Guilford, Connecticut | ||
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Town | ||
Totoket Mountain in Guilford
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Motto: "Discover A Piece Of Connecticut History" | ||
Location in New Haven County, Connecticut |
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Coordinates: 41°17′N 72°41′W / 41.283°N 72.683°WCoordinates: 41°17′N 72°41′W / 41.283°N 72.683°W | ||
Country | United States | |
State | Connecticut | |
NECTA | New Haven | |
Region | South Central Region | |
Settled | 1639 | |
Established | 1644 | |
Government | ||
• Type | Selectman-town meeting | |
• First selectman | Joseph M. Mazza (R) | |
• Selectman | Charles Havrda (R) | |
• Selectman | Cynthia Carter (R) | |
• Selectman | Carl Balestracci, Jr. (D) | |
• Selectman | Gary MacElhiney (D) | |
Area | ||
• Total | 49.7 sq mi (128.7 km2) | |
• Land | 47.1 sq mi (121.9 km2) | |
• Water | 2.7 sq mi (6.9 km2) | |
Elevation | 56 ft (17 m) | |
Population (2010) | ||
• Total | 22,375 | |
• Density | 450/sq mi (170/km2) | |
• Demonym | Guilfordian | |
Time zone | Eastern (UTC-5) | |
• Summer (DST) | Eastern (UTC-4) | |
ZIP code | 06437 | |
Area code(s) | 203 | |
FIPS code | 09-34950 | |
GNIS feature ID | 0213438 | |
Website | www |
Guilford is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, that borders Madison, Branford, North Branford and Durham, and is situated on I-95 and the coast. The population was 22,375 at the 2010 census. Currently the population stands at approximately 22,500 people. It was named one of the top 100 places to live in the United States by Money magazine in 2005.
Guilford was named after the town of Guildford, in England, whose name differs from its own less in pronunciation than in spelling.
First settled by Europeans in 1639 after being purchased from Native American leader Wequash, Guilford is considered by some to have the third largest collection of historic homes in New England, with important buildings from the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. There are five historic house museums, including Dudley Farm and the Henry Whitfield House (1639), the oldest dwelling house in Connecticut and the oldest stone house in North America. The Comfort Starr House (1645–46) is one of the oldest wooden framed private dwellings in Connecticut, and one of the few houses remaining of the original signers who settled Guilford.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 49.7 square miles (129 km2), of which 47.0 square miles (122 km2) is land and 2.7 square miles (6.9 km² or 5.39%) is water.
The primary settlement in Guilford, known as Guilford Center, is located in the southern part of town around the intersection of U.S. Route 1 and Connecticut Route 77. It is served by three exits of Interstate 95, which passes just north of the town center. The Guilford Center census-designated place had a population of 2,597 at the 2010 census.