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Fairfield, Connecticut

Fairfield is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It borders the city of Bridgeport and towns of Trumbull, Easton, Weston, and Westport along the Gold Coast of Connecticut. As of 2020, the town had a population of 61,512. The town is part of the Greater Bridgeport Planning Region.

Colonial era
In 1635, Puritans and Congregationalists in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, were dissatisfied with the rate of Anglican reform, and sought to establish an ecclesiastical society subject to their own rules and regulations. The Massachusetts General Court granted them permission to settle in the towns of Windsor, Wethersfield, and Hartford which is an area now known as Connecticut.

On January 14, 1639, a set of legal and administrative regulations called the Fundamental Orders was adopted and established Connecticut as a self-ruling entity. By 1639, these settlers had started new towns in the surrounding areas. Roger Ludlowe, framer of the Fundamental Orders, purchased the land called Unquowa (presently called Fairfield), and established the name. The name "Fairfield" is commendatory.

According to historian John M. Taylor: "Early in 1639, the General Court granted a commission to Ludlowe to begin a plantation at Pequannocke. He was on that errand, with a few others from Windsor, afterwards joined by immigrants from Watertown and Concord. He stole a large tract of land from the Pequannocke sachems – afterwards greatly enlarged by other purchases to the westward – and recalling the attractive region beyond (Unquowa), which he had personally seen on the second Pequot expedition, he also 'set down' there, having purchased the territory embraced in the present town of Fairfield, to which he gave its name."

Towns created from Fairfield
Fairfield was one of the two principal settlements of the Connecticut Colony in southwestern Connecticut (the other was Stratford). The town line with Stratford was set in May 1661 by John Banks, an early Fairfield settler, Richard Olmstead, and Lt. Joseph Judson, who were both appointed as a committee by the Colony of Connecticut. The town line with Norwalk was not set until May 1685.

Over time, it gave rise to several new towns that broke off and incorporated separately. The following is a list of towns created from parts of Fairfield.
 * Redding in 1767
 * Weston in 1787
 * Easton, created from Weston in 1845
 * Bridgeport in 1821 (also partly from Stratford) and again in 1870 when the Black Rock section left Fairfield
 * Westport in 1835 (partly from Weston and Norwalk)

Revolutionary War
When the American Revolutionary War began in the 1770s, Fairfielders were caught in the crisis as much as, if not more than, the rest of their neighbors in Connecticut. In a predominantly Tory section of the colony, the people of Fairfield were early supporters of the cause for independence. Throughout the war, a constant battle was being fought across the Long Island Sound as Loyalists from British-controlled Long Island raided the coast in whaleboats and privateers. Gold Selleck Silliman, whose home still stands on Jennings Road, was put in charge of the coastal defenses.

In the spring of 1779, Silliman was kidnapped from his home by Loyalist raiders in preparation for a British raid on Fairfield County. His wife, Mary Silliman watched from their home as, on the morning of July 7, 1779, approximately 2,000 British troops landed on Fairfield Beach near Pine Creek Point and invaded the town; the force proceeded to burn Fairfield due to the town's support for Patriot cause. A decade later, President George Washington noted that after traveling through Fairfield that "the destructive evidence of British cruelty are yet visible both in Norwalk and Fairfield; as there are the chimneys of many burnt houses standing in them yet".

Twentieth century
The First World War brought Fairfield out of its agrarian past by triggering an unprecedented economic boom in Bridgeport, which was the center of a large munitions industry at the time. The prosperity accompanied a temporary housing shortage in the city, and many of the workers looked to Fairfield to build their homes. The trolley and later the automobile made the countryside accessible to these newly rich members of the middle class, who brought with them new habits, new attitudes, and new modes of dress. The prosperity lasted throughout the twenties.

By the time of the Wall Street Crash of 1929, the population had increased to 17,000 from the 6,000 it had been just before the war. Even during the Depression, the town kept expanding.

The grounding of a barge with two crewmen on Penfield Reef in Fairfield during a gale led to the 1st civilian helicopter hoist rescue in history, on November 29, 1945. The helicopter flew from the nearby Sikorsky Aircraft plant in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

The opening of the Connecticut Turnpike in the 1950s brought another wave of development to Fairfield, and by the 1960s the town's residential, suburban character was firmly established.

Fairfield became the home of the corporate headquarters of General Electric (GE), one of the world's largest companies, ca. 1970. On May 8, 2017, GE relocated to Boston, Massachusetts.

Geography
The town is on the shore of the Long Island Sound. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 31.3 sqmi, of which 30.0 sqmi is land and 3.4 km2, or 4.15%, is water.

Waterways
Rivers flowing through Fairfield include Mill River, Rooster River, Ash Creek, Sasco Brook, and Aspetuck River.

Neighborhoods
Fairfield consists of many neighborhoods. The best known are wealthy Southport, where General Electric Chief Executive Officer Jack Welch lived for many years, and Greenfield Hill, with its large green areas, famous dogwood trees, and picturesque green with its white-spired Congregational church. Other neighborhoods include Stratfield, Tunxis Hill, the University area, Grasmere, Mill Plain, Knapp's Village, Melville Village, Holland Hill, Murray, and the Fairfield Beach area, which has recently undergone a renaissance with the construction of many new homes by residents wishing to live in proximity to the beach and downtown. This has resulted in steadily rising property prices. Two shopping districts in town include the Post Road (U.S. 1) and Black Rock Turnpike.

 * Fairfield Center/Downtown Fairfield
 * Fairfield Beach
 * Fairfield Woods
 * Grasmere
 * Greenfield Hill
 * Lake Hills
 * Mill Plain
 * Murray
 * Sasco Hill and Beach
 * Southport
 * Stratfield Village
 * Tunxis Hill

Demographics
As of the census of 2010, there were 59,404 people in the town, organized into 20,457 households and 14,846 families. The population density was 1,927 PD/sqmi. There were 21,648 housing units at an average density of 703 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 91.6% White, 3.7% Asian, 1.8% African American, 0.06% Native American, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 1.2% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races. 5.0% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 20,457 households, out of which 38.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.6% were married couples living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.4% were non-families. 22.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.19.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.4% under the age of 18, 11.1% from 18 to 24, 21.1% from 25 to 44, 27.4% from 45 to 64, and 15.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.6 males.

The median household income (in 2013 dollars) was $117,705 (these figures had risen to $103,352 and $121,749 respectively as of a 2007 estimate ). Males had a median income of $69,525 versus $44,837 for females. The per capita income for the city was $55,733. 2.9% of the population and 1.8% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 2.8% of those under the age of 18 and 3.6% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

Economy
In May 2012, Moody's Investors Service revised the Town of Fairfield's $192 million general obligation bond debt from negative to stable. In June 2012, Moody's awarded Fairfield with an AAA bond rating, which it maintains to this date.

Taxes
In 2005, the mill rate of Fairfield was 16.67. The 2012–2013 taxes in Fairfield rose 4% to a mill rate of 23.37. The 2013–2014 mill rate which went into effect on July 1 for fiscal year 2013–2014 also increased by 2.38% to 23.93.

Large and distinctive companies

 * R.C. Bigelow (Bigelow Tea Company) – headquarters, Black Rock Turnpike
 * Sturm, Ruger & Co. – headquarters, Lacey Place in Southport, firearms manufacturer
 * Fairfield University – 1073 North Benson Road (5000 students and more than 500 academic employees plus additional administrators and staff)
 * Sacred Heart University – New England's second largest Roman Catholic university

Historic sites

 * Connecticut Audubon Society Birdcraft Museum and Sanctuary – 314 Unquowa Road (added 1982)
 * Bronson Windmill – 3015 Bronson Road (added 1971)
 * David Ogden House – 1520 Bronson Road (added 1979)
 * Fairfield Historic District – Old Post Road from Post Road to Turney Road (added 1971). This is the old town center of Fairfield, roughly along Old Post Road between U.S. Route 1 and Turney Road. The area contains Fairfield's town hall, public library, and houses dating from the late 18th century.
 * Fairfield Railroad Stations – Carter Henry Drive (added 1989)
 * Greenfield Hill Historic District – Roughly bounded by Meeting House Lane, Hillside Road, Verna Hill Road and Bronson Road (added 1971)
 * John Osborne House – 909 King's Highway West (added 1987)
 * Jonathan Sturges House – 449 Mill Plain Road (added 1984)
 * Pequot Library- 720 Pequot Ave (added 1971)
 * Pine Creek Park Bridge – North of Old Dam Road, over Pine Circle (added 1992)
 * Southport Historic District – Roughly bounded by Southport Harbor, railroad tracks, Old South Road, and Rose Hill Road (added 1971)
 * Southport Railroad Stations – 96 Station St. and 100 Center St. (added 1989)

Arts, entertainment, and sports

 * The Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts on the campus of Fairfield University opened in 1990. Its schedule of events includes popular and classical music, dance, theatre, programs for young audiences, and the Open VISIONS Forum lecture series which feature opinion-makers, artists, authors, political commentators, and contributors to the humanities and sciences. The Quick Center houses the 740-seat Kelley Theatre, the 150-seat Lawrence A. Wien Experimental Theatre, and the Thomas J. Walsh Jr. Art Gallery. The Quick Center has become known as one of the finest concert halls in the country and was recognized as the "cultural epicenter of Fairfield County" by Westport Magazine.
 * The PepsiCo Theatre, a renovated 1922 carriage house on the campus of Fairfield University, is the home to the theatre program of the Department of Visual and Performing Arts and Theater Fairfield, the resident production company of the university. The PepsiCo Theatre also hosts experimental productions by students, faculty and local professionals.
 * The Bellarmine Museum of Art on the campus of Fairfield University hosts shows by regional artists and touring exhibitions as well as a permanent collection.
 * The Community Theatre in downtown Fairfield was acquired, renovated, and reopened by Sacred Heart University in 2019. Originally built in 1920 as a vaudeville venue, it is Fairfield's oldest and last remaining cinema.
 * The Fairfield Theater Company operates an auditorium located near the downtown Fairfield train station.
 * The Gazebo on Sherman Town Green is home to free concerts during the summer in the afternoon hours.
 * Pequot Library, known for programming and rare books
 * WSHU-FM Public Radio, operated by Sacred Heart University
 * WVOF, student-run radio at Fairfield University
 * Fairfield University hosts collegiate athletic competitions open to the public including basketball, baseball, cross-country, field hockey, lacrosse, rowing, soccer, swimming, tennis, and volleyball.

Parks and recreation
Fairfield residents enjoy a wealth of recreational opportunities, many of which stem from Fairfield's enviable location on the Long Island Sound.
 * The town's 5 mi of Long Island Sound coastline include five town beaches which are staffed by lifeguards during the summer, and miles of privately owned beach which are open to the public below the high tide mark.
 * South Benson Marina is a town-owned facility providing 600 boat slips which residents can rent for the summer.
 * Lake Mohegan, which includes waterfalls called The Cascades, is a popular destination for hiking, as are the Fairfield Audubon Society and the Bird Sanctuary.
 * Ye Yacht Yard, a town-owned facility on Southport Harbor, provides boat launch services to residents, and access to moorings in Southport Harbor. Ye Yacht Yard is also the location of Community Sailing of Fairfield, whose members share use of two 18-foot sailboats.
 * The "SportsPlex" is located in downtown Fairfield and offers athletic activities such as ice skating, indoor climbing, indoor soccer and gymnastics.

Other points of interest

 * Pequot Library, 720 Pequot Road, Southport (Fairfield County, Connecticut).jpg]]Connecticut Audubon Society Center at Fairfield (separate from the Birdcraft Museum and Sanctuary) – 6 mi of boardwalk nature trails in a wildlife sanctuary of 160 acre with a nature center
 * Fairfield Museum and History Center – displays on local history, art and decorative arts, and a library on local history
 * Gallery of Contemporary Art at Sacred Heart University – holds five exhibitions each year
 * Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts at Fairfield University
 * Pequot Library-- exhibitions on local history, rare books, in a landmark building

Government
The town government consists of the three-member Board of Selectmen, a Representative Town Meeting (RTM), a Board of Finance, a Board of Education, a Town Planning and Zoning Commission (TPZ), and many other politically appointed commissions, boards, and committees. The current First Selectman is Bill Gerber (D).

Makeup of notable governmental bodies
As of November 27, 2023

Board of Selectmen
Democrat controlled 2–1

Representative Town Meeting
Democratic Supermajority 31–9

Board of Finance
Democrat Controlled 5–4  * Special Election held in 2021 to replace the seat left vacant by Ed Bateson on 5/17/21

Board of education
Democrat Controlled 5–4 The town has no criminal or civil court system, and all trials are handled by the Bridgeport Superior Court system. However, the town does also offer access to a Juvenile Review Board (JRB) for certain juvenile cases outlined by the Fairfield Police Department.

Fairfield is represented in the Connecticut General Assembly by one Republican, Sen. Tony Hwang, and three Democrats, Rep. Cristin McCarthy Vahey, Rep. Jennifer Leeper, and Rep. Sarah Keitt.

Police Department
The Fairfield Police Department was created in 1926, approximately 287 years after the town was founded.

Fire Department
The town of Fairfield is protected by the 95 career firefighters of the Fairfield Fire Department (FFD), and volunteer firefighters of the Southport Volunteer Fire Department and Stratfield Volunteer Fire Department. The career Fairfield Fire Department operates five fire stations, located throughout the town, and uses a fire apparatus fleet of five engine companies, one ladder company, one rescue company, three fireboats, and 1 Shift Commander's Unit, as well as many special support, and reserve units. The Southport Volunteer Fire Department has served the community since 1895. The Stratfield Volunteer Fire Department has several stations and has served the community since 1920.

Education

Fairfield has two public high schools, Fairfield Warde and Fairfield Ludlowe; three public middle schools, Roger Ludlowe, Tomlinson, and Fairfield Woods Middle School; and eleven public elementary schools.

Fairfield has several Catholic schools, including two high schools, Fairfield Prep and Notre Dame, and two primary schools, St. Thomas Aquinas and Our Lady of the Assumption. A third Catholic primary school, Holy Family, was closed by the Diocese of Bridgeport at the end of the 2009–2010 academic year.

Non-religious private schools include Fairfield Country Day School and the Unquowa School.

Fairfield is also home to two post-secondary institutions, Fairfield University and Sacred Heart University.

Media

 * Fairfield Online News
 * Connecticut Post (headquartered in neighboring Bridgeport)
 * Fairfield Minuteman
 * Fairfield Citizen-News
 * Fairfield Sun
 * HamletHub Fairfield
 * Fairfield Magazine
 * Fairfield County Catholic
 * WSHU-FM
 * WVOF

Transportation
Fairfield is traversed by U.S. 1, Interstate 95, and the Merritt Parkway. It has three Metro-North Railroad stations, Fairfield Metro, Fairfield and Southport. The town is served by several public bus lines of the Greater Bridgeport Transit Authority.

Places of worship

 * St. Anthony of Padua Church
 * Trinity Baptist Church
 * Greenfield Hill Congregational Church – Congregational Church
 * First Church Congregational – UCC
 * Southport Congregational Church
 * St. Paul's Episcopal Church – Episcopal Church (United States)
 * St. Timothy's Episcopal Church – Episcopal Church (United States)
 * Trinity Episcopal Church – Episcopal Church (United States)
 * Fairfield Grace United Methodist Church – United Methodist Church
 * Black Rock Congregational Church – non-denominational evangelical
 * Our Saviour's Lutheran Church – Lutheran Church (ELCA)
 * First Presbyterian Church of Fairfield – Presbyterian Church
 * Holy Cross Roman Catholic Church
 * Our Lady of the Assumption
 * St. Pius X Church
 * St. Thomas Roman Catholic Church
 * Chabad of Fairfield
 * Congregation Beth El

Notable people

 * William Burnett Benton (1900–1973), former U.S. senator
 * Leonard Bernstein (1918–1990), conductor, composer, musician
 * James Blake (born 1979), professional tennis player
 * Julius Boros (1920–1994), professional golfer, winner of 18 PGA tour events including the 1952 and 1963 U.S. Open and 1968 PGA Championship
 * Aaron Burr Sr. (1716–1757), native, clergyman, educator, and father of Vice President Aaron Burr
 * John Byrne (born 1950) comic book artist and author
 * Ann Shaw Carter (1922–2005) first woman to be a commercial helicopter pilot
 * Kenton Clarke (born 1951), CEO, trumpet player, Buglers Hall of Fame and Drum Corps Hall of Fame
 * Susan Cooper (born 1935) author of children's sequence The Dark Is Rising
 * Hume Cronyn (1911–2003), actor, Lifeboat, Cocoon
 * Michael J. Daly (1924–2008), World War II Medal of Honor recipient
 * T. F. Gilroy Daly, attorney and federal judge, born in Fairfield
 * C. Douglas Dillon, Secretary of US Treasury, ambassador to France, lived in Fairfield c. 2002–2003
 * David L. Downie, author and professor of politics and environment policy at Fairfield University
 * Keir Dullea, actor, 2001: A Space Odyssey
 * Dick Durrell (1925–2008), founder of People magazine, adjunct professor at Sacred Heart University
 * Timothy Dwight IV (1752–1817), Congregationalist minister, author, president of Yale College; pastor for 12 years at Greenfield Hill Church
 * Margaret Morrison, granddaughter of Andrew Carnegie
 * Tatiana Foroud, internationally recognized genetic researcher
 * Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth, founding members of Talking Heads and Tom Tom Club
 * Robert Greenberger (born 1958), writer, editor and Fairfield politician
 * J. J. Henry, PGA golfer, 2006 Ryder Cup team member
 * Paul Hogan, aka "Crocodile Dundee", actor, lived many years in Fairfield with wife Linda Kozlowski
 * Don Imus, radio personality, past resident in Southport
 * Eliot A. Jardines, Assistant Deputy Director of National Intelligence for Open source intelligence
 * Oliver Burr Jennings, Exxon (Standard Oil) founder
 * Pat Jordan, sportswriter and acclaimed author of A False Spring, ranked #37 on Sports Illustrated Top 100 Sports Books of All Time
 * Linda Kozlowski, actress, born in Fairfield
 * David LaChapelle, born in Fairfield, photographer and director
 * Jonathan Lewis, biomedical researcher, cancer drug developer
 * Justin Long, actor, Jeepers Creepers, Ed
 * Roger Ludlow, town founder
 * Pauline Bradford Mackie (1873–1956), writer of historical fiction
 * Florence Lewis May, art historian
 * John Mayer, Grammy-winning singer-songwriter and guitarist
 * Bradley B. Meeker, Minnesota Territorial Supreme Court justice
 * Brian Monahan, US Navy rear admiral and Attending Physician of the United States Congress
 * Matt Morgan, professional wrestler, American Gladiator and actor
 * Anne M. Mulcahy, chairman, Xerox Corporation
 * Charles Nagy, former MLB pitcher for Cleveland Indians
 * Joe Namath, New York Jets quarterback, Hall of Famer, past resident
 * Henry Fairfield Osborn, (1857–1935) geologist, paleontologist, eugenicist
 * Dan Remmes, actor/writer, book writer of Grumpy Old Men: The Musical
 * Jason Robards, actor, lived in Southport
 * Richard Rodgers, composer of more than 900 songs and 43 Broadway musicals, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Rodgers and Hart
 * Philip Rubin, CEO emeritus of Haskins Laboratories and a former White House science adviser
 * Meg Ryan, actress, Sleepless in Seattle, When Harry Met Sally..., born in Fairfield
 * Chris Sarandon and Joanna Gleason, actors
 * Gold Selleck Silliman, Revolutionary War general
 * Samuel Smedley, privateer in Revolutionary War
 * Howard Sosin, founder of AIG Financial Products, presently investor
 * Jonathan Sturges, delegate to the Continental Congress and member of the United States House of Representatives
 * Gene Tierney, actress, Laura, Leave Her to Heaven; attended Unquowa School in Fairfield
 * Lee Tilghman, former wellness influencer
 * Brian Torff, jazz musician, composer, head of Fairfield University music program
 * Raviv Ullman, star of Phil of the Future
 * Franco Ventriglia, opera singer, Fairfield native
 * Jeffrey P. von Arx, president of Fairfield University
 * Robert Penn Warren, author and poet
 * Robert Waterman, clipper ship captain who sailed to California and named Fairfield, California after this city
 * Michael Weatherly, actor, plays Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo in series NCIS
 * Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric, former town resident
 * Bob Wright, chairman of NBC for 20 years
 * Mabel Osgood Wright, author and founder of Connecticut Audubon Society (Birdcraft Museum in Fairfield)
 * Julie Benko, actress; attended Fairfield Ludlowe High School in Fairfield

title: Fairfield, Connecticut


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Georgetown, Connecticut

Georgetown is a census-designated place in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It is located in the area where the towns of Wilton, Redding, Weston, and Ridgefield meet.

Georgetown and its surrounding area are also defined as the Georgetown census-designated place (CDP). As of the 2020 census, the population of the CDP was 1,832.

Georgetown is located at the southwest corner of the town of Redding, the northwest corner of the town of Weston, the northeast corner of the town of Wilton, and the southeast corner of Ridgefield. Georgetown residents officially live in and pay local taxes to one of these four towns, but typically identify themselves as living in Georgetown. Georgetown has its own fire district, which also serves the surrounding rural areas not traditionally included in Georgetown, and its own ZIP code (06829).

Historic district
On April 9, 1987, the central portion of Georgetown was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places as the Georgetown Historic District. A map shows its approximate location within Georgetown. The historic district is an area of 90 acre that includes the Gilbert and Bennett manufacturing plant, institutional housing built for the plant workers, and other private homes. The district includes portions of Georgetown in the towns of Redding and Wilton.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 2.85 sqmi, of which 2.84 sqmi is land and 0.02 sqmi, or 0.70%, is water. Of the total area of the CDP, 2.36 sqmi are in Wilton, 0.33 sqmi are in Redding, and 0.16 sqmi are in Weston.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,650 people, 572 households, and 455 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 581.8 PD/sqmi. There were 597 housing units at an average density of 210.5 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the CDP was 90.62% White, 1.33% African American, 0.24% Native American, 3.39% Asian, 0.48% from other races, and 0.55% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.39% of the population.

There were 572 households, out of which 44.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 71.0% were married couples living together, 4.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.3% were non-families. 16.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.87 and the average family size was 3.27.

In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 30.4% under the age of 18, 3.3% from 18 to 24, 29.9% from 25 to 44, 27.7% from 45 to 64, and 8.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.1 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $103,424, and the median income for a family was $110,081. Males had a median income of $81,538 versus $59,531 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $55,029. About 2.0% of families and 4.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.5% of those under age 18 and 4.6% of those age 65 or over.

Movies filmed in Georgetown

 * Reckless (1995)
 * Other People's Money (1991)
 * Rachel, Rachel (1968)

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Georgetown, Connecticut


text:
Greenwich, Connecticut

Greenwich is a town in southwestern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. At the 2020 census, it had a population of 63,518. Greenwich is a principal community of the Bridgeport–Stamford–Norwalk–Danbury metropolitan statistical area, which comprises all of Fairfield County, and is part of the Western Connecticut Planning Region. The town is the southwesternmost municipality in both the State of Connecticut and the six-state region of New England. The town is named after Greenwich, a royal borough of London in the United Kingdom.

It is the largest town on Connecticut's affluent Gold Coast. Greenwich is home to many hedge funds and financial services firms due to its residential setting and proximity to New York City.

History
The town of Greenwich was settled in 1640, by the agents Robert Feake and Captain Daniel Patrick, for Gov. Theophilus Eaton of New Haven Colony, who purchased the land from the Siwanoy Indians in exchange of 25 English coats. One of the founders was Elizabeth Fones Winthrop, daughter-in-law of John Winthrop, founder and governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. What is now called Greenwich Point was known for much of the area's early history as "Elizabeth's Neck" in recognition of Elizabeth Fones and the 1640 purchase of the Point and much of the area now known as Old Greenwich. Greenwich was declared a township by the Connecticut General Assembly in Hartford on May 11, 1665.

During the American Revolution, General Israel Putnam made a daring escape from the British on February 26, 1779, in Greenwich. Although British forces captured and sacked the town, Putnam was able to warn Stamford.

In 1974, Gulliver's Restaurant and Bar, on the border of Greenwich and Port Chester, burned, killing 24 young people.

In 1983, the Mianus River Bridge, which carries traffic on Interstate 95 over an estuary, collapsed, resulting in the death of three people.

For many years, Greenwich Point (locally termed "Tod's Point"), was open only to town residents and their guests. However, a lawyer sued, saying his rights to freedom of assembly were threatened because he was not allowed to go there. The lower courts disagreed, but the Supreme Court of Connecticut agreed, and Greenwich was forced to amend its beach access policy to all four beaches in 2001. These beaches include Greenwich Point Park, Island Beach, Great Captain Island, and Byram Park.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau in 2000, the town had a total area of 67.2 sqmi, of which 47.8 sqmi is land and 19.4 sqmi, or 28.88%, is water. In terms of area, Greenwich is twice the size of Manhattan. The town is bordered to the West by Port Chester, New York, and Rye Brook, New York. To the North it is bordered by Armonk, New York, and Banksville, New York. To the South it is bordered by the Long Island Sound. To the East, it is bordered by Stamford, Connecticut.

Neighborhoods and sections
The U.S. Census Bureau recognizes nine CDPs within the town: Byram, Cos Cob, Glenville, Indian Field, Old Greenwich, Pemberwick, Riverside, Rock Ridge and the Greenwich CDP covering the historic municipal center of the town. The USPS lists separate zip codes for "Greenwich" (spanning two zip codes), Cos Cob, Old Greenwich, and Riverside, for a total of five zip codes, plus a sixth zip code for PO Box. Additionally, Greenwich is often further divided into several smaller, unofficial neighborhoods.

Greenwich's Hispanic and Latin American population is concentrated in the southwestern corner of the town. In 2011, numerous neighborhoods were described by Business Insider as being among the richest neighborhoods in America.

 * Back Country
 * Banksville (Connecticut side)
 * Belle Haven
 * Bruce Park
 * Byram
 * Chickahominy
 * Cos Cob
 * Edgewood
 * Fourth Ward (Fourth Ward Historic District)
 * Glenville
 * Downtown/Central Greenwich
 * Greenwich Cove
 * Holly Hill
 * Mianus
 * Mid-Country
 * Milbank
 * Milbrook
 * Municipal Center District
 * North Mianus
 * North Street (refers to the neighborhood surrounding North Street)
 * Old Greenwich (Sound Beach)
 * Palmer Hill
 * Pemberwick
 * Pine Hill
 * Riverbank
 * Riverside
 * Riversville
 * Rock Ridge
 * Round Hill
 * Stanwich

Historical sites

 * Bush-Holley House
 * Putnam Cottage
 * Thomas Lyon House

Islands
Calf Island is a 29 acre island about 3000 ft from the Byram shore in Greenwich.

More than half of the island (on the west side) is a bird sanctuary off-limits to members of the public without permission to visit. As of 2006 the island is available for overnight stays for those with permits, otherwise the east side is open from dawn until dusk.

Great Captain Island is also off the coast of Greenwich, and includes the southernmost point in Connecticut. There is a U.S. Coast Guard lighthouse on this island, as well as a designated area as a bird sanctuary. The lighthouse is a skeletal tower.

Island Beach or "Little Captain Island" once was the venue for the town's annual Island Beach Day. Ventriloquist Paul Winchell and his dummy, Jerry Mahoney, once came for a show, and on another occasion the Connecticut National Guard let adults and children fire machine guns into the water, according to an article in the Greenwich Time.

Island Beach has changed over the decades. The bathhouse once on the island's eastern shore is gone, and erosion is slowly eating away at the beaches themselves.

Climate
Greenwich experiences a humid continental climate (Dfa); however, it is quite close to a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cfa). During winter storms, it is common for the area north of the Merritt Parkway to receive significantly heavier snowfall than the area closer to the coast, due to the moderating influence of Long Island Sound.

Demographics
At the 2020 U.S. census, there were 63,518 people in Greenwich. Per the American Community Survey's 2018 estimates, the population of Greenwich grew to 62,574. There were 24,234 housing units, 22,251 households, and 16,322 families in 2018. The town's racial makeup consisted of 72.8% non-Hispanic whites, 3.3% Blacks or African Americans, 0.1% American Indian or Alaska Natives, 7.6% Asian Americans, and 2.2% multiracial Americans. Hispanic and Latin American residents made up 13.8% of the estimated population.

The average household size from 2014 to 2018 grew to 2.78 and the average family size was 3.28. The median household income excluding capital gains was $142,819 and the average income was $272,636. Including capital gains, the median household income in 2014 was $511,411. The per capita income for the town was $98,467.

At the census of 2000, there were 61,101 people, 23,230 households, and 16,237 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,277.6 PD/sqmi. There were 24,511 housing units at an average density of 512.5 /sqmi. At the census estimates of 2013, the racial makeup of the town was 80.90% White, 4.90% Black, 0.10% Native American, 7.80% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, and 2.50% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 13.90% of the population.

There were 23,230 households, out of which 33.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.4% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.1% were non-families. 24.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.12.

In the town the population was spread out, with 25.4% under the age of 18, 4.1% from 18 to 24, 28.8% from 25 to 44, 25.7% from 45 to 64, and 15.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.2 males.

Wealth
Greenwich is home to three of the wealthiest zip codes in Connecticut, 06878, 06830 and 06831, with average adjusted gross incomes of $754,990, $638,560 and $721,550, and median household incomes of $182,386, $109,250 and $155,417, respectively. In recent decades, the town has attracted wealthy expatriates from around the globe due to its extremely low tax rate, desirable school system, and proximity to Manhattan, which is an hour by Metro North. The median listing price for a home in the town was $2.3 million in 2021. The coastal neighborhood of Belle Haven, along with Backcountry, have some of the wealthiest single family real estate in the world. In 2014, the highest asking price for a residential property in town was the Copper Beech Estate at $190 million. It later sold for $120 million.

Economy
Greenwich, along with Stamford, are the economic centers of Fairfield County and its metropolitan statistical area. Prominent companies based in the town of Greenwich are: AQR Capital, Blue Harbour Group, the now defunct Blue Sky Studios/20th Century Animation, Blyth, Inc., Cambridge Solutions, First Reserve Corporation, Interactive Brokers, Nestlé Waters North America, North Street Capital, Silver Point Capital, Viking Global Investors, W. R. Berkley, a holding company for subsidiaries that sell property-casualty insurance, XFL, and XPO Logistics. Other major institutions in the township are Greenwich Hospital, Hyatt Regency, Tudor Investment Corporation, Eversource Energy, Brunswick School, and Camuto Group.

Arts and culture
Greenwich is home to the Greenwich International Film Festival, which acts in coordination with nonprofits to promote socially conscious filmmaking in the city's downtown in an annual June festival, in addition to screenings and events held year-round.

The Greenwich Symphony Orchestra begun in 1958 as the Greenwich Philharmonia. The Philharmonia was conducted by high school music teacher Ken Wendrich. The orchestra became fully professional by 1967. That year the orchestra found a new conductor, Juilliard graduate John Nelson. The Greenwich Choral Society, founded in 1925, performs locally and elsewhere, including in New York City and Europe.

The Greenwich post office contains a mural, The Packet Sails from Greenwich Green, painted in 1939 by Victoria Hutson Huntley.

The Bruce Museum is a town-owned institution with sections devoted to art and natural history. Putnam Cottage (Knapp Tavern) historic house museum, is also located within Greenwich.

Acacia Lodge No. 85, Ancient, Free & Accepted Masons, founded in 1857 in the top level of the old Cos Cob School House, is located in the town. Its members were originally of Union Lodge No. 5, founded 1763, and though its "home base" was Stamford, it was given the jurisdiction of "Stamford, Horseneck and parts adjacent." Union Lodge often met in Greenwich, and the first recorded meeting place was Knapp's Tavern on the King's Highway.

The Greenwich Town Party is a recurring music festival in Greenwich. Past headliners have included The Temptations, Paul Simon, the Eagles, Santana, the Doobie Brothers, and Billy Joel.

Recreation
The Greenwich Y.M.C.A. and Greenwich Y.W.C.A. offer fitness and social services.

Equinox, a luxury fitness club has a location in Greenwich, CT.

Arch Street, The Greenwich Teen Center has age-specific programs and events on weekdays and weekends.

Dorothy Hamill Rink is a town-owned ice rink open seasonally.

The Greenwich Polo Club is a polo club and event venue that was established in 1981.

Beaches
The town has four beaches on Long Island Sound:
 * Greenwich Point
 * Byram Beach
 * Island Beach (Little Captain's Island)
 * Great Captain Island

Parks

 * Binney Park
 * Pomerance Park
 * Bruce Park
 * Cos Cob Park

Private membership clubs

 * Greenwich Country Club
 * The Milbrook Club
 * Round Hill Club
 * The Stanwich Club
 * Burning Tree Country Club
 * Field Club of Greenwich
 * Tamarack Country Club
 * Fairview Country Club
 * Indian Harbor Yacht Club
 * Riverside Yacht Club
 * Belle Haven Club
 * Old Greenwich Yacht Club
 * Rocky Point Club
 * Greenwich Water Club
 * Greenwich Boat & Yacht Club
 * Innis Arden Golf Club
 * The Greenwich Skating Club

Public schools
Greenwich Public Schools operates the public schools. Greenwich High School is the district's sole high school. elementary schools had the same racial demographics as the town. The 3 middle schools have representative enrollment.

Elementary Schools:
 * Cos Cob School
 * Glenville School
 * Hamilton Avenue School
 * International School at Dundee
 * Julian Curtiss School
 * New Lebanon School
 * North Mianus School
 * North Street School
 * Old Greenwich School
 * Parkway School
 * Riverside School

Middle Schools:
 * Central Middle School
 * Eastern Middle School
 * Western Middle School

High Schools:
 * Greenwich High School

Private schools
Approximately 25-30% of K-12 residents are enrolled in private schools, a high ratio compared to other municipalities in CT and elsewhere in the region.
 * Brunswick School, a non-sectarian boys' school (the brother school to Greenwich Academy) (Pre-K–12)
 * Greenwich Academy, a non-sectarian girls' school (the sister school to Brunswick) (Pre-K–12)
 * Eagle Hill School (K–10)
 * Convent of the Sacred Heart, a girls' school with Catholic affiliation (Pre-K–12)
 * Greenwich Catholic School (Pre-K–8), 471 North Street (of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bridgeport)
 * Greenwich Country Day School (originally nursery–9) (Acquired Stanwich School for 10–12, 2017)
 * Greenwich Japanese School (Japanese School of New York), a New York City area Nihonjin gakko, a Japanese expatriate school (K–9), which moved to Greenwich in 1992; previously it was in New York City.
 * Escuela Argentina en Greenwich (K–8), the only Spanish language international school in the New York metro.
 * The Stanwich School (Pre-K–12), located at 257 Stanwich Road
 * Whitby School (18 months through grade 8), a Montessori and International Baccalaureate World School (IB).

Former schools:
 * Carmel Academy (K–8), a Jewish school sharing a campus with Greenwich Japanese School. In 2010, the school changed its name from Westchester Fairfield Hebrew Academy. Closed in 2020.
 * Daycroft School, closed 1991

Government and politics
The town of Greenwich is one political and taxing body, but consists of several distinct sections or neighborhoods, such as Banksville, Byram, Cos Cob, Glenville, Mianus, Old Greenwich, Riverside and Greenwich (sometimes referred to as central, or downtown, Greenwich). Of these neighborhoods, three (Cos Cob, Old Greenwich, and Riverside) have separate postal names and ZIP codes.

The town has three selectmen and a Representative Town Meeting (RTM). The RTM must approve all budgets, and consists of 230 elected representatives. RTM members are not paid. The three selectmen are elected on a town-wide basis, although each person can only vote for two members. This assures that there will almost always be one Democrat and two Republicans or two Democrats and one Republican. While voter registration is skewed in the Republicans' favor, they do not have a lock on the First Selectman's chair, and Democrats have held the seat recently. Many of the other town committees have equal representation between Democrats and Republicans, regardless of the vote breakdown, since each individual can only vote for half as many seats as are available.

Voting History
Greenwich, Connecticut was a mostly Democrat jurisdiction up through 1892, voting for the Democrat in 13 of the 17 presidential elections from that party's founding in the mid-1820s up through 1892. Then the GOP would win Greenwich in 27 of the 28 presidential elections from 1896 to 2004, and in three of the last four presidential elections, the Democrat has carried the town.

The largest share of the vote received by a Democratic presidential candidate is the 64.56% of the vote received by Martin Van Buren in 1836, the largest share of the vote received by a Republican presidential candidate is the 78.25% of the vote received by Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1956, and the largest percentage of the vote receive by third-party presidential candidates was the 27.61% of the vote received by the third-party candidates in the 1912 presidential election. Most prominently, Theodore Roosevelt under the Bull Moose Party.

The results of Greenwich in all 49 presidential elections since 1828 can be found below:

Transportation
The town is served by the Metro-North Railroad's New Haven Line (the four stations, from west to east, are Greenwich, Cos Cob, Riverside, and Old Greenwich) and is approximately a 50-minute train ride to Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan on the express train and a 60-minute ride on the local. The Amtrak Acela, Northeast Regional, and Vermonter trains stop in the adjacent city of Stamford.

Interstate 95 goes through the southern end of town, and there are four exits from I-95 in Greenwich, exits 2 through 5. The Boston Post Road (also known as East or West Putnam Avenue or simply Route 1) also goes through town, as does the Merritt Parkway, although the Merritt Parkway is a considerable distance from the downtown area. Interstate 684 passes through Greenwich, but cannot be entered or exited there, and the nearest interchange is at the Westchester County Airport in New York State.

Westchester County Airport is the closest commercial airport to Greenwich. It takes approximately 15 minutes to drive from the town's center. This is followed by LaGuardia Airport in Queens, New York, a 35-minute drive approximately. John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens, New York, is the closest international airport, a one-hour drive approximately. Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey is also easily accessible from Greenwich, taking approximately one hour to drive to.

According to the DataHaven Community Wellbeing Survey, a statewide program funded by various agencies and philanthropies, 4% of adults in Greenwich are "transportation insecure," meaning that they have had to stay at home during the past year due to a lack of adequate transportation. The comparable rate for all adults statewide is 13%.

Fire department
The town of Greenwich is protected by the paid career members of the Greenwich Fire Department (GFD) and eight all-volunteer fire companies, in addition to a Fire Police Patrol. The paid GFD is made up of 106 paid firefighters, who staff 6 Engine Companies and 1 Truck Company, as well as several special units, in 6 Fire Stations (shared with volunteer companies), under the command of a Deputy Chief (Tour Commander) per shift, who in-turn reports to the Chief of Department. The 7 volunteer fire companies are made up of a total of approximately 100 volunteer firefighters, who man 9 volunteer engines, 2 volunteer ladders, 4 tankers, 6 squads, 3 utility units, 3 marine units (fireboats), 1 dive rescue unit, 1 special operations unit, 1 heavy rescue and several other support units. The volunteer fire companies are quartered in 7 of the fire stations, located throughout the town, and respond to emergency calls with the paid GFD Units. The all-volunteer fire companies are each commanded by a District Chief, who in-turn reports to a Deputy Chief of the GFD, who reports to the Chief of Department. There is also the Cos Cob Fire Police Patrol, one of the only remaining Fire Police Patrols in Fairfield County, Connecticut. The Patrol operates 2 Units, Patrol 2 (P2) and Utility 2 (U2). The paid Greenwich Fire Department and the 7 all-volunteer Greenwich Fire Companies respond to, on average, approximately 5,000 emergency calls annually.

Police department
Located at 11 Bruce Place, GPD has 87 police officers, 22 detectives, 19 sergeants, 10 lieutenants, 3 captains, and one deputy chief with 20+ civilian dispatchers and administrative personnel. and includes a K-9 unit.

Libraries

 * Byram Shubert Library
 * Cos Cob Library
 * Greenwich Library
 * Perrot Library

Newspapers and print

 * Greenwich Magazine, owned by Moffly Publications, which publishes other local magazines.
 * Greenwich Sentinel, local weekly printed newspaper.
 * Greenwich Time, a daily newspaper based in Greenwich; published by Hearst Corporation, which also owns The Advocate of Stamford. Some sections are identical to the same sections in The Advocate, including the arts and business sections.
 * Living Greenwich, a digital publication.

title: Greenwich, Connecticut


text:
Monroe, Connecticut

Monroe is a town located in eastern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 18,825 at the 2020 census. The town is part of the Greater Bridgeport Planning Region.

Monroe is largely considered a bedroom community of New York City, New Haven, and Bridgeport.

History
On May 15, 1656, the Court of the Colony of Connecticut in Hartford affirmed that the town of Stratford included all of the territory 12 mi inland from Long Island Sound, between the Housatonic River and the Fairfield town line, to include the southern portion of present-day Monroe. In 1662, Stratford selectmen Lt. Joseph Judson, Captain Joseph Hawley and John Minor secured all the written deeds of transfer from the Golden Hill Paugussett Indian Nation for this vast territory that comprises the present-day towns of Trumbull, Shelton and Monroe. In 1671, Stratford purchased from the Paugusset Indians the territory which included the remainder of the northern portions of Monroe, Trumbull and Shelton, in what is known as "The White Hills Purchase", and officially annexed it to the Township of Stratford.

Monroe incorporated as a town in 1823. The community is named after James Monroe, fifth President of the United States.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 26.3 sqmi, of which 26.1 sqmi is land and 0.2 sqmi, or 0.76%, is water. The Pequonnock River begins in Monroe in Wolfe Park. Monroe borders Lake Zoar, a reservoir on the Housatonic River formed by the Stevenson Dam.

Neighborhoods
Monroe is made up of several neighborhoods:
 * East Village
 * Midtown
 * Monroe Center
 * North Central
 * Stepney
 * Stevenson
 * Upper Stepney
 * Whitney Farms
 * Zoar

Demographics
As of the 2020 United States Census, there were 18,825 people living in the town. The racial makeup of the town was 84.6% White, 2.4% African American, 6.2% Asian, and 4.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 6.8% of the population.

As of the census of 2000, there were 19,247 people, 6,481 households, and 5,346 families residing in the town. The population density was 736.5 PD/sqmi. There were 6,601 housing units at an average density of 252.6 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 95.8% White, 0.20% African American, 0.08% Native American, 2.62% Asian, 0.50% from other races, and 0.83% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 2.20% of the population.

There were 6,481 households, out of which 42.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 74.0% were married couples living together, 6.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.5% were non-families. Of all households, 14.9% were made up of individuals, and 6.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.96 and the average family size was 3.31.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 29.1% under the age of 18, 4.8% from 18 to 24, 29.9% from 25 to 44, 25.7% from 45 to 64, and 10.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.5 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $85,000 and the median income for a family was $92,514. Males had a median income of $61,109 versus $41,572 for females. The per capita income for the town was $34,161. About 1.8% of families and 2.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.6% of those under age 18 and 5.5% of those age 65 or over.

Notable locations

 * Stepney Cemetery, founded in 1794 and located near the Stepney Green
 * Monroe Green, a private park in Monroe Center bordered by churches and municipal buildings.
 * The Warrens' Occult Museum, a collection of occult artifacts
 * Village Square Shopping Center, former venue for the Classic Nights Car Club.

Locations on the National Register of Historic Places

 * Daniel Basset House – 1024 Monroe Turnpike (added September 23, 2002)
 * Monroe Center Historic District – CT 110 and CT 111 (added September 19, 1977)
 * Stevenson Dam Hydroelectric Plant – CT 34 (added October 29, 2000)
 * Thomas Hawley House – 514 Purdy Hill Rd. (added May 11, 1980)

Places of worship

The town of Monroe features eleven houses of worship representing numerous faiths.
 * Beacon Hill Evangelical Free – Evangelical Free Church of America
 * Good Shepherd Lutheran Church – Lutheran
 * Faith World Outreach – non-denominational Christian
 * Monroe Congregational Church – Congregationalist
 * Our Lady of the Rosary Chapel – Roman Catholic
 * Pilgrims Pathway Wesleyan Church – Wesleyans
 * Saint Jude Church – Roman Catholic
 * Saint Peter's Episcopal Church – Episcopal
 * Stepney Baptist Church – Baptist
 * United Methodist Church of Monroe – United Methodist
 * Islamic Community of Fairfield County – Islamic

Government
Monroe is a stalwart Republican town at the presidential level with the longest streak of supporting the GOP in Fairfield County. No Democrat has won the town in over 60 years. Lyndon B. Johnson came the closest in his landslide victory in 1964, having lost the town by only 17 votes to Barry M. Goldwater.

Education
Monroe Public Schools oversees public education and includes approximately 4,000 students, in three elementary schools (Fawn Hollow, Monroe Elementary, and Stepney Elementary), two middle schools (Jockey Hollow and STEM Academy), and one high school (Masuk High School).

In 2011, STEM Academy was opened at Masuk High School as an additional middle school option for Monroe's 6th, 7th, and 8th graders.

Chalk Hill Middle School housed Monroe's 5th and 6th graders from 1969 to 2011 (when it was closed due to shifting population and budget issues). From 2012 to 2016, Chalk Hill was the home of Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown following the December 14, 2012, shooting.

Media

 * The town of Monroe owns and operates the FM radio station WMNR.
 * The Monroe Courier was the weekly town newspaper until it was shut down in October 2018.
 * The two local online newspaper are the Monroe Patch and the Monroe Sun.

Roads

 * Connecticut Route 25, Main Street, runs across Monroe from Upper Stepney to the Trumbull town line. The highway starts in Brookfield/Danbury and runs to Bridgeport. From Brookfield through Monroe, it is a 2-lane road, and just over the Monroe-Trumbull border within Trumbull, it becomes a 6-lane freeway which connects to Interstate 95.
 * Connecticut Route 34 runs through the northern (Stevenson) section of Monroe. The route begins in Newtown and ends in New Haven, where it connects with I-91 and I-95.
 * Stevenson Dam, which holds back Lake Zoar, and is the bridge for CT Route 34 across the Housatonic River
 * Connecticut Route 59 begins at its intersection with Route 25 in Monroe and travels south through Easton and Fairfield, where it ends in Bridgeport.
 * Connecticut Route 110 begins in Monroe at its intersection with Route 111, then travels through Shelton before ending in Stratford.
 * Connecticut Route 111, Monroe Turnpike, begins at its intersection with Route 34 in Monroe and runs south to Trumbull, where it terminates just north of Bridgeport at the Merritt Parkway.

Bus
The Greater Bridgeport Transit Authority provides bus service for Monroe.

Train
Two train stations are located near Monroe: Both stations are served by Metro-North Railroad. Bridgeport station is served by the New Haven Line, Amtrak's Northeast Corridor and the Vermonter. Derby–Shelton station is served only by the Waterbury Branch. Both stations are easily accessible by bus routes or driving. The New Haven Railroad used to serve the town.
 * Bridgeport, 10.7 miles away.
 * Derby–Shelton, 6.4 miles away.

Parks and recreation
The Monroe Parks and Recreation Department manages Monroe's parks.

 * Webb Mountain Park, a municipal park with hiking trails and campsites
 * William E. Wolfe Park, a town park located on Cutlers Farm Road and on the northern end of Cross Hill Road. The park includes a public pool, four baseball fields, a football field, a basketball court, a playground, and a hiking trail that leads to Great Hollow Lake. The park includes a barbecue set up on the grass, and a nearby pavilion. Great Hollow Lake is located in the south-western area of the park.
 * The Housatonic Railway Trail is an approximately five-mile section of the scenic walking and biking Pequonnock River trail that runs from Great Hollow Lake in Wolfe Park through the Newtown Town line.

Fire department
Monroe is protected by three independent and all-volunteer fire departments operating out of six fire stations.

In 1916, 45 men and women formed the first volunteer fire company in Monroe, the Stepney Volunteer Fire Company. In 1923 the Stepney Company built its own firehouse, which housed their first fire truck. It is the only Ladder Company in the Town of Monroe. Also in 1923, the Monroe Volunteer Fire Department was established.

Emergency medical services
Monroe is served by the Monroe Volunteer Emergency Medical Service, founded 1977.

Police department
Officially organized in 1952, the Monroe Police Department operates out of Monroe Town Hall.

Notable people

 * Mike Gminski, former Duke basketball standout and NBA player
 * Stephen Kellogg, musician
 * Mary O'Hara, author of My Friend Flicka and other books; lived on an estate called Tyrawley on Bagburn Hill Road for nearly 20 years
 * Ed and Lorraine Warren, paranormal investigators and authors
 * Ed Wojna, former Major League pitcher

title: Monroe, Connecticut


text:
New Canaan, Connecticut

New Canaan is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 20,622 according to the 2020 census. The town is part of the Western Connecticut Planning Region.

About an hour from New York City by train, the town is considered part of Connecticut's Gold Coast. The town is bounded on the south by Darien, on west by Stamford, on the east by Wilton, on the southeast by Norwalk, and on the north by Lewisboro and Pound Ridge in Westchester County, New York.

New Canaan is known for its architecture and public parks such as Waveny Park, and a town center with boutiques. Residents sing carols on God's Acre every Christmas Eve, a town tradition since 1916.

History

In 1731, Connecticut's colonial legislature established Canaan Parish as a religious entity in northwestern Norwalk and northeastern Stamford. The right to form a Congregational church was granted to the few families scattered through the area. As inhabitants of Norwalk or Stamford, Canaan Parish settlers still had to vote, pay some taxes—no income tax, and many other modern taxes did not yet exist—serve on juries, and file deeds in their hometowns. Because Canaan Parish was not planned as a town when it was first settled in 1731, when New Canaan was incorporated in 1801, it found itself without a central common, a main street, or a town hall.

Until the Revolutionary War, New Canaan was primarily an agricultural community; after the war, its major industry was shoemaking. As New Canaan's shoe business gathered momentum early in the 19th century, instead of a central village, regional settlements of clustered houses, mill, and school developed into distinct district centers. Some of the districts were centered on Ponus Ridge, West Road, Oenoke Ridge, Smith Ridge, Talmadge Hill, and Silvermine, a pattern that the village gradually outgrew.

With the opening of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad to New Canaan in 1868, many of New York City's wealthy residents discovered the pastoral beauty of the area and built summer homes. Eventually, many of the summer visitors settled year-round, commuting to their jobs in New York City.

Lewis Lapham, a founder of Texaco and great-grandfather of long-time Harper's Magazine editor Lewis H. Lapham, spent summers with his family at their estate that is now 300 acre Waveny Park next to Talmadge Hill and the Merritt Parkway.

In the 1890s, editor Will Kirk of the Messenger wrote an editorial in response to area editors who chided him, saying New Canaan was the "next station to hell." An alleged remark by a parched Civil War veteran marching in the Decoration Day Parade on an unusually hot day prompted the exchange. The remark was found untrue and Kirk, after enduring the comments of others, wrote about a "dream" of approaching the Pearly Gates in the company of his fellow editors. All others were turned away, but he, Will Kirk, was welcomed, because he, in fact, was from the "Next Station to Heaven." Since then, the name has been controversial, with residents affectionately using the latter, and local critics of New Canaan still using the original nickname.

The "Harvard Five" and modern homes
New Canaan was an important center of the modern design movement from the late 1940s through roughly the 1960s, when about 80 modern homes were built in town. About 20 have been torn down since then.

"During the late 1940s and 1950s, a group of students and teachers from the Harvard Graduate School of Design migrated to New Canaan ... and rocked the world of architectural design", according to an article in PureContemporary.com, an online architecture design magazine. "Philip Johnson, Marcel Breuer, Landis Gores, John M. Johansen and Eliot Noyes – known as the Harvard Five – began creating homes in a style that emerged as the complete antithesis of the traditional build. Using new materials and open floor plans, best captured by Johnson's Glass House, these treasures are being squandered as buyers are knocking down these architectural icons and replacing them with cookie-cutter new builds."

"Other architects, well-known (Frank Lloyd Wright, for example) and not so well known, also contributed significant modern houses that elicited strong reactions from nearly everyone who saw them and are still astonishing today ... New Canaan came to be the focus of the modern movement's experimentation in materials, construction methods, space, and form", according to an online description of The Harvard Five in New Canaan: Mid-Century Modern Houses, by William D. Earls.

Some other New Canaan architects designing modern homes were Victor Christ-Janer, John Black Lee, Allan Gelbin, and Hugh Smallen.

The film The Ice Storm (1997) shows many of New Canaan's modern houses, both inside and out. The film (and Rick Moody's novel of the same name, upon which it is based) takes place in New Canaan; a mostly glass house situated on Laurel Road is prominently featured.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 22.5 sqmi, of which 22.1 sqmi are land and 0.3 square mile (0.78 km2), or 1.56%, is covered by water. New Canaan is the only municipality on the Connecticut Panhandle that does not border the coast. Proximity to New York City proved worthy of its own connection to the New Haven Railroad, making New Canaan the only town with such a branch line. New Canaan station and Talmadge Hill station are both on the New Canaan Branch of the New Haven Line, and transfer is possible in Stamford south to Manhattan. Many New Canaan residents commute to New York regularly, with travel time to Grand Central Terminal around 65 minutes. New Canaan is also heavily served by the historic Merritt Parkway, as the third municipality one traverses when driving through Connecticut from New York City.

Amenities
The downtown area consists of many restaurants, a library, the Victorian train station, antique shops, a book store, a saddlery boutique, and various fine clothing and interior decorating shops. In addition to the many local boutiques and businesses, many national chain stores can be found in the downtown area. Furthermore, there are several churches in the town (Catholic and various Protestant denominations), as well as the historic Roger Sherman Inn, established in 1740. Most major banks and many wealth management firms have a presence in New Canaan and several hedge funds are based there as well.

The town includes the following sections: New Canaan Town Center, Talmadge Hill, Ponus Ridge, West, Oenoke Ridge, Smith Ridge, and part of Silvermine (which extends into Norwalk and Wilton).

Organization
New Canaan is led by a First Selectman, who is one of three members of the Board of Selectmen. As of November 2023, the First Selectman is Republican Dionna Carlson.

The legislative body of the town is a twelve-member Town Council.

Taxes
In 2023, the mill rate of New Canaan was 18.372.

Emergency medical services
The New Canaan Volunteer Ambulance Corps is a free, all-volunteer ambulance corps with three ambulances and two paramedic fly-cars. Founded in 1975, the unit is located at 182 South Avenue and offers regular EMT courses. EMTs are all volunteers, while paramedic services are contracted to Norwalk Hospital. The New Canaan Emergency Medical Services Unit and the Norwalk Hospital Unit were featured on Rescue 911, as they saved the life of a fire captain who was suffering a heart attack.

Fire department
The New Canaan Fire Department employs the professional firefighters of the New Canaan Fire Department and the volunteers of the New Canaan Fire Company, No. 1. Founded in 1881, the New Canaan Fire Department is a combination professional/volunteer fire department that operates out of a fire station located near the center of town, with a fire apparatus fleet of engines and other vehicles. The New Canaan Fire Department responded to 886 calls for service in 2009. The New Canaan Fire Department was featured on Rescue 911 when they saved a fire captain who was suffering a heart attack.

Police department
The New Canaan Police (NCPD) are headquartered at 174 South Avenue. The Department has forty-five sworn officers, five full-time civilians and two school crossing guards. The primary mission of the NCPD and its officers is the protection of all persons and properties within its jurisdiction. The NCPD responded to 16,741 calls during 2012.

Politics
New Canaan was one of five towns in Connecticut that backed former Governor John Kasich of Ohio over Donald J. Trump in the 2016 Republican presidential primary. Kasich received 1,362 votes (47.84%) ahead of Trump, who garnered 1,168 votes (41.03%). U.S. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas finished third with 262 votes (9.20%).

New Canaan was historically a Republican stronghold. However, the town has trended Democratic in recent elections. The town swung from a 64% win for Mitt Romney in 2012 to a 52% win for Hillary Clinton in 2016. This change mirrored a national trend of suburban voters turning away from Donald Trump. In 2020, Joe Biden won New Canaan over Trump by a margin of nearly 20 points.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, 19,395 people, 6,822 households, and 5,280 families were residing in the town. The population density was 876.5 PD/sqmi. The 7,141 housing units averaged 322.7 per square mile (124.6/km$2$). The racial makeup of the town was 95.27% White, 1.04% African American, 0.04% Native American, 2.29% Asian,  0.39% from other races, and 0.98% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 1.74%  of the population.

Of the 6,822 households, 41.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.2% were married couples living together, 6.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.6% were not families. About 19.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.83, and the average family size was 3.26.

In the town, the population was distributed as 31.2% under the age of 18, 3.3% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 26.6% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.7 males.

Per the 2000 Census, the median income for a household in the town was $141,788, and for a family was $175,331. Males had a median income of $100,000 versus $53,924 for females. The per capita income for the town was $82,049. About 1.4% of families and 2.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.2% of those under age 18 and 2.2% of those age 65 or over.

Education
The New Canaan Public Schools system has gained national recognition for its high performance; for example, a 2010 edition of Forbes rated New Canaan as the third-ranked school district in the United States for communities with a median home price of $800,000 or greater. In 2019, New Canaan High School US News & World Report ranked New Canaan High School the sixth-best public high school in Connecticut behind Darien and Weston, and one of the top in the nation.

In 2009, the district was the highest-performing school district in the state based on the frequency of top-tier performances on the Connecticut Mastery Tests (CMTs), which are administered to all third- through eighth-graders, and the Connecticut Academic Performance Tests (CAPTs), which are given to 10th-graders. In 2008, the median SAT score (verbal, math and writing) for district students was 1804, the highest in Connecticut.

In its November 2009 edition, Connecticut magazine rated New Canaan's school system first among 29 towns with a population of 15,000–25,000. That category included Darien, Wilton, Ridgefield, Avon, Simsbury, Farmington, Southbury, Guilford, and other high-performing districts. The ranking was based on 2007–2009 CMTs, results from the 2007–2009 CAPTs, local SAT scores for 2006–2008, and the percentage of 2007 high school graduates who enrolled in college.

Twenty-two students in the New Canaan High School class of 2009 were National Merit Commended Scholars. In addition, four students were National Merit Scholars, four were National Merit Semifinalists, and one was a Hispanic National Recognition Scholar.

Of the New Canaan High School graduates who enrolled in college in the fall of 2009, 30% did so at a college designated "Most Competitive" by Barron's magazine, 24% enrolled at an institution considered "Highly Competitive", and 26% entered a college deemed to be "Very Competitive".

The New Canaan High School Library was the recipient of the 2010 National School Library Program of the Year Award, given by the American Library Association. In addition to the award, the high school also received a $10,000 prize donated by Follet Library Resources.

The New Canaan school system is also notable for its achievements in extracurricular activities. In 2010, the New Canaan High School won the FCIAC Cup, given to the most successful athletic program among the 19 high schools competing in the Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference. The New Canaan High School drama program won seven awards at the 2010 Connecticut High School Musical Theatre Awards.

New Canaan is one of the few school systems in Connecticut to offer foreign-language instruction to students before middle school, as a Spanish program exists for all grades to expose students to a foreign language earlier in their lives. Grades 6–12 have language offerings that include French, Latin, Mandarin Chinese, and Spanish.

In June 2012, 24/7 Wall St. ranked New Canaan as the eighth-wealthiest school district in the United States.

New Canaan has five public schools:
 * Elementary Schools: West School, South School, and East School
 * Middle School: Saxe Middle School
 * High School: New Canaan High School

New Canaan also has three private schools:
 * St. Aloysius School K–8 (Permanently Closed 1956-2023: Closed due to low enrollment to be replaced by new religious education center)
 * St. Luke's School: 5–12
 * New Canaan Country School: Pre-K–9

Points of interest

 * New Canaan Nature Center
 * Waveny Park on South Avenue was developed in 1912 by Lewis Lapham on what had been Prospect Farm, an early summer estate. In 1967 the Town acquired the 'castle' (Lapham's mansion on the property) and 300 acre of surrounding parkland."
 * Silvermine Arts Center

On the National Register of Historic Places

 * Hampton Inn – 179 Oenoke Ridge; also known as The Maples Inn, which was built by the Elwood brothers in Queen Anne, Colonial Revival style. (added November 27, 2004)
 * Hanford Davenport House – 353 Oenoke Ridge (added September 3, 1989)
 * John Rogers Studio – 33 Oenoke Ridge; built in 1878 by John Rogers, who was called "the people's sculptor" in the late 19th century. The studio houses a collection of the artist's famous groups of statuary, many sculpted on site (added November 15, 1966). "He used this studio from 1876 to the end of his life. The John Rogers studio houses one of the finest collections of Rogers Groups in the nation."
 * Landis Gores House – 192 Cross Ridge Rd. "With its flat-roofed single-story form, full-height glass walls, and emphasis on horizontal planes, the house he designed for himself in New Canaan is an outstanding example" of modernist architecture. (added April 21, 2002)
 * Maxwell E. Perkins House – 63 Park St. (added June 6, 2004)
 * Philip Johnson Glass House – 798–856 Ponus Ridge Rd. (added March 18, 1997)
 * Richard and Geraldine Hodgson House – 881 Ponus Ridge Rd. (added February 28, 2005)

Seasonal events
New Canaan Nature Center Fall Fair: The fair offers activities for all ages from hay mazes to Old Faithful Antique Fire Truck rides to apple sling shots.

All Hallows Eve (Halloween) Parade: No matter your costume, children of all ages and their dogs can receive a goody bag and march in the Parade led by the Old Faithful Antique Fire Truck which is sponsored by the New Canaan Chamber of Commerce.

Holiday Stroll: Hosted by The Chamber of Commerce, downtown New Canaan celebrates with Christmas carolers, the lighting of the trees along Elm Street, the arrival of Santa Claus, and extended store hours.

Christmas Carolling on God's Acre: since 1919 New Canaan residents have been gathering on God's Acre every Christmas Eve to sing Christmas carols with the New Canaan Town Band. The New Canaan town band was founded in 1831 and is the second oldest town band in the United States.

Easter Egg Hunt: At the Annual Town Easter Egg Hunt, sponsored by the Young Women's League of New Canaan, children are able to collect candy-filled Easter eggs, get their faces painted, take pictures with the Easter bunny, and participate in many other festive activities.

Saint Mark's May Fair: Provides carnival rides and May Fair's famous strawberry shortcake.

Family Fourth Fireworks: Town residents gather at Waveny Town Park for picnicking, live music, bounce houses, and fireworks.

Institutions and organizations

 * New Canaan Museum & Historical Society – operates seven museums, preserves five historic buildings, collects and preserves material thought to be of local historical value, and supports education programs such as school tours, special exhibits, seminars and publications on New Canaan history. The society was founded in 1889 and is housed in New Canaan's first town hall.
 * Harmony Lodge No. 67 Ancient, Free & Accepted Masons – the oldest voluntary society in the Town of New Canaan. It was chartered by the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of the State of Connecticut and, with its establishment in 1763, became the first masonic lodge in lower Fairfield County. The only masonic lodges in the area at that time were Union Lodge No. 5 of Stamford and St. John's No. 6 in Norwalk. This meant that the brothers of Canaan Parish, prior to 1825, had to meet either at Union No. 5, which often physically met at Greenwich, Stamford, and sometimes Bedford, NY or at St. John's No. 6 in Norwalk. Once Canaan Parish was incorporated into a separate town, Brothers Samuel Carter, Jr., John Seely, Eliphalet Weed and several other members, requested the recommendation of St. John's Lodge No. 6 in Norwalk to the Grand Lodge for a charter to establish a new lodge in the Town of New Canaan which was granted on May 30, 1825. In 1954, the Lodge, in a three-way swap, bought the old Methodist Church building on Main Street, and Harmony Lodge No. 67 has been at this site ever since.
 * Silvermine Arts Center
 * New Canaan Red Cross
 * New Canaan Land Trust
 * New Canaan Library
 * Grace Farms

Media
New Canaan is served by a town newspaper, New Canaan Advertiser, a Hearst owned publication. Two daily newspapers also serve the surrounding area: Connecticut Post and Greenwich Time. In addition, the New Canaanite and the New Canaan Patch produce online news for residents.

In film
Movies at least partially filmed in, or involving, New Canaan:

 * The Best Laid Plans (2009)
 * Made for Each Other (2009)
 * Revolutionary Road (2008)
 * The Stepford Wives (2004)
 * The Object of My Affection (1998)
 * The Ice Storm (1997)
 * Gentleman's Agreement (1947)

Music

 * New Canaan, by Bill Wurtz. In the song, he initially erroneously refers to the town as being in Pennsylvania before admitting the town's true state.

Books

 * The Ice Storm, by Rick Moody

In popular culture

 * In the 2010 videogame Fallout New Vegas, a character named Joshua Graham is from a mormon establishment called New Canaan.

 * "It's [Darien's] detestable, but that's the way it is. It's even worse in New Canaan. There, nobody can sell or rent to a Jew." Gentleman's Agreement (1947 film).
 * The 1955 novel Auntie Mame takes place partly in New Canaan, disguised under the name of "Mountebank" but identified (in the stage version) as "Just passed Darien. You'll love it. It's the most restricted community in our part of Connecticut."
 * New Canaan author Edward Eager set two of his children's books in the town: Magic or Not (1959) and The Well-Wishers (1960).
 * In The Cricket In Times Square (1960), main character Chester Cricket lives near New Canaan.
 * The Neighbors are Scaring My Wolf by comic writer Jack Douglas was a 1968 book based on his experiences living in town.
 * The Official Preppy Handbook (1980) makes reference to New Canaan as one of the "preppiest" towns in the country.
 * In the 1997 movie Fools Rush In, Matthew Perry's character grew up in New Canaan.
 * The exteriors of Waveny Mansion are used as Palmer Cortlandt's home in the ABC soap opera All My Children.
 * Karen suggests that Jack's father may be one of the "eight Black brothers of New Canaan, CT" in an episode of Will and Grace.
 * In the ABC drama Commander in Chief, Geena Davis's family home was in New Canaan.
 * In one of the books in the series Gossip Girl, a minor character says he needs to stop in New Canaan.
 * In the ABC television series Sports Night, managing editor Isaac Jaffe (played by Robert Guillaume) lives in New Canaan.
 * In the USA television series Royal Pains Hank tells Tucker to take his father to a fictional rehab center called Simon Ranch in New Canaan CT.
 * In the Syfy television series Warehouse 13, in "There's Always a Downside", former Warehouse agent Hugo moves to New Canaan with his nephew and calls the Warehouse agents to retrieve a bag of marbles that caused students in a fictitious school to be consumed with a single, overriding goal.
 * In the Stephen King series The Dark Tower, protagonist Roland Deschain hails from a fictional city called Gilead, which in turn is nestled in a fictional country/ state called New Canaan.
 * In CW TV show Supernatural, episode Ask Jeeves (Season 10, Episode 6), the Winchester brothers take a case in New Canaan, CT

title: New Canaan, Connecticut


text:
New Fairfield, Connecticut

New Fairfield is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 13,579 at the 2020 census. New Fairfield is one of five towns that surround Candlewood Lake, the largest lake in Connecticut. The town is located 55 mi northeast of New York City, making it part of the New York metropolitan area. The town is part of the Western Connecticut Planning Region.

History
In pre-colonial times, the indigenous people of New Fairfield were part of an alliance of tribes that extended from the source of the Housatonic to the sea.

In 1724, colonial settlers from Fairfield, Connecticut, received approval from the General Assembly of the Colony of Connecticut to establish a new township. According to one account, they negotiated with Chief Squantz of the Schaghticoke tribe of Algonquian lineage. Alternatively, it is told that they did not negotiate with Chief Squantz because he moved to the north end of Squantz Pond land area and refused to "sell" the township of New Fairfield. They returned in the Spring of 1725, but found that Chief Squantz had died during the winter. His four sons and heirs refused to sign the deeds. It was not until four years later that the white men called "The Proprietors" finally got the drawn marks of several other native people who may not have had authority to sell the land. They "purchased" a 31,000 acre tract of land that is now New Fairfield and Sherman, for the equivalent of about 300 dollars, and on April 24, 1729, the deed was recorded on May 9, 1729, and is now deposited in the archives of the state capital in Hartford, Connecticut.

Settlers originally spelled the town as "Newfairfield". It started as a very small farming community, and was not incorporated as a town until 1740. The town of Sherman separated from New Fairfield in 1862, as the size of the combined towns made it difficult to travel to church.

In 1926, Connecticut Light and Power (CL&P) began construction on Candlewood Lake, considered by many to be an engineering wonder. CL&P flooded the valley to control the water flow from the Housatonic and Rocky Rivers and produce hydroelectric power for the region. Candlewood Lake was named for the Native American practice of using stripped wood from pine trees as kindling for fire. The lake shares its shores with the towns of New Fairfield, Sherman, New Milford, Brookfield, and Danbury.

New Fairfield was home to the Candlewood Playhouse, a 650-seat summer stock theater run by the Gateway Playhouse, currently operating in Bellport, New York. The land once occupied by it is now a Stop & Shop supermarket.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 25.1 sqmi, of which 20.5 sqmi is land and 4.6 sqmi, or 18.32%, is water. New Fairfield borders Danbury to the south, Brookfield to the southeast, New Milford to the northeast, Sherman to the north, and Patterson, New York to the west.

There are four lakes in New Fairfield: Candlewood Lake, Squantz Pond, Ball Pond, and Margerie Lake Reservoir. Candlewood Lake dominates the eastern side of the town and extends both north and south beyond the town borders. Once a summer resort destination, the lake shore within New Fairfield is now mostly populated with many year-round homes.

Principal communities

 * Ball Pond
 * Candlewood Hills
 * Candlewood Isle
 * Candlewood Knolls
 * Knollcrest
 * New Fairfield center

Other minor named locales in the town are Bigelow Corners, Bogus Hill, Candlewood Corner, Charcoal Ridge, Hollywyle Park, Inglenook, Joyce Hill, Kellogg Point, Locust Glen, Possum Ridge, Sail Harbor, and Taylor Corners.

The newer communities with larger houses can be found in Sail Harbor. Many communities have large houses with direct waterfront access to Candlewood Lake, such as Sail Harbor, Candlewood Isle, and Bogus Hill. There have been many new subdivisions such as communities off Warwick Road, Route 39/37, Pine Hill, Beaver Bog, Dick Finn, and Shortwoods Road.

ZIP code
When ZIP codes were introduced in 1963, the original Danbury code, 06810, also covered the whole of New Fairfield. When Danbury received additional ZIP codes in 1984, a new code, 06812, was introduced for New Fairfield.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 13,953 people, 4,638 households, and 3,905 families residing in the town. The population density was 681.9 PD/sqmi. There were 5,148 housing units at an average density of 251.6 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 96.83% White, 0.39% African American, 0.04% Native American, 1.27% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.52% from other races, and 0.95% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.82% of the population.

The 2000 census reported that New Fairfield was the most heavily Irish-American community in Connecticut, with about 32% of the residents claiming Irish ancestry.

There were 4,638 households, out of which 44.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 75.3% were married couples living together, 6.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 15.8% were non-families. 12.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.01 and the average family size was 3.30.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 30.0% under the age of 18, 5.1% from 18 to 24, 30.3% from 25 to 44, 25.9% from 45 to 64, and 8.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.7 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $106,145, and the median income for a family was $132,271. Males had a median income of $65,978 versus $40,284 for females. The per capita income for the town was $34,928. About 1.0% of families and 1.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.5% of those under age 18 and 4.7% of those age 65 or over.

Attractions

 * Candlewood Lake
 * Cosier-Murphy House – added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 31, 1991
 * New Fairfield Historical District
 * Pootatuck State Forest
 * Squantz Pond State Park is partly in the town.
 * Williams House – added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 4, 2014

Government
Historically, New Fairfield has been a Republican-leaning stronghold in Fairfield County. Lyndon B. Johnson is the only Democrat who has managed to win the town in his landslide victory in 1964.

Education

New Fairfield has one high school for grades 9–12, New Fairfield High School. Connected directly to the high school is a middle school for grades 6–8, New Fairfield Middle School. The town has one elementary school for grades 3–5, Meeting House Hill School, as well as a primary school for Kindergarten through grade 2, Consolidated School. There are also two preschool/day care centers, Bright Beginnings and First Step Preschool.

Transportation
Connecticut Route 37 and Connecticut Route 39 are the two primary state roads that connect New Fairfield. Interstate 84 is the closest highway, located in Danbury to the south.

New Fairfield does not have its own train station. The closest stations are Southeast station on the Harlem Line, and Danbury station on the Danbury Branch of the New Haven Line. Housatonic Area Regional Transit (HART) operates a weekday commuter shuttle between Southeast station, and the town's two park and ride lots (located at the Ball Pond Firehouse and the Company A Firehouse).

Notable people

 * Margot Austin (1907–1990), author, illustrator
 * Rich Bisaccia (born 1960), Las Vegas Raiders Interim Head Coach
 * Mary Ann Carson, Connecticut State Representative
 * Jake Ceresna (born 1994), professional football player
 * Frank Figliuzzi (born 1962), former assistant director of Counter Intelligence at the FBI. Frequent cable news guest
 * Ken Jurkowski (born 1981), Olympic rower 2008 & 2012
 * Steven Novella (born 1964), neurologist, host of the Skeptics' Guide to the Universe
 * Jennifer Rizzotti (born 1974), professional basketball player and coach
 * Bernie Williams (born 1968), retired professional baseball player for the New York Yankees

title: New Fairfield, Connecticut