Editing Sterling, Connecticut

{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
|name                     = Sterling, Connecticut
|official_name            = Town of Sterling
|settlement_type          = [[New England town|Town]]
|image_seal               = SterlingCTseal.png
|image_skyline            = Post Office, Sterling CT.jpg
|imagesize                = 250px
|image_caption            = Sterling's post office
|image_map                = {{switcher|[[File:Windham County Connecticut incorporated and unincorporated areas Sterling highlighted.svg|230px|frameless|alt=Sterling's location within Windham County and Connecticut]]|&nbsp;[[Windham County, Connecticut|Windham County]] and Connecticut|[[File:Northeastern Connecticut incorporated and unincorporated areas Sterling highlighted.svg|250px|frameless|alt=Sterling's location within the Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region and the state of Connecticut]]|&nbsp;[[Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut|Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region]] and Connecticut|default=1}}
|image_map1               = {{maplink|frame=yes|plain=yes|frame-align=center|frame-width=280|frame-height=200|frame-coord=SWITCH:{{coord|qid=Q2446103}}###{{coord|qid=Q779}}###{{coord|41|42|08|N|71|48|59|W}}|zoom=SWITCH:10;6;3|type=SWITCH:shape-inverse;point;point|marker=city|stroke-width=2|stroke-color=#000000|id2=SWITCH:Q2446103;Q779;Q30|type2=shape|fill2=#ffffff|fill-opacity2=SWITCH:0;0.1;0.1|stroke-width2=2|stroke-color2=#808080|stroke-opacity2=SWITCH:0;1;1|switch=Sterling;Connecticut;the United States}}
|established_title        = Incorporated
|established_date         = 1794
| subdivision_type        = Country
| subdivision_name        = {{flag|United States}}
| subdivision_type1       = [[U.S. state]]
| subdivision_name1       = {{flag|Connecticut}}
| subdivision_type2       = [[County (United States)|County]]
| subdivision_name2       = [[Windham County, Connecticut|Windham]]
| subdivision_type3       = [[Councils of governments in Connecticut|Region]]
| subdivision_name3       = [[Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut|Northeastern CT]]
|leader_title             = First selectman
|leader_name              = Lincoln A. Cooper (R)
|leader_title2            = Selectman
|leader_name2                                   = John F. Firlik (D)
|government_type          = [[Board of selectmen|Selectman-town meeting]]
|area_magnitude           =
|area_total_km2           = 70.7
|area_land_km2            = 70.5
|area_water_km2           = 0.2
|area_total_sq_mi         = 27.3
|unit_pref  =Imperial
|population_as_of         = 2020
|population_total         = 3578
|population_density_km2   = auto
|population_density_sq_mi = 
|timezone                 = [[Eastern Standard Time Zone|Eastern]]
|utc_offset = &minus;5
|timezone_DST             = [[Eastern Standard Time Zone|Eastern]]
|utc_offset_DST = &minus;4
|area_land_sq_mi          = 27.2
|area_water_sq_mi         = 0.1
|elevation_m              = 117
|elevation_ft             = 384
|coordinates              = {{coord|41|42|08|N|71|48|59|W|region:US-CT|display=inline,title}}
|region =
|postal_code_type         = ZIP code
|postal_code              = 06377, 06373
|area_code                = [[Area codes 860 and 959|860/959]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 09-73420
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info              = 0213512
|footnotes                =
|website                  = {{URL|http://www.sterlingct.us/}}
}}

'''Sterling''' is a [[New England town|town]] in [[Windham County, Connecticut]], [[United States]]. The town is part of the [[Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut|Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region]]. The population was 3,578 at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?g=0600000US0901573420|title=Census - Geography Profile: Sterling town, Windham County, Connecticut|access-date=December 21, 2021}}</ref> The rural town is home to two villages: Oneco (named for [[Oneco]], Sachem of the Mohegans) and Sterling village. Each contains a post office, a church, and a fire station. The town hall and public library are located in Oneco, and the town's one public school is in Sterling village.

==History==
The town was named after John Sterling, an early settler.<ref>{{cite book|title=The Connecticut Magazine: An Illustrated Monthly|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qoEyAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA334|year=1903|publisher=Connecticut Magazine Company|page=334}}</ref> Sterling was incorporated in 1794 following approval of the state Assembly and was carved from northern part of the Town of [[Voluntown]]. Le [[Comte de Rochambeau]], Jean Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, marched through and camped in the town during the [[American Revolutionary War]] on his way from landing at [[Narragansett Bay]] to join [[George Washington]]'s forces on the [[Hudson River]] in 1781. A cotton mill was first established in Sterling in 1800.<ref>Town of Sterling, the Sterling Historical Society, & the Connecticut Historical Commission. (1980) ''Sterling Historical Marker'' [Inscription]. Sterling, Connecticut.</ref>

[[Charles Dow]], of Dow Jones fame, was born in this community.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Charles Henry Dow {{!}} Founder of Wall Street Journal, Dow Theory, Market Analysis {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/biography/Charles-Henry-Dow |access-date=September 8, 2023 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref>

==Geography==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the town has a total area of {{convert|27.3|sqmi|km2}}, of which {{convert|27.2|sqmi|km2}} is land and {{convert|0.1|sqmi|km2}} (0.29%) is water.

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1820= 1200
|1850= 1025
|1860= 1051
|1870= 1022
|1880= 957
|1890= 1051
|1900= 1209
|1910= 1283
|1920= 1266
|1930= 1233
|1940= 1251
|1950= 1298
|1960= 1397
|1970= 1853
|1980= 1791
|1990= 2357
|2000= 3099
|2010= 3830
|2020= 3578
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref>
}}
{{See also|List of Connecticut locations by per capita income}}
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=January 31, 2008|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref> of 2000, there were 3,099 people, 1,116 households, and 835 families living in the town. Sterling's population increased 23.6% between 2000 and 2010, making it the third fastest-growing municipality in Connecticut that decade.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/cph-2-8.pdf |title=Connecticut: 2010 Population and Housing Unit Counts |publisher= U.S. Census Bureau |date=June 2012 |page=32 |access-date=May 18, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140723080854/https://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/cph-2-8.pdf |archive-date= July 23, 2014 }}</ref> The population density was {{convert|113.8|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 1,193 housing units at an average density of {{convert|43.8|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the town was 99.19% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.71% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.32% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.03% [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 0.16% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 2.42% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] people of any race were 1.32% of the population.

There were 1,116 households, out of which 40.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.7% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.1% were non-families. 18.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.15.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 28.1% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 36.4% from 25 to 44, 20.4% from 45 to 64, and 7.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 104.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 107.2 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $49,167, and the median income for a family was $52,202. Males had a median income of $39,792 versus $26,167 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the town was $19,679. About 3.8% of families and 6.0% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 4.3% of those under age 18 and 1.3% of those age 65 or over.

==Notable locations==
*[[Dorrance Inn]] is a historic inn located at 748 Plainfield Pike and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.
*[[March Route of Rochambeau's Army: Plainfield Pike]]
*[[Sterling Hill Historic District (Plainfield and Sterling, Connecticut)]] was added to the National Register in 1986.

==Education==
The town has operated the newer Sterling Community School, since the construction and closing of Sterling Memorial School. [[Plainfield High School (Connecticut)|Plainfield High School]] in [[Plainfield, Connecticut|Plainfield]] is the designated high school of the town. Residents are also given the option to send their children to [[Killingly High School]], Harvard H. Ellis Technical High School, Quinebaug Middle College or ACT High School.<ref>{{Cite web |title=sboe budget for web site |url=http://www.sterlingct.us/sboe%20budget%20for%20web%20site.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928204720/http://www.sterlingct.us/sboe%20budget%20for%20web%20site.htm |archive-date=September 28, 2007 |website=Sterling, CT}}</ref>

==Notable people==

* [[Charles Dow]] (1851–1902), journalist and founder of the [[Dow Jones & Company]]; born in Sterling
* [[Allen Cleveland Lewis]] (1821–1877), founder of the [[Lewis Institute]] (later the [[Illinois Institute of Technology]]); born in Sterling
* [[Tom "T-Bone" Stankus]], musician

==In popular culture==
The [[survival horror]] video game ''[[Faith: The Unholy Trinity]]'' is set in Sterling.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Portal|Connecticut}}
*[http://www.sterlingct.us/ Town government website]

{{Connecticut}}
{{Windham County, Connecticut}}
{{Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Sterling, Connecticut| ]]
[[Category:Towns in Windham County, Connecticut]]
[[Category:Towns in Connecticut]]
[[Category:Towns in Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut]]