Montville, Connecticut | |
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| Town of Montville | |
 Fort Shantok, on theMohegan reservation | |
 Seal | |
 New London County and Connecticut Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region and Connecticut | |
 Show Montville Show Connecticut Show the United States | |
| Coordinates:41°27′50″N72°09′20″W / 41.46389°N 72.15556°W /41.46389; -72.15556 | |
| Country |  United States |
| U.S. state |  Connecticut |
| County | New London |
| Region | Southeastern CT |
| Incorporated | 1786 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor-council |
| • Mayor | Ron McDaniel (D) |
| Area | |
• Total | 44.2 sq mi (114.4 km2) |
| • Land | 42.0 sq mi (108.7 km2) |
| • Water | 2.2 sq mi (5.8 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,099 ft (335 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 18,387 |
| • Density | 438.1/sq mi (169.2/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| ZIP Codes | 06353, 06370, 06382 |
| Area codes | 860/959 |
| FIPS code | 09-48900 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0213464 |
| Website | www |
Montville is atown inNew London County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of theSoutheastern Connecticut Planning Region. The population was 18,387 at the2020 census.[1]
Thevillages of Chesterfield, Mohegan, Oakdale, andUncasville are located within the town; the latter two have their ownZIP Codes. Town residents often identify with these villages more than the Town of Montville as a whole. TheMohegan Sun casino resort is located in the village of Uncasville.
In the 17th century, whenEnglish settlers arrived, southeastern Connecticut was the scene of rivalry between thePequot people, the dominantNative American group in the New London area, and the newly independentMohegan. The latter became friendly to the English. For defense against the Pequot, the MohegansachemUncas had established a fortified village on a promontory above theThames River within what is now the town of Montville. The Mohegan village, now known asFort Shantok, was protected on the inland side bypalisades first built in about 1636 at the time of thePequot War, rebuilt during wars with theNarragansett peoplec. 1653–1657, and rebuilt again at the time ofKing Philip's War (1675–1676).
When the boundaries ofNew London (then called "Pequot") were first defined in 1646, theOxoboxo River formed the northern boundary. Parts of the modern town of Montville lying south of the river were included in New London, while the area north of the river was treated as Mohegan land. Over time the settlers assumed control of the Mohegan lands. The first grants were made by Uncas in 1658 to Richard Houghton and James Rogers, consisting of valuable farms along the river. Some Mohegan grants were gifts of friendship or by fair trade, while others were openly fraudulent.[2] By 1703 the area between the Oxoboxo River andNorwich (now part of the town of Montville) wasannexed by New London.[3]
In 1786 Montville was separated from New London and incorporated as a separate Town. Before incorporation, it was known as the North Parish of New London. In 1819 the adjacent Town ofSalem was formed from parts of the towns of Montville,Lyme, andColchester.[4] The name "Montville" signifies "mountain village".[5]
Four properties in town are listed on theNational Register of Historic Places:
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 44.2 square miles (114.4 km2), of which 42.0 square miles (108.7 km2) is land and 2.2 square miles (5.8 km2), or 5.06%, is water.[6]
Town residents often identify with these villages more than the Town of Montville as a whole. The center of Oakdale is small, consisting of only a few private residences and the post office. TheMohegan Sun casino resort is often referred to as being in Uncasville, although the village is three miles to the south. The Mohegan refer to Uncasville as it is named for a prominentsachem of theirs from the 17th century.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1820 | 1,951 | — | |
| 1850 | 1,848 | — | |
| 1860 | 2,141 | 15.9% | |
| 1870 | 2,495 | 16.5% | |
| 1880 | 2,664 | 6.8% | |
| 1890 | 2,344 | −12.0% | |
| 1900 | 2,395 | 2.2% | |
| 1910 | 2,894 | 20.8% | |
| 1920 | 3,411 | 17.9% | |
| 1930 | 3,970 | 16.4% | |
| 1940 | 4,135 | 4.2% | |
| 1950 | 4,766 | 15.3% | |
| 1960 | 7,759 | 62.8% | |
| 1970 | 15,662 | 101.9% | |
| 1980 | 16,455 | 5.1% | |
| 1990 | 16,673 | 1.3% | |
| 2000 | 18,546 | 11.2% | |
| 2010 | 19,571 | 5.5% | |
| 2020 | 18,387 | −6.0% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[7] | |||
As of thecensus[8] of 2000, there were 18,546 people, 6,426 households, and 4,678 families residing in the town. The population density was 441.4 inhabitants per square mile (170.4/km2). There were 6,805 housing units at an average density of 162.0 per square mile (62.5/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 86.03%White, 5.49%African American, 1.46%Native American, 1.89%Asian, 0.04%Pacific Islander, 2.23% fromother races, and 2.86% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 5.45% of the population.
There were 6,426 households, out of which 34.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.6% were married couples living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.2% were non-families. 21.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.05.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 23.6% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 34.2% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 10.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 117.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 119.7 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $55,086, and the median income for a family was $61,643. Males had a median income of $40,922 versus $30,206 for females. Theper capita income for the town was $22,357. About 3.1% of families and 4.1% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 4.3% of those under age 18 and 4.5% of those age 65 or over.
Part of Montville is also treated by theU.S. Census Bureau as acensus-designated place calledOxoboxo River.
TheMohegan Native American Tribal Nation has been a presence in this area of Connecticut since the 16th century, and descended from indigenous cultures in the area for thousands of years. In the seventeenth century, the colony of Connecticut granted them a 700-acre (2.8 km2) reservation, located north of the present-day village of Uncasville. Although the reservation is within the borders of the town of Montville, the tribe is federally recognized as a sovereign nation not subject to local or state laws. In addition to operating theMohegan Sun, a casino resort that opened in 1996, the tribal nation also provides educational programs about their nation's heritage and history.
Since at least the 1990s, people of Chinese descent have moved into the area drawn either by the work available at Mohegan Sun and the rising prices in the Northeast'sChinatowns. Their presence, the subject of an exhibition that travelled from theLyman Allyn Museum inNew London toNew York City'sMuseum of Chinese in America, has sparked at least one allegedly racist incident.[9]
Public schools in Montville are overseen byMontville Public Schools, the town's public school system, operated by a board that includes nine elected members and two high school student representatives.[10] The school system operates a regularhigh school, analternative high school, amiddle school, and threeelementary schools.[11]
Montville High School serves grades 9 through 12. Enrollment is approximately 800 students.[11]
The town is also home to private boarding schoolSt. Thomas More School, known for its basketball program.
NRG Energy Inc., based inLa Jolla, California, operates an oil and natural gas-powered electricity generating plant in Montville, labeled by environmentalists as one of the "Sooty Six", the dirtiest power plants in the state. The plant was required to install pollution controls to comply with the state's 2002 power plant pollution law. In June 2006 the company proposed building a new type of coal-powered plant on the site for $1.6 billion.[12]
In return for building the plant, the company demanded that the state guarantee NRG long-term contracts for buying the electricity it generates and pick NRG's proposal over other plans for building new power plants in the state. At the time of NRG's proposal, only 18 plants in the world and two in North America used the Integrated Gasification Combined-Cycle technology which the company suggested.[12] Contracts were to be awarded by the DPUC in early 2007. The company said the new plant could open in 2012.NRG Energy announced plans on August 5, 2013, to add fuel cells, solar and biomass conversion to the plant[13]
| Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of October 25, 2005[15] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Active Voters | Inactive Voters | Total Voters | Percentage | |
| Democratic | 2,613 | 80 | 2,693 | 27.69% | |
| Republican | 1,517 | 70 | 1,587 | 16.32% | |
| Unaffiliated | 5,142 | 286 | 5,428 | 55.81% | |
| Minor parties | 16 | 1 | 17 | 0.17% | |
| Total | 9,288 | 437 | 9,725 | 100% | |
Municipalities and communities ofNew London County, Connecticut,United States | ||
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| Indian reservations | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
Municipalities and communities ofSoutheastern Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
| Towns | ||
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| Geographic | |
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