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is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 54,740.
Manchester was settled by colonists around 1672 as a farming community. The many rivers and brooks provided power for paper, lumber and textile industries, and the town quickly evolved into an industrial center. The town of Hartford once included the land now occupied by the towns of Manchester, East Hartford, and West Hartford. In 1783, East Hartford became a separate town, which included Manchester in its city limits until 1823.
In 1838, the Cheney family started what became the '''world's largest silk mill
Also of note are the E.E. Hilliard Company Woolen Mills. Founded ca. 1780 by Aaron Buckland and later sold to the Hilliard family. The Hilliard Mills are the oldest woolen mill site in the country.