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Groton is a town located on the Thames River in New London County, Connecticut. The population was 39,907 at the 2000 census. Groton is the home of the Electric Boat Corporation, which is the major contractor for submarine work for the United States Navy, and the Navy's SUBASE New London. The pharmaceutical company Pfizer is also a major employer. The Avery Point section of Groton is home to a regional campus of the University of Connecticut.
History Groton was incorporated as a town in 1705, when it separated from New London. Incorporation made it less necessary for Groton residents to cross the Thames to New London, a hazardous task at the time. Soon after incorporation, the first Baptist church in Connecticut, now known as the Old Mystic Baptist Church, was founded in Groton in 1705. In September 6, 1781, the Battle of Groton Heights took place. British forces aided by Benedict Arnold attacked Ft. Griswold and then set fire to New London and Groton Bank. Groton originally encompassed the present towns of Groton and Ledyard. The center of town was located at the intersection of present-day Routes 184 and 117. The town's first school and church, the tavern and a stagecoach shop (the current Haley House) were located at this intersection. When Ledyard separated from Groton to become a separate town in 1836, the area was no longer the geographic center, but it is still known as Center Groton. The Battle of Groton Heights Memorial was erected in 1830 to the 88 men and boys who died at Ft. Griswold. Today, Ft. Griswold is Connecticut's only intact Revolutionary War fort. The 135-foot tall monument became the symbol of the town and is featured in the town's seal. In the 19th century, Clipper ships and packets were built in the shipyards on the Mystic River. The most important vessel built at Mystic was the clipper ship Andrew Jackson, which in 1859 made a record-setting voyage between New York City and San Francisco in 89 days, 4 hours. The Civil War Ironclad Galena was the first ocean-going ironclad of the Union Navy. In the 20th century, the shipbuilding industry moved from the Mystic River to the Thames River. Electric Boat is the town's largest employer. During World War II, Electric Boat completed submarines every two weeks. In 1954, Electric Boat launched the USS Nautilus, the world's first nuclear powered submarine. Presently, the Nautilus is decommissioned and permanently berthed at the Submarine Force Library and Museum. Due to the long-standing history of Submarines in the town, and the fact that Groton has one of the largest submarine bases in the world, people refer to Groton as the "Submarine Capital of the World". Industry There are two major companies in Groton: the General Dynamics subsidiary Electric Boat and Pfizer. The Electric Boat plant on the eastern shore of the Thames river employs 10,500 people in the community. Pfizer is one of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies, and the company maintains a 137-acre research and development facility in Groton. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 117.1 km² (45.2 mi²). 81.1 km² (31.3 mi²) of it is land and 36.0 km² (13.9 mi²) of it (30.75%) is water. Demographics As of the census² of 2000, there were 39,907 people, 15,473 households, and 9,980 families residing in the town. The population density was 492.3/km² (1,275.2/mi²). There were 16,817 housing units at an average density of 207.4/km² (537.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 83.61% White, 6.95% Black or African American, 0.83% Native American, 3.33% Asian, 0.17% Pacific Islander, 1.66% from other races, and 3.45% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.01% of the population. There were 15,473 households out of which 33.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.5% were married couples living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.5% were non-families. 29.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.99. In the town the population was spread out with 24.8% under the age of 18, 11.8% from 18 to 24, 33.0% from 25 to 44, 18.3% from 45 to 64, and 12.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 104.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.5 males. The median income for a household in the town was $46,154, and the median income for a family was $51,402. Males had a median income of $36,204 versus $30,255 for females. The per capita income for the town was $23,995. About 4.9% of families and 6.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.0% of those under age 18 and 6.1% of those age 65 or over. Education There are many schools that inhabit the Groton area, from elementary schools to college campus. There are quite a few elementary schools in Groton. Thre are three middle schools, and one high school, Robert E. Fitch Seinor High School. Besides the basic education of K-12, there is a place for higher learning in Groton. The Avery Point campus in Groton is a branch of the University of Connecticut. Principal communities of Groton Points of interest | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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