Connecticut state flag waving in front of clouds and bright sunlight. Adobe Stock #67160967
Geographically, Windsor, CT borders the state capital of Hartford, which is to the south. Wilson and its connected neighborhood, Deerfield, are the closest to Hartford's North End. Bloomfield is another majority BIPOC suburb, which borders Windsor to the west. East Windsor and South Windsor can be found across the river to the east. The Connecticut River is surrounded by Windsor Meadows State Park in Wilson, while Northwest Park, its trails, and its nature center can be found in the Poquonock neighborhood across town. The town is situated along the Connecticut River where it meets the Farmington River. The town is 30 square miles. Windsor is embedded in an educational environment which includes many private boarding schools (Loomis Chaffee School is in Windsor), public/magnet schools for K-12 (Windsor High School, CREC Academy of Aerospace and Engineering, etc.), and local community colleges/universities (Capital Community College, University of Hartford, UConn Hartford, etc.). Education in Connecticut is still highly segregated, as redlining impacts many communities.
Western Massachusetts and the Pioneer Valley are a 30 minute drive away and New Haven is about an hour away. Many jobs are in the fields of insurance, aerospace engineering, and transportation/warehouses, especially since the recent rise of Amazon distribution centers and the proximity to Bradley International Airport in the neighboring town of Windsor Locks to the north (CT Data Collaborative, 2021). The median household income is $92,199 with a poverty rate of 4%, which are above and below statewide numbers, respectively. Wilson neighborhood is named after Henry Wilson of the Wilson Brick Company (Tom, n.d.). Hartford and Wilson are joined by Keney Park, which was founded in 1896. About 100 acres are in Windsor, while the rest extends into the city (Experience Hartford, n.d.). Wilson used to be the location of the public kindergarten, Roger Wolcott Early Childhood Center. The public schools consolidated in 2012, closing the school. One of two town community centers is located in Wilson. As recently as 2019, the Town of Windsor surveyed residents and property owners to consider future use of the school building and nearby land parcels (Town of Windsor, Connecticut, 2019). As of June 2023, the Hartford Courant reported Windsor's plan to apply for a Community Investment Grant of $4 million along with a town contribution of $500,000 to renovate and repurpose Wilson Park, across from Roger Wolcott. The land is usually used to host the annual Wilson Carnival (Smith, 2023). Windsor's areas are commonly broken up into the older villages of Rainbow, Poquonock (location of historic district), Wilson, Windsor Center, and Hayden Station. Palisado, Matianuck, and Day Hill Road are other disctinctive roads/areas in town.
Joffe-Walt, C. (2015, August 7). The Problem We All Live With—Part Two. This American Life. https://www.thisamericanlife.org/563/the-problem-we-all-live-with-part-two
Smith, S. (2023, June 25). Windsor to apply for grants for upgrades to Wilson Park, vacant lots in neighborhood. Hartford Courant. https://www.courant.com/2023/06/25/windsor-to-apply-for-grants-for-upgrades-to-wilson-park-vacant-lots-in-neighborhood/
The North End of Hartford. (n.d.). Experience Hartford. Retrieved July 26, 2023, from https://www.experiencehartford.com/neighborhoods/north-end
Tom, M. (n.d.). Leland P. Wilson Oral History. Windsor Historical Society. Retrieved July 27, 2023, from https://windsorhistoricalsociety.org/portfolio-items/leland-p-wilson-oral-history/