Sandy Hook, Connecticut

Coordinates: 41°25′7″N 73°16′33″W / 41.41861°N 73.27583°W / 41.41861; -73.27583
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Sandy Hook, Connecticut
Village of Sandy Hook
Sandy Hook in 2007
Sandy Hook in 2007
Location within the Western Connecticut Planning Region and the state of Connecticut
Location within the Western Connecticut Planning Region and the state of Connecticut
Coordinates: 41°25′7″N 73°16′33″W / 41.41861°N 73.27583°W / 41.41861; -73.27583
CountryUnited States
U.S. stateConnecticut
CountyFairfield
Metropolitan areaDanbury
TownNewtown
Time zoneUTC−5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP code
06482
Area code(s)203/475

Sandy Hook is a village in the town of Newtown, Connecticut. It was founded in 1711. It was listed as a census-designated place prior to the 2020 census.[1]

Sandy Hook borders the village of Botsford, the Newtown borough, and the towns of Monroe, Southbury, and Oxford along the Housatonic River. The village of Sandy Hook includes the communities of Berkshire, Riverside, Walnut Tree Hill, and Zoar. It also extends for a short distance into the town of Monroe along Old Zoar Road and Bagburn Hill/Jordan Hill Road.

History[edit]

Sandy Hook was founded when several proprietors with land in the area relocated together to reduce isolation. Within a year of the settlement of Newtown, some of its proprietors began moving away from the central village to some of their larger parcels. Colonists found that the Pootatuck River at Sandy Hook allowed for saw and grist mills, leading to it becoming one of the first outlying areas to be settled. The neighborhood did not grow dramatically until the mid-19th century post-industrialization.[2]

2012 school shooting[edit]

On December 14, 2012, Adam Lanza shot and killed his mother at home, then went to Sandy Hook Elementary School[3] where he killed 20 children aged 6-7 and six adults. He committed suicide when police arrived at the school. It was the second-deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history at the time, after the 2007 Virginia Tech shootings.[4][5]

Notable residents[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Sandy Hook Census Designated Place". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  2. ^ Cruson, Daniel, "A Brief History of Newtown" Archived 2013-01-28 at the Wayback Machine, Web page at Newtown Historical Society Web site, accessed December 14, 2012.
  3. ^ Esposito, Richard; Smith, Candice; Ng, Christina (December 14, 2012). "20 Children Died in Newtown, Conn., School Massacre". ABC News. Associated Press. Archived from the original on December 15, 2012. Retrieved October 6, 2022.
  4. ^ "28 dead in school shooting". BBC News. December 15, 2012. Retrieved December 14, 2012.
  5. ^ Christoffersen, John. "Official: 27 dead in Conn. school shooting". ap.org. Archived from the original on December 17, 2012. Retrieved January 15, 2013.
  6. ^ Gendreau, LeAnne (March 15, 2012). "Anticipated Film Based on Local Author's Book". NBC. Retrieved December 28, 2012.
  7. ^ Adams, John Coleman, 'William Hamilton Gibson,' "New England Magazine". Retrieved June 28, 2010., Feb. 1897, p. 643
  8. ^ "Howat, John K. 1937- (John Keith Howat) | Encyclopedia.com". www.encyclopedia.com. Retrieved May 11, 2020.