Ledyard is a Town in New London County, Connecticut, United States, located along the Thames River. The town is named after Colonel William Ledyard, a Revolutionary War officer who was killed at the Battle of Groton Heights. The town is part of the Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region. The population was 15,413 at the 2020 census. The Foxwoods Resort Casino, owned and operated by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe, is located in the northeastern section of Ledyard, on the reservation owned by the tribe.
Ledyard's zip code is 06339. Within the southwestern area of Ledyard is the district known as Gales Ferry, which has the postal code 06335. In the northeast is Mashantucket, with the postal code 06338.
History
Named for Colonel William Ledyard, slain commander of Colonial forces in the Battle of Groton Heights in September 1781, the Town was set off from Groton in 1836 by an act of the Connecticut Legislature. The western section, on the east bank of the Thames River, had been settled in the mid-seventeenth century by Thomas Bayley, John Gager, Robert Allyn, and Robert Stoddard. The settlers were farmers and the river, their transportation.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 4.62%, is water. Ledyard is situated north of Groton, and borders the east bank of the Thames River in southeastern Connecticut. The northern half of the Naval Submarine Base New London is located in the southwest corner of the town.
Ledyard is among the areas of the United States that was covered by a continental ice sheet during the last ice age. Therefore, Ledyard has its share of interesting glacial geology. The glaciers that covered Ledyard carried the many large boulders that are scattered around the town. The town has set aside land designated as a "Glacial Park", which consists of a section of end moraine and outwash deposits (containing kettles). This area encompasses a segment of the "Ledyard Moraine"—a clast-supported boulder deposit that is anomalous in nature. Examples of glacial erratics in Ledyard:
The principal communities of Ledyard are Ledyard Center (also known as Ledyard Village) and the Gales Ferry section (including Christy Hill Estates, Devonshire Estates, Ferry View Heights, Glenwoods, Birdland, Sherwood Forest, and Woodridge Estates). Other minor communities and geographic areas are Aljen Heights, Barrett Park, Colonial Manor, Cranwood Homestead, Highlands, Lakeside, Lantern Hill, Long Pond, Parsonage Hill Manor, Presidential Estates, Quaker Town, and Stonehenge. The town also contains the Mashantucket Pequot Reservation, in the northeastern corner of the town.
Notable people
Frederick Ayer (1822–1918), industrialist born in Ledyard
Dennis Blair (born 1947), Admiral, USN retired; Director National Intelligence Agency; lived in Ledyard Andy Dick (born 1965), actor/comedian, grew up in Ledyard Doc Hammer (born 1967), painter and co-creator of The Venture Bros., born in Ledyard Richard Arthur Hayward (born 1947), Chairman of the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe for twenty-three years, worked in Ledyard Ron Jirsa (born 1959), men's college basketball coach born in Ledyard Anna Matilda Larrabee (1842-1931), First Lady of Iowa Lyn-Z (born 1977), bassist for Mindless Self Indulgence, grew up in Ledyard Casey Neistat (born 1981), filmmaker, grew up in Ledyard Jackalyne Pfannenstiel (1947–2017), US Assistant Secretary of the Navy, grew up in Ledyard Fuller Potter (1910–1990), abstract expressionist artist, lived most of his life in town Samuel Seabury (1729–1796), Second Presiding Bishop of the Protestant Episcopal Church, born in Ledyard Gordon Waller (1945–2009), member of Peter & Gordon, lived in Ledyard
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 14,687 people, 5,286 households, and 4,101 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 5,486 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was: 88.23% White 3.51% Native American 2.70% Hispanic or Latino of any race 2.50% African American 2.19% Asian 0.07% Pacific Islander 0.84% from other races 2.66% from two or more races
There were 5,286 households, out of which 39.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.2% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.4% were non-families. 16.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.1% 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 3.12.