Bethel

Bethel is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut that was established in 1855. Its population was 18,584 at the 2010 census. The town center is defined by the U.S. Census Bureau as a census-designated place (CDP). The core area of the town center is the Greenwood Avenue Historic District.

Interstate 84 passes through the Bethel, and it has a train station on the Danbury Branch of Metro-North's New Haven Line.

History
Bethel was first settled around 1700. The town incorporated in 1855. Bethel is a name derived from Hebrew meaning "house of God".

On the National Register of Historic Places

 * Greenwood Avenue Historic District — Roughly along Greenwood Ave., P.T. Barnum Sq., Depot Pl., and South St. (added 1999)
 * Rev. John Ely House — 54 Milwaukee Ave. (added May 25, 2001)
 * Seth Seelye House — 189 Greenwood Ave. (added September 29, 1977)
 * Captain Benjamin Hickock house — 13 Blackman Ave.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 16.9 square miles (44 km2), of which 16.8 square miles (44 km2) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2), or 0.53%, is water. The Bethel CDP, corresponding to the town center, has a total area of 4.1 square miles (11 km2), all land. Bethel borders Redding to the south, Danbury to the west, Brookfield to the north, and Newtown to the east.

In Bethel

 * The first meeting of the Young Communist League was held in Bethel in May 1922.
 * Battery manufacturer Duracell is headquartered in Bethel.
 * In 1934, Rudolph Kunett started the first vodka distillery in the U.S. after purchasing rights to the recipe from the exiled Smirnoff family.
 * Bethel High School is home to an award-winning NJROTC unit and an award-winning marching band (The Marching Wildcats)

Notable people

 * Raghib Allie-Brennan, member of the Connecticut House of Representatives (raised in Bethel)
 * Matt Barnes (born 1990), pitcher for the Boston Red Sox
 * P. T. Barnum (1810–1891), showman
 * Barbara Britton (1919–1980), stage, film and television actress.
 * Dan Cramer, mixed martial arts fighter for the Ultimate Fighting Championship
 * Tony Dovolani, ballroom dancer, cast member on Dancing with the Stars
 * Kevin Gutzman, constitutional scholar and professor of history
 * Allan J. Kellogg, Medal of Honor recipient
 * Jan Miner (1917–2004), actress
 * Thurston Moore (born 1958), singer and guitarist for Sonic Youth
 * Noël Regney, composer
 * Meg Ryan, actress
 * Julius Hawley Seelye (1824–1895), missionary, author, congressman, and former president of Amherst College
 * Glover Teixeira, professional MMA fighter in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)
 * Henry Arthur "Art" Young (1866–1943), cartoonist

Movies filmed in Bethel
The following films were at least partially shot in Bethel.
 * Rachel, Rachel (1968)
 * The Case of the Cosmic Comic (1976)
 * Other People's Money (1991)
 * Rise of the Dead (2007)
 * The Entrepreneurs (2008)
 * Revolutionary Road (2008)

Demographics
As of the 2010 census Bethel had a population of 18,584. The racial and ethnic composition of the population was 88.8% white, 1.8% black or African American, 0.1% Native American, 4.5% Asian, 2.8% from some other race and 1.9% from two or more races. 7.6% of the population was Hispanic or Latino from any race.

As of the census of 2000, there were 18,067 people, 6,505 households, and 4,846 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,075.7 people per square mile (415.5/km2). There were 6,653 housing units at an average density of 396.1 per square mile (153.0/km2). The racial makeup of the town in 2005 was 85.86% White, 1.91% African American, 0.26% Native American, 4.58% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 3.20% from other races or of multiple races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.33% of the population. 20.2% were of Italian, 17.5% Irish, 9.1% German, 7.0% English, 6.7% American and 6.0% Polish ancestry according to Census 2000. 88.7% spoke English, 4.4% Spanish, 3.3% Portuguese, 1.5% German and 1.0% French as their first language.

There were 6,505 households, out of which 38.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.4% were married couples living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.5% were non-families. 20.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.76 and the average family size was 3.23.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 27.3% under the age of 18, 6.0% from 18 to 24, 31.9% from 25 to 44, 24.6% from 45 to 64, and 10.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.1 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $68,891, and the median income for a family was $78,358. Males had a median income of $51,816 versus $36,544 for females. The per capita income for the town was $28,927. About 1.2% of families and 2.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.3% of those under age 18 and 5.5% of those age 65 or over.