Comprehensive Town Listing
Locality Name: Tolland
State: CT
County: Tolland County
Time Zone: Eastern Time
Location Description:
With a land area of some 40 square miles of varied topography, Tolland is 18 miles northeast of Hartford and 70 miles southwest of Boston. Tolland has excellent transportation access by way of I-84 and I-195, as well as proximity to airports and trains serving Hartford. It is six miles from the University of Connecticut’s flagship campus in Storrs, and shares borders with Vernon, Ellington, Coventry and Willington. The Willimantic River is a town boundary; I-84 bisects the town. The town benefits from a well-educated, fairly affluent labor force employed largely in the greater Hartford labor market area and, to a lesser extent, the Boston area.
Business Climate:
While most residents commute to jobs throughout the region, local employment opportunities are present in the light manufacturing, trade and service sectors. The major private sector employers in the town are Gerber Garment, a maker of precision instruments with 500 employees; the research company NERAC with 240; and Woodlake at Tolland (a nursing home), with 200. Big Y, a new supermarket, employs 200; Dari-Farms, the distributor of ice cream including Ben & Jerry’s, Haagen-Daaz and Friendly’s, employs 170; and Standard Register, maker of business forms, employs 160 people. The May 2006 unemployment rate of 2.9% is below the 4.5% for the Hartford labor area and 4.4% for the state.
Tolland is a largely residential community with niche retail areas and expanding industrial park areas. Economic development is overseen by a full-time manager who facilitates permits and zoning procedure, and the Economic Development Commission, a five member, two alternate member commission appointed by the Town Manager. The tax base is diversified, with the major taxpayers contributing less than 5% of the total taxable valuation as of October 1, 2004. The largest taxpayers are Gerber Scientific, Inc., an equipment manufacturer; Connecticut Light & Power; Capitol Ventures LLC, a new shopping center under construction; and NERAC. Following the 2004 revaluation, the grand list increased 38% to $1.1 billion, composed of 83% from residential real property, 5.5% commercial and industrial real property, 2.9% personal property, and 8.6% motor vehicle property. The grand list has grown approximately 3% annually since then.
The grand list has also benefited from growth in housing stock and new construction. Estimated full value of property per capita is a strong $115,796. Median residential home price in 1999 was $159,950. In 2004, this is reported to have increased to $258,000. Recent sales prices of newer housing stock have exceeded $300,000.
The town’s economic development efforts have been enhanced by the extension of sewer service to the commercial area called the Gateway Design District, conveniently located at the I-84 interchange with Route 195 and bisected by the historic Tolland Green. Route 195 is the primary entrance route to the University of Connecticut, located six miles south, and is traveled by an estimated 62,000 cars per day. The town is currently engaged in a visioning exercise with residents and businesses for the development of the Gateway Design District which could include hotels, restaurants and residential development. Initial benefits of the sewer expansion are evident with the recent 120,000 square-foot development known as Fieldstone Commons, which includes a 60,000 square-foot Big Y supermarket that opened in early August 2005. The Route 195 corridor leading to the University of Connecticut continues to be developed as a “high tech corridor,” providing facilities for university knowledge and research. Economic development efforts are also focused on the town’s southwest commercial/industrial zone, home of Tolland Business Park, which is the site of numerous corporate headquarters and continues to expand.
Taxation Climate:
Actual Valuation: 2004 – $29,080,330
Bond Indebtedness:
General Obligation:
Revenue:
Taxation Comments:
Water Treatment Provider:
Provider Name #1: Birmingham H20 Services, Inc.
City: Glastonbury
State: CT
Web address:
Phone Number: 1-866-659-3557
Provider Name #2: Connecticut Water
City:
State: CT
Web address:
Phone Number: 1-800-642-8032
Sewer Treatment Provider:
Provider Name: Town of Vernon
City: Vernon
State: CT
Sewer Connecting Fees: Varies; available in various districts in town.
Cost Per 1,000 Gallons:
Web address:
Phone number:
Electricity Treatment Provider:
Provider Name: CL & P
City:East Hartford
State: CT
Type of Service: Investor-owned
Customers Served State-Wide: 1,200,000
Web Address: www.nu.com
Phone Number: 1-800-286-2000
Natural Gas Provider:
Provider Name: Yankee Gas
City:
State: CT
Web Address: www.yankeegas.com
Phone Number:
Communications – Telephone:
Provider Name: AT&T (formerly SBC)
City:
State:
Type of Service: Phone/Internet/DSL
Fiber Optics Available: Yes
DSL Available: Yes
Web Address:
Phone: 1-800-453-7638
Communications – Cable:
Provider Name: Comcast
City:
State: CT
Type of Service: Cable
Fiber Optics Available: Yes
DSL Available: Yes
Web Address: www.comcast.com
Phone: 1-888-824-2273
Education Scores:
Average SAT Scores (2006): Critical Reading Mean: 534
Math Mean: 571
Writing Mean: 530
Percentage of Students Taking SAT’s: 89% of graduating seniors in 2006
Education General Comments:
Elementary & Secondary Overview:
Higher Education Overview: Tolland is located six miles north of the University of Connecticut and within 30 miles of the University of Hartford, St. Josephs College, Eastern Connecticut State University, Manchester Community College, Asnuntuck Community College and Rensselaer Technical Institute.
