Willimantic is a census-designated place and city located in the town of Windham, Connecticut located in Windham County, Connecticut. As of the 2000 census, the CDP had a total population of 15,823. It is home to Eastern Connecticut State University, as well as the Windham Textile and History Museum.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 11.6 km2 (4.5 mi2). 11.4 km2 (4.4 mi2) of it is land and 0.3 km2 (0.1 mi2) of it is water. The total area is 2.23% water.
Willimantic is the home of the Willimantic foot bridge (established in 1907), which is the only foot bridge in the United States to connect two state highways, as well as crossing all three major forms of transportation (road, rail, and river).
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 15,823 people, 5,604 households, and 3,166 families residing in the CDP. The population density is 1,391.6/km2 (3,607.0/mi2). There are 6,026 housing units at an average density of 530.0/km2 (1,373.7/mi2). The racial makeup of the CDP is 70.35% White, 6.25% African American, 0.59% Native American, 1.67% Asian, 0.13% Pacific Islander, 16.87% from other races, and 4.13% from two or more races. 30.19% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 5,604 households out of which 29.7% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 33.5% are married couples living together, 18.1% have a female householder with no husband present, and 43.5% are non-families. 33.2% of all households are made up of individuals and 12.7% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.45 and the average family size is 3.13.
In the CDP the population is spread out with 22.6% under the age of 18, 22.4% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 16.1% from 45 to 64, and 11.5% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 28 years. For every 100 females there are 95.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 91.6 males.
The median income for a household in the CDP is $30,155, and the median income for a family is $38,427. Males have a median income of $30,697 versus $23,297 for females. The per capita income for the CDP is $15,727. 19.8% of the population and 14.6% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 25.7% of those under the age of 18 and 12.6% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Willimantic is best known for its frog legend.
The "Battle of Frog Pond" was an incident in 1754 around the time of the French and Indian War. The citizens of Windham (Willimantic is located in Windham) were awakened in the middle of the night by a tremendously frightening racket just outside of town. Assuming the worst, they seized their arms and prepared for the impending Indian attack. When morning arrived, the armed villagers marched in the direction of the noise only to discover that the nearby pond had dried up, and the area was littered with hundreds of dead bullfrogs. The frogs that still lived were heading to the Willimantic River in search of water. Thus, the fearsome sounds that had plagued the citizenry the previous night had not been Indians but rather bullfrogs "fighting" for water. The pond was renamed Frog Pond, the story spread throughout the towns and colonies, and the legend was born. The story is apocryphal, and most likely well embellished by local color. Nevertheless, the town has recently erected a Frog Bridge to commemorate the incident, featuring frogs atop spools of thread.
The thread spools are included in the bridge's design because Willimantic was, at one time, known as "Thread City". The American Thread Company had a mill in Willimantic on the banks of the Willimantic River, and was at one time the largest employer in the state as well as one of the largest producers of thread in the world. They brought in a series of immigrant labor groups, including the Irish, French-Canadian, Polish and Puerto Rican. As an interesting side effect, the town has two Catholic churches, St. Mary's and St. Joseph's, because two of the Catholic groups refused to share a church (in the 1990's a third Catholic church was built to minister to the Puerto Rican community). The mill was vacated in 1985, and the town has had no major industry to replace it since then.
More recent media attention has focused on the drug problem in town. The Hartford Courant released a series of articles in October 2002 entitled Heroin Town, detailing the history of the drug use/addiction in the city. The series provoked an outraged response from the townspeople, who saw themselves as victims of, at best, yellow journalism. Resulting from the attention received by the Hartford Courant's series, a piece later aired on 60 Minutes 2, also detailing the drug use in Willimantic.
Willimantic has also received national and international attention for its annual Boom Box Parade. Back in 1986, with the local Windham High School Marching Band having disbanded, Kathleen Clark, a free spirit and independent thinker, approached the town radio station WILI with the idea of a people's parade. She offered her collection of vintage martial music records to the radio station with her idea that they play these patriotic marches throughout the duration of the parade. Parade goers were encouraged to bring their "Boom Box" radios and tune in to 1400 AM. The parade was a hit, and its unique notion of having no live music has drawn the attention of the likes of CBS Evening News and the Washington Post.The parade is Grand Marshalled by WILI radio host and local celebrity Wayne Norman. Parade participation is equally as important as parade attendance, with the vast majority of parade participants being individual citizens or local citizens groups who simply wish to share their creativity and national pride with spectators. Kathy Clark was given a red sash emblazoned "Boom Box Mama", which she proudly wore on parade days, until her death in 2003. Parade goers cheer her memory every year.
Other intriguing facts about Willimantic:
Willimantic celebrates Valentine's Day as "Romantic Willimantic". Each year since 1982, on Valentine's day, a local civic leader or citizen is crowned as Willimantic's "Cupid" for his or her contributions to the city.
Willimantic has its own currency. Called "Thread City Bread", the currency is valid tender at a number of local businesses.
Willimantic's "Third Thursday" street festivals are a newer tradition, dating only to 2002. On each month's third Thursday during spring and summer, a large section of Main Street is closed to traffic for a street fair. Different booths featuring performers, community groups, and food vendors line Main Street, and about 6,000 locals celebrate and visit with neighbors all evening long.
Source:
WillimanticConnecticut.com
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