Madison, Connecticut | ||
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Town | ||
Beach on Long Island Sound in Madison
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Location in New Haven County, Connecticut |
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Coordinates: 41°16′45″N 72°35′45″W / 41.27917°N 72.59583°WCoordinates: 41°16′45″N 72°35′45″W / 41.27917°N 72.59583°W | ||
Country | United States | |
State | Connecticut | |
NECTA | New Haven | |
Region | South Central Region | |
Incorporated | 1826 | |
Government | ||
• Type | Selectman-town meeting | |
• First Selectman | Tom Banisch (R) | |
• Selectman | Robert Hale (R) | |
• Selectman | Bruce Wilson (R) | |
• Selectman | Al Goldberg (D) | |
• Selectman | Scott Murphy (D) | |
Area | ||
• Total | 36.8 sq mi (95.3 km2) | |
• Land | 36.2 sq mi (93.8 km2) | |
• Water | 0.6 sq mi (1.5 km2) | |
Elevation | 223 ft (68 m) | |
Population (2013) | ||
• Total | 18,114 | |
• Density | 490/sq mi (190/km2) | |
Time zone | Eastern (UTC-5) | |
• Summer (DST) | Eastern (UTC-4) | |
ZIP code | 06443 | |
Area code(s) | 203 | |
FIPS code | 09-44560 | |
GNIS feature ID | 0213454 | |
Website | www |
Madison is a town in the southeastern corner of New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, occupying a central location on Connecticut's Long Island Sound shoreline. The population was 18,269 at the 2010 census.
Madison was first settled in 1641. Throughout the 18th century, Madison was known as East Guilford until it was incorporated as a town in 1826. Since then, Madison and Guilford have shared many cultural and economic similarities despite an unofficial high school rivalry.
Bill Clinton favorably mentions the town in his autobiography, My Life.
Hammonasset Beach State Park possesses the state's longest public beach, with campsites, picnic areas, and a fishing pier, and is extremely popular in the summer, causing traffic jams on I-95 on peak days.
Surf Club Beach is the town's major public beach with lifeguards and recreational facilities for baseball, softball, basketball, volleyball, and horseshoes. It features playgrounds for children and picnic tables for families, as well as sailboat and kayak racks. It is also home to several athletic fields, including Strong Field, the town's multi-purpose athletic complex.
East Wharf, sometimes referred to as the "purple sand beach," has lifeguards, a pier, kayak and sailboat racks in addition to a gazebo.
West Wharf has a pier, rock formations to the west, a small sunbathing beach and boat spaces.
The Madison Beach Club has its own beach and is located near Madison Country Club, a private golf course.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 36.8 square miles (95.3 km²), of which 36.2 square miles (93.8 km²) is land and 0.6 square miles (1.5 km²), or 1.6%, is water. Madison is bordered by the municipalities of Clinton and Killingworth to the east, Durham to the north, Guilford to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south.