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New Fairfield, Connecticut

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New Fairfield is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 13,579 at the 2020 census.<ref name="Census 2020">Template:Cite web</ref> New Fairfield is one of five towns that surround Candlewood Lake, the largest lake in Connecticut. The town is located Template:Convert 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

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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.<ref name=Silverberg>Template:Cite book</ref>

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.<ref name=Simon>Template:Cite book</ref> They "purchased" a Template:Convert 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

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.<ref>Preserve New Fairfield, Inc. Images of America: New Fairfield. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2008. Print. p. 7–8</ref>

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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The land once occupied by it is now a Stop & Shop supermarket.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Geography

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File:Redleafstream (234458259).jpeg
Stream near Pembroke Road (close to the New York state line), taken in November

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of Template:Convert, of which Template:Convert is land and Template:Convert, 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

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File:KnollcrestWindmill.jpg
Windmill in the Knollcrest section of town

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

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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

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Template:US Census population Template:See also As of the census<ref name="GR2">Template:Cite web</ref> of 2000, there were 13,953 people, 4,638 households, and 3,905 families residing in the town. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 5,148 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. 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.<ref>[1]Template:Dead link</ref>

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.

Arts and culture

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Attractions

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File:Squantz Pond early morning autumn.JPG
View of Squantz Pond State Park

Government

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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.

Voter registration and party enrollment as of October 31, 2023<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Party Active voters Inactive voters Total voters Percentage (approx.)
Template:Party color cell Republican 2,884 411 3,295 30%
Template:Party color cell Democratic 2,309 377 2,686 24%
Template:Party color cell Unaffiliated 4,035 799 4,834 44%
Template:Party color cell Minor parties 201 34 235 2%
Total 9,429 1,621 11,050 100%

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New Fairfield town vote by party in presidential elections<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Year Democratic Republican Third Parties
style="text-align:center" Template:Party shading/Republican |2024 style="text-align:center" Template:Party shading/Democratic |44.31% 3,653 style="text-align:center" Template:Party shading/Republican |54.40% 4,485 style="text-align:center" Template:Party shading/Independent |1.29% 107
style="text-align:center" Template:Party shading/Republican |2020 style="text-align:center" Template:Party shading/Democratic |47.92% 4,101 style="text-align:center" Template:Party shading/Republican |50.75% 4,343 style="text-align:center" Template:Party shading/Independent |1.33% 114
style="text-align:center" Template:Party shading/Republican |2016 style="text-align:center" Template:Party shading/Democratic |40.00% 3,071 style="text-align:center" Template:Party shading/Republican |56.04% 4,302 style="text-align:center" Template:Party shading/Independent |3.96% 304
style="text-align:center" Template:Party shading/Republican |2012 style="text-align:center" Template:Party shading/Democratic |43.16% 3,323 style="text-align:center" Template:Party shading/Republican |55.70% 4,288 style="text-align:center" Template:Party shading/Independent |1.14% 88
style="text-align:center" Template:Party shading/Republican |2008 style="text-align:center" Template:Party shading/Democratic |44.89% 3,377 style="text-align:center" Template:Party shading/Republican |54.03% 4,064 style="text-align:center" Template:Party shading/Independent |1.08% 81
style="text-align:center" Template:Party shading/Republican |2004 style="text-align:center" Template:Party shading/Democratic |39.68% 2,964 style="text-align:center" Template:Party shading/Republican |58.92% 4,401 style="text-align:center" Template:Party shading/Independent |1.39% 104
style="text-align:center" Template:Party shading/Republican |2000 style="text-align:center" Template:Party shading/Democratic |42.27% 2,866 style="text-align:center" Template:Party shading/Republican |53.11% 3,601 style="text-align:center" Template:Party shading/Independent |4.62% 313
style="text-align:center" Template:Party shading/Republican |1996 style="text-align:center" Template:Party shading/Democratic |39.10% 2,500 style="text-align:center" Template:Party shading/Republican |48.59% 3,107 style="text-align:center" Template:Party shading/Independent |12.31% 787
style="text-align:center" Template:Party shading/Republican |1992 style="text-align:center" Template:Party shading/Democratic |28.40% 2,047 style="text-align:center" Template:Party shading/Republican |47.52% 3,426 style="text-align:center" Template:Party shading/Independent |24.08% 1,736
style="text-align:center" Template:Party shading/Republican |1988 style="text-align:center" Template:Party shading/Democratic |28.53% 1,823 style="text-align:center" Template:Party shading/Republican |70.07% 4,477 style="text-align:center" Template:Party shading/Independent |1.39% 89
style="text-align:center" Template:Party shading/Republican |1984 style="text-align:center" Template:Party shading/Democratic |22.70% 1,362 style="text-align:center" Template:Party shading/Republican |76.77% 4,606 style="text-align:center" Template:Party shading/Independent |0.53% 32
style="text-align:center" Template:Party shading/Republican |1980 style="text-align:center" Template:Party shading/Democratic |26.66% 1,386 style="text-align:center" Template:Party shading/Republican |61.97% 3,222 style="text-align:center" Template:Party shading/Independent |11.37% 591
style="text-align:center" Template:Party shading/Republican |1976 style="text-align:center" Template:Party shading/Democratic |35.60% 1,584 style="text-align:center" Template:Party shading/Republican |63.43% 2,822 style="text-align:center" Template:Party shading/Independent |0.97% 43
style="text-align:center" Template:Party shading/Republican |1972 style="text-align:center" Template:Party shading/Democratic |24.81% 891 style="text-align:center" Template:Party shading/Republican |74.10% 2,661 style="text-align:center" Template:Party shading/Independent |1.09% 39
style="text-align:center" Template:Party shading/Republican |1968 style="text-align:center" Template:Party shading/Democratic |31.52% 858 style="text-align:center" Template:Party shading/Republican |61.65% 1,678 style="text-align:center" Template:Party shading/Independent |6.83% 186
style="text-align:center" Template:Party shading/Democratic |1964 style="text-align:center" Template:Party shading/Democratic |55.62% 1,044 style="text-align:center" Template:Party shading/Republican |44.38% 833 style="text-align:center" Template:Party shading/Independent |0.00% 0
style="text-align:center" Template:Party shading/Republican |1960 style="text-align:center" Template:Party shading/Democratic |33.46% 613 style="text-align:center" Template:Party shading/Republican |66.54% 1,219 style="text-align:center" Template:Party shading/Independent |0.00% 0
style="text-align:center" Template:Party shading/Republican |1956 style="text-align:center" Template:Party shading/Democratic |19.22% 240 style="text-align:center" Template:Party shading/Republican |80.78% 1,009 style="text-align:center" Template:Party shading/Independent |0.00% 0

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Education

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File:New Fairfield High School Front Feb 2020.jpg
New Fairfield High School

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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Transportation

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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).<ref>https://www.hartransit.com/routes/shuttles/new-fairfield-southeast HARTransit New Fairfield - Southeast</ref>

Notable people

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References

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