 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Woodbridge, Connecticut" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(October 2009) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Woodbridge, Connecticut | |
|---|---|
| Town of Woodbridge | |
 Darling House Museum, built in 1774 | |
 Flag  Seal | |
 New Haven County and Connecticut South Central Connecticut Planning Region and Connecticut | |
 Show Woodbridge Show Connecticut Show the United States | |
| Coordinates:41°21′15″N73°00′41″W / 41.35417°N 73.01139°W /41.35417; -73.01139 | |
| Country |  United States |
| U.S. state |  Connecticut |
| County | New Haven |
| Region | South Central CT |
| Incorporated | 1784 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Selectman-town meeting |
| • First Selectman | Mica Cardozo (D) |
| • Board of Selectmen |
|
| Area | |
• Total | 19.2 sq mi (49.7 km2) |
| • Land | 18.8 sq mi (48.8 km2) |
| • Water | 0.39 sq mi (1.0 km2) |
| Elevation | 348 ft (106 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 9,087 |
| • Density | 482/sq mi (186/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (Eastern) |
| ZIP code | 06525 |
| Area codes | 203/475 |
| FIPS code | 09-87700 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0213539 |
| Website | www |
Woodbridge is atown inNew Haven County,Connecticut, United States. The town is part of theSouth Central Connecticut Planning Region. The population was 9,087 at the2020 census.[1] The town center is listed on theNational Register of Historic Places asWoodbridge Green Historic District. Woodbridge is part of the Amity Regional School District #5, rated the #1 school district in New Haven County and the 10th best school district in Connecticut by Niche in 2021.[2] As of 2019, Woodbridge had the seventh highest median household income in Connecticut.[3]
Woodbridge was originally called "Amity", having been carved out of land originally belonging toNew Haven andMilford as an independent parish in 1739. In 1742, the Rev. Benjamin Woodbridge was ordained in Amity, and it is after him that the modern town was named. Woodbridge was incorporated in 1784.[4]
In 1661, the town was the location of one of the hideouts of the "Regicides"—three of the judges who signed the death warrant for KingCharles I of England. The ruins of their hideout can be found on the nearbyWest Rock ridge, which runs along the town's eastern border.
Thomas Darling (1720–1789), a tutor at Yale College and later an entrepreneur in New Haven, moved to town in 1774. His home is now theDarling House Museum, operated by the Amity & Woodbridge Historical Society.[5] The original farms of Woodbridge were located in the area of the West River Valley known asThe Flats.
In the modern era, Woodbridge has undergone significantsuburbanization.
Following the onset of the2020 George Floyd protests, Woodbridge and other affluent towns inConnecticut have faced criticism from certain civic organizations alleging the practice ofexclusionary zoning. In early 2021, local housing advocacy group Open Communities Alliance called upon Woodbridge to amend itszoning codes to allow for more housing developments, and enable more low-income and minority residents to live in the town.[6] The group cited that just 0.2% of Woodbridge’s land area permits two-family dwellings.[6] In response to efforts by the group, Woodbridge's Town Plan and Zoning Commission approved a revision in June 2021 to the town's zoning rules to allow for multi-family homes and ADUs on 2% of the town's land.[7][8] The Open Communities Alliance voiced disappointment regarding the scale of the change,[8] and filed a lawsuit alleging Woodbridge was in violation of Connecticut's Zoning Enabling Act and Fair Housing Act in August 2022 in a case which has attracted statewide attention.[9][10]
Woodbridge is governed by a 6-memberBoard of Selectmen.[11]
Woodbridge's current First Selectman is Mica Cardozo, whose term expires in December 2025.[11] This is Cardozo's first term as First Selectman.[12] Cardozo served two terms as Deputy Selectman to former First Selectwoman Beth Heller and was appointed as Ordinance Chairman.[13]
Cardozo was preceded as First Selectman by Democrat Beth Heller, who served in the position for three terms between 2017 and 2023. She also served briefly in the position following the death of Ed Sheehy, stepping up from her position as his deputy first selectman.[14]
The town's previous First Selectwoman was Democrat Ellen Scalettar, who was first elected in 2013, and was re-elected in 2015. Scalettar did not seek a third term in 2017.[15]
Prior to Scalettar, Democrat Ed Sheehy served as the town's First Selectman. He became First Selectman in April 2006. Sheehy served on the Board of Selectmen for 27 years as a regular selectman. The Board of Selectmen elected Sheehy First Selectman by a 3 to 2 vote, along party lines, to replace Amey Marella (Republican), who stepped down to accept a job as Deputy Commissioner of theConnecticut Department of Environmental Protection. Before becoming First Selectwoman in 2001, Marella was an attorney with theUnited States Environmental Protection Agency. Edward Sheehy was reelected in May 2009 to another two-year term. On April 22, 2013, Sheehy died suddenly at the age of 73 while still holding the First Selectman's office. He was actively seeking re-election in May. He was laid to rest on April 27, 2013.[16]
| Year | Democratic candidate | Republican candidate |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Mica Cardozo (1,926 Votes) | Marty Halprin (1,393 Votes) |
| 2021[17] | Beth Heller | None |
| 2019[18] | Beth Heller (1,571 votes) | Ed Weinberg (1,017 votes) |
| 2017[19] | Beth Heller (1,820 votes) | Tony Anastasio (1,454 votes) |
| 2015[20] | Ellen Scalettar (1,579 votes) | Cathy Wick (1,523 votes) |
| 2013[citation needed] | Ellen Scalettar | Cathy Wick |
| Year | Democratic | Republican | Third Parties |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020[22] | 67.17%3.856[22] | 31.65%1,817[22] | 1.18%68[22] |
| 2016[23] | 62.42%3,333[23] | 33.97%1,814[23] | 3.61%193[23] |
| 2012[24] | 58.39%3,018[24] | 40.80%2,109[24] | 0.81%42[24] |
Beecher Road School is the town's pre Kindergarten-Grade 6 school.[25]
As part of the Amity school system, Woodbridge shares a middle school with the town ofBethany, which is located north of Woodbridge.
Woodbridge also shares theAmity Regional High School with the neighboring towns ofBethany andOrange. The high school is located in Woodbridge's town center area.
Woodbridge is home toEzra Academy, a regional Jewish day school whose students reside in 21 towns throughoutNew Haven andFairfield counties.[26]
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 19.2 square miles (50 km2), of which 18.8 square miles (49 km2) is land and 0.4 square miles (1.0 km2) is water. The total area is 2.03% water.
Woodbridge is informally divided into two distinct parts: central Woodbridge, which occupies the western hilly side of town; and the area known asThe Flats, which occupies the eastern slice of town, bordering West Rock and theNew Haven neighborhood ofWestville.
Neighboring towns areBethany to the north,Hamden to the east,New Haven, andWest Haven to the southeast,Orange to the south, andDerby,Ansonia, andSeymour to the west.
Woodbridge is home to several organizations that protect undeveloped land and historic sites, including the Woodbridge Land Trust and the Woodbridge Park Association.[27] The town has an extensive system of preserved hiking trails open to the public, notably the 93-acre (380,000 m2) Alice Newton Street Memorial Park and the 22-acre (89,000 m2) Wepawaug Falls area. Some of the land has been donated by residents.[28]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1820 | 1,988 | — | |
| 1850 | 912 | — | |
| 1860 | 872 | −4.4% | |
| 1870 | 829 | −4.9% | |
| 1880 | 926 | 11.7% | |
| 1890 | 926 | 0.0% | |
| 1900 | 852 | −8.0% | |
| 1910 | 878 | 3.1% | |
| 1920 | 1,170 | 33.3% | |
| 1930 | 1,630 | 39.3% | |
| 1940 | 2,262 | 38.8% | |
| 1950 | 2,822 | 24.8% | |
| 1960 | 5,182 | 83.6% | |
| 1970 | 7,673 | 48.1% | |
| 1980 | 7,761 | 1.1% | |
| 1990 | 7,924 | 2.1% | |
| 2000 | 8,983 | 13.4% | |
| 2010 | 8,990 | 0.1% | |
| 2020 | 9,087 | 1.1% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[29] | |||
As of thecensus[30] of 2020, there were 9,087 people, 2,897 households, and 2,353 families in the town. The population density was 477.0 inhabitants per square mile (184.2/km2). There were 3,476 housing units at an average density of 169.3 per square mile (65.4/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 74.5%White, 3.07%African American, 0.17%Native American, 13.3%Asian, 0.033%Pacific Islander, 1.91% fromother races, and 6.99% from two or more races. 6.02% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race.
Out of 2,897 households, there were 2,353 families in which 70% were married couple family households, 13.9% female householder with no spouse present, and 10.5% male householder with no spouse present. 36% of households have one or more person under the age of 18. 61.1% of the population is actively married. 13.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average family size was 3.31. 5.8% of the population was under the age of 5, 23.2% of the population was under the age of 18, 76.8% of the population was 18 years and over, and 24.8% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 49.3 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.7 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $157,610, and the median income for a family was $166,546. As of 2010, males had a median income of $105,632 versus $70,286 for females. Theper capita income for the town was $69,179.[31] 3.5% of the population and 1.4% of families were below thepoverty line. 3.3% of those under the age of 18 and 4% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
| Voter registration and party enrollment as of October 27, 2020[32] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Active voters | Inactive voters | Total voters | |
| Republican | 1,305 | 119 | 1,424 | |
| Democratic | 2,645 | 243 | 2,888 | |
| Unaffiliated | 2,627 | 431 | 3,058 | |
| Minor Parties | 95 | 9 | 104 | |
| Total | 6,672 | 802 | 7,474 | |
Municipalities and communities ofNew Haven County, Connecticut,United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cities |  | |
| Towns | ||
| Boroughs | ||
| CDPs | ||
| Other communities | ||
Municipalities and communities ofSouth Central Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut,United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cities |  | |
| Towns | ||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
