Lower Fairfield County is one of the most sought after areas in the country to buy a home.
our towns
Town
of Bethel
Incorporated: 1855; population: 17,541
Town
of Brookfield
Incorporated: 1788; population: 14,330
Town
of Danbury
Incorporated: 1702; population: 65,260
Town
of New Fairfield
Incorporated: 1740; population: 12,960
Town
of Redding
Incorporated: 1767; population: 8,050
Town
of Ridgefield
Incorporated: 1708; population: 22,000
Town
of Wilton
Incorporated: 1802; population: 16,180
Bethel's
quaint, New England town character, good schools and well-managed growth
have made it a desirable place to live and work. Good planning and zoning
regulations enable small town charm to coexist with planned commercial
and industrial development.
The town's picturesque main street, Greenwood Avenue offers a variety
of specialty shops, from antiques and art galleries to boutiques and gourmet
foods. An abundance of Colonial homes, winding stone walls and converted
farmhouses add to the charm of the surrounding countryside. P.T. Barnum
Square, in Bethel's center, is named after perhaps the town's most famous
citizen, Phineas Taylor Barnum, the "greatest showman on earth,"
who was born here in 1810.
All of Bethel's public schools are consolidated on a unique 140-acre campus
called Educational Park in the geographical center of town. Bethel educates
over 3,000 students in its five public schools.
Brookfield,
formed from sections of Danbury, Newtown, and New Milford in 1754, was
named after the first minister of its Congregational Church, the Rev.
Thomas Brooks. Brookfield's roots are still evident, especially around
the old town center at the junction of Routes 25 and 133 where the Congregational
Church and former Town Hall (now the Brookfield Historical Society) are
located as well as surrounding homes dating back to Colonial times. Further
down Route 25, the old mill house that houses the Brookfield Craft Center
and the former hotel across the street are also reminders of the town's
past.
To serve its present day residents, the town built a municipal complex
with a town hall and community center on Pocono Road. Nearby are the police
headquarters, fire station and post office. Behind the complex, volunteers
have constructed an elaborate playground.
Bordered on the west by Candlewood Lake, on the east by picturesque Lake
Lillinonah and with the Still River meandering in between, Brookfield
offers many scenic residential areas. Brookfield educates close to 3,000
children in it's 2 elementary schools, middle and high school.
Named
by Gov. Robert Treat after a town in his native Essex, England, Danbury
has been a hub for neighboring towns from its beginnings. A military supply
depot during the Revolutionary War, the town developed into center for
the distribution and production of various goods. Efforts early in the
twentieth century to attract a variety of industries positioned the town
for the economic diversity it enjoys today.
Today Danbury offers a wide range of housing styles from renovated farmhouses
and gracious Victorians to modern colonials, contemporary dwellings and
ranch homes. Single family houses predominated until the 1980's, when
several condominiums were built, some with lakefront views.
Recently, the downtown area has been the focus of redevelopment efforts.
Grass, trees and a new clock were installed along the median, new sidewalks
and amenities were added to Main Street and a Town Green established in
front of the Patriot Garage.
Recreational opportunities are enhanced by Candlewood Lake, the largest
body of fresh water in Connecticut. This also provides Danbury with prime
beach front residential property and a town beach.
Settled
in 1728 by pioneers from the coastal town of Fairfield, New Fairfield
was incorporated in 1740. For almost 200 years it existed as a quiet farming
community. A major portion of Candlewood Lake lies within the borders
of this town, providing some of the area's most picturesque beach-front
residential property as well as private and public beaches.
Today, New Fairfield is a community known for it's outstanding schools,
its scenic waterfront environment and cultural features. New Fairfield
offers the privacy of a rural community, the activities of a summer resort
and easy access to shopping and services in Danbury and other larger towns.
New Fairfield educates over 2,000 children in its school system. An addition
to the high school has been completed which provides a new gymnasium and
cafeteria. The addition also allows for greater space at the middle school
level.
Redding,
a community that takes pride in its rural character, was first settled
in 1714. This wooded countryside community is deeply committed to retaining
the integrity of its land, water, and wildlife resources. Samuel Clemens,
known as "Mark Twain" to his readers, moved here when he was
73 and encouraged the founding of the town's library, which bears his
pen name.
Other writers, artists, and theater people have followed him here, setting
the tone for a creative atmosphere. The Redding Land Trust preserves over
400 acres of land dedicated to open space, which features over 55 miles
of hiking and riding trails. Parks take advantage of the beautiful natural
surroundings, providing a variety of recreational opportunities including
swimming, hiking, camping and boating. Lonetown Marsh, one of Redding's
many wetlands, attracts a variety of birds from American Egrets to Blue
Herons and Mallards.
Redding, with approximately 1000 children in the public school system,
has two lower schools and shares a regional high school with Easton.
Ridgefield's history began in 1708 when five men from Norwalk, CT purchased
land from the Ramapoo Indians and called it Ridgefield. Thirty-five families
joined the first five men, making their homes along Main Street. Ridgefield
remained a farming village after the Civil War and eventually evolved
into a resort community for a wealthy from New York City.
Ridgefield is a dynamic combination of people, history, culture and environment.
From the bustling shops on Main Street to the quiet country roads on the
town's borders, Ridgefield offers its own unique view of the way life
should be. The town encompasses 35 square miles of wooded, rolling hills
dotted with numerous freshwater ponds and streams. The center of this
colonial town revolves around its Main Street, which is thought by many
visitors and residents alike to be the most beautiful in all New England.
In 1992, Ridgefield was rated the number one town in Connecticut in its
size category. In addition to the five elementary schools, middle school
and high school, the community offers an artist guild, theater groups,
museum and artist galleries.
Originally
part of Norwalk, and established in 1802, Wilton retains a sense of its
agricultural roots, yet provides its citizens with a full range of services
and a strong sense of community. Wilton's town center is adjacent to a
stretch of U.S. Route 7, which is dotted with town offices, a school campus,
and scores of shops. Most of the town's commercial development is limited
to these areas; the rest of the town is carefully preserved open space
and uncrowded residential neighborhoods.
Homes in Wilton are large and gracious, most properties being limited
to a minimum two-acre zoning. Many of the homes reflect the town's historic
interest (there are four designated historic areas in Wilton). There are
also a number of modern homes tucked among the wooded hillsides.
The Wilton schools are ranked among the state's educational systems and
provide the community's youth with strong academic basics and important
extras.