Barkhamsted ( ) is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. It contains seven villages: West Hill, Mallory, Barkhamsted Center, Center Hill, Washington Hill, Pleasant Valley, and Riverton. The population was 3,647 at the 2020 census, down from 3,799 at the 2010 census. The town incorporated in 1779. Barkhamsted was named after Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire, England. Geography The town is in northeastern Litchfield County and is bordered to the north and east by Hartford County. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which are land and , or 6.63%, are water. Major bodies of water include Barkhamsted Reservoir, the primary water source for Hartford; Lake McDonough, and the Farmington River. A high percentage of the land in the town is owned by the state of Connecticut as state forest (Peoples State Forest, American Legion State Forest, Tunxis State Forest, and Enders State Forest) and by the Metropolitan District Commission (MDC) as water supply area. U.S. Route 44 crosses the southwest part of the town, leading southeast to Hartford and northwest to North Canaan. Principal communities Barkhamsted Center Barkhamsted Hollow (historical; became the Barkhamsted Reservoir in the early 20th century) Center Hill Pleasant Valley Riverton Demographics As of 2010 Barkhamsted had a population of 3,799. The racial composition of the population was 97.5% white, 0.3% black or African American, 0.6% Asian, 0.6% from some other race and 1.1% reporting two or more races. 1.5% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race. As of the census of 2000, there were 3,494 people, 1,334 households, and 1,036 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 1,436 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 98.54% White, 0.06% African American, 0.17% Native American, 0.40% Asian, 0.29% from other races, and 0.54% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.89% of the population. There were 1,334 households, out of which 36.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.2% were married couples living together, 6.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.3% were non-families. 16.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 2.95. In