but at nowhere near the break-neck pace of the 1950s and 1960s; today, the main challenge to preserving North Stonington's historically rural character comes less from housing subdivisions and more from big commercial development ideas. The town, because of its access to I-95, rural charm, and after 1992 its proximity to the Mashantucket casino in the adjacent town of Ledyard, has attracted numerous would-be developers who have advanced as-yet unsuccessful entertainment park schemes for the town. North Stonington residents and visitors cherish the town for its beauty and historic value. In 1983 the village was added to the National Register of Historic Places, based on 58 existing homes and other buildings from the late 18th and early 19th centuries within its environs. Two houses located elsewhere in the town, for their age and historic value, are also on the register: the homes of Luther Palmer and John Randall. Sources Cracker Barrel Chronicle, vols I-II, George Stone, North Stonington Historical Society, 1985/86. Days and Recollections of North Stonington, Cyrus Henry Brown, paper read before the Rhode Island Historical Society, November 9, 1916. Gazetteer of the States of Connecticut and Rhode Island, John C. Pease and John Niles, Hartford, 1819. History of New London County, Connecticut, D. Hamilton Hurd, ed., 1882. Milltown Militia: North Stonington Volunteers in the Civil War, Cindy Anderson Holman, 1986. Stonington During the American Revolution, Norman Francis Boas, Norwich, 1990. The Way of Duty: A Woman And Her Family in Revolutionary America, Joy Day Buel and Richard Buel, Jr., 1984. [Accounts of Rev. Joseph Fish] Demographics As of the census of 2000, there were 4,991 people, 1,833 households, and 1,424 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 2,052 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 94.31% White, 0.60% African American, 2.06% Native American, 1.06% Asian, 0.22% from other races, and 1.74% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.44% of the population. There were 1,833 households, out of which 35.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.7% were married couples living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.3% were non-families. 16.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the