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Hartland, Connecticut
Town of Hartland
Falls Brook in the Tunxis State Forest
Falls Brook in the Tunxis State Forest
Official seal of Hartland, Connecticut
Seal
Hartland's location within Hartford County and Connecticut Hartford County and Connecticut
Country  United States
U.S. state  Connecticut
County Hartford
Region Northwest Hills
Settled 1754
Incorporated 1761
Villages East Hartland
West Hartland
Government
 • Type Selectman-town meeting
Area
 • Total 34.6 sq mi (89.6 km2)
 • Land 33.1 sq mi (85.7 km2)
 • Water 1.5 sq mi (3.9 km2)
Elevation
531 ft (162 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 1,901
 • Density 54.95/sq mi (21.217/km2)
Time zone UTC-5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST) UTC-4 (Eastern)
ZIP Codes
06027, 06091
Area code(s) 860/959
FIPS code 09-37140
GNIS feature ID 0213443

Hartland is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 1,901 at the 2020 census. The rural town is part of the Northwest Hills Planning Region and forms the northwestern border of Hartford County. Currently, the town consists of two unincorporated areas, East and West Hartland, entirely separated by the northern portion of the Barkhamsted Reservoir. A third area, Hartland Hollow (also referred to as Hartland Center), was flooded when the reservoir was completed in 1940.

History

Originally referenced as the "Western Lands," the unsettled area was the subject of a 37-year controversy over competing claims by the Connecticut Colony and the towns of Hartford and Windsor. After the Colony's General Court was petitioned in 1724 to settle the dispute, it divided the lands among the three parties, which was followed by a confirming patent issued by Governor Joseph Talcott in 1729.

After another division agreement, Hartford's proprietors were granted a patent in 1732 for four parcels encompassing the lands now known as Hartland, Winchester, and New Hartford. Land in Hartland was proportionally granted on the basis of Hartford's 1720 Grand List. In 1733, the 67 landowners organized the Proprietors of Hartland association, and received a decree from the General Court for "Hartford land," then shortened to Hartland.

In 1754, Captain/Deacon Thomas Giddings Jr II (1723 -1790) and his wife Mary Coult became the town's first permanent settlers. In 1761, the 44 families of Hartland petitioned the General Court, and Hartland was incorporated as an independent town that same year.

Geography

The town is bisected by the Farmington River's east branch which became the northern section of Barkhamsted Reservoir after construction of the Saville Dam in 1940. The reservoir and surrounding land, owned by the Metropolitan District Commission (MDC) water authority, fills the hollow between East and West mountains.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 34.6 square miles (89.6 km2), of which 33.1 square miles (85.7 km2) is land and 1.5 square miles (3.9 km2), or 4.39%, is water. Bounded on the north by the Massachusetts border, Hartland is drained by the Farmington River, a tributary of the Connecticut River. The 42nd parallel north and the 73rd meridian west meet in the central western part of town.

Hartland is home to parts of three Connecticut State forests, Peoples State Forest, Tunxis State Forest, and American Legion State Forest The Barkhamsted Reservoir, which cuts through the middle of Hartland, is 11 miles long and holds approximately 30 billion gallon reservoir, and serves the primary source of drinking water for most of Hartford County. The construction of the reservoir and the Saville Dam required the relocation of over 1,000 people, four cemeteries, and numerous family farms in Hartland and Barkhamsted. In total, over 70% of Hartland's land, or over 15,500 acres, is permanently designated as open space, encompassing state forests and parks, watersheds, and public land conservation trusts.

Demographics

Historic American Buildings Survey (Fed.) Stanley P. Mixon, Photographer, Sept 16, 1940 (A) EXTERIOR, GENERAL VIEW FROM SOUTH EAST - Congregational Church, East Hartland, HABS CONN,2-HARLA,1-3
Congregational Church, East Hartland
Historical population
Census Pop.
1800 1,318
1810 1,284 −2.6%
1820 1,254 −2.3%
1830 1,221 −2.6%
1840 1,060 −13.2%
1850 848 −20.0%
1860 846 −0.2%
1870 789 −6.7%
1880 643 −18.5%
1890 565 −12.1%
1900 592 4.8%
1910 544 −8.1%
1920 448 −17.6%
1930 296 −33.9%
1940 300 1.4%
1950 549 83.0%
1960 1,040 89.4%
1970 1,303 25.3%
1980 1,416 8.7%
1990 1,866 31.8%
2000 2,012 7.8%
2010 2,114 5.1%
2020 1,901 −10.1%

As of the U.S. Census Bureau's 2023 American Community Survey, there were 1,971 people and 818 households residing in the town. The population density was 60 people per square mile (23.2/km2). There were 923 housing units, of which 840 (91%) were owner-occupied. The racial makeup of the town was 89% White, less than 1% African American, less than 1% Asian, 10% from other races and two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were less than 1% of the population.

The population distribution in 2023 was 18.82% (397) age 19 and under, 8.22% (162) ages 20 to 29, 9.79% (193) ages 30 to 39, 9.49% (187) ages 40 to 49, 19.13% (377) ages 50 to 59, 22.83% (450) ages 60 to 69, 6.50% (137) ages 70 to 79, and 3.45% (68) who were 80 years of age or older. Median age was 52.

The median household income was $105,921. 2% of the population were below the poverty line. As of 2022, 2.16% (40) of the town qualified for Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP).

Education

Educational data is provided by the Connecticut Economic Resource Center (CERC). Hartland School District consists of one school, Hartland School, Pre-K through grade eight, with an enrollment in 2017 of 162. High school students can attend any of the CREC magnet schools, State of Connecticut vocational schools, State of Connecticut vocational-agricultural schools, the town-designated public high school (Granby High School as of 2019), or receive a voucher to attend another town public high school. Because of the wide variety in high school choice, four-year cohort graduation rates were not available. From 2013 to 2017, 73.1% of students attended public school, while 26.9% attended private school. By highest education level achieved as of 2017, 32% of the town earned a high school diploma, 12% an associate degree, and 32% bachelor's degree or higher.

Notable locations

Notable people

See also

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