SOME FACTS ABOUT THE TOWN OF WEST HARTFORD

Date Settled: 1679

Date Incorporated: May 3, 1854

First Early Name: West Division. The town was part of the City of Hartford until its incorporation.

Population: 2000 Census – 61,046; 1990 Census - 60,110; 1980 census - 61,300

Area: 22.2 square miles; 14,080 acres. There are 205 miles of accepted streets and 245 miles of sidewalks in town.

Highest Point: 778 feet above sea level on Talcott (Avon) Mountain. Altitude at Town Hall is 120 feet.

Town Hall Address: 50 South Main Street, West Hartford, 06107. For general information, call (860) 561-7500. 

Town Web Address:  www.westhartford.org

Form of Government:  First in Connecticut to have a council-manager form of government.

2007 Mill Rate: 38.63

Post Offices: West Hartford Center: 102 LaSalle Road; Elmwood: 121 Shield Street; Bishops Corner: 12 Crossroads Plaza.

Zip Codes: 06107 ( Center area and west of Trout Brook Drive); 06110 ( Elmwood area, southeast and southwest quadrants of town); 06117 (Bishops corner area, northeast and northwest quadrants of town); 06119 (easterly and central area from Trout Brook east to Prospect Avenue.)

Schools: Public - 11 elementary, 3 middle, 2 high schools. Private and Parochial - 10, including elementary through high schools. Colleges and Universities - University of Hartford, Bloomfield Avenue; Saint  Joseph College, Asylum Avenue; University of Connecticut Greater Hartford Campus and School of Social Work, Asylum Avenue.

Public School Investment:  As of October 1, 2007, there were 9,990 students district wide. The expenditure per pupil was $11,652 for the 2006-07 school year, the most recent information as reported in the draft 2007-08 strategic school profile.

Places of Worship: 7 Catholic, 9 Jewish, 16 Protestant

Libraries: Noah Webster Library (Main Library), 20 South Main Street; Julia Faxon Branch, 1073 New Britain Avenue; Bishop's Corner Branch, 15 Starkel Road.

Public Recreation Areas: Two municipal golf courses - Rockledge, 18 holes and Buena Vista, nine holes; Veterans Memorial Skating Rink; two indoor pools at Cornerstone Aquatics Center, and four outdoor pools at Fernridge, Beachland, Eisenhower and Kennedy parks; six public parks, the four mentioned plus Wolcott Park and Westmoor Park. Two senior centers, Elmwood Senior Center located at Elmwood Community Center, 1106 New Britain Avenue; West Hartford Senior Center located at 15 Starkel Road.

Refuse Removal: Contracted refuse and recycling collection services to residents weekly.

Hospitals: West Hartford is near three medical centers and community and specialty hospitals.

Emergency Services: The Police Department is located at 103 Raymond Road.  The Fire Department has eight firefighting apparatus located at five fire stations throughout the town on Brace Road in the Center; on Prospect Avenue; on Berkshire Road; on Albany Avenue; and on New Britain Avenue.  Ambulance and paramedic services are provided on a contract basis between the town and a private ambulance service.

Features and Landmarks:  Metropolitan District Reservoirs, totaling 2,000 acres of undeveloped ground with trails and walks, are located on Farmington Avenue, west of the Center, and on Albany Avenue, west of Bishops Corner. Spice Bush Swamp on Mountain Road is a nature preserve, and Westmoor Park on Flagg Road, provides nature walks and a farm environment with farm animals particularly attractive to children. There are many brooks and several small pocket parks in town, as well as a marked bicycle trail. Several old homes dating to early colonial times are in town, privately owned. The Sarah Whitman Hooker House and the Noah Webster House are public facilities operated by non-profit groups. The Noah Webster Foundation and West Hartford Historical Society are located at the Noah Webster House, 227 South Main Street. The Hooker House, a Revolutionary War Inn, is located on New Britain Avenue just east of South Main Street.

The Town Council has appointed both a Historic District Commission and an Architectural Heritage Committee, which placed historic markers at several sites throughout town commemorating West Hartford's long history. The Historic District Commission has established three historic districts in West Hartford under state statute, celebrating their historic and architectural significance: Buena Vista, Boulevard and West Hill. 

For more information concerning the town and its ordinances or history, please contact the Town Clerk at (860) 561-7430.