Editing Washington, Connecticut (section)

==Geography==
Washington is located in the [[Litchfield Hills]] region of Connecticut, approximately {{convert|22|mi}} northeast of [[Danbury, Connecticut|Danbury]], {{convert|40|mi}} west of [[Hartford, Connecticut|Hartford]], and {{convert|80|mi}} northeast of [[New York City]].

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the town has a total area of {{convert|100.1|sqkm|order=flip}}, of which {{convert|98.6|sqkm|order=flip}} are land and {{convert|1.5|sqkm|order=flip}}, or 1.48%, are water.<ref name="Census 2010">{{cite web| url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/G001/0600000US0900579720| title=Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Census Summary File 1 (G001), Washington town, Litchfield County, Connecticut| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau| website=American FactFinder| access-date=October 16, 2019| archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213132353/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/G001/0600000US0900579720| archive-date=February 13, 2020| url-status=dead}}</ref>

The dominant geographic features of Washington are the [[Shepaug River|Shepaug]], [[East Aspetuck River|East Aspetuck]], and [[Bantam River|Bantam]] river valleys. [[Lake Waramaug]] is in the northeast corner of the town. The landscape is characterized by rolling hills, high plateaus, and river and stream valleys. Mixed deciduous and coniferous forest covers most of Washington, but open agricultural fields are also prevalent.

===Principal communities===
* Washington Green
* Washington Depot
* [[New Preston, Connecticut|New Preston]]
* [[Marbledale, Connecticut|Marbledale]]
* Woodville

===Natural resources===
* The [[Shepaug River]] flows north to south, roughly through the center of Washington, through a winding, largely undeveloped river valley. Substantial areas along the Shepaug have been preserved as open space, yielding a large and regionally unique protected [[riparian corridor]]. Major preserved areas include the {{convert|998|acre|km2|adj=on|abbr=}} Steep Rock Preserve<ref>{{cite web|url=https://steeprockassoc.org/steep-rock-preserve/|title=Steep Rock Association, Steep Rock Preserve|access-date=January 15, 2020|archive-date=May 10, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200510220208/https://steeprockassoc.org/steep-rock-preserve/|url-status=dead}}</ref> and the {{convert|700|acre|km2|adj=on|abbr=}} Hidden Valley Preserve.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://steeprockassoc.org/hidden-valley-preserve/|title=Steep Rock Association, Hidden Valley Preserve|access-date=January 15, 2020|archive-date=May 5, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200505174129/https://steeprockassoc.org/hidden-valley-preserve/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* [[Lake Waramaug]], which is situated at the town's northwestern corner, at its border with [[Warren, CT|Warren]] and [[Kent, CT|Kent]], is the second largest natural lake in Connecticut.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.countytimes.com/articles/2010/05/21/entertainment/doc4bf57b1136ca5250520746.txt |title=Visions of Waramaug in Exhibit |last=Ferris |first=Jamie |date=May 21, 2010 |work=The Litchfield County Times |access-date=October 1, 2010}}</ref>
* Mount Tom and Mount Tom Pond are in Washington's northeast corner and share municipal boundaries with the towns of [[Morris, CT|Morris]] and [[Litchfield, CT|Litchfield]]. [[Mount Tom State Park]] is one of Connecticut's oldest state parks.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ct.gov/deep/cwp/view.asp?A=2716&Q=325244 |title=DEEP: Mount Tom State Park |website=www.ct.gov |access-date=August 13, 2019}}</ref> A stone tower at the top of the mountain affords distant views and attracts many hikers.
* Meeker Swamp is a large complex of exceptionally high-quality wetlands which overlay a geologically distinctive [[aquifer]]. Primary portions of the swamp are located within the {{convert|360|acre|adj=on}} Macricostas Preserve.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://steeprockassoc.org/macricostas-preserve/ |title=Macricostas Preserve |access-date=August 13, 2019}}</ref> The area provides regionally unique habitat areas for migratory birds and numerous rare plant and animal species, while the aquifer—Washington's largest—includes substantial reserves of [[potable water]].
* The ridgeline running east–west along Washington's northern boundary, between Lake Waramaug and the Shepaug River, forms the edge of the northern portion of the [[Highlands of Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.fs.usda.gov/naspf/ |title=Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry |website=www.fs.usda.gov |access-date=August 13, 2019}}</ref>