New Haven County, Connecticut

Infobox U.S. County
county = New Haven County
state = Connecticut


map size = 250
founded = 1666
seat = none; formerly New Haven; Connecticut counties no longer have county governments | area_total_sq_mi =862
area_land_sq_mi =606
area_water_sq_mi =256
area percentage = 29.74%
census yr = 2000
pop = 824008
density_km2 =525
|

New Haven County is located in the south central part of the U.S. state of Connecticut. In 2000, the population was 824,008. Two of the state's largest cities, New Haven and Waterbury are part of New Haven County.

County governments were abolished in Connecticut in 1960. Thus, as is the case with all eight of Connecticut's counties, there is no county government, and no county seat. Until 1960, the city of New Haven was the county seat. In Connecticut, towns are responsible for all local government activities, including fire and rescue, snow removal and schools. In some cases, neighboring towns will share certain activities, e.g. schools, health, etc. New Haven County is merely a group of towns on a map, and has no particular authority. The county Sheriff system was abolished by voters and replaced by State Judicial Marshals in 2000. As a result, the state judicial system in New Haven County is currently split into three judicial districts: New Haven, Ansonia-Milford, and Waterbury.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 862 square miles (2,233 km²), of which, 606 square miles (1,569 km²) of it is land and 256 square miles (664 km²) of it (29.74%) is water.

Geographic Features

The terrain is mostly flat near both the coast and the Housatonic River, rising significantly only in the north of the county. The highest elevation is close to the northernmost point in the county, found at two areas of approximately 1,050 feet (320 m) above sea level in the town of Wolcott. The lowest point is sea level.

Notable geographic landmarks include Mount Carmel ("Sleeping Giant"), West Rock and East Rock.

Adjacent counties

*Hartford County (north)
*Middlesex County (east)
*Fairfield County (west)
*Litchfield County (northwest)

New Haven county is bounded on the south by Long Island Sound.

Geographic Location
Centre = New Haven County, Connecticut
North = Hartford County, Connecticut
Northeast =
East = Middlesex County, Connecticut
Southeast =
South = Long Island Sound
Southwest =
West = Fairfield County, Connecticut
Northwest = Litchfield County, Connecticut

National protected area

* Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge (part)

Demographics

At the 2000 censusGR|2, there were 824,008 people, 319,040 households, and 210,566 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,361 per square mile (525/km²). There were 340,732 housing units at an average density of 563 per square mile (217/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 79.40% White, 11.32% Black or African American, 0.25% Native American, 2.33% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 4.51% from other races, and 2.16% from two or more races. 10.09% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 24.5% were of Italian, 12.3% Irish, 6.0% Polish, 5.7% English and 5.6% German ancestry according to Census 2000. 8.73% of the population reported speaking Spanish at home, while 2.05% speak Italian. [http://www.mla.org/map_data_results&state_id=9&county_id=9&mode=geographic&zip=&place_id=&cty_id=&ll=all&a=&ea=&order=r]

There were 319,040 households of which 31.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.60% were married couples living together, 13.60% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.00% were non-families. 28.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.08.

The age distribution was 24.50% under the age of 18, 8.70% from 18 to 24, 30.00% from 25 to 44, 22.40% from 45 to 64, and 14.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 92.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.70 males.

The median household income was $48,834, and the median family income was $60,549. Males had a median income of $43,643 versus $32,001 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,439. About 7.00% of families and 9.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.00% of those under age 18 and 7.70% of those age 65 or over.

Cities, towns, and villages*

*Ansonia (City)
*Beacon Falls (Town)
*Bethany (Town)
*Branford (Town)
*Cheshire (Town)
*Derby (City)
*East Haven (Town)
*Guilford (Town)
*Hamden (Town)
*Madison (Town)
*Meriden (City)
*Middlebury (Town)
*Milford (City)
**"Devon (village)"
**"Woodmont (Borough)"
*Naugatuck (Borough)
*New Haven (City)
**"Cedar Hill" (neighborhood)
**"City Point" (neighborhood)
**"Downtown" (neighborhood)
**"East Rock" (neighborhood)
**"Fair Haven" (neighborhood)
**"Fair Haven Heights" (neighborhood)
**"Long Wharf" (neighborhood)
**"Mill River" (neighborhood)
**"Quinnipiac Meadows" (neighborhood)
**"Westville" (neighborhood)
**"Wooster Square" (neighborhood)
*North Branford (Town)
**"Northford (a village of North Branford)"
*North Haven (Town)
*Orange (Town)
*Oxford (Town)
*Prospect (Town)
*Seymour (Town)
*Southbury (Town)
*Wallingford (Town)
**"Yalesville (village)"
*Waterbury (City)
*West Haven (City)
*Wolcott (Town)
*Woodbridge (Town)*" Villages are named localities within towns but have no separate corporate existence from the towns they are in."

Colleges and universities

New Haven county serves as a center of advanced learning, with several noted educational institutions located within its borders centered on the city of New Haven. These include:

*Albertus Magnus College
*Gateway Community College
*Paier College of Art
*Quinnipiac University
*Southern Connecticut State University
*University of New Haven
*Yale University

New Haven County Organizations

* [http://www.newhavenbar.org New Haven County Bar Association]
* New Haven County Cutters

ee also

*List of Registered Historic Places in New Haven County, Connecticut
*Greater New Haven

References

External links

* [http://www.nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com/CT/New+Haven/districts.html National Register of Historic Places listing for New Haven Co., Connecticut]