Cornwall, Connecticut


Cornwall is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 1,420 at the 2010 census.

History

Cornwall was incorporated in May 1740 and was named after the county of Cornwall in England.
In 1939 poet Mark Van Doren wrote "The Hills of Little Cornwall", in which the seductive beauties of the countryside were portrayed:
Cornwall also makes a glancing appearance in Wallace Stevens's late poem "Reality is an Activity of the Most August Imagination."
Cornwall played a role in the establishment of Christianity in the Hawaiian islands after a native Hawaiian tragically died here of Typhus in 1818. This tragedy was instrumental in the Congregational church’s 1820 outreach to the ‘Sandwich Islands’ at Kona, Hawaii.

Geography

Cornwall is in northwestern Litchfield County. It is bordered to the north by the town of Canaan, to the east by Goshen, to the south by Warren, to the southwest by Kent, and to the west, across the Housatonic River, by Sharon. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town of Cornwall has a total area of, of which are land and, or 0.55%, are water. The town contains a major portion of Mohawk State Forest.

Principal communities

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,434 people, 615 households, and 389 families residing in the town. The population density was 31.2 people per square mile. There were 873 housing units at an average density of 19.0 per square mile. The racial makeup of the town was 97.49% White, 0.21% African American, 0.70% Asian, 0.21% from other races, and 1.39% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.46% of the population.
shows the buildings used by the Foreign Mission School, to the right of the church at center.
There were 615 households, out of which 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.5% were married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.6% were non-families. 30.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.93.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.4% under the age of 18, 3.3% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 28.9% from 45 to 64, and 17.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $54,886, and the median income for a family was $64,750. Males had a median income of $46,875 versus $30,536 for females. The per capita income for the town was $42,484. About 1.0% of families and 3.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.0% of those under age 18 and 1.6% of those age 65 or over.
Some of the main features of Cornwall include the Cream Hill Lake, the Covered Bridge, Mohawk Ski Mountain and the town which contains a library and tennis courts.
Voter registration and party enrollment as of October 25, 2005Voter registration and party enrollment as of October 25, 2005Voter registration and party enrollment as of October 25, 2005Voter registration and party enrollment as of October 25, 2005Voter registration and party enrollment as of October 25, 2005Voter registration and party enrollment as of October 25, 2005
PartyPartyActive votersInactive votersTotal votersPercentage

Education

Cornwall is a member of Regional School District 01, which also includes the towns of Canaan, Kent, North Canaan, Salisbury, and Sharon. Public school students attend the Cornwall Consolidated School for grades K-8 and Housatonic Valley Regional High School for grades 9-12.

Arts and culture

The Cornwall Library, organized in 1869, constructed a new building in 2002 that houses a collection of over 28,000 items. It sponsors a long-running art show, along with many other events.
The Cornwall Chronicle is a non-profit monthly newspaper that publishes news and feature stories about Cornwall, a calendar of events, and drawings by local artists. It was started in 1991 and has not missed an issue since.

Museums and other points of interest

The town was home to the Foreign Mission School between 1817 and 1826.

Infrastructure

Transportation

The town is served by Connecticut Route 4, U.S. Route 7, and Connecticut Routes 43, 125 and 128. Route 4 leads east to Torrington and west to Sharon, while Route 7 leads north to North Canaan and south to New Milford. Routes 43, 125 and 128 are entirely within the town of Cornwall, Route 43 running from North Corners near Cornwall village to Cornwall Hollow, Route 128 running from North Corners to West Cornwall, and Route 125 running from Cornwall Village north to Route 128.
The covered bridge in West Cornwall, crossing the Housatonic River, is one of only three covered bridges in Litchfield County. It has a span of and has been in continuous service since 1864.

Notable people

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_C._Harrison