ZIP Code 06064

Windsor is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States, and was the first English settlement in the state. It lies on the northern border of Connecticut's capital, Hartford. The population of Windsor was 29,492 at the 2020 census. Poquonock is a northern area of Windsor that has its own zip code (06064) for post-office box purposes. Other unincorporated areas in Windsor include Rainbow and Hayden Station in the north, and Wilson and Deerfield in the south. In 1635, a party of around 30 people, sponsored by Sir Richard Saltonstall, and led by the Stiles brothers, Francis, John and Henry, settled in the Windsor area. On February 21, 1637, the colony's General Court changed the name of the settlement from Dorchester to Windsor, named after the town of Windsor, Berkshire, on the River Thames in England. Several "daughter towns" were formed from Windsor's original boundaries, These include portions or all of Barkhamsted, Bloomfield, Bolton, Colebrook, Coventry, East Windsor, Ellington, Enfield, Granby, Harwinton, Litchfield, Morris, Suffield, Tolland, Torrington, Vernon, Windsor, and Simsbury. The first "highway" in the Connecticut Colony opened between Windsor and Hartford in 1638. Two years later, the highway was extended north to the settlement at Springfield, with the road connecting the settlement with Springfield, Springfield and Wethersfield.

History

The Pequot and Mohegan nations had been at war. The Podunk invited a small party of settlers from Plymouth, Massachusetts, to settle as a mediating force between the other tribes. In exchange they granted them a plot of land at the confluence of the Farmington River and the west side of the Connecticut River. The first group of 60 or more people were led by Roger Ludlow, primary framer of the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut. On February 21, 1637, the colony's General Court changed the name of the settlement from Dorchester to Windsor, named after the town of Windsor, Berkshire, on the River Thames in England. On the same day, Windsor was incorporated as a town along with Hartford and Wethersfield. Several "daughter towns" were formed from Windsor's original boundaries. During a grain famine, the founder of Springfield, William Pynchon, was given authority by Windsor and Hartford to negotiate a price for grain for the three settlements with the natives. After "negotiating trade", the natives capitulated and ultimately sold their grain to Springfield. In 1640, the famous Indian fighter John Mason travelled to Springfield with "money in one hand and a sword in the other" to threaten the natives, thereby forcing them to sell their grain. Outraged, Springfield forever sided with the Massachusetts Bayocracy based in Boston, and a faraway Massachusetts Bay Colony based in New England was formed. The four settlements that came to dominate the region for much of colonial history were connected.

Geography

Windsor's highest point is on Day Hill at 230 feet (70 m) above sea level. The city of Hartford, the capital of Connecticut, is adjacent to Windsor to the south. The town center is well-planned in comparison to many others in the Greater Hartford area. The Vintage Radio and Communications Museum of Connecticut is located in Windsor. From 1957 to 2006, the town was the location of the S1C Nuclear Powered Training Unit; a prototype nuclear power plant for the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program. Windsor is home to the following locations on the National Register of Historic Places: Allyn, Capt. Benjamin, II, House, 119 Deerfield Rd, and Bissell Tavern-Bissell's Stage House, 1022 Palisado Ave. Tobacco farming in Connecticut has a long history. By 1700, the native population was being exported via the Connecticut River to European ports. Approximately 34,000 acres (140 km²) of binder and wrapper of cigars were grown in the area. Windsor has a population of about 4,000. It has a relative diversity of chains and local shops, as well as a restored Amtrak train station dating to the 1850s. The Connecticut River defines Windsor's east border. The Farmington River is dammed in the northwest corner of Windsor to form the 234-acre (0.95km²) Rainbow Reservoir. It is the site of the first nuclear reactor site to receive unrestricted release after demolition and decontamination efforts.

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 29,044 people, 11,233 households, and 7,881 families residing in the town. The racial makeup of the town was 54.7% White, 34.3% African American, 4.5% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 3.1% some other race, and 3.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.4% of the population. Windsor was one of a handful of towns in the country where, in the 2000 U.S. Census, median income for black households ($64,159) was larger than white households ($63,624). Asian households had a median income of $75,716. Median income for a household in Windsor was $78,211 in 2009-2011, and $89,726 for a family. The per capita income for the town is $34,899. About 6.0% of those under age 18 and 4.8% of people age 65 or over are below the poverty line.Windsor High School has 1,471 students enrolled. Demographics for 2004-2005 were: black 46.2%, white 41.1%, Asian 3.8%, Native American 0.1%. The town has a high school with more than 1,000 students. The town's high school has a graduation rate of 80%. The high school's graduation rate in 2004-2005 was 80%.

Economy

Top employers in Windsor according to the town's 2021 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report. The town's economy is expected to grow by 2.7 per cent in the next five years. Windsor's economy will grow by 3.8 per cent from 2021 to 2023, the report says. The city's unemployment rate is currently at 3.9 per cent. Windsor is home to some of Canada's largest employers, including Canadian Tire, SNC-Lavalin and Sobeys. Windsor has a population of more than 100,000, according to a 2011 study. It is the largest city in the province, with a GDP of almost $1.2 billion. It has the highest unemployment rate in the city, the study says. It's the third highest in Canada, after Montreal and Toronto. Windsor also has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country, at 2.4 per cent, the town says. Windsor employs more people than any other city in Canada. The economy is projected to grow at a rate of 2.6 per cent by the end of the decade. The report says Windsor will be home to more than 50,000 new jobs by 2023. It also says the town will have more than 1,200 new businesses by that year, up from 1,000 in 2012. The number of new jobs is expected at 1,300 in 2013. Windsor will have the highest employment rate in Canada in 2021, the city's report says, with more than 2,000 jobs created in the past three years.

Government

Windsor has a councilmanager government. The legislative function is performed by a bipartisan Council of nine members. The Town Council elects a Mayor from its membership for the two-year term, and also appoints the Town Manager. Peter Souza has served as Windsor's town manager since 2004. The following minor parties have registered voters in Windsor: the Green Party, Libertarian Party, Working Families Party, and Independent Party. Windsor is home to the U.S. House of Representatives and the United States Senate. It is also the home of the Connecticut Supreme Court, which has a seat in the state's capital, Hartford, and a state Supreme Court seat in Bridgeport, Connecticut. The town has a population of 4,000, with the majority of residents living in the central part of the city. The city has an estimated population of 3,000. It has an average income of $30,000 per year, and an average household wealth of $1,800. It also has a high school graduation rate of 80 per cent, the highest rate in Connecticut, and the lowest rate in the nation. The average household income in Windsor is $28,000; the city has a low crime rate of 10 per cent. The highest crime rate is 15 per cent; the town has no crime rate, the lowest of any Connecticut city or town. The state has the highest homicide rate in all of Connecticut, at 11 per cent for the entire state. The lowest rate is 8 per cent in the city, which is the lowest in the country.

Infrastructure

Windsor is a town in Connecticut. Bradley International Airport is located in the adjacent town of Windsor Locks to the north. There are eight routes serving Windsor: 15, 30, 32, 34, 36, 40, 54, and 92. There is a railroad station in Windsor Center with Amtrak's Hartford Line, Northeast Regional and Valley Eagle trains stopping at the station. Windsor Volunteer Fire Department has 5 stations: Windsor Station (at the Windsor Safety Complex), Wilson Station, Poquonock Station, Rainbow Road Station and Hayden Station. Windsor is located off of Day Hill Road, at 100 Addison Road. The city is located on the Connecticut Turnpike, which runs from New Haven to Hartford. It is also the location of the Connecticut State Prison, which was founded in 1856. The town has a population of 3,000, the highest in the state, and is home to the Connecticut Correctional Institution, which opened in 1858. It also has the state's largest prison, which is located near the town's central business district. It was the site of the U.S. Civil War Battle of the Bulge, which took place in 1864. It has been renamed Windsor in honor of the city's founder, William "Bill" Windsor, who was born in the town in 1854. The current mayor is Michael J. Ruckelshaus, who served as mayor from 1969 to 1974. The mayor is the son of former Mayor William Ruchelshaus.

Education

The public schools in Windsor are a part of the Windsor Public Schools. Loomis Chaffee, the well-known college preparatory school, is located in Windsor, on a 320-acre (130 ha) campus at the confluence of the Connecticut and Farmington rivers. Madina Academy, Connecticut's first full-time Islamic School, offers preschool through 12th grade. Trinity Christian School is a private school that teaches kindergarten through seventh grade. Windsor has two public libraries: Windsor Public Library and Wilson Public Library. Windsor also has one magnet middle & high school (Grades 612): Academy of Aerospace and Engineering. Windsor is home to the Capital Region Education Council, which manages the magnet schools in the area. The town has one public middle school: Sage Park Middle School, and one public high school: Windsor High School, which teaches Grades 912 and 913. The city also has two private schools: Saint Gabriel's School and Praise, Power, Prayer Christian School. The school is located on Day Hill Road, near the intersection of Connecticut Route 4 and Connecticut Route 5. The public library is located at the corner of Main Street and Main Street. Windsor's public schools are: Oliver Ellsworth Primary School, Clover Street Intermediate School, John F. Kennedy Intermediate School and Poquonock Primary School. There are four public elementary schools: Clover Street Elementary, Poqu onock Elementary, and John F Kennedy Intermediate. There is also one private school: Trinity Christian Schools.

Recreation and activities

Windsor Meadows State Park is in the southeast corner of town and runs along the shore of the Connecticut River. Mill Brook Open Space, the former Mill Brook and Traditions golf course headed to housing development was purchased and protected as open space by The Trust for Public Land in 2014. The movie Academy Boyz was shot at Loomis Chaffee in 1997. A scene in the movie War of the Worlds was shot along the Farmington River. The Northwest Park Country Fair is held every fall. The Shad Derby Festival is held in the town center in the spring. The town's Christmas parade is held on the corner of Main and Main streets every year. It is a popular location in the summer months for those interested in canoeing and kayaking the Farminton River. It was the setting for the movie Parrish, which was filmed on Windsor's tobacco "plantations" in 1961. The city's Christmas tree lighting is held at the end of the month on the first Sunday in December. It has been the site of the town's annual Christmas parade for the past 20 years. It also hosts the town Christmas party every year on the last Sunday of December. The annual Christmas tree light parade takes place on the second Sunday in January. It takes place at the town hall and is attended by more than 1,000 people each year. Windsor is home to a number of public parks, many of which are open to the public. Windsor's largest park, Northwest Park, is located in the northwest corner of Windsor.