Hazardville, Connecticut

Hazardville, Connecticut
Census-designated place
Main Street in Hazardville, circa 1906
Hazardville Show map of Connecticut Hazardville Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 41°59′14″N 72°32′41″W
Country	United States
State	Connecticut
County	Hartford
Town	Enfield
Area
• Total	3.3 sq mi (8.5 km^2)
• Land	3.3 sq mi (8.5 km^2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km^2)
Elevation	180 ft (50 m)
Population  (2010)
• Total	4,599
• Density	1,400/sq mi (540/km^2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (Eastern)
ZIP code	06082
Area code	860
FIPS code	09-37770
GNIS feature ID	2377824

Hazardville is a section of the town of Enfield, Connecticut, United States, in Hartford County.^[1] It is a census-designated place (CDP) that had a total population of 4,599 as of the 2010 census.^[2]

History

Powder mill wreckage, c. 1906

Powder Hollow, c. 1910

School Street, looking north, c. 1910

Child laborers in a tobacco shed at Hawthorn Farm in Hazardville, 1917. Photo by Lewis Hine.

Hazardville originated as an industrial village centered around the manufacture of gunpowder using water power from the Scantic River. The first small black powder mill was established in 1835 by Allen Loomis in an area then known as Powder Hollow. This became the Hazard Powder Company.

Hazardville takes its name from Colonel Augustus George Hazard.^[3]

Historic district

See also: Hazardville Historic District

A 1,075-acre (4.35 km²) area in and near Hazardville was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980 as the Hazardville Historic District.^[4] The district is an irregularly shaped area that surrounds two interior areas that are not historical and are not included in the district.^[5]: 37 The district is focused on resources associated with the powder works, and includes industrial archaeological resources on either side of the Scantic River.^[5]

Geography

The Hazardville CDP includes, in addition to the original Hazardville village, newer suburban developments east of the Central New England Railroad line to the Somers town line. According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 3.3 square miles (8.5 km²), all land.

One parcel of the Scantic River State Park is in the Powder Hollow portion of Hazardville.^[6]

Demographics

As of the census^[7] of 2000, there were 4,900 people, 1,832 households, and 1,337 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 575.0 people/km² (1,489 people/sq mi). There were 1,876 housing units at an average density of 220.2 units/km² (570 units/sq mi). The racial makeup of the CDP was 95.45% White, 1.41% African American, 0.22% Native American, 1.41% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.45% from other races, and 1.04% from two or more races. 1.41% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 1,832 households, out of which 32.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.4% were married couples living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.0% were non-families. 22.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.07.

In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 24.3% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 30.4% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 18.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.2 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $54,596, and the median income for a family was $61,183. Males had a median income of $40,606 versus $28,806 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $22,293. 3.7% of the population and 2.1% of families were below the poverty line. 2.1% of those under the age of 18 and 2.1% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

References

1. Listing of Cities, Towns, Villages, and Boroughs, Connecticut Department of Economic Development website, accessed February 5, 2010
2. "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Hazardville CDP, Connecticut". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved November 29, 2012.
3. Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp. 153.
4. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
5. David F. Ransom (February 18, 1979). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Hazardville Historic District". National Park Service. and Accompanying 24 photos, from 1979
6. Scantic River State Park, Map 1 of 4, Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, 10/1/2006
7. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.

Further reading

• Arthur Pine Van Gelder and Hugo Schlatter (1927). History of the Explosives Industry in America. New York: Columbia University Press.