New Fairfield, Connecticut
| New Fairfield, Connecticut | ||
|---|---|---|
| Town | ||
| ||
 | ||
| Coordinates: 41°29′N 73°29′W / 41.483°N 73.483°WCoordinates: 41°29′N 73°29′W / 41.483°N 73.483°W | ||
| Country | United States | |
| State | Connecticut | |
| Region | Housatonic Valley | |
| Incorporated | 1740 | |
| Government | ||
| • Type | Selectman-town meeting | |
| • First selectman | Susan Chapman | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 25.1 sq mi (65.0 km2) | |
| • Land | 20.5 sq mi (53.0 km2) | |
| • Water | 4.6 sq mi (11.9 km2) | |
| Elevation | 755 ft (230 m) | |
| Population (2010)[1] | ||
| • Total | 13,881 | |
| • Density | 550/sq mi (210/km2) | |
| Time zone | Eastern (UTC-5) | |
| • Summer (DST) | Eastern (UTC-4) | |
| ZIP code | 06812 | |
| Area code(s) | 203 | |
| FIPS code | 09-50860 | |
| GNIS feature ID | 0213469 | |
| Website | New Fairfield | |
New Fairfield is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 13,881 at the 2010 census.[1] The town is considered part of the greater New York Metropolitan Area and lies approximately 50 miles (80 km) from New York City. New Fairfield is one of five towns that surround Candlewood Lake, the largest lake in Connecticut.
History
In 1729, 30,000 acres of land was purchased for 65 pounds (~$300) by a group of men called the Proprietors. They bought the land from the sons of Chief Squantz of the Schatiacooke Tribe. The 30,000 acres of property was divided into the "upper seven miles" and the "lower seven miles." The "upper seven miles" would eventually become the town of Sherman, CT, established in 1802 and the "lower seven miles" became the town of New Fairfield. The town was incorporated in 1740 and the New Fairfield Town Hall was built in 1759.
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. [2]
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 25.1 square miles (65 km2), of which 20.5 square miles (53 km2) is land and 4.6 square miles (12 km2), 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 southeast, New York to the west.
There are four lakes in New Fairfield: Candlewood Lake, Squantz Pond, Ball Pond, and Margerie 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 within New Fairfield is now mostly populated with many year-round homes. To the north of New Fairfield, in the towns of Sherman and New Milford, the lakeshore still contains a large number of summer communities filled with residents from New York City and western New England.[citation needed]
Principal communities
- Ball Pond
- Candlewood Isle
- Candlewood Knolls
- Candlewood Shores
- Knollcrest
- New Fairfield center
Other minor named locales in the town are Bogus Hill, Candlewood Hills, Hillyview Drive, Hollywyle Park, Inglenook, Joyce Hill, Locust Glen, Sail Harbor, Possum Ridge, and Lavelle Avenue.
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 has been many new subdivisions such as communities off Warwick Road, Route 39/37, Pine Hill, Beaver Bog, Dick Fin, and Shortwoods Road.
Attractions
- Cosier-Murphy House — 67 Route 39 (added to the National Register of Historic Places August 31, 1991)
- New Fairfield Historical District
- Squantz Pond State Park is partly in the town.
Schools
The New Fairfield Public Schools Systems includes 4 schools: Consolidated School, Meeting House Hill School (Under renovation as of late 2012), New Fairfield Middle School and New Fairfield High School. The Middle School and High School are connected to one another. The Middle School got a new library called "Cyberspace." They call it that because the students here in the Middle School do a new program called 1 to 1 computing. The students use computers in almost every class they have. This program consists of 6 and 7 graders. Recent updates to Meeting House Hill School include a new gym with brand new sports bleachers and significant renovations to every other part of the school. This renovation project started in 2010 and is going to end in 2013. In 2010 the demolition started with completely knocking down an entire wing. What replaced that was the "500 Wing" or the new 5th Grade wing. Before the 500 wing the Butler wing was full of 4th graders.
Demographics
As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 13,953 people, 4,638 households, and 3,905 families residing in the town. The population density was 681.9 people per square mile (263.3/km²). There were 5,148 housing units at an average density of 251.6 per square mile (97.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.83% White, 0.18% African American, 0.04% Native American, 1.27% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.52% from other races, and 0.15% 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 $106,375, and the median income for a family was $122,576. Males had a median income of $95,978 versus $40,284 for females. The per capita income for the town was $134,928. 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.
Education
The town has one high school, New Fairfield High School, one middle school for grades 6 through 8, New Fairfield Middle School, one elementary school for grades 3 to 5, Meeting House Hill School, a primary school for Kindergarten through grade 2, Consolidated School and two preschool/day care centers, Bright Beginnings and First Step PreSchool.
Zip code 06812
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.
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 and Shop supermarket.
Notable residents (past and present)
- Margot Austin, author illustrator.
- Emmure (Joe & Ben Lionetti), metal band.
- James Galante
- Steven Novella (1964–), Neurologist at Yale, Host of the Skeptics' Guide to the Universe.
- Jennifer Rizzotti, UCONN basketball player, who once was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Race, Hispanic or Latino, Age, and Housing Occupancy: 2010 Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary File (QT-PL), New Fairfield town, Connecticut". U.S. Census Bureau, American FactFinder 2. Retrieved August 9, 2011.
- ↑ Preserve New Fairfield, Inc. Images of America: New Fairfield. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2008. Print. p. 7-8
- ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
External links
| |||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||
