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Voluntown, Connecticut

Coordinates: 41°35′N 71°50′W / 41.583°N 71.833°W / 41.583; -71.833
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Voluntown, Connecticut
Town
Town of Voluntown
Voluntown Baptist Church
Voluntown Baptist Church
Official seal of Voluntown, Connecticut
Seal
Voluntown's location within New London County and Connecticut
Map
Map
Map
Coordinates: 41°35′N 71°50′W / 41.583°N 71.833°W / 41.583; -71.833
Country United States
U.S. state Connecticut
CountyNew London
RegionNortheastern CT
Incorporated1721
Government
 • TypeSelectman-town meeting
 • First SelectmanTracey Hanson
Area
 • Total
39.8 sq mi (103.1 km2)
 • Land38.9 sq mi (100.8 km2)
 • Water0.8 sq mi (2.2 km2)
Elevation
381 ft (116 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total
2,570
 • Density65/sq mi (25/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (Eastern)
ZIP code
06384
Area code(s)860/959
FIPS code09-78600
GNIS feature ID0213521
Websitewww.voluntown.gov

Voluntown is a town in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of the Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region. The population was 2,570 at the 2020 census.[1] Voluntown was part of Windham County from 1726 to 1881, after which it became part of New London County.

History

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The town was named for the English volunteers in the 1675 Indian wars (King Philip's War) who stayed to fight "and went not away". One of the original founders of Voluntown was Lieutenant Thomas Leffingwell, who secured the town's approval in the colonial legislature and surveyed its original layout.[2] Maj. General Benedict Arnold, the infamous Revolutionary War turncoat, was a landholder.[citation needed]

Voluntown is the home of the Voluntown Peace Trust, successor to the New England Committee for Non-Violent Action, which opposed nuclear weapons testing and the launch of nuclear submarines from nearby Groton during the 1950s and 1960s.[3] On 24 August 1968, the CNVA Farm in Voluntown was attacked by armed Minutemen despite FBI infiltration of the group and police knowledge of the planned attack.[4] Several Minutemen got through a police perimeter around the farm and took hostages. Police stormed the farmhouse and initiated a shootout in which seven people were wounded. Ultimately, none of the wounded died.[5]

Geography

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According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 39.8 square miles (103 km2). 38.9 square miles (101 km2) of it is land and 0.9 square miles (2.3 km2) of it (2.14%) is covered by surface water.

Demographics

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Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
18201,116—
18501,064—
18601,055−0.8%
18701,052−0.3%
18801,18612.7%
18901,060−10.6%
1900872−17.7%
1910779−10.7%
1920656−15.8%
1930651−0.8%
194072311.1%
195082514.1%
19601,02824.6%
19701,45241.2%
19801,63712.7%
19902,11329.1%
20002,52819.6%
20102,6033.0%
20202,570−1.3%
U.S. Decennial Census[6]
See also: List of Connecticut locations by per capita income

At the 2000 census there were 2,528 people, 952 households, and 702 families living in the town. The population density was 65.0 inhabitants per square mile (25.1/km2). There were 1,091 housing units at an average density of 28.0 per square mile (10.8/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 96.64% White, 0.55% African American, 0.99% Native American, 0.28% Asian, 0.40% from other races, and 1.15% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.19%.[7] 13.2% were of English, 12.5% French Canadian, 11.5% Irish, 9.2% American, 8.9% French, 8.0% Polish, 7.6% Italian, 7.3% German and 5.6% Finnish ancestry according to Census 2000.

Of the 952 households 37.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.9% were married couples living together, 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.2% were non-families. 19.0% of households were one person and 6.3% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.05.

The age distribution was 26.5% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 36.9% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 9.5% 65 or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 104.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.6 males.

The median household income was $56,802 and the median family income was $61,618. Males had a median income of $42,647 versus $27,368 for females. The per capita income for the town was $23,707. About 3.0% of families and 4.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.7% of those under age 18 and 10.3% of those age 65 or over.

Education

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There is only one school in the school district. Voluntown Elementary School offers grades pre-k through 8th and has offered full-day kindergarten since the 2008–2009 school year. The school also offers a program for three-year-old children. In-town high school students are given the option of attending one of two public schools: Griswold High School or Norwich Free Academy. They are also given the choice of selecting a technical school: Norwich Tech or Ellis Tech. Students can also attend Quinebaug Middle College at Q.V.C.C. in Danielson, CT, and Marine Science Magnet High School in Groton, CT.

References

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  1. ^ "Census - Geography Profile: Voluntown town, New London County, Connecticut". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
  2. ^ Mahan, Russell, Thomas Leffingwell: The Connecticut Pioneer Who Rescued Chief Uncas and the Mohegans; Historical Enterprises, Santa Clara, Utah, 2018, pp. 83-84.
  3. ^ Voluntown Peace Trust History
  4. ^ Perlstein, Rick (2008). Nixonland : the rise of a president and the fracturing of America. Internet Archive. New York : Scribner. p. 340. ISBN 978-0-7432-4302-5.
  5. ^ Elmer, Jerry (August 24, 2018). "Jerry Elmer: On the fiftieth anniversary of the Minutemen attack". Uprise RI.
  6. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  7. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
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