Staying the Course
Census numbers show little change in Stratford since 1990
By KATE RAMUNNI
kramunni@ctpost.com
STRATFORD — Results of the 2000 Census are comforting to many town residents, as the figures show little has changed since the 1990 federal count.
In fact, the new data show that for Stratford, over the last decade, the more things changed, the more things remained the same.
In some demographic segments — such as the ratio of males to females — the statistic is exactly the same — 47 percent males to 53 percent females. And the town’s overall population rose by just 587 people in 10 years, bringing the total to 49,976.
But that’s just fine with many residents who moved here, because they like the town the way it is.
"It seemed like this was the place to be," said Jo Wigglesworth, 83, about why she and her husband moved to Stratford from Bridgeport more than 50 years ago. "I thought it was a good place — good schools, nice churches."
Wigglesworth raised three children here,
and now has
seven grandchildren and a great-grandchild, all living elsewhere. But she
is happy to stay put in her Shea Terrace home and plans to do so for years
to come.
"I think it is still a very nice place to live," she said.
A diverse makeup
The town has traditionally had a significant population of older
adults, Town Planner Dave Killeen said — now, almost 20 percent of the
total — although declining slightly over the last decade. The percentage
of seniors here is still higher than many other area communities, he said,
though less so as aging populations rise elsewhere.
Bob David bought his Fairfax Drive home five years ago for similar reasons — he liked the town’s makeup and diversity.
David was born in Milford and lived in Stamford before deciding to make Stratford his home.
"We chose Stratford because of its location — it’s near I-95, Route 15 and Route 8," said David, who works for a telecommunications company in Bridgeport and serves as the town’s 10th District councilman. "The town also has good schools and is a diverse community — just like the country as a whole.
"I want to raise my child in a town that has all of those things," said David, 34, whose wife, Lynn Marie, is expecting a baby in January. "It is a healthy town to grow up in."
While Stratford’s 2000 Census numbers largely mirror those of 1990, some segments of the population have shown marked increases — African-Americans, children and people over 74.
The general adult population has remained steady over the last 10 years, although the number of adults aged 20 to 34 declined in direct proportion to the increase in adults ages 35 to 54. The younger group’s numbers fell by 2,471 to 8,219, while the older group’s numbers went up by 2,454 to 14,959 residents.
The number of black residents in Stratford increased over the decade, from 3,899 in 1990 to 4,892. The racial group accounts for about 10 percent of the overall population — one of the largest percentages in Fairfield County, other than Bridgeport, where the combined "minority" groups now comprise a majority of that city’s overall population.
"I have a lot of friends here and we all love it," said Robin Greene, 37, who moved to Stratford three years ago. "It is not too far from work, yet far enough that it is out of the city."
"I’m not surprised there are more of us here," said the African-American, who works for a law firm in Bridgeport.
"My whole family moved here once I did, because they saw how nice it is, but it is still financially within reach," said Greene, who is single and has no children. "And I really like how convenient it is for shopping — there’s just about everything you could ever want here."
And the town’s recreational offerings — especially the shoreline and Boothe Memorial Park — are also a draw for Greene.
"I hit the beach as much as I can in the summer, and it is really nice because it is never uncomfortably crowded," she said. "And there’s always something going on at Boothe Memorial Park — it’s a great place to just hang out and have a picnic."
Though 84 percent of the town’s population is white, Greene said she has never felt like an outsider. "I’ve got lots of friends here, both black and white, and skin color has never ever been an issue," she said. "Maybe it is just that I have good taste in friends, but I’ve never had a problem."
While their numbers remain low, other minorities also have an increased presence in town. The number of Asian Indians doubled from 94 to 202, and other Asians grew from 398 to 700. Hispanics — considered an ethnicity rather than a race by the Census Bureau — numbered 3,399 in 2000, up from 1,771 in 1990.
Changing households
One interesting trend revealed in the new census numbers is who
lives in the town’s nearly 20,000 households and how that has changed
over time.
In 1970, the population stood at 49,775. Since then, the population grew by only 201 people, but the number of dwelling units increased 30 percent — from 15,829 to 20,596.
"Household size has dropped all around, but more so in Stratford," Killeen said. Also increased is the number of non-family households — unmarried couples, people living with roommates, people living alone. The number of homes with traditional family units dropped, while the number of unrelated adults living together or alone is up.
While senior citizens — and especially the most elderly — continue to represent a large percentage of Stratford’s population, those at the other end of the spectrum — schoolchildren — showed the most growth over the last decade.
It is a trend school officials have been underscoring for years, which is illustrated by census numbers that show there are 1,216 more students now than in 1990 — essentially the equivalent of two elementary schools or one high school.
The students themselves are increasingly diverse — preliminary numbers for the 2001-02 school year put minority school-age children at 33 percent of the total student population of about 7,500, according to Kerry O’Donoghue, the school system business manager. That’s up about 2 percent over last year.
"We seem to have a growing Hispanic population," O’Donoghue said, "and we are seeing a whole bunch of different languages in the [English as a Second Language] program."
There used to be only one ESL class, but now there is one class per grade level, he said. But not all those students are minorities, he said — some are Eastern Europeans, who have recently come here with their families speaking Russian and Polish.
Schools make room
The upsurge of school-age children hasn’t gone unnoticed by
officials, who are grappling with finding places to put the students.
Expansions at the elementary and middle schools have helped accommodate
some growth, but at the high school level, and especially at Bunnell High
School, there is an acute space crunch.
Over the summer, two portable classrooms were installed at Bunnell, and the Board of Education is formulating long-term plans for expansion. And as larger lower-grade classes advance to the high schools, the problem is expected to get worse.
"We have had a pretty steady increase over the past 10 years," said O’Donoghue. In that time, renovation and expansion work has been done at Chapel, Center, Franklin, Johnson Academy, Nichols, Second Hill Lane, Whitney and Wilcoxson schools, he said.
Portable classrooms installed at Lordship School two years ago have helped to keep crowding conditions under control, O’Donoghue said, and that school and Honeyspot House at Stratford Academy are both on the capital improvement list for work in the next decade.
"Because we have added classrooms in the elementary schools, it looks like we are going to be OK there," he said. Moving the alternative education program out of Flood Middle School and into the new Birdseye Government Building also freed some middle school classroom space, he said. "We are ahead of the sheriff," he said of the planning that helped school officials cope with the student boomlet.
But though both high schools also have undergone expansion work over the past 10 years, Bunnell continues to experience cramped conditions. "There are obviously problems at both high schools," O’Donoghue said. Officials will be looking at ways to reconfigure both Bunnell and Stratford high schools to maximize space, he said.
And within the next five to six years, state enrollment projections predict there will be another 300 students in the school system, O’Donoghue said. "We are really going to need to make changes and be creative," he said.
"I wish there wasn’t as much animosity over the education budget as there is," said Steven Thompson, 41, who has two children in the school system.
"It seems every year the battle gets more fierce and I think it really divides the town," he said. "I can understand why those without children object [to the increasing education budget], but they’ve got to understand this isn’t 1950."
Thompson said he believes the town does an excellent job of providing activities for children. "My kids love the new skateboard park, and they have taken lessons through the Recreation Department," he said. "It’s a nice place to raise a family."
‘Our little village’
When Thompson bought his home two years ago, he joined the 15,989
other homeowners in town, a number 590 higher than in 1990. The number of
renters decreased by two, from 3,911 to 3,909.
And while for years, Stratford has been known for its large population of older adults, the number of people 65 years old and over actually declined slightly by 117, to 9,593. But within that segment, people 75 and older rose by 1,251 — a demographic that Senior Services Director Judy Henchar sees every day at the Baldwin Center, where members range in ago from 60 to over 101.
"More and more older people are choosing to live on their own rather than moving in with family or into nursing homes," she said. "They’re staying healthier, which allows them more freedom."
For a half-century, Frank and Sarah Masso have lived in the Hollister Street house next to one where Frank grew up. "Frank knew the territory and all the advantages of raising a family in Stratford," Sarah Masso said.
They have fond memories of those years — memories like taking a trolley ride to Lordship for a nickel and the Italian festivals on Honeyspot Road. The couple also raised their three children here and remember the year their daughter, Marie, was named "Miss Stratford 1973" in the Miss America contest.
But now, much of the couple’s social life revolves around the Baldwin Center, the town-run senior center. "It is really like a community gathering place," Sarah Masso said. "It is here that we seniors are able to meet new friends — it is truly our little village."
Over the last decade, attendance at the West Broad Street senior facility has steadily increased, Henchar said. And a new trend is developing — some of the older members have children who also are members and they attend activities together, she said.
"We have some mothers and daughters who come together, and fathers and daughters," she said. "We have one 90-year-old woman who comes with her 70-year-old daughter."
Another trend developing is the distinction between older and younger members and their needs, Henchar said. "There is a huge difference between someone 60 years old and someone 90 years old," she said. The younger group tends to prefer classes and activities, while the older seniors’ objective is to find company and a place to pass the time, she said.
"We have a huge number of people in their 90s," she said.
As in the town’s schools, as attendance at the Baldwin Center continues to grow — there is currently a long waiting list for membership — space is at a premium.
The town Health Department’s nursing office in the center is slated to move to the Birdseye building later this month, which will free up space, Henchar said.
But that space will be used to expand the adult day-care program — another popular program that boasts a long waiting list.
"It has grown so much since I started going there" more than 20 years ago, Wigglesworth said of the Baldwin Center. "There are so many things to do."
Wigglesworth herself is typical of many town residents her age — she is so involved in community activities that she can only make it to the center a few times a week. "I am lucky I have been blessed with good health," she said. "And I like to keep moving."
Kate Ramunni, who covers Stratford, can be reached at 330-6361.
+ Census 2000 Website
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