Canton, Connecticut

Town in Connecticut, United States

Canton, Connecticut

Town

Canton Historical Museum

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Hartford County and Connecticut

Capitol Planning Region and Connecticut

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Coordinates: 41°51′42″N 72°54′33″W﻿ / ﻿41.86167°N 72.90917°W﻿ / 41.86167; -72.90917
Country|  United States
U.S. state|  Connecticut
County| Hartford
Region| Capitol Region
Incorporated| 1806
Hamlets| Canton (Canton Valley)
Canton Center
Collinsville
North Canton
Government

• Type| Selectman-town meeting
• First Selectman| Robert Bessel (D)
• Selectmen| William Volovski (D)
Warren Humphrey (R)
Timothy LeGeyt (R)
Stephen Sedor (R)
Area

• Total| 25.0 sq mi (64.8 km2)
• Land| 24.6 sq mi (63.7 km2)
• Water| 0.4 sq mi (1.1 km2)
Elevation

[1]

| 436 ft (133 m)
Population

(2020)

• Total| 10,124
• Density| 411.6/sq mi (158.9/km2)
Time zone| UTC-5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)| UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP Codes|

06019, 06020, 06022, 06059

Area code(s)| 860/959
FIPS code| 09-12270
GNIS feature ID| 0213404[1]
Major highways|
Website| www.townofcantonct.org

Canton is a town, incorporated in 1806, located in the Farmington Valley section of the Capitol Planning Region, Connecticut, United States. The population was 10,124 as of the 2020 census.[2] It is bordered by Granby on the north, Simsbury on the east, Avon and Burlington on the south, New Hartford on the west, and Barkhamsted on the northwest. Running through it is the Farmington River. The town includes the villages of North Canton, Canton Center, Canton (Canton Valley), and Collinsville. In September 2007, Collinsville was ranked in Budget Travel magazine as one of the "Ten Coolest Small Towns In America".[3]

## History

[edit]

The name of Canton was officially designated on its incorporation in 1806. While assisting with the town's organization, its name was given by Ephraim Mills, ancestor of Lewis S. Mills.[4] There are two competing theories for Mills' source of the name, however.[5]

According to William Edgar Simonds, husband of Ephraim Mills' great-granddaughter, and Sylvester Barbour in his book Reminisces, Canton's name derives from canton, a Swiss administrative division.[5][6] Simonds wrote that Canton "... is derived from a supposed likeness to a Swiss canton, the meaning of the word being to divide or set off, and the partition from Simsbury made the name appropriate."[5] Barbour instead noted that "it came from Mr. Mills' interest in the Swiss people and their ardent patriotism, and was suggested to his mind by their territorial divisions into cantons. The name appealed to him, partly because of its pleasant sound, and its being so easy to read and write."[6]

In an article within a 1903 issue of The Connecticut Magazine, Joel N. Eno claimed without a source that Canton's name derived from Canton, an archaic name for Guangzhou, China.[7] This claim has since been repeated by others, such as The Register Citizen,[4] a Connecticut newspaper.

Other towns such as Canton, Massachusetts and Canton, Ohio have used the name for the town.

It separated from Simsbury in 1806. At the Collins ax factory in Collinsville, Elisha Root invented the important industrial technique of die casting.

## Points of interest

[edit]

The Canton Historical Museum in Collinsville is located in a building of the former Collins Axe Company, founded by Samuel W. Collins and one of the first ax factories in the world. It displays a 19th-century general store, a post office, a printing press and blacksmith and barber shops. Vehicles, tools and farm implements are also exhibited, as well as a working railroad diorama, Victorian fashions, toys and dolls.[8]

The town is on the Farmington River, and Collinsville Canoe & Kayak is the largest specialty canoe and kayak store in New England. A rail trail also runs through the town.[9]

In the southeastern corridor of Canton, along U.S. Route 44, there is an open-air shopping center called The Shops at Farmington Valley, which opened in 2004. The shopping center has space for 50 stores and restaurants.

The Collinsville Renewable Energy Promotion Act (H.R. 316;113th Congress) was a piece of federal legislation that dealt specifically with Collinsville. The bill was introduced into the United States House of Representatives of the 113th United States Congress by Representatives Elizabeth Esty. The bill directed the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to reinstate two lapsed licenses and grant them to the town so that the town could restart two old dams and generate hydroelectric power.[10]

## Geography

[edit]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 25.0 square miles (64.8 km2), of which 24.6 square miles (63.7 km2) is land and 0.42 square miles (1.1 km2), or 1.76%, is water.[11] The town center is a census-designated place (CDP) known as Canton Valley, with an area of 1.8 square miles (4.6 km2), all land.

## Demographics

[edit]

Historical population Census| Pop.| Note| %±

|
|
|

1820| 1,322| | —
1850| 1,986| | —
1860| 2,373| | 19.5%
1870| 2,639| | 11.2%
1880| 2,301| | −12.8%
1890| 2,500| | 8.6%
1900| 2,678| | 7.1%
1910| 2,732| | 2.0%
1920| 2,549| | −6.7%
1930| 2,397| | −6.0%
1940| 2,769| | 15.5%
1950| 3,613| | 30.5%
1960| 4,783| | 32.4%
1970| 6,868| | 43.6%
1980| 7,635| | 11.2%
1990| 8,268| | 8.3%
2000| 8,840| | 6.9%
2010| 10,292| | 16.4%
2020| 10,124| | −1.6%
U.S. Decennial Census[12]

See also: List of Connecticut locations by per capita income

As of the census[13] of 2010, there were 10,129 people, 4,086 households, and 2,785 families residing in the town. The racial makeup of the town was 95.7% White, 0.9% African American, 0.3% Native American, 1.5% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 0.4% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.6% of the population. The population density according to the 2000 census, was 359.7 people per square mile (138.9 people/km2). There were 3,616 housing units at an average density of 147.2 units per square mile (56.8 units/km2).

There were 4,086 households, out of which 57.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.5% were married couples living together, 7.68% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.94% had a male householder with no wife present, and 31.84% were non-families. 10.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.7% under the age of 20, 3.7% from 20 to 24, 22.7% from 25 to 44, 32.8% from 45 to 64, and 15.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43.9 years. Females made up 51.7% of the population.

As of 2018[update], the median income for a household in the town was $91,651, and the median income for a family was $131,673. Males had a median income of $49,980 versus $37,652 for females. The per capita income for the town was $53,007. About 1.9% of families and 2.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.2% of those under age 18 and 0.5% of those age 65 or over. The median income for a household (est. in 2009) has rose in the town of Canton due to an increase of home sales in the past decade. Canton was listed as one of the fastest-growing towns in Connecticut (c. 2006) and is steadily growing.

## Government and politics

[edit]

Canton town vote
by party in presidential elections[14] Year  | Democratic | Republican | Third Parties

|
|
|

2020 | 58.22% 3,878 | 39.98% 2,663 | 1.08% 120
2016 | 51.65% 3,100 | 43.34% 2,601 | 5.01% 301
2012 | 51.23% 2,967 | 47.35% 2,742 | 1.42% 82
2008 | 57.13% 3,412 | 41.39% 2,472 | 1.47% 88
2004 | 53.70% 3,003 | 44.74% 2,502 | 1.56% 87
2000 | 50.20% 2,440 | 42.65% 2,073 | 7.16% 348
1996 | 46.14% 2,109 | 39.27% 1,795 | 14.59% 667
1992 | 41.46% 2,118 | 35.70% 1,824 | 22.84% 1,167
1988 | 44.43% 1,995 | 54.77% 2,459 | 0.80% 36
1984 | 36.43% 1,577 | 63.27% 2,739 | 0.30% 13
1980 | 31.03% 1,295 | 48.08% 2,007 | 20.89% 872
1976 | 36.25% 1,344 | 63.38% 2,350 | 0.38% 14
1972 | 33.66% 1,206 | 65.62% 2,351 | 0.73% 26
1968 | 39.38% 1,168 | 56.00% 1,661 | 4.62% 137
1964 | 54.89% 1,464 | 45.11% 1,203 | 0.00% 0
1960 | 37.70% 935 | 62.30% 1,545 | 0.00% 0
1956 | 26.16% 549 | 73.84% 1,550 | 0.00% 0
Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of October 29, 2019[15]

Party  | Active Voters  | Inactive Voters  | Total Voters  | Percentage
| Republican | 2,234  | 118  | 2,352  | 28.91%
| Democratic | 2,445  | 113  | 2,558  | 31.44%
| Unaffiliated | 2,950  | 150  | 3,110  | 38.10%
| Minor parties  | 120  | 6  | 126  | 1.55%
Total  | 7,749  | 387  | 8,136  | 100%

## Transportation

[edit]

The town is served by U.S. Routes 44 and 202, as well as Connecticut Routes 177, 179, and 309. Commuter bus service to Hartford is provided by Connecticut Transit Hartford; a Park & Ride lot is on Old River Road in Collinsville. Intercity train and bus services are provided from Union Station in Hartford, and the nearest large airport is Bradley International Airport, about 13 miles (21 km) away in Windsor Locks.

## Notable people

[edit]

* Lucien Barbour (1811–1880), congressman for Indiana
* Philemon Bliss (1813–1889), congressman for Ohio
* Samuel W. Collins (1802–1871), founder of the Collins Axe Factory for which Collinsville is named
* Danny Hoffman (1880–1922), Major League Baseball player
* Uriel Holmes (1764–1827), congressman for Connecticut
* Merrill I. Mills (1819–1882), mayor of Detroit, Michigan
* Anson Greene Phelps (1781–1853), industrialist and philanthropist
* William E. Simonds (1842–1903), US Civil War veteran, Medal of Honor recipient and congressman for Connecticut
* David Vaudreuil (born 1966), Major League Soccer player and coach
* Annie Withey, co-creator of Smartfood and Annie's Homegrown

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Canton, Connecticut
2. ^ "Census - Geography Profile: Canton town, Hartford County, Connecticut". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
3. ^ Travel, Budget (August 6, 2007). "10 Coolest Small Towns, Conn". Budget Travel. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
4. ^ a b "Exhibit to feature Lewis Mills' photography at Canton library". The Register Citizen. December 19, 2010. Retrieved May 4, 2022.
5. ^ a b c Canton Sesquicentennial, 1806-1956; A Short Illustrated History of Canton. Canton Sesquicentennial Committee. 1956.
6. ^ a b Barbour, Sylvester (1908). Reminisces (PDF). Hartford Press. pp. 32–33.
7. ^ The Connecticut Magazine: An Illustrated Monthly. Connecticut Magazine Company. 1903. p. 331.
8. ^ Connecticut, Massachusetts & Rhode Island Tourbook 2007 Edition. (2007) p 57. AAA Publishing, Heathrow, Florida
9. ^ Collier, Christopher Percy, "10 Coolest Small Towns, Conn." article in Budget Travel, September 2007, retrieved November 12, 2008
10. ^ "H.R 316 - 113th Congress". United States Congress. Retrieved April 12, 2013.
11. ^ "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Canton town, Hartford County, Connecticut". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved November 26, 2012.
12. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
13. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 8, 2016.
14. ^ "General Elections Statement of Vote 1922".
15. ^ "Registration and Party Enrollment Statistics as of October 29, 2019" (PDF). Connecticut Secretary of State. Retrieved March 22, 2020.

## External links

[edit]

* Connecticut portal

* Town of Canton official website
* Canton Historical Museum

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