Editing Bethany, Connecticut (section)

==History==
Bethany was first settled in 1717, but it was not until May 1832 that Bethany separated from [[Woodbridge, Connecticut|Woodbridge]] to become incorporated as a town. This slightly remote, sparsely populated, residential town retains its rural character. There is some [[dairying]] and [[agriculture]]. The town is dotted with reservoirs serving [[Naugatuck, Connecticut|Naugatuck]] and, principally, [[New Haven, Connecticut|New Haven]].
[[File:Perkins Hotel, Bethany, Connecticut (1908).jpg|thumb|left|The Perkins Hotel in Bethany was used by travelers on the turnpike between [[New Haven, Connecticut|New Haven]] and [[Waterbury, Connecticut|Waterbury]], 1908.<ref>{{cite book | last = Sharpe | first = W. C. | title = Bethany Sketches and Records | publisher = W. C. Sharpe | year = 1908 | url = https://archive.org/details/bethanysketchesr00shar | pages = [https://archive.org/details/bethanysketchesr00shar/page/42 42]}}</ref>]]

There have been inhabitants in Bethany since before 1638, predominantly Naugatucks of the Paugusset tribe and Mattabessitts of the Wanguck tribe. The first European settlers arrived in the area around April 1638, creating the towns of [[Milford, Connecticut|Milford]] and New Haven, with their boundary split down the middle of what is now Bethany. The area of the boundary was settled in 1678, twelve years after New Haven County was organized. In 1717, the Amity Parish was accepted by the General Assembly of the Connecticut Colony and in 1832, Bethany was incorporated as a town.<ref name="Town of Bethany, Connecticut"/> The town is named after the [[Bethany|biblical place]].<ref name="ePodunk"/>

In the mid-to-late 19th century, the population of the town and the land decreased as parts were annexed by the neighboring town of [[Woodbridge, Connecticut|Woodbridge]] and the new town of [[Beacon Falls, Connecticut|Beacon Falls]] was incorporated into the general geography of Connecticut. The population would continue to decrease until about the 1940s, when the population would spike.

In 1923, the Bethany Airport opened up, one of the first in New England. Soon after, Troop I of the [[Boy Scouts of America]] (now known as Troop 931) was chartered in Bethany, and an organized police staff and volunteer fire fighter organization were founded. In 1954, a senior high school was built in Woodbridge to serve Woodbridge, Bethany, and Orange. Earlier Bethany students had been sent to public high schools in neighboring towns as tuition students for grades nine through twelve. In 1963, Amity Junior High School was created in Bethany.

In 1970, Bethany Community School was finished, replacing most of the single roomed schools. The layout composes of a main campus, and two four roomed schools, built in 1934.<ref>{{Cite web|title=We Are All Part of History|url=https://bethanyhistory.com/bethany-history-timeline|access-date=November 28, 2021|website=The Bethany Historical Society, Inc.|language=en-US}}</ref> After the [[Brampton Centennial Secondary School shooting|1975 Ontario School shooting]], they discontinued the four roomed schools for educational and safety reasons.<ref name=":0" />

In 2007, Bethany was named Connecticut's #1 Small Town by ''[[Connecticut Magazine]]''.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://www.bethanyhistory.org/timeline.html|title=Timeline|website=Bethanyhistory|access-date=January 18, 2017}}</ref>

===Town seal===
Bethany's town seal is a circle within which appears a circle of rope. In the upper aspects of the seal appear the words TOWN OF BETHANY CONNECTICUT in two curved lines of print bordering the inner aspect of the rope circle. On the bottom of the seal also bordering the inner aspect of the rope circle appear the words INCORPORATED 1832. These words form the top and bottom edges of a third circle, the sides of which are made of a string of inverted oak leaves on each side. A roadway bisecting the seal and extending from bottom to center is pictured within the innermost circle. Surrounded by trees are Christ Episcopal Church pictured on the right, and First Church of Christ Congregational with carriage shed on the left. The Town Seal was created by local artist and Bethany resident, Betsy Seaton, as part of Bethany's 150th anniversary celebration in 1982.

=== Police ===
Currently,{{When|date=September 2023}} Bethany has a single [[police officer]] who is hired by the town. This along with the State Police Troop I station serve to protect the town and local area. The barracks located next to the Station remains abandoned and in a state of disrepair.{{Citation needed|date=September 2023}}