WOODBRIDGE, CONNECTICUT

'Woodbridge' is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 8,983 at the 2000 census. It is one of the wealthiest towns in Connecticut, and is home to many of the faculty of Yale University.

Contents

History

Government

Past First Selectmen elections

Education

Grammar School

Middle School

High School

Private Schools

Geography

Demographics

Trivia

External links

References

History

Woodbridge was originally called "Amity", having been carved out of land originally belonging to New Haven and Milford as an independent parish in 1739. In 1742, the Rev. Benjamin Woodbridge was ordained in Amity, and it is after him that the modern town was named.
In 1661, the town was the location of one of the hideouts of the "Regicides" -- judges who had signed the death warrant for King Charles I of England. The ruins of their hideout can be found nearby the West Rock hills, which run along the town's eastern border.
In the modern era, Woodbridge has undergone significant suburbanization, although the majority of homes in town are located on large plots of land. The town also serves as the location of Amity High School, which it shares under a tri-partite school system arrangement with the neighboring towns of Bethany and Orange. It is also home to Ezra Academy, a Jewish day school, and Beecher Road School, an elementary school for grades K-6.
Woodbridge is one of the wealthiest towns in the United States, ranking 16th in the state in terms of per capita income.

Government

Woodbridge is governed by a 6-member Board of Selectmen. Until roughly 1990, the First Selectman had been a member of the Republican party.
In April 2006, Edward Sheehy (Democrat) became First Selectman. Sheehy served on the Board of Selectmen for 27 years as a regular selectman. The Board of Selectmen elected Sheehy First Selectman by a 3 to 2 vote, along party lines, to replace Amey Marella (Republican), who stepped down to accept a job as Deputy Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection. Before becoming First Selectwoman in 2001, Marella she was an attorney with the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

Past First Selectmen elections

2006: Edward Sheehy (Democrat) elected by Board of Selectmen, 3 to 2;
2005: Amey Marrella (Republican) defeated Laurence Grotheer;
2003: Amey Marrella (Republican) defeated Janice Horowitz;
2001: Amey Marrella (Republican) defeated Susan Lora Jacobs (Democrat)

Education

Grammar School

Beecher Road School is the town's pre Kindergarten - Grade 6 school. In 2001, the Board of Education split the school into two schools (one preK-2 and multi-age; and one 3-6).
Kevin Brennan was Beecher Road School principal from 1992-1999. Since the Board of Education declined to renew Brennan's contract, Beecher Road School has gone through nine principals in seven years.

Middle School

As part of the Amity school system, Woodbridge shares a middle school with the town of Bethany, which is located north of Woodbridge. When the middle school was formerly known as Amity Junior High School - Bethany, the school housed grades 7, 8, and 9 for both towns. It was converted to a grades 7 and 8 middle school in 2005, with the 9th grade being moved to Amity Senior High School. Neighboring Orange has its own middle school, which is also part of the Amity school system.

High School

Woodbridge also shares the Amity High School with the neighboring towns of Bethany and Orange. The high school is located in Woodbridge's town center area. It has recently undergone extensive renovations in order to accommodate the extra ninth grade coming in from all three towns.

Private Schools

Woodbridge is also home to Ezra Academy, a Jewish day school. Natalie Portman attended Ezra Academy, as noted by a Spring 2005 Ezra pamphlet.

Geography

Woodbridge is informally divided into two distinct parts -- central Woodbridge, which occupies the western hilly side of town, and the area known as The Flats, which occupies the eastern slice of town bordering the less wealthy West Rock and the New Haven neighborhood of Westville.
Neighboring towns are Bethany to the north, Hamden to the east, New Haven to the southeast, Orange to the south, and Derby, Ansonia, and Seymour to the west.

Demographics

Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of October 25, 2005[2]
Party		Active Voters	Inactive Voters	Total Voters	Republican	1,436	72	1,508	Democratic	1,767	125	1,892	Unaffiliated	2,951	253	3,204	Minor Parties	7	0	7
Total		3,766	138	3,904

Trivia

★ The sulfur match was invented in Woodbridge by Samuel Beecher and Thomas Sanford in 1835.

★ Woodbridge, CT is the birth place of American film director, Jonathan Mostow, who is known best for being the director of Terminator 3 and Terminator 4.

★ Is often talked about on the CW show The Gilmore Girls, as Stars Hallow's (a fictional CT town) rival.

★ In recent years, many notable persons have relocated themselves and their families to the town of Woodbridge. Chris Burlacher, father of Peter Burlacher, co-founder of the Fledling Corporation, moved to Woodbridge in early 2006. Along with him, on a more notable level, Shawson/Bitterman Bank CEO Cheryl Auxilian moved to Woodbridge in late 2006. More recently, Gerard Wilson, a Franklin Award-winning Broadway producer, bought a house on the Woodbridge-Orange town line. Betty Tarlin, Pamela Zeusberg, and Frank Gondaleuse all proudly call Woodbridge their home as well.

External links

★ Town of Woodbridge official Web site

★ Woodbridge Historical Society

★ Woodbridge Public Library

★ Woodbridge Public Schools

★ Beecher Road School

★ Amity Regional School District

References

1. U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates
2. Registration and Party Enrollment Statistics as of October 25, 2005