Plainville

[pleyn-vil]

Plainville, town (1990 pop. 17,400), Hartford co., central Conn., at the sandy headwaters of the Quinnipiac River; settled 1657, inc. 1869. Metal and electrical products and machinery are manufactured. The city park contains a restored portion of the New Haven-Northampton Canal, which operated there in the 1840s.

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Licensed from Columbia University Press

Plainville, Connecticut

Plainville is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 17,328 at the 2000 census. The town name can be confused with Plainfield, Connecticut.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 9.8 square miles (25.4 km²), of which, 9.8 square miles (25.3 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (0.51%) is water. The east side of the town is bordered by two prominent peaks of the Metacomet Ridge: Pinnacle Rock and Bradley Mountain. The 51 mile Metacomet Trail traverses those peaks.

Government

Plainville is run by a Town Manager, Town Council form of government. Robert Lee is the current town manager (as of August 2006). The Town Council comprises 7 members elected every 2 years. The Municipal Center located at 1 Central Square near the center of town.

Demographics

Historical population of Plainville
1870	1,433
1880	1,930
1890	1,993
1900	2,189
1910	2,882
1920	4,114
1930	6,301
1940	6,935
1950	9,994
1960	13,149
1970	16,733
1980	16,401
1990	17,392
2000	17,328

As of the census of 2000, there were 17,328 people, 7,385 households, and 4,645 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,776.0 people per square mile (685.5/km²). There were 7,707 housing units at an average density of 789.9/sq mi (304.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 93.52% White, 2.25% African American, 0.17% Native American, 1.67% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 1.19% from other races, and 1.19% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.57% of the population.

There were 7,385 households out of which 26.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.4% were married couples living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.1% were non-families. 31.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.93.

In the town the population was spread out with 21.2% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 32.0% from 25 to 44, 24.8% from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 95.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.1 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $48,136, and the median income for a family was $60,586. Males had a median income of $41,541 versus $31,281 for females. The per capita income for the town was $23,257. About 4.2% of families and 5.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.2% of those under age 18 and 5.5% of those age 65 or over.

Education System

The school system consists of three elementary schools, Louis Toffolon School, Frank T. Wheeler School, and Linden Street School.

There is one middle school serving grades 6-8, the Middle School of Plainville. The middle school adopts the same mascot and colors as the town high school, with the exception that they are sometimes known as the "Li'l Blue Devils."

Plainville High School is the town high school. The school mascot is the Blue Devil and the colors are blue and white, same as nearby Central Connecticut State University.

Culture

Plainville holds an annual Hot Air Balloon Festival at the end of August at Norton Park, gathering many of the townspeople together for fun-filled nights of games, music, and fireworks. The event is sponsored by Plainville Fire Company. However, wanting to improve the soccer fields with an irrigation system at Norton Park, the Plainville Town Council is planning to discontinue the Balloon Festival due to the fire trucks usually parking on the soccer fields. The town is to vote on the subject but no set date has been said by the council as of the end of July 2007 .