) Mattabesett Trail traverses the ridge. Miller's Pond State Park is located within the town.

History

Durham was incorporated in 1708. The settlement was named after Durham, England. It took land from Guilford, and Haddam. Durham has one of the first public libraries in the United States. It was founded in 1733, two years after Benjamin Franklin started the Philadelphia library. Moses Austin who, along with his son Stephen F. Austin, began the settlement of Spanish and Mexican Texas by Anglo-Americans, was born in Durham in 1761. 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 of 2000, there were 6,627 people, 2,277 households, and 1,871 families living in the town. The population density was 280.8 PD/sqmi. There were 2,349 housing units at an average density of 99.5 /sqmi. 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 people 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.

The age distribution was 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.

Town center

As of the census of 2000, there were 2,773 people, 1,040 households, and 809 families living in the Durham census-designated place, corresponding to the town center. The population density was 443.1 PD/sqmi. There were 1,078 housing units at an average density of 172.3 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the CDP was 97.91% White, 0.47% Black or African American, 0.07% Native American, 0.87% Asian, 0.25% from other races, and 0.43% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 1.01% of the population.

There were 1,040 households, out of which 36.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.5% were married couples living together, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.2% were non-families. 18.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.06.

In the town center CDP, the age distribution was 26.1% under the age of 18, 4.4% from 18 to 24, 28.9% from 25 to 44, 27.5% from 45 to 64, and 13.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.4 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $66,505, and the median income for a family was $72,465. Males had a median income of $47,179 versus $37,500 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $26,972. About 2.1% of families and 3.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.0% of those under age 18 and 4.3% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Durham has a selectman-town meeting form of government. The current first selectman is Republican Brendan Rea, who has served since 2023. The other selectmen are Republican Robert Chadd, and Democrat Thomas Hennick

State

Federal

Durham has voted consistently voted Republican in gubernatorial elections. In the 2018 election, Republican Bob Stefanowski beat Democrat Ned Lamont 57%–37%.

Presidential elections

Durham is a swing town in presidential elections, having voted for the Democratic and Republican candidate five times each in the last ten election cycles.

Historic locations in Durham

• Elias Austin House
• Thomas Lyman House
• Main Street Historic District (the town center), noted for the architecture of the houses

Durham Meadows superfund site

The Durham Meadows superfund site encompasses an area of town around the abandoned Merriam Manufacturing, and the operational Durham Manufacturing company. Both companies disposed of organic 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 volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection are coordinating cleanup and monitoring efforts, including the delivery of free bottled water to affected residents.

Notable people

• Moses Austin (1761–1821), born in Durham; businessman involved in the lead industry
• Stephen F. Austin, founder of Texas; son of Moses Austin
• Vin Baker (born 1971), professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association
• Dwight Baldwin (1798–1886), Missionary to Hawaii
• Julia Cox Bryant (1893–1967), educator, musician
• Chauncey Goodrich (1759–1815), lawyer and politician
• Elizur Goodrich (1761–1849), lawyer and politician
• Vernon "Lefty" Gomez, New York Yankee Hall of Fame; 6 and 0 in World Series play
• Phineas Lyman (1716–1774), major general in the Connecticut militia during the French and Indian War
• Charles D. Madsen, Wisconsin State Senator
• James C. Scott (born 1936), political scientist and anthropologist
• Louise Smith, Connecticut state trooper, first black woman to serve on a state police force in the United States
• James Wadsworth (1730–1816), lawyer; delegate to the Continental Congress in 1784

References

• https://web.archive.org/web/20061010051102/http://yosemite.epa.gov/r1/npl_pad.nsf/f52fa5c31fa8f5c885256adc0050b631/9434A73086E515C18525690D00449688?OpenDocument

References

1. {{GNIS. 213419
2. "Census - Geography Profile: Durham town, Middlesex County, Connecticut".
3. (1903). "The Connecticut Magazine: An Illustrated Monthly". Connecticut Magazine Company.
4. Gannett, Henry. (1905). "The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States". Govt. Print. Off..
5. Cohen, Patricia C.. (1999). "The Murder of Helen Jewett". Vintage.
6. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov.
7. "U.S. Census website". [[United States Census Bureau]].
8. "Election 2007 Returns". Town of Durham, Connecticut.
9. "Registration and Party Enrollment Statistics as of October 31, 2024". Connecticut Secretary of State.
10. "Representative Districts by Town".
11. "Official Results State Election and Referendum November 6, 2018". Town of Durham, Connecticut.
12. "General Elections Statement of Vote 1922".
13. "General Election Statements of Vote, 1922 – Current".
14. "Election Night Reporting".
15. (January 29, 2010). "Elias Austin House (1743)".
16. (1963). "Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607-1896". Marquis Who's Who.