‘Outer-ring’ suburbs gain population
Fairfield County data full of family surprises
By LINDA CONNER LAMBECK
lclambeck@ctpost.com
No one has to tell Tom Taylor that families in Fairfield County are getting bigger.
As a Monroe Realtor, he showed a house the other day to a family with 3-year-old triplets.
As Monroe’s school board chairman, he wrestles annually with the strain more students put on the school system.
"It’s really a Catch-22," he said. "Good schools draw more kids."
Newly released data from Census 2000 show Monroe has company. Fairfield County not only has the most people in the state, but the most youngsters under the age of 18, the biggest families, and the highest percentage of so-called nuclear families — those with married parents and minor children.
Of the 10 communities in the state with the largest average family sizes, nine are in Fairfield County.
"I see it on my own block," said Joseph Schwartz, an Easton resident for 42 years. "It seems single-child families don’t exist anymore. I know many with three or more kids."
In Easton, there are more students than ever before and town officials don’t see any letup through at least 2007.
In Weston, there has been a 53 percent increase in children age 17 and under since 1990.
In Monroe, the average family size is 3.31, larger than the state average of 3.08 and surpassed only by cities like Bridgeport at 3.34 and Hartford at 3.33.
There are surprises with the 2000 Census, said Chris Barnes, associate director of the Center for Survey Research and Analysis at the University of Connecticut. Fairfield County’s growth shouldn’t be one of them.
"Schools, schools, schools," said Barnes. "It all starts with good schools."
Statewide, the growth of the school-age population has been evident for some time. Since 1979, births in the state have been climbing, peaking in 1990 at 50,000 births. There are now 563,000 public school students and at least 68,000 private school students.
Barnes said the growth in towns like Weston, Wilton and Monroe also has to do with the continuing migration of families moving up and away from inner cities.
What started in the 1950s from cities like Bridgeport to towns like Stratford is now seeping into "outer-ring" suburbs," Barnes said.
Taylor said Monroe attracts young families not only because of its schools, but the community itself. And for Fairfield County, it’s more affordable, he added.
"A young family can buy a new house here and they do," he said.
In Weston, where 46 percent of all families include married parents with minor children (compared to a state average of 23.6 percent), school board chairman Michael Foster said the impact is profound.
"The space crunch is the biggest issue in town. We have a town meeting Thursday night to address funding for renovating the high school and building a new [grade] 3-5 school," Foster said.
Foster counts himself among those who have contributed to the small, rural community’s growth. He moved to town 10 years ago in search of better schools for his kindergartner. Now he has two school-age children.
That the town has two-acre zoning may also contribute to the high family-with-children occupancy rate, he said.
Barnes said one of the biggest surprises with Census 2000 data so far is that Connecticut, at 3.4 million people, grew 3.6 percent since 1990.
"Most people expected there would be no growth or a negative population change," he said. "That we’ve seen some growth was encouraging."
Part of that growth is fueled by a marked increase in the minority population, particularly Hispanics and Asians.
Other U.S. Census data illustrate the racial imbalance of Connecticut’s prison population. For instance, while black males make up less than 3 percent of Connecticut’s adult population, they account for 47 percent of male inmates between the ages of 18 and 64.
The data also reveal new information, such as the number of families headed by same sex couples. Of 1.3 million households in the state, 7,386 are headed by either two males or two females. Of 324,232 households in Fairfield County, 1,846 are headed by same-sex partners, and in New Haven County, 1,750 of 319,040 households are headed by same-sex partners.
The Census also reveals more about the state’s growing population of the elderly.
In Easton, for instance, along with big families, there is a greater percentage of older residents. The median age there is 40.4, compared to a state average of 37.4.
"Easton is a place where people stick around, but not a place where singles hang out," said Schwartz.
Schwartz said he knows of very few people in Easton between the ages of 18 and 30.
"It’s like they don’t exist," he said.
Linda Conner Lambeck, who covers regional education issues, can be reached at 330-6218.
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