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Cornwall, Connecticut
Town
West Cornwall covered bridge
Seal
Location in Litchfield County, Connecticut
Coordinates: 41°50′43″N 73°19′53″W / 41.84528°N 73.33139°W / 41.84528; -73.33139Coordinates: 41°50′43″N 73°19′53″W / 41.84528°N 73.33139°W / 41.84528; -73.33139
Country	United States
U.S. state	Connecticut
County	Litchfield
Region	Northwest Hills
Incorporated (city)	May 1740[1]
Government
• Type	Selectman-town meeting
• First selectman	Gordon M. Ridgway (D)
• Selectman	Richard Bramley (D)
• Selectman	Heidi L. Kearns (R)
Area
• Total	46.3 sq mi (119.9 km2)
• Land	46.0 sq mi (119.2 km2)
• Water	0.3 sq mi (0.7 km2)
Elevation	709 ft (216 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	1,434
• Density	32/sq mi (12/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	06754, 06796
Area code(s)	860
FIPS code	09-17240
GNIS feature ID	0213412
Website	www.cornwallct.org

Cornwall is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 1,420 at the 2010 census.

History

Cornwall was incorporated in May 1740,^[1] and was named after Cornwall, England.^[2]

In 1939 poet Mark Van Doren wrote "The Hills of Little Cornwall", in which the seductive beauties of the countryside were portrayed:^[3]

The mind, eager for caresses,

Lies down at its own risk in Cornwall;

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 46.3 square miles (120 km²), of which, 46.0 square miles (119 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.52 km²) of it (0.54%) is water. The town is located on the east bank of the Housatonic River and also contains a major portion of the Mohawk State Forest.

Principal communities

• Cornwall Bridge (has its own post office)


• Cornwall Village (has its own post office)


• Cornwall Hollow


• East Cornwall


• West Cornwall (has its own post office)

Demographics

As of the census^[6] of 2000, there were 1,434 people, 615 households, and 389 families residing in the town. The population density was 31.2 people per square mile (12.0/km²). There were 873 housing units at an average density of 19.0 per square mile (7.3/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.49% White, 0.21% African American, 0.70% Asian, 0.21% from other races, and 1.39% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.46% of the population.

A sketch of the village by John Warner Barber (1835) shows the buildings used by the Foreign Mission School, to the right of the church at center.

There were 615 households out of which 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.5% were married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.6% were non-families. 30.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.93.

In the town, the population was spread out with 24.4% under the age of 18, 3.3% from 18 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 28.9% from 45 to 64, and 17.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.5 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $54,886, and the median income for a family was $64,750. Males had a median income of $46,875 versus $30,536 for females. The per capita income for the town was $42,484. About 1.0% of families and 3.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.0% of those under age 18 and 1.6% of those age 65 or over.

Some of the main features of Cornwall include the Cream Hill Lake, the Covered Bridge, Mohawk Ski Mountain and the town which contains a library and tennis courts. It is a very enjoyable place for young children who enjoy activity.

Education

Cornwall is a member of Regional School District 01, which also includes the towns of Canaan, Kent, North Canaan, Salisbury, and Sharon. Public school students attend the Cornwall Consolidated School for grades K-8 and Housatonic Valley Regional High School for grades 9-12.

Arts and culture

The Cornwall Library [2], organized in 1869, constructed a new building in 2002 that houses a collection of over 28,000 items. It also sponsors a long-running art show along with many other events.

The Cornwall Chronicle [3] is a non-profit monthly newspaper that publishes news and feature stories about Cornwall, a calendar of events, and drawings by local artists. It was started in 1991 and has not missed an issue since.

Museums and other points of interest

• 
  Cathedral Pines - a 42-acre nature conservatory and old-growth forest.


• 
  Cornwall Bridge - built in 1930 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.


• 
  Cornwall Bridge Railroad Station - added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.


• 
  Cornwall Historical Society - located in a converted carriage barn, features annual exhibits on Cornwall's history.


• 
  House VI ("the Frank residence") - an example of Deconstructivist architecture.


• 
  Mohawk Mountain Ski Area - a ski resort.


• 
  West Cornwall Covered Bridge - listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975

The town was also home to the Foreign Mission School.

Infrastructure

Transportation

West Cornwall Covered Bridge, West Cornwall, Connecticut

The town is served by Route 4, US 7, Route 43, and Route 128.

The covered bridge in West Cornwall is also one of only three covered bridges in Litchfield
County. It has been in continuous service since 1864. The span is 242 feet and it crosses
the Housatonic River.

Notable people

• 
  Ethan Allen, Revolutionary War hero (Green Mountain Boys) and co-founder of the state of Vermont
  


• 
  Ira Allen, one of the founders of Vermont^[8]
  


• 
  Major Andre Andrews, mayor of Buffalo, New York
  


• 
  Edward L. Ferman, editor and publisher for Mercury Press magazines and editor of anthologies, most notably of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, published in Cornwall for more than a decade.


• 
  Tom Jones, composer, The Fantasticks
  


• 
  Alexandra Paul, actress, raised in Cornwall


• 
  Oliver Platt, actor


• J. Lawrence Pool, M.D., pioneering neurosurgeon, writer and adventurer^[9]
  


• 
  Abraham A. Ribicoff, governor and U.S. senator


• 
  John Sedgwick, Union Army general killed by a sniper at the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House ^[10]
  


• 
  Oscar Serlin, Broadway producer, Life With Father
  


• 
  Marc Simont, artist, political cartoonist and illustrator of children's books


• 
  James Thurber, author (The Secret Life of Walter Mitty), cartoonist and celebrated wit


• 
  Charles Van Doren, historian, notable quiz show contestant, resident


• 
  Mark Van Doren, poet and teacher


• 
  Sam Waterston, actor, lives in West Cornwall


• 
  Josepha Newcomb Whitney, suffragist, pacifist, elected to Connecticut legislature

Popular culture

• The fictional private boarding high school Cornwall Academy from the 1999 film Outside Providence is located in Cornwall, Connecticut.


• In the eleventh episode of the second season of Supernatural, Sam and Dean Winchester explore a haunted bed and breakfast in Cornwall.


• In Season 4, Episode 11 of the television show Gossip Girl, Juliet Sharp returns to her hometown of Cornwall, Connecticut.


• Covered Bridge appears in opening credits of Valley of the Dolls

References

External links

• 
  Non-official web site sponsored by the Cornwall Association Portal style website, Government, Business, Library, Recreation and more


• Cornwall Consolidated School


• Cornwall libraries


• The Lakeville Journal


• 
  Housatonic Valley Regional High School in Falls Village


• Cornwall Historical Society


• Northwest Connecticut Arts Council


• Northwest Connecticut Convention and Visitors Bureau


• 
  City-Data.com Comprehensive Statistical Data and more about Cornwall