Editing Redding, Connecticut

{{short description|Town in Connecticut, United States}}
{{Use American English|date=October 2021}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name               = Redding, Connecticut
| settlement_type    = [[New England town|Town]]
| image_skyline      = File:Redding_photo_montage.png
| image_size         = 275px
| image_caption      = Clockwise from top: Town Center; New Pond Farm; Redding Green; [[Mark Twain]] Library; [[Equestrian statue of Israel Putnam]] at [[Putnam Memorial State Park]]
| image_seal         = ReddingCTseal.gif
| image_blank_emblem = ReddingCTlogo.png
| blank_emblem_type  = Logo
| image_map          = {{switcher|[[File:Fairfield County Connecticut incorporated and unincorporated areas Redding highlighted.svg|230px|frameless|alt=Redding's location within Fairfield County and Connecticut]]|&nbsp;[[Fairfield County, Connecticut|Fairfield County]] and Connecticut|[[File:Western Connecticut incorporated and unincorporated areas Redding highlighted.svg|250px|frameless|alt=Redding's location within the Western Connecticut Planning Region and the state of Connecticut]]|&nbsp;[[Western Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut|Western Connecticut Planning Region]] and Connecticut|default=1}}
| image_map1         = {{maplink|frame=yes|plain=yes|frame-align=center|frame-width=280|frame-height=200|frame-coord=SWITCH:{{coord|qid=Q2018185}}###{{coord|qid=Q779}}###{{coord|41|18|16|N|73|23|34|W}}|zoom=SWITCH:10;6;3|type=SWITCH:shape-inverse;point;point|marker=city|stroke-width=2|stroke-color=#000000|id2=SWITCH:Q2018185;Q779;Q30|type2=shape|fill2=#ffffff|fill-opacity2=SWITCH:0;0.1;0.1|stroke-width2=2|stroke-color2=#808080|stroke-opacity2=SWITCH:0;1;1|switch=Redding;Connecticut;the United States}}
| coordinates        = {{coord|41|18|16|N|73|23|34|W|region:US-CT|display=inline,title}}
<!-- location -->
| subdivision_type   = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name   = {{USA}}
| subdivision_type1  = [[U.S. state]]
| subdivision_name1  = {{flag|Connecticut}}
| subdivision_type2  = [[County (United States)|County]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[Fairfield County, Connecticut|Fairfield]]
| subdivision_type3  = [[Councils of governments in Connecticut|Region]]
| subdivision_name3  = [[Western Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut|Western CT]]
| parts_type         = Villages/Sections
| parts              = [[Redding Center Historic District|Redding&nbsp;Center]]<br />Diamond&nbsp;Hill<br />Five&nbsp;Points<br />[[Georgetown, Connecticut|Georgetown]]&nbsp;(part)<br />[[Redding Ridge, Connecticut|Redding&nbsp;Ridge]]<br />Sanfordtown<br />[[Topstone, Connecticut|Topstone]]<br />West&nbsp;Redding
| established_title  = Incorporated
| established_date   = 1767
| government_type    = [[Board of selectmen|Selectman-town meeting]]
| leader_title       = First selectman
| leader_name        = Julia Pemberton (D)
| leader_title1      = Selectman
| leader_name1       = Michael Thompson (R)
| leader_title2      = Selectman
| leader_name2       = Peg O'Donnell (D)
| unit_pref          = Imperial
| area_total_km2     = 83.1
| area_total_sq_mi   = 32.1
| area_land_km2      = 81.6
| area_land_sq_mi    = 31.5
| area_water_km2     = 1.4
| area_water_sq_mi   = 0.6
| elevation_m        = 144
| elevation_ft       = 472
| population_total   = 8765
| population_as_of   = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_density_sq_mi = 278.3
| timezone           = [[Eastern Standard Time Zone|Eastern]]
| utc_offset         = -5
| timezone_DST       = [[Eastern Standard Time Zone|Eastern]]
| utc_offset_DST     = -4
| postal_code_type   = [[ZIP Code]]
| postal_code        = 06896
| area_code          = [[Area codes 203 and 475|203/475]]
| blank_name         = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info         = 09-63480
| blank1_name        = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info        = 0213495
| website            = {{URL|http://www.townofreddingct.org/}}
}}
'''Redding''' is a [[New England town|town]] in [[Fairfield County, Connecticut|Fairfield County]], [[Connecticut]], United States. The population was 8,765 at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]].<ref name="Census 2020">{{cite web |url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?g=0600000US0900163480|title=Census - Geography Profile: Redding town, Fairfield County, Connecticut |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=December 20, 2021}}</ref> The town is part of the [[Western Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut|Western Connecticut Planning Region]].

==History==

===Early settlement and establishment===
At the time colonials began receiving grants for land within the boundaries of present-day Redding, Native American trails crossed through portions of the area, including the Berkshire Path running north–south.<ref>{{cite web | title=Indian Trails in and around Redding | website=History of Redding, Connecticut (CT) Past & Present | url=http://www.historyofredding.net/HRindians.htm | access-date=August 14, 2019}}</ref>

In 1639, [[Roger Ludlow]] (also referenced as Roger Ludlowe in many accounts) purchased land from local Native Americans to establish [[Fairfield, Connecticut|Fairfield]],<ref>{{cite web | title=English Settlement at Uncoway | website=Town of Fairfield, Connecticut | url=http://www.fairfieldct.org/content/10724/12146/12163.aspx | access-date=August 14, 2019}}</ref> and in 1668 Fairfield purchased another tract of land then called Northfield, which comprised land that is now part of Redding.<ref name="pdfhost.focus.nps.gov">{{NRHP url|id=92001253}} "National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet, Redding Center Historic District," U.S. Department of the Interior, October 1, 1992. Retrieved 2014-04-30.</ref>

For settlement purposes, Fairfield authorities divided the newly available land into parcels dubbed "long lots" at the time, which north–south measured no more than a third of a mile wide but extended east–west as long as 15 miles.<ref name=Brainard1904>{{Cite book|title=The revolutionary soldiers of Redding, Connecticut, and the record of their services|url=https://archive.org/details/revolutionarysol00grum|last=Grumman|first=William Edgar|date=1904|publisher=Hartford press: The Case, Lockwood & Brainard company|hdl = 2027/yale.39002007175780}}</ref> Immediately north of the long lots was a similar-sized parcel of land known as The Oblong.<ref>{{Google maps|url=https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1miqx10FBP5c4owKap1oKlexPy8w |title=Redding, CT's Oblong |access-date=August 14, 2019}}</ref>

There are varying accounts as to the first colonial landholder in the Redding area; multiple citations suggest a Fairfield man named Richard Osborn obtained land there in 1671, while differing on how many acres he secured.<ref name="pdfhost.focus.nps.gov" /> [[Nathan Gold]], a Fairfield man who would serve as deputy governor of Connecticut from 1708 to 1723, received a land grant for 800 acres in 1681.<ref name="Early Settlement">{{cite web | title=Early Settlement of Redding | website=History of Redding, Connecticut (CT) Past & Present | url=http://www.historyofredding.net/HRearlysettlers.htm | access-date=August 14, 2019}}</ref>

The first colonials to settle in the area of present-day Redding lived near a Native American village led by [[Chickens Warrups]] (also referenced as Chicken Warrups or Sam Mohawk in some accounts), whose name is included on multiple land deeds secured by settlers throughout the area.<ref name="Early Settlement" />

According to Fairfield County and state records from the time Redding was formed, the original name of the town was [[Reading, Berkshire|Reading]], after the town in [[Berkshire]], England. Probably more accurately, however, town history attributes the name to John Read,<ref>{{cite book|title=The Connecticut Magazine: An Illustrated Monthly|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qoEyAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA334|year=1903|publisher=Connecticut Magazine Company|page=334}}</ref> an early major landholder who was a prominent lawyer in [[Boston]] as well as a former [[Congregationalist]] preacher who converted to [[Anglicanism]]. Read helped in demarcating the boundaries of the town and in getting it recognized as a parish of Fairfield<ref>{{cite web | title=National Register of Historic Places Registration Form Umpawaug District School | website=NPGallery Digital Asset Management System | url=https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/9c1948c8-eb26-45ad-bbc7-61dfc0f73166 | access-date=June 4, 2020}}</ref> in 1729. In 1767, soon after incorporation, the name was changed to its current spelling of Redding to better reflect its pronunciation.

In 1809, Congress granted Redding its first U.S. Post Office,<ref>{{cite web | title=Post Offices | website=Town of Redding, Connecticut Official Website | date=August 1, 2019 | url=https://townofreddingct.org/about-redding/post-offices/ | access-date=August 14, 2019}}</ref> which made official in 1844 the spelling of the town's name.<ref>{{cite web | title=Redding | website=Connecticut History | date=September 13, 2011 | url=https://connecticuthistory.org/towns-page/redding/ | access-date=August 14, 2019}}</ref>

===Revolutionary War and Continental Army encampment===

In the years preceding the [[United States Declaration of Independence|Declaration of Independence]], tensions escalated in Redding between [[Loyalist (American Revolution)|Tory loyalists]] and larger numbers of those supporting the resolutions of the [[Continental Congress]], with some Tories fleeing to escape retribution.<ref name=Brainard1904 /> Some 100 Redding men volunteered to serve under Captain Zalmon Read in a company of the new [[5th Connecticut Regiment]], which participated in the siege of Quebec's [[Fort Saint-Jean (Quebec)|Fort Saint-Jean]] during the autumn of 1775 before the volunteers' terms of service expired in late November.<ref name=Brainard1904 />

In 1777, the Continental Congress created a new [[Continental Army]] with enlistments lasting three years. The 5th Connecticut Regiment was reformed, enlisting some men from Redding, and assigned to guard military stores in [[Danbury, Connecticut]].<ref name=Brainard1904 /> Getting word of the depot, the British dispatched a force of some 2,000 soldiers to destroy the stores, landing April 26 at present-day [[Westport, Connecticut|Westport]] and undertaking a 23-mile march north. The column halted on Redding Ridge for a two-hour respite, with many residents having fled to a wooded, rocky area dubbed the [[Devil's Den Preserve|Devil's Den]]. The British column resumed its march to Danbury where soldiers destroyed the supplies, then skirmished Continental Army and militia forces in Ridgefield while on the return march south.<ref>{{cite web | last=Prince | first=Cathryn J. | title=Taking to Devil's Den | website=Journal of the American Revolution | date=July 11, 2013 | url=https://allthingsliberty.com/2013/07/taking-to-devils-den/ | access-date=August 14, 2019}}</ref>

For the winter of 1778–1779, General [[George Washington]] decided to split the Continental Army into three divisions encircling [[New York City]], where British General Sir [[Henry Clinton (American War of Independence)|Henry Clinton]] had taken up winter quarters.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Poirier|first1=David A.|year=1976|title=Camp Reading: Logistics of a Revolutionary War Winter Encampment|url=https://orb.binghamton.edu/neha/vol5/iss1/5/|journal=Northeast Historical Archaeology|volume=5|issue=1|pages=40–52|doi=10.22191/neha/vol5/iss1/5|issn=0048-0738|doi-access=free}}</ref> Major General [[Israel Putnam]] chose Redding as the winter encampment quarters for some 3,000 regulars and militia under his command, at the site of the present-day [[Putnam Memorial State Park]] and nearby areas. The Redding encampment allowed Putnam's soldiers to guard the replenished supply depot in Danbury and support any operations along Long Island Sound and the [[Hudson River]] Valley.<ref>{{cite web | title=Park History | website=Putnam Memorial State Park | date=March 20, 2015 | url=https://www.putnampark.org/park-history/ | access-date=August 14, 2019}}</ref> Some of the men were veterans of the winter encampment at [[Valley Forge]], [[Pennsylvania]] the previous winter. Soldiers at the Redding camp endured supply shortages, cold temperatures and significant snow, with some historians dubbing the encampment "Connecticut's Valley Forge."<ref>{{cite book|last1=Johnson|first1=James M.|last2=Pryslopski|first2=Christopher|last3=Villani|first3=Andrew|title=Key to the Northern Country: The Hudson River Valley in the American Revolution|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NfADAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA241|date=August 1, 2013|publisher=SUNY Press|isbn=978-1-4384-4814-5|page=241}}</ref>

===Establishment of rail service===
Construction began in 1850 on the [[Danbury and Norwalk Railroad]], which linked those two cities following a 23-mile route along the Norwalk River valley that passed through Redding. Regular steam-engine service commenced March 1, 1852;<ref>{{cite book|last=Bailey|first=James Montgomery|title=History of Danbury, Conn., 1684-1896|url=https://archive.org/details/historyofdanbury00bail|year=1896|publisher=Burr Print. House}}</ref> Leading to the establishment of the Redding station in West Redding, the Sanford station in Topstone, and the Georgetown station, which was originally built in [[Wilton, Connecticut|Wilton]], But later rebuilt in Redding.

===Mining===
[[File:Garnet_rock_near_Redding,_CT.jpg|thumb|right|Cinnamon colored garnet rock near the train station in Redding.]]
In 1876, after A.N. Fillow began extracting [[mica]] in the [[Branchville, Connecticut|Branchville]] section of Redding, two [[Yale University]] mineralogists noted the presence of previously undiscovered minerals lodged in [[pegmatite]] there and furnished funds to expand the operation. Historians say the mine produced between seven<ref>{{cite web|url=https://connecticuthistory.org/the-industrial-might-of-connecticut-pegmatite/|title=The Industrial Might of Connecticut Pegmatite|last=Pawlowski|first=John A Sr. |date=2010|website=Connecticut History|access-date=August 14, 2019}}</ref> and nine minerals until then unknown, including one that was named [[reddingite]]. Over time, the mine would produce quantities of [[quartz]], [[feldspar]], mica, [[beryl]], [[spodumene]] and [[columbite]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Shainin|first=Vincent E.|date=August 1, 1946|title=The Branchville, Connecticut, Pegmatite|url=http://www.minsocam.org/msa/collectors_corner/arc/cnbranchville.htm|journal=American Mineralogist|language=en|volume=31|issue=7–8|pages=329–345|issn=0003-004X}}</ref>

Another unique geological feature is the bedrock close to the train station. It is composed of nearly pure and massive garnet.<ref name="AgarKrieger1932">{{cite journal|last1=Agar|first1=W. M.|last2=Krieger|first2=P.|title=Garnet rock near West Redding, Connecticut|journal=American Journal of Science|volume=s5-24|issue=139|year=1932|pages=68–80|issn=0002-9599|doi=10.2475/ajs.s5-24.139.68|bibcode=1932AmJS...24...68A}}</ref>

===Gilbert & Bennett factory===
{{Main|Gilbert & Bennett}}
In 1834, [[Georgetown Historic District (Georgetown, Connecticut)|Gilbert & Bennett]] Co. purchased the site of a former comb mill alongside the Norwalk River in the Georgetown section of Redding, and began producing wire mesh cloth for varying uses, in time to include sieves and window screens. In 1863, Gilbert & Bennett built a facility at the site for drawing metal wire. During [[World War I]], the U.S. military adapted the company's products for camouflage netting, gas masks and trench liners; and during [[World War II]], for signal corps uses.
[[File:PostcardGeorgetownCTGilbertAndBennettMfg1909.jpg|left|thumb|Gilbert & Bennett in Georgetown, Connecticut.]]

A private equity group purchased the company in 1985, and began relocating operations elsewhere. In 1987, the Gilbert & Bennett site was included as part of the [[Georgetown Historic District (Georgetown, Connecticut)|Georgetown Historic District]] listing on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].<ref>{{cite web | title=History of Gilbert & Bennett in Georgetown, Connecticut | website=History of Redding, Connecticut (CT) Past & Present | date=December 15, 1947 | url=http://historyofredding.net/HGgilbertbennett.htm | access-date=August 14, 2019}}</ref>

In a 1987 nomination document for the National Register of Historic Places, proponents cited Gilbert & Bennett as an "anachronism" in the history of U.S. industry and labor.

"Peaceful, tree-lined residential streets converge on a functioning industrial complex; well-preserved historic houses stand cheek-by-jowl with modern factories; the deteriorated slum neighborhoods associated with modern industry do not exist," the nomination states. "The elite of Georgetown, almost exclusively people associated with Gilbert and Bennett, lived in the midst of their workers. The predictable ethnic neighborhoods did exist in Georgetown, outside the district for the most part, but their employees were apparently encouraged to occupy, or build houses next to the mansions of the managers and officers."<ref>{{NRHP url|id=87000343}} "National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form, Georgetown Historic District, Georgetown, Connecticut," U.S. Department of the Interior, March 9, 1987. Retrieved 2014-04-30.</ref>

In 1999, the U.S. [[Environmental Protection Agency]] designated the factory pond and surrounding land a federal [[Superfund]] site to spur the remediation of pollution there.<ref>{{cite web | title=G & B LAGOON | website=yosemite.epa.gov | date=April 26, 2014 | url=http://yosemite.epa.gov/r1/npl_pad.nsf/51dc4f173ceef51d85256adf004c7ec8/e4b1135a71af905285256b42006031a1!OpenDocument&Highlight=0,redding | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140426201118/http://yosemite.epa.gov/r1/npl_pad.nsf/51dc4f173ceef51d85256adf004c7ec8/e4b1135a71af905285256b42006031a1!OpenDocument&Highlight=0,redding | archive-date=April 26, 2014 | url-status=dead | access-date=August 14, 2019}}</ref> Multiple developers have since attempted to finance the construction of a village development at the Gilbert & Bennett site, to include a mix of residential and commercial buildings.<ref>{{cite web | title=Gilbert & Bennett Wire Mill Renovation & Redevelopment News in Georgetown, Connecticut | website=History of Redding, Connecticut (CT) Past & Present | date=February 20, 2010 | url=http://www.historyofredding.net/HGgilbertbennettnews.htm | access-date=August 14, 2019}}</ref>
[[File:Umpawaugschoolhouse.jpg|thumb|right|Umpawaug District School]]

===On the National Register of Historic Places===
* [[Aaron Barlow House]]
* [[Daniel and Esther Bartlett House]]
* [[Georgetown, Connecticut|Georgetown Historic District]]
* [[Putnam Memorial State Park]]
* [[Redding Center Historic District]]
* [[Umpawaug District School]]

===On the Connecticut Historic Resource Inventory===
The Connecticut Historic Resource Inventory lists 230 structures in Redding, the oldest built in 1710 by early settler Moses Knapp.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.townofreddingct.org/Public_Documents/ReddingCT_Houses/RddgOldHses-CT_HRI.pdf|title=Houses in Redding - Listed in State of Connecticut Historic Resource Inventory|date=January 21, 2007|website=Town of Redding, Connecticut Official Website|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120302034853/http://www.townofreddingct.org/Public_Documents/ReddingCT_Houses/RddgOldHses-CT_HRI.pdf|archive-date=March 2, 2012|url-status=dead|access-date=August 14, 2019}}</ref> The Town of Redding lists another 285 structures that are believed to have been built before 1901 that are not listed in the Connecticut Historic Resource Inventory, the oldest built in 1711 by John Read.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.townofreddingct.org/Public_Documents/ReddingCT_Houses/RddgOldHsesNonlisted.pdf|title=Houses in Redding - Houses 1900 and Earlier, NOT LISTED on State of Connecticut Historic Resource Inventory|date=January 21, 2007|website=Town of Redding, Connecticut Official Website|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120302034819/http://www.townofreddingct.org/Public_Documents/ReddingCT_Houses/RddgOldHsesNonlisted.pdf|archive-date=March 2, 2012|url-status=dead|access-date=August 14, 2019}}</ref>

===Disasters===
Redding has experienced several disasters, including the 2020 [[pandemic]] of the [[COVID-19]] strain of [[coronavirus]], with Connecticut declaring on March 10, 2020, a public health emergency and federal agencies subsequently approving Connecticut for disaster assistance. Through June 30, the state of Connecticut listed 69 Redding residents as having contracted COVID-19 or probably so,<ref>{{cite web | title=COVID-19 Update June 30, 2020 | website=The State of Connecticut Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) | date=June 30, 2020 | url=https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/Coronavirus/CTDPHCOVID19summary6302020.pdf | access-date=June 30, 2020}}</ref> with eight town residents having died of complications from coronavirus.<ref>{{cite web | title=Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) | website=CT.gov | date=June 30, 2020 | url=https://portal.ct.gov/coronavirus | access-date=June 30, 2020}}</ref> Statewide, schools closed and businesses furloughed workers after the closure of work sites deemed "non-essential" with the state allowing a phased resumption of business activities starting May 20. More than 700 Redding residents filed initial claims for unemployment compensation between March 15 and June 29, with unemployment peaking in mid-April when 434 residents were receiving benefits.<ref>{{cite web | title=Statewide Claims Profile - State of Connecticut | website=Connecticut Department of Labor | date=June 29, 2020 | url=https://www1.ctdol.state.ct.us/lmi/claimsdata.asp | access-date=June 30, 2020}}</ref>

Most other disasters were the result of severe weather events including [[Hurricane Sandy]] with [[tropical storm]]-force winds when it reached Connecticut October 29, 2012, toppling trees throughout the town and cutting power to 98 percent of homes and businesses.<ref>{{cite web | title=Residents help clean up after Hurricane Sandy | website=The Redding Pilot | date=November 3, 2012 | url=http://www.thereddingpilot.com/6021/residents-help-clean-up-after-hurricane-sandy/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121103063122/http://www.thereddingpilot.com/6021/residents-help-clean-up-after-hurricane-sandy/ | archive-date=November 3, 2012 | url-status=dead | access-date=August 14, 2019}}</ref>

Sandy was the third storm to cause extensive electrical outages and property damage in Redding and Connecticut within the space of just over 14 months, along with [[Hurricane Irene]] in August 2011 and the so-called [[2011 Halloween nor'easter|"Halloween nor'easter"]] in late October that year. The nor'easter dropped extensive snow onto trees that still had foliage, resulting in an increased number of snapped branches and trunks that damaged property and power lines, with some areas not seeing electricity restored for 11 days.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ferc.gov/legal/staff-reports/05-31-2012-ne-outage-report.pdf|title=Report on Transmission Facility Outages during Northeast Snowstorm of October 29-30, 2011: Causes and Recommendations|date=2011|website=Federal Energy Regulatory Commission|access-date=August 14, 2019|archive-date=February 24, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140224084107/http://www.ferc.gov/legal/staff-reports/05-31-2012-ne-outage-report.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 1995, police arrested<ref>{{cite web | last1=Springer | first1=John | last2=Williams | first2=Thomas D. | title=Suspect in Killing of 5 'No Different' than Others | website=courant.com | date=April 30, 1995 | url=https://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-xpm-1995-04-30-9504300115-story.html | access-date=August 14, 2019}}</ref> and a jury subsequently convicted<ref>{{cite web | last=Springer | first=John | title=Landlord Guilty in Murders | website=courant.com | date=April 25, 1998 | url=https://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-xpm-1998-04-25-9804250166-story.html | access-date=August 14, 2019}}</ref> Geoffrey K. Ferguson on charges he shot and killed tenants Scott D. Auerbach and David J. Froehlich, as well as three other men named David A. Gartrell, Sean E. Hiltunen, and Jason M. Trusewicz, at a house in Georgetown.

Beginning October 15, 1955, heavy rains caused flooding along the Norwalk River and other Connecticut waterways.<ref>{{cite web | last=Jones | first=Mark | title=The Connecticut Floods of 1955 | website=cslib.org | date=July 12, 2014 | url=http://www.cslib.org/flood1955.htm | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140712205408/http://www.cslib.org/flood1955.htm | archive-date=July 12, 2014 | url-status=unfit | access-date=August 14, 2019}}</ref> The [[Flood of 1955 (Connecticut)|flood of 1955]] resulted in a dam failing at the Gilbert and Bennett factory and the inundation of the Georgetown neighborhood, amid other damage to property and infrastructure.<ref>{{cite web | last=Cruson | first=Daniel | title=The Flood of 1955 Pictures | website=History of Redding, Connecticut (CT) Past & Present | date=August 19, 1955 | url=http://www.historyofredding.net/HRfloodpictures.htm | access-date=August 14, 2019}}</ref>

A [[1938 New England Hurricane|1938 hurricane]] known as "the Long Island Express" destroyed crops in Redding,<ref>{{cite web | title=Our Katrina: Looking back on the Hurricane of 1938 | website=NewsTimes | date=September 21, 2008 | url=https://www.newstimes.com/news/article/Our-Katrina-Looking-back-on-the-Hurricane-of-1938-79480.php | access-date=August 14, 2019}}</ref> but western Connecticut was spared the brunt of the storm that was the most destructive in New England recorded history.<ref>{{cite web | last=Helman | first=Christopher | title=Where Will Sandy Rank Among These Worst U.S. Storms Of All Time? | website=Forbes | date=October 29, 2012 | url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/christopherhelman/2012/10/29/where-will-sandy-rank-among-these-worst-u-s-storms-of-all-time/ | access-date=August 14, 2019}}</ref>

The [[Great Blizzard of 1888]] (also known as the Great White Hurricane of 1888) buried Redding under significant snow in March that year, with one resident recollecting horses and cows "stood to their middles" in snow.<ref>{{cite web | last=Henderson-Shifflett | first=Jeannine | title=Blizzard of 1888 Devastates State | website=Connecticut History | date=March 14, 2017 | url=http://connecticuthistory.org/blizzard-of-1888-devastates-state/ | access-date=August 14, 2019}}</ref>

==Geography==

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], Redding has a total area of {{convert|32.1|sqmi}}, of which {{convert|31.5|sqmi}} is land and {{convert|0.6|sqmi}}, or 1.75%, is water.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/gazetteer2013.html |title=US Gazetteer files 2013 |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |access-date=April 25, 2014}}</ref> Redding borders [[Bethel, Connecticut|Bethel]], [[Danbury, Connecticut|Danbury]], [[Easton, Connecticut|Easton]], [[Newtown, Connecticut|Newtown]], [[Ridgefield, Connecticut|Ridgefield]], [[Wilton, Connecticut|Wilton]] and [[Weston, Connecticut|Weston]].

Redding has nine primary sections: [[Redding Center, Connecticut|Redding Center]], Redding Ridge, Poverty Hollow, Sunset Hill, Lonetown, West Redding, Branchville, West Redding River Delta, and [[Georgetown, Connecticut|Georgetown]], the last of which is situated at the junction of Redding, Ridgefield, Weston and Wilton. Many of these sections have various subdistricts, such as Little Boston in Branchville, Redding Glen in Redding Ridge, and Umpawaug in West Redding.

=== Climate ===
The town is in a [[humid continental climate]] zone ([[Köppen climate classification]]: Dfa), with cold, snowy winters and hot, humid summers and four distinct seasons.<ref name="Koppen">{{cite web|author1=Peel, M. C.|author2=Finlayson, B. L.|author3=McMahon, T. A|title=World Map of Köppen-Geiger climate classification|publisher=[[The University of Melbourne]]|url=https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:World_K%C3%B6ppen_Map.png|access-date=August 2, 2018}}</ref> The [[United States Department of Agriculture]] places Redding in plant [[hardiness zone]] 6b.<ref name="Plantzone">{{cite web|title=USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map|author=United States Department of Agriculture|publisher=[[United States National Arboretum]]|url=http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/|access-date=August 2, 2018|author-link=United States Department of Agriculture}}</ref> Summer high temperatures average in the lower 80s Fahrenheit (upper 20s Celsius), with lows averaging in the lower 60s F (upper 10s C).<ref name="USWC">{{cite web|url=https://weather.com/weather/monthly/l/USCT0183:1:US|title=Redding, CT Monthly Weather|access-date=August 2, 2018|publisher=The Weather Channel}}</ref> 
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</div>

==Topography==
Redding's topography is dominated by three ridges, running north to south, with intervening valleys featuring steep slopes and rocky ledges in some sections. The highest elevation is about 830 feet above sea level, on Sunset Hill in the northeast part of the town;<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hvceo.org/maps/topobotsfordquad1951nw.jpg |title=Newtown |publisher=U.S. Geological Survey |access-date=April 24, 2014}}</ref> and the low elevation is about 290 feet above sea level at the [[Saugatuck Reservoir]] along the southern border.

Four streams flow south through Redding toward [[Long Island Sound]]: the [[Aspetuck River]], the Little River, the [[Norwalk River]] and the [[Saugatuck River]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hvceo.org/luchange_redding.php |title=History of Land Use in Redding, CT |publisher=Housatonic Valley Council of Elected Officials |access-date=April 24, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140223040542/http://www.hvceo.org/luchange_redding.php |archive-date=February 23, 2014 }}</ref>

The Saugatuck River flows through the Saugatuck Reservoir, Redding's largest body of water which stretches south into Weston. The reservoir was created in 1938 through the flooding of a portion of the Saugatuck River Valley.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aspetucklandtrust.org/17019 |title=Valley Forge Forever Gone |publisher=Aspetuck Land Trust |date=2009 |access-date=May 2, 2014 |archive-date=May 2, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140502215244/http://www.aspetucklandtrust.org/17019 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Demographics==
{{See also|List of Connecticut locations by per capita income}}
{{US Census population
|1790= 1503
|1800= 1632
|1810= 1717
|1820= 1678
|1830= 1686
|1840= 1674
|1850= 1754
|1860= 1652
|1870= 1624
|1880= 1540
|1890= 1546
|1900= 1426
|1910= 1617
|1920= 1315
|1930= 1599
|1940= 1758
|1950= 2037
|1960= 3359
|1970= 5590
|1980= 7272
|1990= 7927
|2000= 8270
|2010= 9158
|2020= 8765
|footnote=Population 1774–2000<ref>{{cite web | title=Connecticut State Register Manual | website=Connecticut's Official State Website | date=September 21, 2013 | url=http://portal.ct.gov/SOTS/Register-Manual/Register-Manual/Connecticut-State-Register--Manual | access-date=August 14, 2019}}</ref>
}}
As of the [[census]] of 2010,<ref>{{cite web | title=Redding town, Fairfield County, Connecticut | website=Census Bureau QuickFacts | date=December 21, 2010 | url=http://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/reddingtownfairfieldcountyconnecticut/PST045218 | access-date=August 14, 2019}}</ref>  there were 9,158 people, 3,470 households, and 2,593 families residing in the town. Redding has the third lowest [[population density]] in Fairfield County<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ct.gov/ecd/cwp/view.asp?a=1106&q=250664 |title=Population, Land Area and Density by Location |publisher=Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development |access-date=April 24, 2014}}</ref> at 285.3 people per square mile (110.2/km<sup>2</sup>). Between 2000 and 2010, Redding's population increased 10.7%.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/cph-2-8.pdf |title=Connecticut: 2010 Population and Housing Unit Counts |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |date=June 2012 |page=20 |ref={{sfnref|Connecticut: 2010 Population and Housing Unit Counts}} |access-date=May 18, 2014}}</ref>

There were 3,811 housing units as of 2010, up 23.5% from a decade earlier, for an average density of 118.7 units per square mile (45.8/km<sup>2</sup>).{{sfn|Connecticut: 2010 Population and Housing Unit Counts}}

The racial makeup of the town as of 2010 was 94.90% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.70% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.10% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 2.20% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 2.10% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]] or from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 2.60% of the population.

Of 3,470 households, 35.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.1% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 6.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.3% were non-families. Individuals comprised 21.3% of all households, and 12.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.07.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.0% under the age of 18, 3.2% from 18 to 24, 16.3% from 25 to 44, 36.2% from 45 to 64, and 16.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46.4 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.4 males.

The median income for a household in 2000 was $104,137, and the median income for a family was $109,250. In 2009, the median family income rose to $141,609.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://money.cnn.com/galleries/2009/moneymag/0907/gallery.bplive_6_figure_towns.moneymag/4.html | work=CNN | title=6-Figure Towns | date=July 21, 2009}}</ref> Males had a median income of $77,882 versus $52,250 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the town was $50,687.  About 1.2% of families and 1.8% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 2.1% of those under age 18 and 3.5% of those age 65 or over.

==Attractions and landmarks==

* [[Collis P. Huntington State Park]] with trails for hiking, biking and horseback riding
* [[Devil's Den Preserve]], with trails and views of the Saugatuck Reservoir
* [[Highstead Foundation|Highstead]], an arboretum that cultivates plants in their natural setting, rather than for display
* [[Ives Trail]], hiking trail that traverses part of Redding
* Lonetown Farm Museum, headquarters of the Redding Historical Society
* New Pond Farm, a working farm founded by actress [[Carmen Mathews]] that offers camps for children, including disadvantaged youth
* Mark Twain Library, endowed by Redding's most famous resident of 1908–1910
* [[Putnam Memorial State Park]], site of "Connecticut's Valley Forge" during the [[American Revolutionary War]]
* John Cambria Homestead, one of the many historical houses built around the time of the [[American Revolutionary War]]

==Culture==

===Literature===
''Mark Twain: A Biography'' was authored by West Redding resident [[Albert Paine|Albert Bigelow Paine]] after interviews with Samuel Clemens at his Stormfield residence, along with subsequent books on Clemens' life.<ref name="NYT">"Albert B. Paine, 76, Biographer, Dead."  ''[[The New York Times]]'' April 10, 1937: 19.</ref>

''[[My Brother Sam Is Dead]]'', authored by [[James Lincoln Collier]] and [[Christopher Collier (historian)|Christopher Collier]] and named a Newbery Honor Book in 1975, was set in Redding during the [[American Revolutionary War|Revolutionary War]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://ww38.historyofredding.com/HRmbsd.htm|title=historyofredding.com|website=ww38.historyofredding.com}}</ref>

''Secrets of Redding Glen'', a children's book written and illustrated by Jo Polseno, chronicles the natural cycle of wildlife along a section of the Saugatuck River.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.reddingctlandtrust.org/in-tribute-the-landsavers.htm |title=Redding Land Trust, Inc :: Redding, Connecticut |access-date=May 3, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714112808/http://www.reddingctlandtrust.org/in-tribute-the-landsavers.htm |archive-date=July 14, 2014 }} "In Tribute," Redding Land Trust. Retrieved May 3, 2014.</ref>

===Movies filmed at least in part in Redding===

*''A Georgetown Story'' (2005–2008) – filmed in Georgetown.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.newstimes.com/news/article/Georgetown-seen-through-the-eyes-of-history-219796.php|title=Georgetown, seen through the eyes of history|last=Bruen|first=Melissa|date=June 4, 2009|website=Danbury NewsTimes|access-date=August 14, 2019}}</ref>
*''[[The Last House on the Left]]'' (1972) – directorial debut of [[Wes Craven]]<ref>{{cite web | title=Last House on the Left | website=Courant.com | date=July 13, 2014 | url=http://www.courant.com/entertainment/movies/hc-250-movies-lasthouseontheleft-jpg-20140210,0,6006113.photo | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140713120546/http://www.courant.com/entertainment/movies/hc-250-movies-lasthouseontheleft-jpg-20140210,0,6006113.photo | archive-date=July 13, 2014 | url-status=unfit | access-date=August 14, 2019}}</ref>
*''[[Old Dogs (film)|Old Dogs]]''  (2007–2008) – filmed in Redding Community Center, Putnam Park<ref name="connecticutexplored.org">{{cite web | last=Cedrone | first=Sarajane | title=Connecticut's Star Turn in Film | website=Connecticut Explored | date=March 1, 2017 | url=https://www.ctexplored.org/connecticuts-star-turn-in-film/ | access-date=August 14, 2019}}</ref>
*''[[Other People's Money]]'' (1991) – filmed in Georgetown<ref name="cultureandtourism.org">{{cite web | title=Gilbert & Bennett Wire Mill, Georgetown | website=cultureandtourism.org | date=November 10, 2005 | url=http://www.cultureandtourism.org/cct/cwp/view.asp?A=2194&Q=306502 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305223551/http://www.cultureandtourism.org/cct/cwp/view.asp?A=2194&Q=306502 | archive-date=March 5, 2016 | url-status=usurped | access-date=August 14, 2019}}</ref>
*''[[Rachel, Rachel]]'' (1968) – filmed in Georgetown, directorial debut of [[Paul Newman]]<ref>{{cite book|last=Monush|first=Barry|title=Everybody's Talkin': The Top Films of 1965-1969|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N89_4hYsS-wC&pg=PA254|year=2009|publisher=Applause Theatre & Cinema Books|isbn=978-1-55783-618-2|page=254}}</ref>
*''[[Reckless (1995 film)|Reckless]]'' (1995) – filmed in Georgetown<ref name="cultureandtourism.org" />
*''[[Revolutionary Road (film)|Revolutionary Road]]''<ref name="connecticutexplored.org" /> 
*''[[The Stepford Wives (1975 film)|The Stepford Wives]]'' (1975)<ref>{{cite web | title=The Stepford Wives | website=Courant.com | date=May 2, 2014 | url=http://www.courant.com/entertainment/movies/hc-250-movies-stepfordwives-jpg-20140210,0,6029264.photo | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140502232714/http://www.courant.com/entertainment/movies/hc-250-movies-stepfordwives-jpg-20140210,0,6029264.photo | archive-date=May 2, 2014 | url-status=unfit | access-date=August 14, 2019}}</ref>
*''[[Valley of the Dolls (film)|Valley of the Dolls]]'' (1967) – filmed in Redding Center<ref>{{cite web | title=Valley Of The Dolls | website=Courant.com | date=May 2, 2014 | url=http://www.courant.com/news/breaking/hc-valleyofdolls-pic,0,1198437.photo | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140502233103/http://www.courant.com/news/breaking/hc-valleyofdolls-pic,0,1198437.photo | archive-date=May 2, 2014 | url-status=unfit | access-date=August 14, 2019}}</ref>

===Visual arts===
[[File:Bear-Huntington-State-Park.jpg|right|thumb|''Mother Bear and Cubs,'' Huntington State Park, Redding, Connecticut]]
Multiple works by the sculptor [[Anna Hyatt Huntington]] are on display in Redding, including "Mother Bear and Cubs" and "Sculpture of Wolves" at the entrance to [[Collis P. Huntington State Park]]; "[[Equestrian statue of Israel Putnam|General Israel Putnam]]" at the entrance to [[Putnam Memorial State Park]]; "Fighting Stallions" at [[Redding Elementary School]]; "A Tribute to the Workhorse" at [[John Read Middle School]]; and a smaller version of "The Torch Bearers" at the Mark Twain Library, the original on display in [[Madrid, Spain]].

In its collections, catalogs and archives, the [[Smithsonian Institution]] lists at least eight artistic works depicting Redding or located there: Huntington's "Fighting Stallions," "Israel Putnam," "Mother Bear and Cubs" and "Sculpture of Wolves"; the paintings "Landscape, Redding Centre" and "Redding Centre, Conn." by [[Oronzio Maldarelli]]; the painting "Rainstorm - Cider Mill at Redding, Connecticut" by [[George Harvey (painter)|George Harvey]]; and the photo print "Burlingame Garden", photographer not listed.<ref>{{cite web | title=Search results for: redding, connecticut | website=Collections Search Center, Smithsonian Institution | url=http://collections.si.edu/search/results.htm?q=redding%2C+connecticut&view=&dsort=&date.slider=&page=1 | access-date=August 14, 2019}}.</ref>

Redding Ridge artist Dennis Luzak designed a block of commemorative stamps titled "International Youth Year" and issued October 7, 1985, by the [[U.S. Postal Service]].<ref>{{cite web | title=International Youth Year Issue | website=Arago | date=October 7, 1985 | url=http://arago.si.edu/index.asp?con=1&cmd=1&mode=2&tid=2038835 | access-date=August 14, 2019}}</ref> West Redding artist [[Fred Otnes]] designed five stamps issued April 22, 2008, depicting journalists.<ref>{{cite web | title=American Journalists Issue | website=Arago | date=April 22, 2008 | url=http://arago.si.edu/index.asp?con=1&cmd=1&img=&mode=1&pg=1&tid=2051143 | access-date=August 14, 2019}}</ref>

Mark Twain Library holds an annual art show as a fundraiser, which draws artists from throughout the Northeast to exhibit works, and displays varying works of art and historic objects throughout the year.<ref>{{cite web | title=Art Show | website=Mark Twain Library | url=https://marktwainlibrary.org/fundraising/art/ | access-date=August 14, 2019}}</ref> In 2008, the library received on loan the [[Gary Lee Price]] sculpture "Ever the Twain Shall Meet," depicting Twain in the company of [[Tom Sawyer]] and Becky Thatcher, two fictional characters he created.<ref>{{cite web | title='Ever the Twain Shall Meet': Sculpture on loan to Redding library | website=NewsTimes | date=August 12, 2008 | url=https://www.newstimes.com/news/article/Ever-the-Twain-Shall-Meet-Sculpture-on-loan-to-222451.php | access-date=August 14, 2019}}</ref>

===Performing arts===
The composer [[Charles Ives]] titled the second movement of his "[[Three Places in New England]] (Orchestral Set No. 1)" as "Putnam's Camp, Redding Connecticut." The composition is renowned for Ives attempt to produce an auditory experience akin to that experienced by a child at a parade, borrowing elements of several patriotic songs including "[[Yankee Doodle Dandy]]" and employing orchestral techniques to approximate the parade experience, for instance the sound of a band approaching while playing a song even as another recedes into the distance playing a different tune.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Iverson|first1=Jennifer|year=2011|title=Creating Space|url=http://mtosmt.org/issues/mto.11.17.2/mto.11.17.2.iverson.pdf|journal=Music Theory Online|volume=17|issue=2|doi=10.30535/mto.17.2.3|issn=1067-3040|doi-access=free}}</ref>

Composer [[Paul Avgerinos]] won the 2016 Grammy Award for best new age artist for his album "Grace".<ref>{{cite web | title=2016 Grammy Awards: Complete list of winners and nominees | website=Los Angeles Times | date=February 16, 2016 | url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/posts/la-et-ms-grammys-2016-nominees-winners-list-story.html | access-date=August 14, 2019}}</ref>

Redding sponsors free "Concerts on the Green" Sundays from June to August, which draw varied music acts from throughout the area.

==Economy==
Redding Lifecare, which in 2001 opened a retirement community called Meadow Ridge, was Redding's largest private-sector employer as of 2013 with 325 workers;<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.hvceo.org/tables/table_l1.pdf|title=Major Employers 2013 in Greater Danbury, CT with Employment Estimated at 75+|date=March 2013|website=Housatonic Valley Council of Elected Officials|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130630075328/http://www.hvceo.org/tables/table_l1.pdf|archive-date=June 30, 2013|url-status=dead|access-date=August 14, 2019}}</ref> and the largest property holder as ranked by property taxes paid, according to data published by the Connecticut Economic Resource Center (CERC). As of 2013, the town's next largest organizational taxpayers were [[Northeast Utilities]] subsidiary [[Connecticut Light & Power]], which in 2015 became known as [[Eversource Energy]]; the Redding Country Club; and Aquarion Water Co.

In 2013, 260 organizations in Redding employed 1,678 people, according to the most recent data posted by CERC.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cerc.com/TownProfiles/Customer-Images/redding.pdf|title=Redding|date=2014|website=CERC Town Profile|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160308130045/https://www.cerc.com/TownProfiles/Customer-Images/redding.pdf|archive-date=March 8, 2016|url-status=dead|access-date=August 14, 2019}}</ref> Retail sales tax revenue totaled $75.3 million from 433 entities that reported receipts, according to the Connecticut Department of Revenue Services.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://data.ct.gov/Tax-and-Revenue/2013-Retail-Sales-By-Town-ALL-NAICS/iiu4-tbfp|title=2013 Retail Sales By Town ALL NAICS {{!}} Connecticut Data|website=data.ct.gov|access-date=August 14, 2019|archive-date=August 7, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807193042/https://data.ct.gov/Tax-and-Revenue/2013-Retail-Sales-By-Town-ALL-NAICS/iiu4-tbfp|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Education==

===Public schools===
[[Joel Barlow High School]], opened in 1959 and expanded in 1971,<ref>{{cite web | title=History | website=Town of Redding, Connecticut Official Website | date=February 25, 2017 | url=https://townofreddingct.org/about-redding/history/ | access-date=August 14, 2019}}</ref> serves both Redding and Easton and is designated Regional School District 09<ref>{{cite web | title=Joel Barlow High School in Redding, CT | website=GreatSchools.org | date=March 5, 2019 | url=https://www.greatschools.org/connecticut/redding/802-Joel-Barlow-High-School/ | access-date=August 14, 2019}}</ref> by the state of Connecticut. [[John Read Middle School]], opened in 1966 and expanded in 1999, educates Redding students from fifth through eighth grade and was named a [[National Blue Ribbon School]] in 2012, among 269 schools nationally that year to receive the designation.<ref>{{cite web | title=John Read Middle School is named a 2012 National Blue Ribbon School | website=The Redding Pilot | date=September 7, 2012 | url=http://www.thereddingpilot.com/4098/john-read-middle-school-is-named-a-2012-national-blue-ribbon-school/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140424163605/http://www.thereddingpilot.com/4098/john-read-middle-school-is-named-a-2012-national-blue-ribbon-school/ | archive-date=April 24, 2014 | url-status=dead | access-date=August 14, 2019}}</ref> Redding Elementary School, opened in 1948 and expanded in 1957, educates students from pre-kindergarten to fourth grade.

===Mark Twain Library===

[[Samuel Clemens]] (known by his pen name Mark Twain), who lived in Redding from 1908 until his death in 1910, contributed the first books for what would become the Mark Twain Library. The Mark Twain Library Association has retained some 200 of the original 3,000 volumes Clemens donated, along with other artifacts he owned.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.marktwainlibrary.org/9samuelclemens-folder/samuel-clemens-and-the-mark-twain-library.htm |title=Samuel Clemens and the Mark Twain Library :: Redding, Connecticut |access-date=September 15, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110904052039/http://www.marktwainlibrary.org/9samuelclemens-folder/samuel-clemens-and-the-mark-twain-library.htm |archive-date=September 4, 2011 }} "Samuel Clemens and the Mark Twain Library," Mark Twain Library. Retrieved April 24, 2014.</ref>

==Government==
{| class="wikitable"  style="float:right; margin:1em; font-size:95%;"
|+ Redding town vote<br /> by party in presidential elections<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://authoring.ct.gov/SOTS/Election-Services/Statement-Of-Vote-PDFs/General-Elections-Statement-of-Vote-1922|title=General Elections Statement of Vote 1922|website=CT.gov - Connecticut's Official State Website}}</ref>
|- style="background:lightgrey;"
! Year
! [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
! [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
! [[Third party (United States)|Third Parties]]
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[2024 United States presidential election|2024]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''63.66%''' ''3,619''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|34.27% ''1,948''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|2.06% ''117''
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[2020 United States presidential election|2020]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''64.14%''' ''3,829''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|34.37% ''2,052''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|1.49% ''89''
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[2016 United States presidential election|2016]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''56.99%''' ''3,127''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|38.05% ''2,088''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|4.96% ''272''
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[2012 United States presidential election|2012]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''52.08%''' ''2,787''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|46.78% ''2,503''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|1.14% ''61''
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[2008 United States presidential election|2008]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''57.80%''' ''3,245''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|41.31% ''2,319''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|0.89% ''50''
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[2004 United States presidential election|2004]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''51.18%''' ''2,797''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|47.37% ''2,589''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|1.45% ''79''
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|[[2000 United States presidential election|2000]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|45.90% ''2,151''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''48.14%''' ''2,256''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|5.95% ''279''
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|[[1996 United States presidential election|1996]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|42.38% ''1,850''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''48.41%''' ''2,113''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|9.21% ''402''
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|[[1992 United States presidential election|1992]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|36.33% ''1,789''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''42.45%''' ''2,090''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|21.22% ''1,045''
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|[[1988 United States presidential election|1988]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|34.64% ''1,534''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''64.59%''' ''2,860''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|0.77% ''34''
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|[[1984 United States presidential election|1984]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|29.26% ''1,225''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''70.55%''' ''2,953''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|0.19% ''8''
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|[[1980 United States presidential election|1980]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|25.15% ''985''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''60.73%''' ''2,378''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|14.12% ''553''
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|[[1976 United States presidential election|1976]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|35.52% ''1,220''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''63.78%''' ''2,191''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|0.70% ''24''
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|[[1972 United States presidential election|1972]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|32.87% ''1,009''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''65.21%''' ''2,002''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|1.92% ''59''
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|[[1968 United States presidential election|1968]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|33.66% ''820''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''60.22%''' ''1,467''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|6.12% ''149''
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|[[1964 United States presidential election|1964]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|'''50.88%''' ''1,011''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|49.12% ''976''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|0.00% ''0''
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|[[1960 United States presidential election|1960]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|30.92% ''569''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''69.08%''' ''1,271''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|0.00% ''0''
|-
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|[[1956 United States presidential election|1956]]
|align="center" {{Party shading/Democratic}}|24.61% ''392''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Republican}}|'''75.39%''' ''1,201''
|align="center" {{Party shading/Independent}}|0.00% ''0''
|}

Redding has an [[open town meeting]] form of government. A three-person, popularly elected [[board of selectmen]] performs day-to-day administration of the town, with executive authority vested in the [[first selectman]]. Legislative authority is vested in the Town Meeting. All town residents aged 18 and over who own property worth at least $1,000 can participate in the Town Meeting, which is held on an as{{space}}needed basis.

Municipal elections are held every odd-numbered year. In addition to the board of selectmen, other elected town positions include the town clerk, treasurer, tax collector, constables, and members of various boards. In 2013, Democrat Julia Pemberton was elected first selectman, replacing Republican Natalie Ketcham who did not run for reelection after holding the position since 1999.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newstimes.com/local/article/Pemberton-wins-in-Redding-4958768.php|title=Pemberton wins in Redding|last=Pirro|first=John|date=November 6, 2013|website=Danbury NewsTimes|access-date=August 14, 2019}}</ref>

Redding is part of [[Connecticut's 4th congressional district]] and is currently represented by [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] [[U.S. Representative]] [[Jim Himes]].

The town is included in Connecticut's 26th Senatorial District, held by State Senator [[Will Haskell]], a Democrat. Portions of Redding are in Connecticut's 135th Assembly District, held by State Representative [[Anne Meiman Hughes|Anne Hughes]], a Democrat; and Connecticut's 2nd Assembly District, held by State Representative [[Raghib Allie-Brennan]], a Democrat.

Federally, Redding is the only town in Fairfield County to have voted against [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] [[George W. Bush]] in 2004 after voting for him in 2000.<ref>{{Cite web| title=Statement of vote - General election | date=2000-11-07 | url=https://authoring.ct.gov/-/media/SOTS/ElectionServices/StatementOfVote_PDFs/2000SOVpdf.pdf | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210629033605/https://authoring.ct.gov/-/media/SOTS/ElectionServices/StatementOfVote_PDFs/2000SOVpdf.pdf | archive-date=2021-06-29}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web| title=Statement of vote - General election | date=2004-11-02 | url=https://authoring.ct.gov/-/media/SOTS/ElectionServices/StatementOfVote_PDFs/2004SOVpdf.pdf | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210627202934/https://authoring.ct.gov/-/media/SOTS/ElectionServices/StatementOfVote_PDFs/2004SOVpdf.pdf | archive-date=2021-06-27}}</ref>

{| class=wikitable
! colspan = 6 | Voter registration and party enrollment as of October 26, 2021<ref>{{cite web|url=https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/SOTS/ElectionServices/Registration_and_Enrollment_Stats/October-26-2021-Registration-and-Party-Enrollment-Statistics.pdf|title=Registration and Party Enrollment Statistics as of October 26, 2021|publisher=Connecticut Secretary of State|access-date=November 3, 2021}}</ref>
|-
! colspan = 2 | Party
! Active voters
! Inactive voters
! Total voters
! Percentage
|-
| {{party color cell|Democratic Party (United States)}}
| [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
| align = center | 2,520
| align = center | 308
| align = center | 2,828
| align = center | 36.59%
|-
| {{party color cell|Republican Party (United States)}}
| [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
| align = center | 1,654
| align = center | 276
| align = center | 1,930
| align = center | 24.97%
|-
| {{party color cell|Independent Party (United States)}}
| [[Independent voter|Unaffiliated]]
| align = center | 2,278
| align = center | 533
| align = center | 2,811
| align = center | 36.37%
|-
| {{party color cell|Independent Party (United States)}}
| Minor parties
| align = center | 137
| align = center | 22
| align = center | 159
| align = center | 2.07%
|-
! colspan = 2 | Total
! align = center | 6,589
! align = center | 1,139
! align = center | 7,728
! align = center | 100%
|}

==Notable people==
{{main list|List of people from Redding, Connecticut}}
In part due to its relative proximity to New York City,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/redding-twains-last-home-is-proud-of-privacy-1397264537|title=Redding, Twain's Last Home, Is Proud of Privacy|last=Lefkowitz|first=Melanie|date=April 14, 2014|work=Wall Street Journal|access-date=August 14, 2019|language=en-US|issn=0099-9660}}</ref> many famous people have lived in Redding.

Actors and directors who have resided in Redding include [[Hope Lange]],<ref name="history" /> [[Barry Levinson]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001469/bio|title=Barry Levinson|website=IMDb|access-date=August 14, 2019}}</ref> [[Jessica Tandy]] and her spouse [[Hume Cronyn]],<ref name="history" /> and [[Christopher Walken]].

Artists who have lived in Redding include [[Dan Beard]], whose illustrations appeared in books authored by Mark Twain;<ref name="history">{{cite web | title=An Impressive List of Individuals Who Have Called Redding Home | website=History of Redding, Connecticut (CT) Past & Present | url=http://www.historyofredding.net/HRfamouspeople.htm | access-date=August 14, 2019}}</ref> [[Anna Hyatt Huntington]], who lived on the property that today is [[Collis P. Huntington State Park]];<ref>{{cite book|last=Cullen-DuPont|first=Kathryn|title=Encyclopedia of Women's History in America|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oIro7MtiFuYC&pg=PA120|date=May 14, 2014|publisher=Infobase Publishing|isbn=978-1-4381-1033-2|page=120}}</ref> and photographer [[Edward Steichen]], who purchased a farm that he called Umpawaug.<ref name="Niven 1997 530">Niven, Penelope (1997). ''Steichen: A Biography''. New York: Clarkson Potter. {{ISBN|0-517-59373-4}}, p. 530</ref> living there until his death in 1973.<ref name="Niven 1997 698">Niven (1997), p. 698</ref> Steichen's property became Topstone Park,<ref name="NYT 1999">Prevost, Lisa, the ''New York Times'', "An Upscale Town With Upcountry Style," January 3, 1999</ref> open seasonally to this day.<ref name="Redding parks">{{cite web | title=Topstone Park | website=townofreddingct.org | date=June 28, 2011 | url=http://www.townofreddingct.org:80/Public_Documents/ReddingCT_ParksRec/facilities/top | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110628063755/http://www.townofreddingct.org:80/Public_Documents/ReddingCT_ParksRec/facilities/top | archive-date=June 28, 2011 | url-status=dead | access-date=August 14, 2019}}</ref>

Athletes who have lived in Redding include [[Charlie Morton (pitcher)|Charlie Morton]],<ref>{{cite web | title=Barlow Hall of Fame inducts 19. | website=The Redding Pilot | date=November 30, 2015 | url=http://www.thereddingpilot.com/2015/11/30/barlow-hall-of-fame-inducts-19/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170324094132/http://www.thereddingpilot.com/2015/11/30/barlow-hall-of-fame-inducts-19/ | archive-date=March 24, 2017 | url-status=dead | access-date=August 14, 2019}}</ref> a pitcher for the [[Atlanta Braves]]; and [[Brooklee Han]], a figure skater who represented Australia in the [[2014 Winter Olympics]] in [[Sochi, Russia]].

[[File:Mark Twain's house, front view. - NARA - 516527.tif|left|thumb|Clemens' house, "Stormfield", in Redding, Connecticut]]
Authors who have lived in Redding include [[Joel Barlow]],<ref>{{cite book | title=Barlow, Joel (1754-1812), businessman, diplomat, and poet | website=American National Biography | date=June 16, 2017 | doi=10.1093/anb/9780198606697.article.1600077 | isbn=978-0-19-860669-7 | url=https://www.anb.org/view/10.1093/anb/9780198606697.001.0001/anb-9780198606697-e-1600077 | access-date=August 14, 2019| last1=Mulford | first1=Carla J. }}</ref> a poet and diplomat, born in town; [[Samuel Clemens]], who in 1908 moved into a mansion dubbed [[Stormfield]] that was built on land located on present-day Mark Twain Lane and lived there until his death in 1910; [[Howard Fast]];<ref name="history" /> [[Lawrence Kudlow]], author and host of the "Kudlow and Company" television program;<ref>{{cite web | title=Larry Kudlow to speak at annual breakfast - The Redding Pilot | website=thereddingpilot.com | date=October 25, 2014 | url=http://www.thereddingpilot.com/15825/larry-kudlow-speak-annual-breakfast/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141025160355/http://www.thereddingpilot.com/15825/larry-kudlow-speak-annual-breakfast/ | archive-date=October 25, 2014 | url-status=dead | access-date=August 14, 2019}}</ref> [[Dick Morris]], political consultant and author; [[Flannery O'Connor]] (who wrote her novel ''[[Wise Blood]]'' while a boarder at the home of fellow writer [[Robert Fitzgerald]]);,<ref>{{cite web | title=When Flannery O'Connor didn't live here | website=The Ridgefield Press | date=April 30, 2014 | url=http://www.theridgefieldpress.com/16949/when-flannery-oconnor-didnt-live-here/ | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140430024622/http://www.theridgefieldpress.com/16949/when-flannery-oconnor-didnt-live-here/ | archive-date=April 30, 2014 | url-status=dead | access-date=August 14, 2019}}</ref> futurist [[Alvin Toffler]]<ref>{{cite news| url= http://westport.dailyvoice.com/neighbors/happy-birthday-to-reddings-alvin-toffler/405405/ | title= Happy Birthday To Redding's Alvin Toffler!| work= Westport Daily Voice| location= Weston, Connecticut| date= October 4, 2013| access-date= May 4, 2016}}</ref> and economist [[Stuart Chase]], who lived in Redding from 1930 and served on the town's planning commission from 1956 until his death in 1985.<ref>http://stevenlewis.info/gs/Stuart_Chase_bio.htm | Stuart Chase -- A Biography | accessed March 15, 2020</ref>

Businesspeople who have lived in Redding include [[Alfred Winslow Jones]], credited by some as "the father" of the [[hedge fund]] industry.<ref name="history" />

Composers, musicians and singers who have lived in Redding include [[Leonard Bernstein]],<ref>{{cite book|last=Gottlieb|first=Jack|title=Working with Bernstein: A Memoir|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TWXHOCMpM74C&pg=PA33|year=2010|publisher=Amadeus Press|isbn=978-1-57467-186-5|page=33}}</ref> [[Daryl Hall]],<ref name="history" /> [[Jascha Heifetz]],<ref name="history" /> [[Charles Ives]],<ref name="history" /> [[Meat Loaf]], [[Andy Powell]] and [[Mary Travers]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/17/arts/music/17travers.html|title=Mary Travers, Singer of Protest Anthems, Dies at 72|last=Grimes|first=William|date=September 16, 2009|work=The New York Times|access-date=August 14, 2019|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

==Transportation==
[[File:The platform of Redding Station in Redding, Connecticut.jpg|thumb|[[Redding station (Metro-North)|Redding station]], October 2024.]]
[[Metro-North Railroad]]'s [[Danbury Branch]] has a station at [[Redding station (Metro-North)|West Redding]].<ref>http://as0.mta.info/mnr/stations/station_detail.cfm?key=276 "Metro North Railroad Home > Stations Redding," MTA.com. Retrieved May 4, 2014.</ref> The Danbury Branch provides [[commuter rail]] service between [[Danbury station|Danbury]], to [[South Norwalk station|South Norwalk]], [[Stamford Transportation Center|Stamford]], and [[Grand Central Terminal]] in [[New York City]]. [[Housatonic Area Regional Transit]] provides local bus service.

==Footnotes==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/revolutionarysol00grum|title=The revolutionary soldiers of Redding, Connecticut, and the record of their services;|last=Grumman|first=William Edgar|date=1904|publisher=Hartford press: The Case, Lockwood & Brainard company}}
* {{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/historyofredding1906todd|title=The history of Redding, Connecticut : from its first settlement to the present time|last=Todd|first=Charles Burr|date=1906|publisher=Grafton Press|location=New York}}

==External links==
{{Portal|Connecticut}}
{{Commons category}}
{{wikivoyage|Redding (Connecticut)|Redding, Connecticut}}
*[http://www.townofreddingct.org/ Town of Redding official website]
*[http://www.historyofredding.com/ History of Redding]
*[http://www.er9.org/ Easton Redding Region 9 school district]
*[http://www.marktwainlibrary.org/ Mark Twain Library], the town public library

{{Western Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut}}
{{Fairfield County, Connecticut}}
{{Connecticut}}
{{New York metropolitan area}}
{{New England}}
{{authority control}}

[[Category:Redding, Connecticut| ]]
[[Category:Towns in Fairfield County, Connecticut]]
[[Category:Towns in the New York metropolitan area]]
[[Category:Towns in Connecticut]]
[[Category:Towns in Western Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut]]