Plainville, Connecticut

Not to be confused with Plainfield, Connecticut.

Plainville, Connecticut
Town
Town of Plainville
Plainville Municipal Center
Seal
Hartford County and Connecticut   Capitol Planning Region and Connecticut
Show Plainville Show Connecticut Show the United States
Coordinates: 41°40′29″N72°51′25″W / 41.67472°N 72.85694°W / 41.67472; -72.85694
Country	United States
U.S. state	Connecticut
County	Hartford
Region	Capitol Region
Government
• Type	Council-manager
• Town manager	Michael T. Paulhus
• Town council	Christopher Wazorko (D), Chairman Rosemary Morante (D), Vice-Chairwoman Quinn Christopher (D) Benjamin Gediman (D) Daniel Hurley (D) Deborah Tompkins (R) David Underwood (R)
Area
• Total	9.8 sq mi (25.3 km2)
• Land	9.7 sq mi (25.2 km2)
• Water	0.08 sq mi (0.2 km2)
Elevation	190 ft (58 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	17,525
• Density	1,800/sq mi (690/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (Eastern)
ZIP Code	06062
Area code(s)	860/959
FIPS code	09-60120
GNIS feature ID	0213488
Website	www.plainvillect.com

Plainville is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of the Capitol Planning Region. The population was 17,525 at the 2020 census. ^[1]

History

Plainville first was inhabited by Europeans around 1650. By the 1660s, the land was incorporated as land for nearby Farmington. In the year 1869, it separated from Farmington due to the distance of the town center and the growth of Plainville downtown due to the installation of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad and the Hartford, Providence, and Fishkill Railroad.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 25.3 square kilometres (9.8 sq mi), of which 9.7 square miles (25.2 km²) is land and 0.077 square mile (0.2 km², or 0.72%, is water. ^[2] The east side of the town is bordered by two prominent peaks of the Metacomet Ridge: Pinnacle Rock and Bradley Mountain. The 51-mile (82 km) Metacomet Trail traverses those peaks.

Demographics

See also: List of Connecticut locations by per capita income

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
1870	1,433	—
1880	1,930	+34.7%
1890	1,993	+3.3%
1900	2,189	+9.8%
1910	2,882	+31.7%
1920	4,114	+42.7%
1930	6,301	+53.2%
1940	6,935	+10.1%
1950	9,994	+44.1%
1960	13,149	+31.6%
1970	16,733	+27.3%
1980	16,401	−2.0%
1990	17,392	+6.0%
2000	17,328	−0.4%
2010	17,716	+2.2%
2020	17,525	−1.1%
Source: [3] [4] [5]

As of the census of 2020, ^[6] there were 17,525 people, 8,187 households, and 4,565 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,800 inhabitants per square mile (690/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 87.1% White, 1.7% Black or African American, 0.9% Native American, 4.0% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, and 1.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.3% of the population.

There were 8,187 households, out of which 60.1% were married couples living together, 13.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 20.7% were non-families, such as single person households. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.97.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 19.8% under the age of 19, 6.0% from 20 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 29.1% from 45 to 64, and 19.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43.8 years. For every 100 males, there were 106.8 females.

The median income for a household in the town was $70,012. The per capita income for the town was $40,869. About 6.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.0% of those under age 18 and 8.0% of those age 65 or over.

The median home value was $219,700 and median rent was $1,027. 68.0% of the population own, while 32.0% rent. About 61.0% of housing structures were single unit, 38.0% were multi-unit, and 1.0% were other, such as mobile homes.

Economy

Pinnacle Rock

Civil War memorial

Congregational Church of Plainville

Top employers in Plainville according to the town's 2022 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report ^[7]

#	Employer	# of Employees
1	Town of Plainville	522
2	Manafort Construction	515
3	Tilcon Connecticut Inc.	430
4	Wheeler Clinic Inc	425
5	GEMS Sensors	245
6	Carling Technologies Inc	217
7	Loureiro Engineering	205
8	Mizzy Construction	198
9	Midwest Electric	165
10	Ferguson Electric	159

There were approximately 2,007 active businesses in Plainville as of 2021. Key employers includes, Wheeler Clinic, Manafort Bros. Construction, Gems Sensors & Controls, Tilcon Connecticut, and Americold. Major industries are health care, manufacturing, construction, and retail.

The Town of Plainville is one of the only municipalities to own its own airport, Robertson Field.

Arts and 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 the Plainville Fire Company.

Plainville hosts an annual PumpkinFest in October. This event is a downtown, outdoor festival featuring live music, a kid's costume parade, games, a large variety of food trucks, a haunted house, and many local vendors, downtown restaurants, and businesses.

In June at Robertson Field, the airport hosts the annual Plainville Wings & Wheels fly-in and car show. This event supports the Petit Family Foundation and the Plainville Community Food Pantry.

Plainville has also been something of a minor transportation hub. In the nineteenth century, Plainville was served by the Farmington Canal. It also sits on the intersection of two rail lines, one running north from New Haven and the other running east–west between Waterbury and Berlin. Finally, Plainville is the home of Robertson Field, the oldest private airport in Connecticut.

Education

Plainville has three elementary schools: Louis Toffolon School, Frank T. Wheeler School, and Linden Street School.

There is one middle school, the Middle School of Plainville, which serves grades 6 to 8. The middle school adopts the same mascot and colors as the town high school.

Plainville High School is the only town high school. The school mascot is the Blue Devil, and the colors are blue and white, same as nearby Central Connecticut State University. The Plainville High School cheer team are Central Connecticut Conference Grand Champions, having won the title in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, & 2022. They were CIAC co-ed champions in 2019 and placed top 3 in New England in 2022.^{[ citation needed ]}

Government

Plainville is run by a Town Manager/Town Council form of government. Michael Paulhus is the current town manager (as of 2022). The Town Council comprises seven members elected every two years. The Municipal Center is located at 1 Central Square near the center of town.

Plainville town vote
by party in presidential elections ^[8]

Year	Democratic	Republican	Third Parties
2020	48.41% 4,670	49.87%4,811	1.72% 166
2016	43.69% 3,802	51.61%4,492	4.70% 409
2012	57.04%4,540	41.68% 3,318	1.28% 102
2008	58.69%4,983	39.86% 3,384	1.45% 123
2004	55.40%4,403	42.87% 3,407	1.72% 137
2000	61.75%4,574	32.86% 2,434	5.39% 399
1996	58.39%4,379	27.63% 2,072	13.98% 1,048
1992	43.33%3,763	30.74% 2,669	25.93% 2,252
1988	52.38%3,869	46.68% 3,448	0.95% 70
1984	40.60% 3,013	58.99%4,378	0.42% 31
1980	45.12%3,215	41.69% 2,971	13.19% 940
1976	52.38%3,779	47.07% 3,396	0.55% 40
1972	42.43% 3,100	56.21%4,107	1.37% 100
1968	54.34%3,626	40.16% 2,680	5.50% 367
1964	73.61%4,618	26.39% 1,656	0.00% 0
1960	54.95%3,422	45.05% 2,806	0.00% 0
1956	35.34% 2,055	64.66%3,760	0.00% 0

Notable people

• John Bello (born 1946), founder and former CEO of SoBe; president of NFL Properties
• Ted Christopher (1958–2017), former NASCAR driver, known for his participation on the Whelen Modified Tour
• Lena Santos Ferguson (1928–2004), second African-American member of the Daughters of the American Revolution
• Pauline R. Kezer (born 1942), former Secretary of the State of Connecticut
• Niko Koutouvides (born 1981), former NFL linebacker
• Wendell Phillips Norton Sr. (1861–1955), inventor of a mechanical gear shift on the Hendy-Norton lathe
• Peter Portante (born 1996), racing driver
• John Harper Trumbull (1873–1961), 70th governor of Connecticut

• Connecticut portal

References

1. "Geographic Identifiers: 2020 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Plainville town, Hartford County, Connecticut". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved November 28, 2012.
2. "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Plainville town, Hartford County, Connecticut". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved November 28, 2012.
3. "Population 1830 - 1890". Archived from the original on February 28, 2008. Retrieved January 15, 2010.
4. "Population 1900-1960". Archived from the original on February 28, 2008. Retrieved January 15, 2010.
5. "Population 1970-2000". Archived from the original on February 28, 2008. Retrieved May 13, 2006.
6. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved November 4, 2022.
7. "Town of Plainville Comprehensive Annual Financial Report For the Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 2022" (PDF). Town of Plainville. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
8. "General Elections Statement of Vote 1922".

External links

• Town of Plainville official website
• Plainville Community Schools