Scotland, Connecticut
Encyclopedia
Scotland is a town
in Windham County
, Connecticut
, in the United States
. As of the 2000 census
, the town population was 1,556. Scotland is a predominantly rural town, with agriculture as the principal industry.
, the town has a total area of 18.7 square miles (48.3 km²), of which, 18.6 square miles (48.2 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (0.27%) is water. It was incorporated in 1857.
as its form of government with a board of selectmen. The town also has eight boards & commissions, including Inlands & Wetlands, Planning & Zoning and Board of Education.
of 2000, there were 1,556 people, 553 households, and 425 families residing in the town. The population density
was 83.6 people per square mile (32.3/km²). There were 577 housing units at an average density of 31.0 per square mile (12.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.69% White, 0.45% African American, 0.06% Native American, 0.51% Asian, 0.19% Pacific Islander, 0.51% from other races
, and 0.58% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.31% of the population.
There were 553 households out of which 37.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.5% were married couples
living together, 6.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.0% were non-families. 15.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.16.
In the town the population was spread out with 28.2% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 31.7% from 25 to 44, 25.3% from 45 to 64, and 8.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 100.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $56,848, and the median income for a family was $60,147. Males had a median income of $40,871 versus $29,830 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $22,573. About 4.0% of families and 4.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.7% of those under age 18 and 10.9% of those age 65 or over.
New England town
The New England town is the basic unit of local government in each of the six New England states. Without a direct counterpart in most other U.S. states, New England towns are conceptually similar to civil townships in other states, but are incorporated, possessing powers like cities in other...
in Windham County
Windham County, Connecticut
Windham County is a county located in the northeastern corner of the U.S. state of Connecticut. As of 2010, the population was 118,428.The entire county is within the Quinebaug and Shetucket Rivers Valley National Heritage Corridor, as designated by the National Park Service.-History:Windham...
, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. As of the 2000 census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
, the town population was 1,556. Scotland is a predominantly rural town, with agriculture as the principal industry.
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 18.7 square miles (48.3 km²), of which, 18.6 square miles (48.2 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (0.27%) is water. It was incorporated in 1857.
History
In 1700 Isaac Magoon purchased 1950 acres (7.9 km²) of land from then Windham and thus began Scotland’s History. He named the town Scotland as a way of commemorating his ancestral home. Scotland was incorporated in May 1857. http://www.scotlandct.org/about.htmlGovernment
The town still maintains the town meetingTown meeting
A town meeting is a form of direct democratic rule, used primarily in portions of the United States since the 17th century, in which most or all the members of a community come together to legislate policy and budgets for local government....
as its form of government with a board of selectmen. The town also has eight boards & commissions, including Inlands & Wetlands, Planning & Zoning and Board of Education.
Attractions
Scotland is home to the D'Elia Antique Tool Museum. The museum was built in 2005 and is housed in the same building as the Scotland Public Library. It is the home of over 1200 antique woodworking planes dating back to the mid-18th century.On the National Register of Historic Places
- March Route of Rochambeau's Army: Palmer Road — Palmer Road, from intersection with Miller Road to East of junction with Pudding Hill Road (added July 6, 2003)
- Samuel Huntington BirthplaceSamuel Huntington BirthplaceThe Huntington Homestead, also known as the Samuel Huntington Birthplace, in Scotland, Connecticut was the boyhood home of Samuel Huntington, the American statesman. He served as a delegate to the Continental Congress where he signed the Declaration of Independence...
— Route 14Route 14 (Connecticut)Route 14A is an alternate route of Route 14 in the Plainfield and Sterling areas. Prior to 1963, Route 14A was the original road used by Route 14 between Canterbury and Plainfield. In Sterling, modern Route 14A was known as Route 211 between 1932 and 1950. From 1950 to...
, 2 miles (3.2 km) west of Route 97 (added December 11, 1971) - Edward Waldo HouseEdward Waldo HouseEdward Waldo House is a historic house in the southern edge of the town of Scotland, Connecticut, at the Sprague town line. It is a "vernacular saltbox" house with two wings and it was owned by the Waldo family from 1715 to 1971...
— Waldo Rd., intersects with Route 97 (added 1978)
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 1,556 people, 553 households, and 425 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 83.6 people per square mile (32.3/km²). There were 577 housing units at an average density of 31.0 per square mile (12.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.69% White, 0.45% African American, 0.06% Native American, 0.51% Asian, 0.19% Pacific Islander, 0.51% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.58% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.31% of the population.
There were 553 households out of which 37.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.5% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 6.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.0% were non-families. 15.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.16.
In the town the population was spread out with 28.2% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 31.7% from 25 to 44, 25.3% from 45 to 64, and 8.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 100.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $56,848, and the median income for a family was $60,147. Males had a median income of $40,871 versus $29,830 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $22,573. About 4.0% of families and 4.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.7% of those under age 18 and 10.9% of those age 65 or over.
Notable people, past and present
- Samuel HuntingtonSamuel Huntington (statesman)Samuel Huntington was a jurist, statesman, and Patriot in the American Revolution from Connecticut. As a delegate to the Continental Congress, he signed the Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation...
(1731–1796) a leading Patriot in the American RevolutionAmerican RevolutionThe American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
who served as a delegate to the Continental Congress where he signed the Declaration of IndependenceDeclaration of independenceA declaration of independence is an assertion of the independence of an aspiring state or states. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the territory of another nation or failed nation, or are breakaway territories from within the larger state...
, was born in Scotland.