Norfolk, Connecticut | |
|---|---|
| Town of Norfolk | |
 Shops in Downtown Norfolk | |
 Seal | |
 Litchfield County and Connecticut Northwest Hills Planning Region and Connecticut | |
 Show Norfolk Show Connecticut Show the United States | |
| Coordinates:41°59′01″N73°11′47″W / 41.98361°N 73.19639°W /41.98361; -73.19639 | |
| Country |  United States |
| U.S. state |  Connecticut |
| County | Litchfield |
| Region | Northwest Hills |
| Incorporated | 1758 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Selectman-town meeting |
| • First selectman | Matthew T. Riiska (D) |
| • Selectman | Susan M. Dyer (D) |
| • Selectman | Alexandra (Sandy) Evans (R) |
| Area | |
• Total | 46.4 sq mi (120.2 km2) |
| • Land | 45.3 sq mi (117.4 km2) |
| • Water | 1.1 sq mi (2.9 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,230 ft (375 m) |
| Population (2020)[1] | |
• Total | 1,588 |
| • Density | 35/sq mi (13.5/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (Eastern) |
| ZIP code | 06058 |
| Area codes | 860/959 |
| FIPS code | 09-53470 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0213476 |
| Website | www |
Norfolk is atown inLitchfield County,Connecticut, United States. The population was 1,588 at the2020 census.[1] The town is part of theNorthwest Hills Planning Region. The urban center of the town is theNorfolk census-designated place, with a population of 553 at the 2010 census.[2]
Norfolk is the home of theNorfolk Chamber Music Festival, an annual chamber music concert series hosted by theYale School of Music. The festival takes place in the Music Shed, a performance hall located on theEllen Battell Stoeckel estate to the west of thevillage green.
Norfolk has important examples of regional architecture, including the Village Hall (nowInfinity Hall, a shingled 1880s Arts-and-Crafts confection, with an opera house upstairs and storefronts at street level); the Norfolk Library (a shingle-style structure, designed byGeorge Keller,c. 1888/1889); and over thirty buildings, in a wide variety of styles, designed byAlfredo S. G. Taylor (of the New York firm Taylor & Levi) in the four decades before the Second World War.
Norfolk incorporated as a town in 1758. Although the town was named afterNorfolk in England, the name of the town may be pronounced various ways by residents.[3][4]
TheNorfolk Historic District includes the historic center of the village of Norfolk.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 46.4 square miles (120.2 km2), of which 45.3 square miles (117.4 km2) are land and 1.1 square miles (2.9 km2), or 2.38%, are water.[5] The town is located in theLitchfield Hills portion of theAppalachian mountain range. Norfolk's elevation is 1,230 feet (370 m) above sea level, and the town is sometimes called "the Icebox of Connecticut"[6] for its severe winters and particularly cool summers.
The town is bordered on the west byCanaan andNorth Canaan, Connecticut; on the north byNew Marlborough andSandisfield, Massachusetts; on the east byColebrook andWinchester, Connecticut; and on the south byGoshen, Connecticut.
Norfolk is home to three state parks:Dennis Hill State Park, which includes the remnants of a lavish summer pavilion designed by Alfredo Taylor;Haystack Mountain State Park, with a stone tower at the mountain's summit; andCampbell Falls State Park Reserve, with an approximately 100-foot (30 m) natural waterfall.
According to theKöppen Climate Classification system, Norfolk has ahumid continental climate, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps.[7] Thisclimatic region is typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. On February 16, 1943, the temperature fell to −37 °F (−38 °C), the lowest temperature ever recorded inConnecticut.
| Climate data for Norfolk, Connecticut, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1942–present | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 62 (17) | 70 (21) | 81 (27) | 89 (32) | 89 (32) | 93 (34) | 93 (34) | 98 (37) | 93 (34) | 81 (27) | 76 (24) | 67 (19) | 98 (37) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 52.6 (11.4) | 52.0 (11.1) | 61.9 (16.6) | 77.7 (25.4) | 84.0 (28.9) | 86.6 (30.3) | 88.3 (31.3) | 86.6 (30.3) | 82.6 (28.1) | 72.9 (22.7) | 64.7 (18.2) | 55.2 (12.9) | 90.0 (32.2) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 29.8 (−1.2) | 32.3 (0.2) | 40.4 (4.7) | 54.0 (12.2) | 65.3 (18.5) | 73.4 (23.0) | 78.4 (25.8) | 76.4 (24.7) | 69.0 (20.6) | 56.5 (13.6) | 44.8 (7.1) | 34.6 (1.4) | 54.6 (12.5) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 21.9 (−5.6) | 23.9 (−4.5) | 31.6 (−0.2) | 44.0 (6.7) | 55.3 (12.9) | 64.0 (17.8) | 69.0 (20.6) | 67.3 (19.6) | 60.0 (15.6) | 48.1 (8.9) | 37.5 (3.1) | 27.9 (−2.3) | 45.9 (7.7) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 14.1 (−9.9) | 15.4 (−9.2) | 22.8 (−5.1) | 34.0 (1.1) | 45.4 (7.4) | 54.5 (12.5) | 59.5 (15.3) | 58.1 (14.5) | 50.9 (10.5) | 39.7 (4.3) | 30.2 (−1.0) | 21.1 (−6.1) | 37.1 (2.9) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | −5.7 (−20.9) | −2.0 (−18.9) | 4.7 (−15.2) | 22.0 (−5.6) | 31.6 (−0.2) | 41.5 (5.3) | 49.8 (9.9) | 47.1 (8.4) | 36.8 (2.7) | 26.6 (−3.0) | 15.1 (−9.4) | 4.5 (−15.3) | −8.0 (−22.2) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −22 (−30) | −37 (−38) | −11 (−24) | 6 (−14) | 25 (−4) | 32 (0) | 41 (5) | 35 (2) | 26 (−3) | 17 (−8) | 3 (−16) | −23 (−31) | −37 (−38) |
| Averageprecipitation inches (mm) | 3.97 (101) | 3.33 (85) | 4.21 (107) | 3.93 (100) | 4.13 (105) | 4.96 (126) | 4.77 (121) | 4.67 (119) | 4.90 (124) | 5.14 (131) | 4.07 (103) | 4.86 (123) | 52.94 (1,345) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 17.8 (45) | 17.5 (44) | 14.9 (38) | 3.9 (9.9) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 1.4 (3.6) | 4.4 (11) | 15.0 (38) | 74.9 (189.5) |
| Average extreme snow depth inches (cm) | 11.8 (30) | 15.4 (39) | 15.8 (40) | 5.8 (15) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 0.0 (0.0) | 1.1 (2.8) | 3.3 (8.4) | 9.8 (25) | 21.4 (54) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 0.01 in) | 13.1 | 11.6 | 12.4 | 12.7 | 14.1 | 13.0 | 11.8 | 11.4 | 10.4 | 12.2 | 11.4 | 13.8 | 147.9 |
| Average snowy days(≥ 0.1 in) | 9.5 | 8.8 | 6.8 | 2.2 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 2.8 | 7.7 | 38.2 |
| Source 1: NOAA[8] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: National Weather Service[9] | |||||||||||||
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1820 | 1,422 | — | |
| 1850 | 1,643 | — | |
| 1860 | 1,803 | 9.7% | |
| 1870 | 1,641 | −9.0% | |
| 1880 | 1,418 | −13.6% | |
| 1890 | 1,546 | 9.0% | |
| 1900 | 1,614 | 4.4% | |
| 1910 | 1,541 | −4.5% | |
| 1920 | 1,229 | −20.2% | |
| 1930 | 1,298 | 5.6% | |
| 1940 | 1,333 | 2.7% | |
| 1950 | 1,572 | 17.9% | |
| 1960 | 1,827 | 16.2% | |
| 1970 | 2,073 | 13.5% | |
| 1980 | 2,156 | 4.0% | |
| 1990 | 2,060 | −4.5% | |
| 2000 | 1,660 | −19.4% | |
| 2010 | 1,709 | 3.0% | |
| 2020 | 1,588 | −7.1% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[10] | |||
As of thecensus[11] of 2000, there were 1,660 people, 676 households, and 461 families residing in the town. The population density was 36.6 inhabitants per square mile (14.1/km2). There were 871 housing units at an average density of 19.2 per square mile (7.4/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 97.11%White, 0.48%African American, 0.24%Native American, 0.54%Asian, 0.60% fromother races, and 1.02% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 0.96% of the population.
There were 676 households, out of which 28.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.3% weremarried couples living together, 6.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.7% were non-families. 24.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.92.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 23.7% under the age of 18, 4.3% from 18 to 24, 29.2% from 25 to 44, 29.0% from 45 to 64, and 13.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $58,906, and the median income for a family was $67,500. Males had a median income of $41,654 versus $36,442 for females. Theper capita income for the town was $34,020. About 1.8% of families and 4.1% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 4.3% of those under age 18 and 6.2% of those age 65 or over.
Norfolk is a member ofRegional School District 7, which also includes,Barkhamsted,Colebrook, andNew Hartford. Public school students attend Botelle Elementary School for grades K–6, Northwestern Middle School for grades 7–8, andNorthwestern Regional High School for grades 9–12.
The main thoroughfares of the town areU.S. Route 44 (going east–west, also known as Greenwoods Road) andConnecticut Route 272 (going north–south, with 272N also known as North Street and 272S also known as Litchfield Road). US 44 leads west 7 miles (11 km) toNorth Canaan and southeast 10 miles (16 km) toWinsted, while CT 272 leads south 15 miles (24 km) toTorrington.
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Municipalities and communities ofNorthwest Hills Planning Region, Connecticut,United States | ||
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Municipalities and communities ofLitchfield County, Connecticut,United States | ||
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| Other communities | ||
| Indian reservation | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties. | |
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