New Canaan, Connecticut | |
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.jpg) Town Hall .jpg) Downtown .jpeg) Waveny Park estate | |
 Seal | |
 Fairfield County and Connecticut Western Connecticut Planning Region and Connecticut | |
 Show New Canaan Show Connecticut Show the United States | |
| Coordinates:41°08′48.48″N73°29′41.64″W / 41.1468000°N 73.4949000°W /41.1468000; -73.4949000 | |
| Country | United States |
| U.S. state | Connecticut |
| County | Fairfield |
| Region | Western CT |
| Settled | 1731 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Selectman-town council |
| • First Selectman | Dionna Carlson (R) |
| • Selectman | Stephen Karl (R) |
| • Selectwoman | Amy Murphy (R) |
| Area | |
• Total | 22.5 sq mi (58.3 km2) |
| • Land | 22.1 sq mi (57.3 km2) |
| • Water | 0.35 sq mi (0.9 km2) |
| Elevation | 344 ft (105 m) |
| Population (2020)[1] | |
• Total | 20,622 |
| • Density | 932/sq mi (359.9/km2) |
| Demonym | New Canaanite |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (Eastern) |
| ZIP Code | 06840 |
| Area codes | 203/475 |
| FIPS code | 09-50580 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0213468 |
| Website | www |
New Canaan (/ˈkeɪnən/) is atown inFairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 20,622 according to the2020 census.[1] The town is part of theWestern Connecticut Planning Region.
About an hour from New York City by train, the town is considered part ofConnecticut's Gold Coast. The town is bounded on the south byDarien, to the west byStamford, on the east byWilton, on the southeast byNorwalk, and on the north byLewisboro andPound Ridge inWestchester County, New York.
New Canaan is known for its architecture and public parks such asWaveny Park, and a town center with boutiques. Residents sing carols on God's Acre every Christmas Eve, a town tradition since 1916.[2]
In 1731, Connecticut's colonial legislature established Canaan Parish as a religious entity in northwestern Norwalk and northeasternStamford. The right to form aCongregational church was granted to the few families scattered through the area. As inhabitants of Norwalk or Stamford, Canaan Parish settlers still had to vote, pay some taxes—noincome tax, and many other modern taxes did not yet exist—serve on juries, and file deeds in their hometowns. Because Canaan Parish was not planned as a town when it was first settled in 1731, when New Canaan was incorporated in 1801, it found itself without a central common, a main street, or a town hall.[3]
Until theRevolutionary War, New Canaan was primarily an agricultural community; after the war, its major industry was shoemaking. As New Canaan's shoe business gathered momentum early in the 19th century, instead of a central village, regional settlements of clustered houses, mill, and school developed into distinct district centers. Some of the districts were centered on Ponus Ridge, West Road, Oenoke Ridge, Smith Ridge, Talmadge Hill, and Silvermine, a pattern that the village gradually outgrew.[3]
With the opening of theNew York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad to New Canaan in 1868, many ofNew York City's wealthy residents discovered the pastoral beauty of the area and built summer homes. Eventually, many of the summer visitors settled year-round, commuting to their jobs in New York City.[3]
Lewis Lapham, a founder ofTexaco and great-grandfather of long-timeHarper's MagazineeditorLewis H. Lapham, spent summers with his family at their estate that is now 300-acre (1.2 km2)Waveny Park next to Talmadge Hill and the Merritt Parkway.
In the 1890s, editor Will Kirk of theMessenger wrote an editorial in response to area editors who chided him, saying New Canaan was the "next station to hell." An alleged remark by a parched Civil War veteran marching in the Decoration Day Parade on an unusually hot day prompted the exchange. The remark was found untrue and Kirk, after enduring the comments of others, wrote about a "dream" of approaching the Pearly Gates in the company of his fellow editors. All others were turned away, but he, Will Kirk, was welcomed, because he, in fact, was from the "Next Station to Heaven."[4] Since then, the name has been controversial, with residents affectionately using the latter, and local critics of New Canaan still using the original nickname.
New Canaan was an important center of the modern design movement from the late 1940s through roughly the 1960s, when about 80 modern homes were built in town. About 20 have been torn down since then.[5]
"During the late 1940s and 1950s, a group of students and teachers from theHarvard Graduate School of Design migrated to New Canaan ... and rocked the world of architectural design", according to an article in PureContemporary.com, an online architecture design magazine. "Philip Johnson,Marcel Breuer,Landis Gores,John M. Johansen andEliot Noyes – known as theHarvard Five – began creating homes in a style that emerged as the complete antithesis of the traditional build. Using new materials and open floor plans, best captured by Johnson'sGlass House, these treasures are being squandered as buyers are knocking down these architectural icons and replacing them with cookie-cutter new builds."[6]
"Other architects, well-known (Frank Lloyd Wright, for example) and not so well known, also contributed significant modern houses that elicited strong reactions from nearly everyone who saw them and are still astonishing today ... New Canaan came to be the focus of the modern movement's experimentation in materials, construction methods, space, and form", according to an online description ofThe Harvard Five in New Canaan: Mid-Century Modern Houses, by William D. Earls.[7]
Some other New Canaan architects designing modern homes were Victor Christ-Janer, John Black Lee, Allan Gelbin, andHugh Smallen.[5]
The filmThe Ice Storm (1997) shows many of New Canaan's modern houses, both inside and out. The film (andRick Moody's novel of the same name, upon which it is based) takes place in New Canaan; a mostly glass house situated on Laurel Road is prominently featured.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 22.5 square miles (58 km2), of which 22.1 square miles (57 km2) are land and 0.3 square mile (0.78 km2), or 1.56%, is covered by water. New Canaan is the only municipality on theConnecticut Panhandle that does not border the coast. Proximity to New York City proved worthy of its own connection to theNew Haven Railroad, making New Canaan the only town with such a branch line.New Canaan station andTalmadge Hill station are both on theNew Canaan Branch of theNew Haven Line, and transfer is possible in Stamford south toManhattan. Many New Canaan residents commute to New York regularly, with travel time toGrand Central Terminal around 65 minutes. New Canaan is also heavily served by the historicMerritt Parkway, as the third municipality one traverses when driving through Connecticut from New York City.
The town includes the following sections:New Canaan Town Center, Talmadge Hill, Ponus Ridge, West, Oenoke Ridge, Smith Ridge, and part of Silvermine (which extends into Norwalk and Wilton).
| Senators | Name | Party | Assumed office | Level | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senate Class 1 | Richard Blumenthal | Democratic | 2011 | Senior Senator | |
| Senate Class 3 | Chris Murphy | Democratic | 2013 | Junior Senator | |
| Representatives | Name | Party | Assumed office | ||
| District 4 | Jim Himes | Democratic | 2009 | ||
| District | Name | Party | Assumed office | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 | Ceci Maher | Democratic | 2023 | |
| 36 | Ryan Fazio | Republican | 2021 | |
| District | Name | Party | Assumed office | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 42 | Keith Denning | Democratic | 2023 | |
| 125 | Tom O'Dea | Republican | 2013 | |
| 142 | Lucy Dathan | Democratic | 2019 | |
New Canaan is led by a First Selectman, who is one of three members of the Board of Selectmen. As of November 2023, the First Selectman is Republican Dionna Carlson.
The legislative body of the town is a twelve-member Town Council.
In 2023, themill rate of New Canaan was 18.372.[8]
New Canaan was one of five towns in Connecticut that backed formerGovernorJohn Kasich ofOhio overDonald J. Trump in the 2016 Republican presidential primary. Kasich received 1,362 votes (47.84%) ahead of Trump, who garnered 1,168 votes (41.03%).U.S. SenatorTed Cruz ofTexas finished third with 262 votes (9.20%).[9]
New Canaan was historically a Republican stronghold. However, the town has trended Democratic in recent elections.[10] The town swung from a 64% win forMitt Romney in2012 to a 52% win forHillary Clinton in2016.[11][12] This change mirrored a national trend of suburban voters turning away from Donald Trump. In2020,Joe Biden won New Canaan overTrump by a margin of nearly 20 points.[13] Despite a rightward shift in2024, town voters still delivered a victory toKamala Harris of roughly 13 percentage points.[14]
| Registration and Party Enrollment Statistics as of October 31, 2023[15] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Active voters | Inactive voters | Total voters | Percentage | |
| Republican | 5,051 | 634 | 5,685 | 36.23% | |
| Democratic | 3,750 | 445 | 4,195 | 26.74% | |
| Unaffiliated | 4,903 | 713 | 5,616 | 35.80% | |
| Minor parties | 158 | 35 | 193 | 1.23% | |
| Total | 13,862 | 1,827 | 15,689 | 100% | |
| Year | Democratic | Republican | Third Parties |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 55.49%6,014 | 42.44%4,600 | 2.06%224 |
| 2020 | 59.02%7,298 | 39.26%4,855 | 1.72%212 |
| 2016 | 52.59%5,767 | 41.41%4,541 | 6.00%658 |
| 2012 | 35.02%3,804 | 64.13%6,966 | 0.85%92 |
| 2008 | 46.61%5,187 | 52.81%5,877 | 0.58%64 |
| 2004 | 38.32%4,180 | 60.67%6,618 | 1.01%110 |
| 2000 | 33.93%3,516 | 62.73%6,501 | 3.34%346 |
| 1996 | 32.37%3,087 | 61.77%5,890 | 5.86%559 |
| 1992 | 30.72%3,438 | 56.21%6,292 | 13.07%1,463 |
| 1988 | 27.14%2,831 | 72.09%7,520 | 0.77%80 |
| 1984 | 23.66%2,564 | 76.12%8,249 | 0.22%24 |
| 1980 | 19.87%2,102 | 67.31%7,120 | 12.82%1,356 |
| 1976 | 28.17%2,887 | 71.52%7,329 | 0.31%32 |
| 1972 | 29.50%2,915 | 69.85%6,903 | 0.66%65 |
| 1968 | 31.96%2,802 | 66.12%5,796 | 1.92%168 |
| 1964 | 52.50%4,022 | 47.50%3,639 | 0.00%0 |
| 1960 | 27.95%1,970 | 72.05%5,079 | 0.00%0 |
| 1956 | 20.33%1,213 | 79.67%4,755 | 0.00%0 |
| 1952 | 24.98%1,276 | 73.81%3,771 | 1.21%62 |
| 1948 | 23.03%942 | 74.18%3,035 | 2.79%114 |
| 1944 | 31.14%1,163 | 68.86%2,571 | 0.00%0 |
| 1940 | 28.46%1,015 | 71.54%2,552 | 0.00%0 |
| 1936 | 35.98%940 | 64.02%1,673 | 0.00%0 |
| 1932 | 33.97%746 | 66.03%1,450 | 0.00%0 |
| 1928 | 31.95%614 | 67.53%1,298 | 0.52%10 |
| 1924 | 20.63%293 | 75.07%1,066 | 4.30%61 |
| 1920 | 21.55%267 | 76.52%948 | 1.93%24 |
| 1916 | 33.73%254 | 65.07%490 | 1.20%9 |
| 1912 | 34.32%266 | 44.52%345 | 21.16%164 |
| 1908 | 24.89%171 | 74.68%513 | 0.43%3 |
| 1904 | 31.01%192 | 67.53%418 | 1.46%9 |
| 1900 | 31.67%190 | 67.50%405 | 0.83%5 |
| 1896 | 22.45%139 | 73.99%458 | 3.56%22 |
| 1892[17] | 44.25%277 | 52.72%330 | 3.03%19 |
| 1888 | 43.07%264 | 51.88%318 | 5.05%31 |
| 1884 | 46.24%264 | 53.76%307 | 0.00%0 |
| 1880 | 48.46%300 | 51.54%319 | 0.00%0 |
| 1876 | 51.27%323 | 48.73%307 | 0.00%0 |
| 1872 | 52.78%285 | 47.22%255 | 0.00%0 |
| 1868 | 43.39%233 | 56.61%304 | 0.00%0 |
| 1864 | 40.80%206 | 59.20%299 | 0.00%0 |
| 1860 | 27.86%190 | 45.16%308 | 26.98%184 |
| 1856 | 38.90%198 | 61.10%311 | 0.00%0 |
| 1852 | 55.11%221 | 44.89%180 | 0.00%0 |
| 1848 | 44.52%195 | 42.01%184 | 13.47%59 |
| 1844 | 50.22%225 | 49.78%223 | 0.00%0 |
| 1840 | 48.78%220 | 51.22%231 | 0.00%0 |
| 1836 | 48.19%93 | 51.81%100 | 0.00%0 |
| 1832 | 17.36%29 | 58.69%98 | 23.95%40 |
| 1828 | 2.38%2 | 97.62%82 | 0.00%0 |
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1810 | 1,599 | — | |
| 1820 | 1,689 | 5.6% | |
| 1830 | 1,830 | 8.3% | |
| 1850 | 2,600 | — | |
| 1860 | 2,771 | 6.6% | |
| 1870 | 2,497 | −9.9% | |
| 1880 | 2,673 | 7.0% | |
| 1890 | 2,701 | 1.0% | |
| 1900 | 2,968 | 9.9% | |
| 1910 | 3,667 | 23.6% | |
| 1920 | 3,895 | 6.2% | |
| 1930 | 5,456 | 40.1% | |
| 1940 | 6,221 | 14.0% | |
| 1950 | 8,001 | 28.6% | |
| 1960 | 13,466 | 68.3% | |
| 1970 | 17,451 | 29.6% | |
| 1980 | 17,931 | 2.8% | |
| 1990 | 17,864 | −0.4% | |
| 2000 | 19,395 | 8.6% | |
| 2010 | 19,738 | 1.8% | |
| 2020 | 20,622 | 4.5% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[18] | |||
As of thecensus[19] of 2000, 19,395 people, 6,822 households, and 5,280 families were residing in the town. The population density was 876.5 inhabitants per square mile (338.4/km2). The 7,141 housing units averaged 322.7 per square mile (124.6/km2). Theracial makeup of the town was 95.27% White, 1.04% African American, 0.04% Native American, 2.29% Asian, 0.39% from other races, and 0.98% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 1.74% of the population.
Of the 6,822 households, 41.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.2% were married couples living together, 6.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.6% were not families. About 19.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.83, and the average family size was 3.26.
In the town, the population was distributed as 31.2% under the age of 18, 3.3% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 26.6% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.7 males.
Per the 2000 Census, the median income for a household in the town was $141,788, and for a family was $175,331. Males had a median income of $100,000 versus $53,924 for females. Theper capita income for the town was $82,049. About 1.4% of families and 2.5% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 2.2% of those under age 18 and 2.2% of those age 65 or over.
New Canaan Nature Center Fall Fair: The fair offers activities for all ages from hay mazes to Old Faithful Antique Fire Truck rides to apple sling shots.[23]
All Hallows Eve (Halloween) Parade: No matter your costume, children of all ages and their dogs can receive a goody bag and march in the Parade led by the Old Faithful Antique Fire Truck which is sponsored by the New Canaan Chamber of Commerce.[24]
Holiday Stroll: Hosted by The Chamber of Commerce, downtown New Canaan celebrates with Christmas carolers, the lighting of the trees along Elm Street, the arrival of Santa Claus, and extended store hours.[25]
Christmas Carolling onGod's Acre: since 1919 New Canaan residents have been gathering on God's Acre every Christmas Eve to sing Christmas carols with the New Canaan Town Band. The New Canaan town band was founded in 1831 and is the second oldest town band in the United States.[26]
Easter Egg Hunt: At the Annual Town Easter Egg Hunt, sponsored by the Young Women's League of New Canaan, children are able to collect candy-filled Easter eggs, get their faces painted, take pictures with the Easter bunny, and participate in many other festive activities.[27]
Saint Mark's May Fair: Provides carnival rides and May Fair's famous strawberry shortcake.[28]
Family Fourth Fireworks: Town residents gather at Waveny Town Park for picnicking, live music, bounce houses, and fireworks.[29]
Juneteenth "Hearts of Freedom" Community Celebration put on by Stand Together Against Racism (S.T.A.R) annually on June 19 on the lawn of the New Canaan Historical Society. Features live music, local black-owned food trucks, kids activities and is free to attend.https://www.star-ct.org/juneteenth
The New Canaan Public Schools system has gained national recognition for its high performance; for example, a 2010 edition ofForbes rated New Canaan as the third-ranked school district in the United States for communities with a median home price of $800,000 or greater.[36] In 2019,New Canaan High School US News & World Report ranked New Canaan High School the sixth-best public high school in Connecticut behindDarien andWeston, and one of the top in the nation.[37]
In 2009, the district was the highest-performing school district in the state based on the frequency of top-tier performances on the Connecticut Mastery Tests (CMTs), which are administered to all third- through eighth-graders, and the Connecticut Academic Performance Tests (CAPTs), which are given to 10th-graders.[38] In 2008, the median SAT score (verbal, math and writing) for district students was 1804, the highest in Connecticut.[39]
In its November 2009 edition,Connecticut magazine rated New Canaan's school system first among 29 towns with a population of 15,000–25,000.[40] That category included Darien, Wilton, Ridgefield, Avon, Simsbury, Farmington, Southbury, Guilford, and other high-performing districts. The ranking was based on 2007–2009 CMTs, results from the 2007–2009 CAPTs, local SAT scores for 2006–2008, and the percentage of 2007 high school graduates who enrolled in college.[41]
Twenty-two students in the New Canaan High School class of 2009 were National Merit Commended Scholars. In addition, four students were National Merit Scholars, four were National Merit Semifinalists, and one was a Hispanic National Recognition Scholar.[42]
Of the New Canaan High School graduates who enrolled in college in the fall of 2009, 30% did so at a college designated "Most Competitive" byBarron's magazine, 24% enrolled at an institution considered "Highly Competitive", and 26% entered a college deemed to be "Very Competitive".[43]
The New Canaan High School Library was the recipient of the 2010 National School Library Program of the Year Award, given by the American Library Association. In addition to the award, the high school also received a $10,000 prize donated by Follet Library Resources.[44]
The New Canaan school system is also notable for its achievements in extracurricular activities. In 2010, the New Canaan High School won theFCIAC Cup, given to the most successful athletic program among the 19 high schools competing in the Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference. The New Canaan High School drama program won seven awards at the 2010 Connecticut High School Musical Theatre Awards.[44]
New Canaan is one of the few school systems in Connecticut to offer foreign-language instruction to students before middle school, as a Spanish program exists for all grades to expose students to a foreign language earlier in their lives.[45] Grades 6–12 have language offerings that include French, Latin, Mandarin Chinese, and Spanish.
In June 2012, 24/7 Wall St. ranked New Canaan as the eighth-wealthiest school district in the United States.[46]
New Canaan has five public schools:
New Canaan also has two private schools:
St. Aloysius School, once a K–8 Catholic school, closed in 2023 due to low enrollment.[47]
New Canaan is served by a town newspaper,New Canaan Advertiser, a Hearst owned publication. Two daily newspapers also serve the surrounding area:Connecticut Post andGreenwich Time. In addition, theNew Canaanite and theNew Canaan Patch produce online news for residents.
New Canaan Emergency Medical Services, previously New Canaan Volunteer Ambulance Corps, is a free, all-volunteer ambulance corps with three ambulances and two paramedic fly-cars. Founded in 1975, the unit is located at 182 South Avenue and offers regular EMT courses.[48]EMTs are all volunteers, whileparamedic services are contracted fromNorwalk Hospital. The New Canaan Emergency Medical Services Unit and the Norwalk Hospital Unit were featured on Rescue 911, as they saved the life of a fire captain who was suffering a heart attack.[49]
The New Canaan Fire Department employs the professional firefighters of the New Canaan Fire Department and the volunteers of the New Canaan Fire Company, No. 1. Founded in 1881, the New Canaan Fire Department is a combination professional/volunteer fire department that operates out of a fire station located near the center of town, with a fire apparatus fleet of engines and other vehicles. The New Canaan Fire Department responded to 1,133 calls for service in 2023.[50] The New Canaan Fire Department was featured onRescue 911 when they saved a fire captain who was suffering a heart attack.
The New Canaan Police Department (NCPD) is headquartered at 174 South Avenue.[51] The department has forty-five sworn officers, five full-time civilians and two school crossing guards. The primary mission of the NCPD and its officers is the protection of all persons and properties within its jurisdiction. The NCPD responded to 16,741 calls during 2012.[52]
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Movies at least partially filmed in, or involving, New Canaan:
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