Montville is a town in New London County, Connecticut in the United States. The town is part of the Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region. The population was 18,387 at the 2020 census.
The villages of Chesterfield, Mohegan, Oakdale, and Uncasville are located within the town; the latter two have their own ZIP Codes. Town residents often identify with these villages more than the Town of Montville as a whole. The Mohegan Sun casino resort is located in the village of Uncasville.
History
In the 17th century, when English settlers arrived, southeastern Connecticut was the scene of rivalry between the Pequot people, the dominant Native American group in the New London area, and the newly independent Mohegan. The latter became friendly to the English. For defense against the Pequot, the Mohegan sachem Uncas had established a fortified village on a promontory above the Thames River within what is now the town of Montville. The Mohegan village, now known as Fort Shantok, was protected on the inland side by palisades first built in about 1636 at the time of the Pequot War, rebuilt during wars with the Narragansett people –1657, and rebuilt again at the time of King Philip's War (1675–1676).
When the boundaries of New London (then called "Pequot") were first defined in 1646, the Oxoboxo River formed the northern boundary. Parts of the modern town of Montville lying south of the river were included in New London, while the area north of the river was treated as Mohegan land. Over time the settlers assumed control of the Mohegan lands. The first grants were made by Uncas in 1658 to Richard Houghton and James Rogers, consisting of valuable farms along the river. Some Mohegan grants were gifts of friendship or by fair trade, while others were openly fraudulent. By 1703 the area between the Oxoboxo River and Norwich (now part of the town of Montville) was annexed by New London.
In 1786 Montville was separated from New London and incorporated as a separate Town. Before incorporation, it was known as the North Parish of New London. In 1819 the adjacent Town of Salem was formed from parts of the towns of Montville, Lyme, and Colchester. The name "Montville" signifies "mountain village".
National Register of Historic Places
Four properties in town are listed on the National Register of Historic Places: Bridge No. 1860 on Massapeag Side Rd. (Rt. 433) over Shantok Brook, Fort Shantok SP (added August 29, 1993) Fort Shantok Archeological District (added April 20, 1986) Raymond-Bradford Homestead on Raymond Hill Rd. (added May 16, 1982) Uncasville School, which now serves as the Montville Town Hall, at 310 Norwich-New London Turnpike (added March 23, 2001)
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 5.06%, is water.
Principal communities
Chesterfield
Kitemaug
Massapeag
Mohegan
Oakdale
Palmertown
Uncasville
Town residents often identify with these villages more than the Town of Montville as a whole. The center of Oakdale is small, consisting of only a few private residences and the post office. The Mohegan Sun casino resort is often referred to as being in Uncasville, although the village is three miles to the south. The Mohegan refer to Uncasville as it is named for a prominent sachem of theirs from the 17th century.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 18,546 people, 6,426 households, and 4,678 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 6,805 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 86.03% White, 5.49% African American, 1.46% Native American, 1.89% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 2.23% from other races, and 2.86% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.45% of the population.
There were 6,426 households, out of which 34.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.6% were married couples living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.2% were non-families. 21.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.05.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 23.6% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 34.2% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 10.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 117.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 119.7 males.