Willimantic, Connecticut

Coordinates: 41°43′N 72°13′W / 41.717°N 72.217°W / 41.717; -72.217
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Willimantic, Connecticut
Downtown District
The Willimantic Footbridge
A railroad yard in Willimantic
The former Armory
The Windham Town Hall in Willimantic
The old stone mills in the area
From top to bottom, left to right: The view of the center of Willimantic from Route 66, the Willimantic Footbridge, a well known bridge, a railroad yard, the Willimantic Armory, the Windham Town Hall, and the American Thread Company's former mill
Official seal of Willimantic, Connecticut
Nickname(s): 
Thread City, Frog City
Willimantic's location within Windham County and Connecticut
Map
Map
Map
Coordinates: 41°43′N 72°13′W / 41.717°N 72.217°W / 41.717; -72.217
Country United States
U.S. state Connecticut
CountyWindham
RegionSoutheastern CT
Named forWillimantic River
Government
 • MayorThomas DeVivo (D)
 • Town ManagerJames Rivers
Area
 • Census-designated place4.5 sq mi (11.6 km2)
 • Land4.4 sq mi (11.4 km2)
 • Water0.1 sq mi (0.3 km2)
Population
 (2020)
 • Census-designated place18,149
 • Estimate 
(2021)[1]
18,150
 • Density4,120/sq mi (1,592/km2)
 • Urban29,669
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (Eastern)
ZIP Code
06226[3]
Area code(s)860/959
AirportWindham Airport
Major highways
WebsiteOfficial website
[4][5][6]

Willimantic is a census-designated place located in Windham, Connecticut. Previously organized as a city and later as a borough, Willimantic is currently one of two tax districts within the Town of Windham. Willimantic is located within Windham County and the Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region. Known as "Thread City" for the American Thread Company's mills along the Willimantic River, it was a center of the textile industry in the 19th century. Originally incorporated as a city in 1893, it entered a period of decline after the Second World War, culminating in the mill's closure and the city's reabsorption into the town of Windham in the 1980s.

Willimantic was populated by a series of ethnic groups migrating to the city to find work at the mills, originally Western European and French Canadian immigrants, later Eastern Europeans and Puerto Ricans.[7] Architecturally, it is known for its collection of Victorian-era houses and other buildings in the hill section, the Romanesque Revival town hall and several crossings of the Willimantic River, including the Willimantic Footbridge and the "Frog Bridge". It is home to Eastern Connecticut State University and the Windham Textile and History Museum. As of 2020, Willimantic had a population of 18,149 people.[8]

History[edit]

Aerial view of Willimantic, 1909

Willimantic is named for the Willimantic River which passes through it. The word was first attested in English writing as Waramanticut in 1684,[9] and later as Wallamanticuk, Wewemantic and Weammantuck before being standardized as Willimantic.[10] The word is of Algonquian origin, either Mohegan-Pequot or Narragansett. It is commonly translated as "land of the swift running water", but the word more likely means "place near the evergreen swamp".[11] The town of Willimantic, Maine, is named after Willimantic, Connecticut.

The surrounding town of Windham was founded in 1693 on land bequeathed by the Mohegan people. The first settler in what is now Willimantic was Samuel Ashley, who bought property there in 1717.[12] Until it was industrialized, the area was called "Willimantic Falls".[13] The first mill to be established was a picking and carding facility for wool, in 1806. Other mills followed, most notably a series of thread mills starting in 1822.[12] As the city grew, it was incorporated as a borough in 1833.[14] Willimantic became known as "Thread City" for the proliferation of textile mills, primarily thread, along the river.[15]

Willimantic became a city when its charter was revised in 1893. Up to the outbreak of World War II, it continued to be a center for the production of silk and cotton thread.[14] Various groups of immigrants arrived over the years to work in the mills.[7] The city was a major rail hub; in the early twentieth century, as many as a hundred trains ran through Willimantic daily.[16] Ornate Victorian homes were built in the town's Prospect Hill section, and the town prospered, growing from a population of less than 5,000 in 1860 to more than 12,100 by 1910.[17]

But hard times followed; American Thread moved to North Carolina in 1985[18] and without it, the town's economy foundered. The city consolidated back into the town in 1983.[19] The poverty rate, at 25.9%, was more than double the state average in 2010.[20]

Heroin use, present since the 1960s, became a major public health problem in the early 2000s,[21] declining somewhat by the 2010s.[22] In 2002, The Hartford Courant ran an investigative series called "Heroin Town" describing rampant heroin use in Willimantic, disproportionate to the town's small size,[21] which was followed by a 60 Minutes segment in 2003.[23] The coverage upset local residents, and the state appointed a task force to study the issue.[24] The Hotel Hooker, long known for drug use and prostitution, was renamed to the Seth Chauncey Hotel and put under new management in 2004,[25] then renamed Windham House in 2005.[26] Drug and prostitution arrests peaked in the late 2000s with increased enforcement, and began to fall by 2010.[22]

Geography[edit]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the census-designated place (CDP) has a total area of 4.5 square miles (12 km2). 4.4 square miles (11 km2) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2) of it (2.23%) is water.[27] The Willimantic River and the Natchuag River converge to form the Shetucket River in southeastern Willimantic. The Hop River also flows into the Willimantic River at the western border.

Willimantic is in part bordered by rivers. Its western border follows the Willimantic River; its eastern border is formed by the Natchuag and Shetucket Rivers. The CDP borders the towns of Coventry, Mansfield, Columbia, and Lebanon. It also borders the CDPs of South Windham (which is in the same town as Willimantic) and Mansfield Center.

Climate[edit]

Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 68
(20)
69
(21)
83
(28)
91
(33)
93
(34)
95
(35)
101
(38)
97
(36)
97
(36)
89
(32)
82
(28)
73
(23)
101
(38)
Mean maximum °F (°C) 56.4
(13.6)
55.2
(12.9)
64.1
(17.8)
77.7
(25.4)
84.1
(28.9)
87.3
(30.7)
89.8
(32.1)
87.8
(31.0)
84.0
(28.9)
76.1
(24.5)
68.2
(20.1)
59.8
(15.4)
91.6
(33.1)
Mean daily maximum °F (°C) 35.0
(1.7)
37.2
(2.9)
44.8
(7.1)
57.0
(13.9)
67.6
(19.8)
75.6
(24.2)
80.5
(26.9)
79.1
(26.2)
72.7
(22.6)
61.3
(16.3)
50.3
(10.2)
40.1
(4.5)
58.4
(14.7)
Daily mean °F (°C) 26.9
(−2.8)
28.8
(−1.8)
36.3
(2.4)
47.5
(8.6)
57.7
(14.3)
66.3
(19.1)
71.7
(22.1)
70.0
(21.1)
63.4
(17.4)
52.1
(11.2)
42.1
(5.6)
32.7
(0.4)
49.6
(9.8)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C) 18.8
(−7.3)
20.4
(−6.4)
27.8
(−2.3)
38.0
(3.3)
47.7
(8.7)
57.0
(13.9)
62.8
(17.1)
60.9
(16.1)
54.1
(12.3)
42.9
(6.1)
34.0
(1.1)
25.3
(−3.7)
40.8
(4.9)
Mean minimum °F (°C) −0.2
(−17.9)
3.2
(−16.0)
11.1
(−11.6)
26.6
(−3.0)
36.4
(2.4)
44.9
(7.2)
53.3
(11.8)
51.2
(10.7)
40.3
(4.6)
29.7
(−1.3)
20.0
(−6.7)
9.9
(−12.3)
−2.1
(−18.9)
Record low °F (°C) −19
(−28)
−20
(−29)
−6
(−21)
10
(−12)
25
(−4)
35
(2)
42
(6)
37
(3)
26
(−3)
16
(−9)
1
(−17)
−17
(−27)
−20
(−29)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 3.65
(93)
2.99
(76)
4.38
(111)
4.23
(107)
3.73
(95)
4.52
(115)
4.01
(102)
4.30
(109)
4.48
(114)
4.58
(116)
3.90
(99)
4.50
(114)
49.27
(1,251)
Average snowfall inches (cm) 8.3
(21)
14.1
(36)
6.3
(16)
1.7
(4.3)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.0
(0.0)
0.3
(0.76)
1.1
(2.8)
7.2
(18)
39
(98.86)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) 10.2 9.0 10.2 11.3 12.7 10.9 10.5 9.5 9.0 10.6 9.1 10.4 123.4
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) 3.8 4.0 2.5 0.6 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.4 2.1 13.5
Source 1: NOAA[28]
Source 2: National Weather Service[29]


Demographics[edit]

Historical population
CensusPop.Note
18806,608
18908,64830.9%
19008,9373.3%
191011,23025.7%
192012,3309.8%
193012,102−1.8%
194012,1010.0%
195013,58612.3%
196013,8812.2%
197014,4023.8%
198014,6521.7%
199014,7460.6%
200015,8237.3%
201017,73712.1%
202018,1492.3%
U.S. Decennial Census /
Social Explorer Map

Immigrants of many national origins populated the city. First, Europeans arrived to work in the mills—Irish, Italians, Poles, Germans and French Canadians. Later, Estonian, Ukrainian, Latvian, Lithuanian, and Puerto Rican immigrants moved to the town in search of mill jobs. As a mark of how strongly newcomers identified with their places of origin, Willimantic has many churches, even several from the same denomination: for example, one Catholic church for French Canadians, another for Irish, Polish and Italian immigrants.[7]

As of the 2010 US Census,[30] there were 17,737 people, 5,812 households, and 3,324 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 4,031 inhabitants per square mile (1,556/km2). There were 6,282 housing units at an average density of 1,428 per square mile (551/km2).

The racial makeup of the CDP was 66.0% White, 7.5% African American, 0.6% Native American, 1.9% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 20.2% from other races, and 3.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 39.8% of the population, of whom the majority are (26.4%) Puerto Rican.[citation needed]

Of the 5,812 households, just over one third (34.2%) included children under the age of 18, 30.6% were married couples living together, 20.2% had a female householder with no spouse present, and 42.8% were non-families. About 31.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.9% of households were one individual aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.21.

In the CDP the population's age distribution was 21.5% under age 18, 31.0% from 18 to 24, 24.8% from 25 to 44, 19.0% from 45 to 64, and 8.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 26.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.3 males. For every 100 women ages 18 and over, there were 95.8 men.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $37,469, and the median income for a family was $45,254. Males had a median income of $37,111 versus $33,862 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $18,441. About 23.7% of families and 25.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 38.4% of those under age 18 and 9.3% of those age 65 or over.[31]

The Willimantic urban cluster is an area surrounding the CDP, which has a population of 29,669 as of the 2010 census.[2]

Economy[edit]

Willimantic's first factory was built in 1822 on Main Street by Charles Lee, followed by the first of the Jillson Mills in 1824. The Jillson Mills were bought in 1854 by a group of investors from Hartford, who formed the Willimantic Linen Company. In 1879, the Company built a woodworking factory to source its spools in Howard, Maine, which was renamed Willimantic in 1881. In 1880, the Willimantic Linen Company built its Mill No. 4, the first industrial building designed for electric lighting and the world's largest cotton mill at the time,[14] which stood until it was burned down by two teenagers in 1995.[32][33] The company was acquired by American Thread Company in 1898, and expanded production. The mill closed when the company moved operations to North Carolina in 1985.[18]

Major employers include Willimantic Waste Paper Company, which specializes in the collection and recycling of fiber products, scrap metal, and co-mingled plastic refuse,[34] as well as Brand-Rex Corporation, which maintains a manufacturing making specialty wire and cable for commercial and industrial customers.[35] In January 2018, a fire destroyed the Willimantic Waste Paper processing plant, however it was rebuilt and is currently operating.[36][37][38] On July 26, 2021, Casella Waste Systems purchased Willimantic Waste Paper Company.[39]

Points of interest[edit]

A Victorian-era house in the Prospect Hill Historic District

Willimantic is home to a wealth of Victorian-era architecture. Prospect Hill Historic District is a National Register-listed historic district containing 993 buildings. Windham Town Hall, formerly Willimantic City Hall, is a Romanesque Revival building housing the town offices for Windham and Willimantic.[40]

The Windham Textile and History Museum preserves and presents the history of the neighboring Jillson Mills and the rest of Willimantic during the Industrial Revolution. The Connecticut Eastern Railroad Museum, located where the Columbia Junction Freight Yard was, has a collection of locomotives and rolling stock, as well as a reconstructed six-stall roundhouse.[41]

Willimantic is the home of the Willimantic Footbridge. Built in 1907, it is the only footbridge in the United States to connect two state highways, as well as crossing all three major forms of transportation: road, rail, and river. The Thread City Crossing ("Frog Bridge") is a road bridge over the Willimantic River, opened to traffic in September 2000, featuring eight-foot high, green-painted bronze frogs sitting on concrete thread spools to represent Willimantic's history in textiles as well as the local legend of the Windham Frog Fight of 1754.[42][43][44]

Culture[edit]

The Third Thursday Street Fest in June 2018

Willimantic holds a Boom Box Parade every 4 July where, instead of a marching band performing, residents bring boom boxes tuned to WILI, the local AM radio station. The tradition started on Memorial Day of 1986, when no marching band was available for a parade.[45] The parade has received national attention from the Washington Post.[46] For Valentine's Day, it runs a chocolate festival, including a baking contest.[47] The event started with a popular set of T-shirts first printed in 1980, which led to the first crowning of a "Town Cupid" in 1982, now an annual event.[48]

Once a year, the Willimantic Victorian Neighborhood Association offers tours of homes in the Prospect Hill Historic District as part of a "Victorian Days" event.[49]

Starting in 2002, on the third Thursday of each month from May to September, the town holds the Third Thursday Street Fest on Main Street, an arts festival with live music and street vendors. The event is run by Willimantic Renaissance, a local nonprofit organization, and draws about eight thousand attendees.[50]

Education[edit]

Willimantic is served by Windham Public Schools,[51] which administers public schools in Willimantic as well as in the rest of Windham. Willimantic itself has a public preschool, the Windham Early Childhood Center,[52] as well as Sweeney Elementary[53] and Natchaug School for primary education, Windham Middle School[54] for middle-school education, and Windham High School[55] for high-school students. Middle-school students can also apply for admission by lottery to the Charles H. Barrows STEM Academy in Windham.[56]

Additionally, Willimantic contains the Arts at the Capitol Theater Performing Arts High School, administered by EASTCONN,[57] and Windham Technical High School, part of the Connecticut Technical High School System. There is also a private Christian school, St. Mary-St. Joseph School, serving Pre-K through eighth grade.[58]

Eastern Connecticut State University, a four-year liberal arts college, is located in Willimantic, as is a satellite campus of Quinebaug Valley Community College.

Government[edit]

Before it was re-incorporated into Windham, Willimantic had a series of mayors;[59] the Town of Windham was administered by a board of selectmen until 2009, when it changed to use a town council/town manager system with an elected mayor.[6] As part of Windham, it is part of Connecticut's 2nd congressional district; in the Connecticut Senate, the 29th district,[60] and in the Connecticut House of Representatives, most of it is in the 49th district, with some western parts in the 48th district.[61][62]

Willimantic was the county seat of Windham County from 1893 to 1960, when the county system was abolished.[63] The Windham Judicial District building is in downtown Willimantic as well.[64]

Infrastructure[edit]

Transportation[edit]

Willimantic is served by several state routes: Route 14, Route 32, Route 66, Route 195, and Route 289. It is additionally served by the Willimantic Bypass (US 6), a controlled-access highway. Notably, the only connections to the outside world are via surface roads, as the Willimantic Bypass is only divided between its two intersections with Route 66. In the 1960s, Interstate 384 was intended to connect Willimantic to Hartford in the west and Providence in the East, but the plan was eventually abandoned.[65] Though the city was a major rail hub, an Interstate Highway has never passed within ten miles, despite early plans to connect it.[65]

A WRTD bus on Main Street in downtown Willimantic.

Public transportation in Willimantic is provided by the Windham Region Transit District, which provides two in-town routes, and three intercity routes to Norwich, Danielson and Storrs.[66] Historically, Willimantic was also served by intercity trolley service: from 1903 to 1936, a line ran southeast to Norwich, and from 1909 to 1926, another ran northwest to Coventry. Both lines ended at the downtown railroad yard, but did not physically connect, as they did not cross the tracks.[67]

Willimantic station, in early 20th century, when the station was a busy junction.

In the 19th century, three active rail lines passed through Willimantic: the Central Vermont Railway in 1849, running from New London in the south northward to Vermont, the Hartford, Providence and Fishkill Railroad (later purchased by the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad) in 1849, running east-to-west, and finally a line of the New York and New England Railroad, running from Boston in the northeast towards New York via Middletown and New Haven in the southwest, in 1872, which also was acquired by the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad. Willimantic was one of only a handful of stops between Boston and New York on the high-speed "White Train" of the 1890s.[68] At its peak, the passenger rail system ran forty trains a day through Willimantic.[69] The NH operated the Nutmeg and several unnamed local trains on an east–west route from Waterbury, through Hartford and Willimantic, and on east to Boston. These rail services ended in 1955 after a bridge was flooded out by Hurricane Diane.[70][71][72][73]

Former Amtrak platform for the Montrealer in downtown Willimantic.

Currently no active passenger rail service stops at Willimantic, though formerly Amtrak's Montrealer stopped at the city from 1991 to 1995.[74][75]

Windham Airport (IJD), a nearby general aviation airport, is the only airport that directly serves the CDP. Bradley International Airport (BDL) in Windsor Locks is the closest commercial airport.

The Airline Trail South crosses the Willimantic River to enter Willimantic on a 2016 built path that ends at Bridge St.[76][77] The Airline Trail North starts on Jackson St. across the street from Jillson Park, the trail then goes through the northeastern part of Willimantic before crossing the Natchuag River to leave the CDP and heading on to Putnam.[76][78] The Hop River Trail enters Willimantic on CT 66 (crossing over the Willimantic River) shortly before departing to follow the river to the Airline Trail, where it ends.[76][78]

Utilities[edit]

Electricity and gas service is provided by Eversource. Municipal water and sewer services are provided by Windham Water Works.[79][80]

Healthcare[edit]

Windham Hospital, a subsidiary of Hartford HealthCare, is a 130-bed community hospital serving the area.[81] The Veterans Administration also runs an outpatient primary-care facility on Main Street.[82] Generations Family Health Center, a Federally Qualified Health Center, is also located on Main Street.[83]

Media[edit]

Willimantic is served by The Chronicle, a local paper founded in 1877 with continuous service since then, which also serves other towns in Eastern Connecticut.

Two commercial radio stations serve the Willimantic area: WILI AM 1400 (with a translator station to 95.3 FM), a news/talk/sports station, and its sister station WILI-FM 98.3, a top 40 station. Eastern Connecticut State University also broadcasts WECS, the local NPR affiliate, on FM 90.1.

Notable people[edit]

In popular culture[edit]

Connecticut State Troubadour Hugh Blumenfeld wrote a "Willimantic Trilogy" of songs about the city from 1990 to 1995: "Thread City", "Main Street Sky", and "How Long".[84]

In 2007, writer-director A.D. Calvo filmed portions of his debut film, The Other Side of the Tracks, in Willimantic,[85] and in 2011, he returned to film the majority of his third feature, House of Dust, on the campus of Eastern Connecticut State University and various other locations in town.[86]

In Marvel Comics "Avengers: Celestial Quest", Mantis recounts raising her son, Sequoia, in Willimantic for a year. One of her fragmented manifestations would later return and be found by a clone of Thanos.[87]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved 2023-01-15.
  2. ^ a b "Qualifying Urban Areas for the 2010 Census". Federal Register. 2012-03-27. Retrieved 2017-03-03.
  3. ^ "Willimantic ZIP Code". zipdatamaps.com. 2023. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
  4. ^ "Mayor and Town Manager". Town of Windham, Connecticut. Retrieved 2018-06-19.
  5. ^ "Town Council". Town of Windham, Connecticut. Retrieved 2018-06-19.
  6. ^ a b Firestone, Michelle (2017-11-08). "Funderburk is victor in Windham". The Chronicle. Retrieved 2018-06-19.
  7. ^ a b c Eves, James H. "Mills and Migrants". Windham Textile and History Museum. Retrieved 2018-06-05.
  8. ^ a b "Community Facts - Willimantic CDP, Connecticut". American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2020-02-14. Retrieved 2018-06-05.
  9. ^ Trumbull, J. Hammond (1859). The Public Records of the Colony of Connecticut, May, 1678 - June, 1689. Case, Lockwood & Co. p. 202. Retrieved 2018-06-05.
  10. ^ Douglas-Lithgow, Robert Alexander (1909). Dictionary of American-Indian place and proper names in New England: with many interpretations, etc. Salem Press. p. 296. Retrieved 2018-06-05.
  11. ^ Eves, Jamie H.; Eves, Katherine L. S. "Swift Waters or Cedar Swamp? Native American Placenames in Connecticut and the Meaning of "Willimantic"". Windham Textile and History Museum. Retrieved 2018-06-04.
  12. ^ a b Lincoln, Allen B., ed. (1920). A Modern History of Windham County, Connecticut. Vol. 1. S. J. Clarke Publishing Company. p. 104. Retrieved 2019-05-26.
  13. ^ "Willimantic's History". Willimantic Street Festivals. Retrieved 2018-06-06.
  14. ^ a b c Public Archaeology Survey Team. "History of Willimantic, The Thread City". Retrieved 2018-06-06.
  15. ^ Hellmann, P.T. (2006). Historical Gazetteer of the United States. Taylor & Francis. p. 165. ISBN 978-1-135-94859-7. Retrieved 2018-06-06.
  16. ^ Eves, Jamie H. "Transportation, Railroads, and the Mills". Windham Textile and History Museum. Retrieved 2016-09-21.
  17. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". United States Census Bureau. 2018-05-02. Retrieved 2018-06-06.
  18. ^ a b Eves, Jamie H. "The Rise and Fall of Connecticut's Textile Industry". Windham Textile and History Museum. Retrieved 2018-06-05.
  19. ^ Hamilton, Robert A. (1983-02-13). "TOWNS TAKE STEPS TO CONSOLIDATE". The New York Times. Retrieved 2018-06-06.
  20. ^ "Selected Economic Characteristics, 2006-2010 American Community Survey". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2020-02-14. Retrieved 2018-06-05.
  21. ^ a b "Heroin Town". The Hartford Courant. October 20–24, 2002. Archived from the original on August 2, 2014. Retrieved December 24, 2012.
  22. ^ a b "Once A Drug Haven, Willimantic Sees Positive Changes". WFSB 3 Connecticut. 2010-11-10. Retrieved 2018-06-05.
  23. ^ Leung, Rebecca (2003-06-10). "Heroin Town". 60 Minutes. Retrieved 2018-06-06.
  24. ^ Dufresne, Marcel (January–February 2003). "The Truth Hurts". American Journalism Review. Archived from the original on 2012-03-01. Retrieved 2018-06-05.
  25. ^ Braccidiferro, Gail (2004-02-22). "Makeover at Hotel in Willimantic Goes Far Beyond Name, Tenants Say". The New York Times. Retrieved 2018-06-06.
  26. ^ Fox, Tracey Gordon (2005-08-21). "Finally, Some Rewards". The Hartford Courant. Retrieved 2018-06-06.
  27. ^ Geography, US Census Bureau. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files Record Layouts". www.census.gov. Retrieved 2017-03-13.
  28. ^ "U.S. Climate Normals Quick Access – Station: Storrs, CT". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
  29. ^ "NOAA Online Weather Data – NWS Boston". National Weather Service. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
  30. ^ "Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: Willimantic CDP, Connecticut". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2020-02-13. Retrieved 2018-06-23.
  31. ^ United States Census Bureau (2010). "SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS: Willimantic CDP, Connecticut". American Community Survey. Archived from the original on 2020-02-13. Retrieved 2018-06-23.
  32. ^ O'Neill, Helen; Machado, Helen (1995-06-11). "Fire Destroys Historic Mill At Former American Thread". The Hartford Courant. Retrieved 2018-06-06.
  33. ^ Ungar, Laura (1995-06-28). "2 Charged In Windham Mill Fire". The Hartford Courant. Retrieved 2018-06-28.
  34. ^ Renczkowski, Amy (2010-04-26). "Big machine needed for big job". The Day. New London, Connecticut. Retrieved 2018-06-06.
  35. ^ Haar, Dan (1998-01-29). "Cable Guys". The Hartford Courant. Retrieved 2018-06-06.
  36. ^ Porter, Matthew Ormseth, Mikaela. "Willimantic Waste Fire "Under Control," Still Smoldering". courant.com. Retrieved 2018-06-28.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  37. ^ "Photos: GALLERY: Willimantic Waste Paper Co. fire". The Bulletin. Retrieved 2018-06-28.
  38. ^ "Fire at Willimantic Waste Company Under Control". NBC Connecticut. Retrieved 2018-06-28.
  39. ^ "Casella Waste Systems Acquires Connecticut Based Willimantic Waste Paper Co., Inc. | Casella Waste Systems, Inc". ir.casella.com. Retrieved 2021-08-30.
  40. ^ "Windham Town Hall - Windham/Willimantic, CT". www.windhamct.com. Retrieved 2018-06-22.
  41. ^ "About the Museum". Connecticut Eastern Railroad Museum. Retrieved 2013-04-29.
  42. ^ "Bridge Ornaments Help Tell the Legend of the Windham Frog Fight". ConnecticutHistory.org. Retrieved 2014-07-07.
  43. ^ Curland, Richard (2018-02-25). "Historically Speaking: Bridge's frogs have roots in Willimantic's past". Norwich Bulletin. Retrieved 2018-06-06.
  44. ^ Polk, Nancy (2000-12-03). "Once Again, Frogs Land in Willimantic". The New York Times. Retrieved 2018-06-22.
  45. ^ "The WILI Boom Box Parade". WILI AM. Archived from the original on 2015-04-13. Retrieved 2018-06-06.
  46. ^ Page, Tim (2000-06-05). "No 76 Trombones In This Parade". Washington Post. Retrieved 2007-06-08.
  47. ^ "Romantic Willimantic Chocolate Festival to feature cake contest". Norwich Bulletin. 2018-01-26. Retrieved 2018-06-06.
  48. ^ Leeds, Peter (2013-02-19). "Romantic Willimantic - A Brief History". Mansfield Patch. Retrieved 2018-06-06.
  49. ^ "About". Willimantic Victorian Neighborhood Association. Retrieved 2018-06-06.
  50. ^ "Third Thursday Street Fest". Willimanticstreetfest.com. Retrieved 2013-04-29.
  51. ^ "Windham Public Schools". Windham Public Schools. Retrieved 2018-06-06.
  52. ^ "Windham Early Childhood Center". Windham Public Schools. Retrieved 2018-06-06.
  53. ^ "Sweeney Elementary School". Windham Public Schools. Retrieved 2018-06-06.
  54. ^ "Windham Middle School". Windham Public Schools. Retrieved 2018-06-06.
  55. ^ "Windham High School". Windham Public Schools. Retrieved 2018-06-06.
  56. ^ "Charles H. Barrows STEM Academy". Windham Public Schools. Retrieved 2018-06-06.
  57. ^ "ACT Home Page". EASTCONN. Retrieved 2018-06-06.
  58. ^ "St. Mary-St. Joseph School". Retrieved 2018-06-06.
  59. ^ "Willimantic, Connecticut". The Political Graveyard. Retrieved 2018-06-19.
  60. ^ United States Census Bureau (2013-05-18). State Senate District 29 (Connecticut) (PDF) (Map). 1:63160. State Legislative District Reference Maps. Retrieved 2018-06-19.
  61. ^ United States Census Bureau (2013-05-19). State House District 49 (Connecticut) (PDF) (Map). 1:15800. State Legislative District Reference Maps. Retrieved 2018-06-19.
  62. ^ United States Census Bureau (2013-05-19). State House District 48 (Connecticut) (PDF) (Map). 1:41959. State Legislative District Reference Maps. Retrieved 2018-06-19.
  63. ^ "Section VI: Counties". Connecticut State Register and Manual. State of Connecticut. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
  64. ^ "Windham Judicial District (at Willimantic)". State of Connecticut Judicial Branch. 2016. Retrieved 2018-06-19.
  65. ^ a b "Interstate 384 Connecticut". Interstate Guide. Retrieved 2018-06-06.
  66. ^ "System Maps". Windham Region Transit District. Retrieved 2018-06-06.
  67. ^ "Trolley Towns of Connecticut". The Shore Line Trolley Museum. Retrieved 2018-06-06.
  68. ^ Bartel, Martin M. (2010-01-23). "Air Line Rail Trail". Archived from the original on 2010-12-05. Retrieved 2017-03-14.
  69. ^ Public Archaeology Survey Team. "Willimantic's Railroad Lines". Retrieved 2018-06-06.
  70. ^ New Haven April 1955 timetable, Table 18
  71. ^ Official Guide of the Railways, August 1958, New Haven section, Table 7 (p. 154), Table 31 (p. 165)
  72. ^ Karr, Ronald Dale (2017). The Rail Lines of Southern New England (2 ed.). Branch Line Press. p. 112. ISBN 9780942147124.
  73. ^ "Track 12: CT Passenger Stations, N-NE". Tyler City Station. Retrieved 1 November 2015.
  74. ^ "Amtrak - Willimantic, CT (WIM)". TrainWeb. Retrieved 2018-01-23.
  75. ^ KEVENEY, BILL (March 9, 1992). "Willimantic may once again lose Amtrak". Hartford Courant. ProQuest 255332510.
  76. ^ a b c Protection, Department of Environmental. "DEEP: Air Line State Park Trail". www.ct.gov. Retrieved 2018-06-20.
  77. ^ "Air Line Trail State Park: Columbia & Lebanon, Connecticut" (PDF). Connecticut.gov. June 8, 2016. Retrieved June 20, 2018.
  78. ^ a b "Air Line Trail State Park, Lebanon & Windham, Connecticut" (PDF). Connecticut.gov. June 8, 2016. Retrieved June 20, 2018.
  79. ^ "Utility by Town List" (PDF). Connecticut Department of Transportation Utilities Section. 2018-03-15. p. 163. Retrieved 2018-06-06.
  80. ^ "Windham Water Works". Windham Town Hall. Retrieved 2018-06-06.
  81. ^ "About Us". Windham Hospital. Retrieved 2018-06-06.
  82. ^ "Willimantic Outpatient Clinic". US Department of Veterans Affairs. Retrieved 2018-06-06.
  83. ^ "About Generations". Generations Family Health Center. Retrieved 2018-06-29.
  84. ^ Blumenfeld, Hugh (2003-06-17). "1999-2000 Connecticut State Troubadour". Retrieved 2018-06-19.
  85. ^ Fehr, Brendan; Knight, Shirley; Lindberg, Chad; Malthe, Natassia (2008-03-28), The Other Side of the Tracks, retrieved 2017-03-13
  86. ^ CHAIKEN, MIKE (2011-08-26). "The Step Saver/The Observer" (PDF). Retrieved 2017-03-12.
  87. ^ "Avengers: Celestial Quest" Issue 1-2

External links[edit]