Colebrook, Connecticut
Colebrook is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 1,485 at the 2010 census. Colebrook was named after Colebrooke in the English county of Devon; the reason is now unknown.
Geography
Colebrook is in northeastern Litchfield County and is bounded to the east by Hartford County, Connecticut, and to the north by Berkshire and Hampden County in Massachusetts. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of, of which are land and, or 4.23%, are water. Colebrook River Lake and West Branch Reservoir, both on the West Branch of the Farmington River, are in the northeast part of the town. Algonquin State Forest is in the central part of the town.Colebrook is north of Torrington and northwest of Hartford, the state capital.
Principal communities
- Colebrook center
- North Colebrook
- Robertsville
Demographics
There were 566 households, out of which 32.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.2% were married couples living together, 5.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.8% were non-families. 19.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.01.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.5% under the age of 18, 4.2% from 18 to 24, 29.6% from 25 to 44, 27.5% from 45 to 64, and 14.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $58,684, and the median income for a family was $64,286. Males had a median income of $42,647 versus $35,987 for females. The per capita income for the town was $29,789. About 1.4% of families and 2.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under age 18 and 9.0% of those age 65 or over.
Voter registration and party enrollment as of October 29, 2019 | Voter registration and party enrollment as of October 29, 2019 | Voter registration and party enrollment as of October 29, 2019 | Voter registration and party enrollment as of October 29, 2019 | Voter registration and party enrollment as of October 29, 2019 | Voter registration and party enrollment as of October 29, 2019 |
Party | Party | Active voters | Inactive voters | Total voters | Percentage |
Transportation
The town is served by Connecticut Routes 8, 182, and 183. Route 8 leads south to Winsted and north to New Boston, Massachusetts. Route 182 leads west to U.S. Route 44 in Norfolk, while Route 183 leads south to Winsted and northwest to New Marlborough, Massachusetts.Notable locations
- Rock Hall, a building designed by architect Addison Mizner, listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Wind farm siting
was cleared to build three wind turbines in Colebrook and two 2.85MW, 100m-diameter turbines were installed in 2015. A third turbine is planned for installation by 2021. According to BNE Energy’s quarterly generation reports to PURA, the Colebrook wind farm has slightly exceeded the planned level of energy generation, with 12,742MWh generated in 2016 and 12,706MWh generated in 2017. The wind farm, according to these figures, is operating at about 30 percent of its rated capacity.
Notable people
- Rufus Babcock, second president of Colby College; born in North Colebrook
- Donald Barr, novelist, educator, and book reviewer for The New York Times; retired to Colebrook in the 1980s
- Abiram Chamberlain, the 60th governor of Connecticut; born in Colebrook
- Jonathan Edwards , theologian; lived and preached in Colebrook for four years
- Eric Foner, Columbia University professor, author, and noted Civil War historian; part-time resident of the town
- Harris Merton Lyon, short story writer; lived in North Colebrook
- Christine Negroni, noted aviation and travel writer; part-time resident of the town
- James Phelps, judge, Connecticut state legislator and US congressman; born in town
- Lancelot Phelps, congressman and father to James Phelps
- Ammi Phillips, artist; born in Colebrook
- Thomas Robbins, Congregational minister, bibliophile, and antiquarian; died in Colebrook
- Julius Rockwell, judge and congressman from Massachusetts; born in Colebrook