Sherman, Connecticut
Encyclopedia
Sherman is the northernmost and least populous town
of Fairfield County
, Connecticut
, United States
. The population was 3,581 at the 2010 census. The town is named for New Haven's Founding Father, Roger Sherman
.
Sherman has been named "Best Small Town in Connecticut
" three times by Connecticut Magazine.
The Appalachian Trail
goes through the northern end of Sherman. Part of Squantz Pond State Park
is in the town.
Sherman has one area on the National Register of Historic Places
: the Sherman Historic District
, bounded roughly by the intersection of Old Greenswood Road and Route 37, northeast past the intersection of Route 37 East and Route 39
North and Sawmill Road. The district was added to the National Register on August 31, 1991.
Sherman is the only town in Fairfield County
in the 860 area code
; the remainder of the county is served by the area code 203
/area code 475 overlay.
, New Fairfield High School
, Brookfield High School
, Henry Abbot Tech
, Shepaug Valley High School
, and Nonnewaug High School
). The principal of Sherman School is Mary Boylan. The Sherman School was named one of the top four schools in the state of Connecticut.
, the town has a total area of 23.4 square miles (60.6 km²), of which 21.8 square miles (56.5 km²) is land and 1.6 square miles (4.1 km²), or 6.68%, is water.
border. The Indian name means "water flowing from the hills" (the English wording is 17 letters long). The Naromi Land Trust in Sherman derived its name from the brook.
For some time the brook was officially known as Morrissey Brook (9 letters), but an official name change was put into Public Act 01-194, "An Act Concerning Certain Real Property Transactions," which was approved July 11, 2001. The 29-letter name was noted in an 1882 book, History of the Towns of New Milford
and Bridgewater
, 1703–1882, by Samuel Orcutt.
stretches from Danbury
in the south, north to Sherman at a park named Veterans' Field. The lake is the largest in Connecticut
. It is artificial, created for the Rocky River hydro electric power plant in New Milford on the Housatonic River
. The water is pumped through a large pipe into the lake.
in the National Register of Historic Places
. It was designated in 1991 for its historic architecture including several houses, the town hall, school, and manufacturing facilities.
As of the census
of 2000, there were 3,827 people, 1,434 households, and 1,092 families residing in the town. The population density
was 175.6 people per square mile (67.8/km²). There were 1,606 housing units at an average density of 73.7 per square mile (28.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.36% White, 0.55% African American, 0.03% Native American, 0.68% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 0.63% from other races
, and 0.68% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.72% of the population.
There were 1,434 households out of which 34.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.3% were married couples
living together, 5.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.8% were non-families. 18.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.09.
In the town the population was spread out with 26.7% under the age of 18, 3.2% from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 30.9% from 45 to 64, and 13.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 95.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.3 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $76,202, and the median income for a family was $81,996. Males had a median income of $61,513 versus $42,134 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $39,070. About 2.6% of families and 3.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.1% of those under age 18 and 5.9% 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...
of Fairfield County
Fairfield County, Connecticut
Fairfield County is a county located in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The county population is 916,829 according to the 2010 Census. There are currently 1,465 people per square mile in the county. It is the most populous county in the State of Connecticut and contains...
, 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...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 3,581 at the 2010 census. The town is named for New Haven's Founding Father, Roger Sherman
Roger Sherman
Roger Sherman was an early American lawyer and politician, as well as a founding father. He served as the first mayor of New Haven, Connecticut, and served on the Committee of Five that drafted the Declaration of Independence, and was also a representative and senator in the new republic...
.
Sherman has been named "Best Small Town in 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...
" three times by Connecticut Magazine.
The Appalachian Trail
Appalachian Trail
The Appalachian National Scenic Trail, generally known as the Appalachian Trail or simply the AT, is a marked hiking trail in the eastern United States extending between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine. It is approximately long...
goes through the northern end of Sherman. Part of Squantz Pond State Park
Squantz Pond State Park
Squantz Pond State Park is located approximately 8 miles north of Danbury, Connecticut in the towns of Sherman and New Fairfield, in Fairfield County. It is part of Candlewood Lake but is separated from the main body of the lake by Route 39. Squantz Pond is natural in origin; however, its level...
is in the town.
Sherman has one area on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
: the Sherman Historic District
Sherman Historic District (Sherman, Connecticut)
The Sherman Historic District in Sherman, Connecticut is an historic district that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.The district is an irregular shaped area that includes the historic center of Sherman...
, bounded roughly by the intersection of Old Greenswood Road and Route 37, northeast past the intersection of Route 37 East and Route 39
Route 39 (Connecticut)
Route 39 is a north–south state highway in Connecticut. It is one of the main roads in downtown Danbury. Route 39 begins at the junction of Route 53 and 37, near I-84 , and runs for north through New Fairfield and Sherman, ending at Route 55 in Sherman.- Route description:Route 39 begins...
North and Sawmill Road. The district was added to the National Register on August 31, 1991.
Sherman is the only town in Fairfield County
Fairfield County, Connecticut
Fairfield County is a county located in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The county population is 916,829 according to the 2010 Census. There are currently 1,465 people per square mile in the county. It is the most populous county in the State of Connecticut and contains...
in the 860 area code
Area code 860
Area code 860 is a telephone area code that covers most of Connecticut, except its southwest, which use area codes 203 and 475. Area code 959, originally announced in August 1999, will overlay area code 860 when the 860 code nears exhaustion; a date for implementing the 959 area code has yet to be...
; the remainder of the county is served by the area code 203
Area code 203
Area code 203 is the North American telephone area code that covers the southwestern part of Connecticut. The area code stretches from its western border, along its southern coast, to beyond the city of New Haven, and ends just south of Hartford. 203 overlays with area code 475...
/area code 475 overlay.
Education
There is one public school in Sherman, the Sherman School. Its enrollment is about 500 students from pre-school to grade 8. There is no high school in Sherman; students instead are given a choice of six high schools that Sherman will pay for them to attend (New Milford High SchoolNew Milford High School (Connecticut)
New Milford High School is a four-year public, coeducational high school in New Milford, Connecticut. Currently, approximately 1,600 students attend the school. Although a majority of the students attending the school are from New Milford, some students are from the nearby towns of Sherman and...
, New Fairfield High School
New Fairfield High School
New Fairfield High School is the only secondary school within New Fairfield, Connecticut. It enrolls approximately 900 students annually. The current principal of New Fairfield High School is Mariana Coelho. The school was constructed in the 1970s with open classrooms that were retrofitted with...
, Brookfield High School
Brookfield High School (Connecticut)
Brookfield High School is a high school in Brookfield, Fairfield County, Connecticut.In the 2006-2007 school year the school had roughly 1000 students. This steep increase was due to one of the largest freshman classes ever, with over 300 people...
, Henry Abbot Tech
Henry Abbott Technical High School
Henry Abbott Technical High School is a vocational-technical high school in Danbury and is among three high schools within Danbury, which include Danbury High School, and Immaculate High School.-Automotive Collision Repair and Refinishing:...
, Shepaug Valley High School
Shepaug Valley High School
Shepaug Valley High School is a four-year public, coeducational high school in rural Washington, Connecticut, although it draws residents from nearby Roxbury, Bridgewater, and Sherman as well. It neighbors prep school The Gunnery, and is the only public high school in Region 12...
, and Nonnewaug High School
Nonnewaug High School
Nonnewaug High School is a public school based out of Woodbury, Connecticut USA which serves the towns of Woodbury and Bethlehem, Connecticut. It is part of Regional School District #14. The school houses the Ellis Clark Regional Agri-Science and Technology Center, which draws students from...
). The principal of Sherman School is Mary Boylan. The Sherman School was named one of the top four schools in the state of Connecticut.
Notable residents, past and present
- Mikhail BaryshnikovMikhail BaryshnikovMikhail Nikolaevich Baryshnikov is a Soviet and American dancer, choreographer, and actor, often cited alongside Vaslav Nijinsky and Rudolf Nureyev as one of the greatest ballet dancers of the 20th century. After a promising start in the Kirov Ballet in Leningrad, he defected to Canada in 1974...
lived in Sherman for a time with his family. - Blackleach BurrittBlackleach BurrittBlackleach Burritt was a preacher during the American Revolutionary War. During the American War of Independence, he was incarcerated in the Sugar House Prison-Early life and ancestors:...
, noted clergyman in the American Revolution. - Martha ClarkeMartha ClarkeMartha Clarke is an American theater director and choreographer noted for her multidisciplinary approach to theatre, dance, and opera productions. She is the creator of plotless, dreamlike works that are perhaps described by the term "moving paintings. Her work frequently emphasizes striking...
, American director and choreographer. - Vinnie ColaiutaVinnie ColaiutaVincent Colaiuta is an American drummer based in Los Angeles. Originally from Republic, Pennsylvania, he began playing drums as a child and received his first full drum kit from his parents at the age of 14...
, renowned drummer, owned a home here for a short time - Arshile GorkyArshile GorkyArshile Gorky was an Armenian-born American painter who had a seminal influence on Abstract Expressionism. As such, his works were often speculated to have been informed by the suffering and loss he experienced of the Armenian genocide.-Early life:...
, abstract expressionist painter, lived in Sherman on Spring Lake Road. He is buried in North Cemetery in town. - Daryl HallDaryl HallDaryl Hall is an American rock, R&B and soul singer, keyboardist, guitarist, songwriter and producer, best known as the co-founder and lead vocalist of Hall & Oates . Hall scored several Billboard chart hits in the 1970s and early 1980s, and is regarded as one of the best blue eyed soul singers...
, musician who recently bought a home in Sherman - Bob Iger, Disney CEO, has a home in Sherman.
- Howard SchatzHoward SchatzHoward Schatz is an American ophthalmologist and photographer. After an academic career as a retina specialist, primarily in the San Francisco area, he turned his photography hobby into a successful second career. The photographs of Howard Schatz are exhibited in museums and photography...
, American photographer and ophthalmologist. - Jeffrey ToobinJeffrey ToobinJeffrey Ross Toobin is an American lawyer, author, and legal analyst for CNN and The New Yorker.-Early life and education:...
, American lawyer, author and legal analyst for CNNCNNCable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
and The New YorkerThe New YorkerThe New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
. - George WunderGeorge WunderGeorge S. Wunder was a cartoonist best known for his 26 years illustrating the Terry and the Pirates comic strip....
, artist for 26 years on Terry and the PiratesTerry and the Pirates (comic strip)Terry and the Pirates was an action-adventure comic strip created by cartoonist Milton Caniff. Captain Joseph Patterson, editor for the Chicago Tribune New York News Syndicate, had admired Caniff’s work on the children's adventure strip Dickie Dare and hired him to create the new adventure strip,...
, - Rob ZombieRob ZombieRob Zombie is an American musician, film director, screenwriter and film producer. He founded the heavy metal band White Zombie and has been nominated three times as a solo artist for the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance.Zombie has also established a career as a film director, creating the...
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 23.4 square miles (60.6 km²), of which 21.8 square miles (56.5 km²) is land and 1.6 square miles (4.1 km²), or 6.68%, is water.
Naromiyocknowhusunkatankshunk Brook
Sherman is the location of Naromiyocknowhusunkatankshunk Brook (29 letters), in the north end of town near the New MilfordNew Milford, Connecticut
New Milford is a town in southern Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States north of Danbury, on the Housatonic River. It is the largest town in the state in terms of land area at nearly . The population was 28,671 according to the Census Bureau's 2006 estimates...
border. The Indian name means "water flowing from the hills" (the English wording is 17 letters long). The Naromi Land Trust in Sherman derived its name from the brook.
For some time the brook was officially known as Morrissey Brook (9 letters), but an official name change was put into Public Act 01-194, "An Act Concerning Certain Real Property Transactions," which was approved July 11, 2001. The 29-letter name was noted in an 1882 book, History of the Towns of New Milford
New Milford, Connecticut
New Milford is a town in southern Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States north of Danbury, on the Housatonic River. It is the largest town in the state in terms of land area at nearly . The population was 28,671 according to the Census Bureau's 2006 estimates...
and Bridgewater
Bridgewater, Connecticut
Bridgewater is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 1,824 at the 2000 census. It is the only remaining dry town in Connecticut.-Geography:...
, 1703–1882, by Samuel Orcutt.
Candlewood Lake
Candlewood LakeCandlewood Lake
Candlewood Lake, 8.4 sq mi , is located in Fairfield and Litchfield counties of western Connecticut, in the northeastern United States. It is the largest lake in Connecticut...
stretches from Danbury
Danbury, Connecticut
Danbury is a city in northern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It had population at the 2010 census of 80,893. Danbury is the fourth largest city in Fairfield County and is the seventh largest city in Connecticut....
in the south, north to Sherman at a park named Veterans' Field. The lake is the largest in 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...
. It is artificial, created for the Rocky River hydro electric power plant in New Milford on the Housatonic River
Housatonic River
The Housatonic River is a river, approximately long, in western Massachusetts and western Connecticut in the United States. It flows south to southeast, and drains about of southwestern New England into Long Island Sound...
. The water is pumped through a large pipe into the lake.
Sherman Center
The town center is listed as the Sherman Historic DistrictSherman Historic District (Sherman, Connecticut)
The Sherman Historic District in Sherman, Connecticut is an historic district that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.The district is an irregular shaped area that includes the historic center of Sherman...
in the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
. It was designated in 1991 for its historic architecture including several houses, the town hall, school, and manufacturing facilities.
Demographics
| Historical population of Shermanhttp://www.sots.ct.gov/RegisterManual/SectionVII/SecVIITOC.htm |
|
| 1810 | 949 |
| 1820 | 957 |
| 1830 | 947 |
| 1840 | 938 |
| 1850 | 984 |
| 1860 | 911 |
| 1870 | 846 |
| 1880 | 828 |
| 1890 | 668 |
| 1900 | 658 |
| 1910 | 569 |
| 1920 | 533 |
| 1930 | 391 |
| 1940 | 477 |
| 1950 | 549 |
| 1960 | 825 |
| 1970 | 1,459 |
| 1980 | 2,281 |
| 1990 | 2,809 |
| 2000 | 3,827 |
| 2010 | 3,581 |
As of the census
Census
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 3,827 people, 1,434 households, and 1,092 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 175.6 people per square mile (67.8/km²). There were 1,606 housing units at an average density of 73.7 per square mile (28.4/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.36% White, 0.55% African American, 0.03% Native American, 0.68% Asian, 0.08% Pacific Islander, 0.63% 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 0.68% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.72% of the population.
There were 1,434 households out of which 34.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.3% 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, 5.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.8% were non-families. 18.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.09.
In the town the population was spread out with 26.7% under the age of 18, 3.2% from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 30.9% from 45 to 64, and 13.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 95.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.3 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $76,202, and the median income for a family was $81,996. Males had a median income of $61,513 versus $42,134 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 $39,070. About 2.6% of families and 3.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.1% of those under age 18 and 5.9% of those age 65 or over.