New Canaan, Connecticut

New Canaan is a town located in Fairfield County, Connecticut, 8 miles (13 km) northeast of Stamford, on the Five Mile River. In 1900, 2,968 people lived in New Canaan, and in 1910, 3,667. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 19,395.

New Canaan has two Metro North railroad stations. They are called "New Canaan" and "Talmadge Hill". Travel time to Grand Central Terminal is approximately one hour.

New Canaan is one of the most affluent communities in the United States.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 58.2 km² (22.5 mi²). 57.3 km² (22.1 mi²) of it is land and 0.9 km² (0.3 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 1.56% water. The town is served by the Merritt Parkway, and by a spur line of the Metro North railroad. It is north of Stamford and west of Wilton. The downtown area consists of many restaurants, an old movie theater, antique shops, and other miscellaneous shops. There are also several churches in town, as well as the historic Roger Sherman Inn.

Demographics

As of the census ² of 2000, there were 19,395 people, 6,822 households, and 5,280 families residing in the town. The population density was 338.4/km² (876.5/mi²). There were 7,141 housing units at an average density of 124.6/km² (322.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 95.27% White, 1.04% African American, 0.04% Native American, 2.29% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.38% from other races, and 0.98% from two or more races. 1.74% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 6,822 households out of which 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 non-families. 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 spread out with 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.

The median income for a household in the town was $141,788, and the median income for a family was $175,331. Males had a median income of $100,000 versus $53,924 for females. The per capita income for the town was $82,049. 2.5% of the population and 1.4% of families were below the poverty line. 2.2% of those under the age of 18 and 2.2% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

History

In 1731, Connecticut's colonial legislature established Canaan Parish as a religious entity in northwestern Norwalk and northeastern Stamford. The right to form a Congregational 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 taxes, serve on juries, and file deeds in their home towns. Because Canaan Parish was not planned as a town, New Canaan, when incorporated in 1801, found itself without a central common, a main street or a town hall.

Until the Revolutionary War, New Canaan was primarily an agricultural community. After the war, New Canaan's major industry was shoe making. As New Canaan's shoe business gathered momentum early in the nineteenth 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 which the village gradually outgrew.

With the 1868 advent of the railroad to New Canaan, many of New York City's wealthy residents discovered the quiet, peaceful area and built magnificent summer homes. Eventually, many of the summer visitors settled year-round, commuting to their jobs in New York City and creating the residential community that exists today.

Education

New Canaan has five public schools:

Elementary School: East School, South School, West School
Middle School: Saxe Middle School
High School: New Canaan High School

New England Association of Schools and Colleges rating: Superb.

There were 3,980 students enrolled in grades K-12 in the 2003-2004 school year and the total expenditure was $50,786,700.

Class of 2003 statistics:

Average SAT I Verbal: 585
Average SAT I Math: 598
48.3% of students attending 4 year colleges were accepted to schools ranked by Barron's Guide to the Most Competitive Colleges as Most Competitive and Highly Competitive.
Class of 2004 college choices

New Canaan also has private schools:

Points of interest

New Canaan Nature Center

Businesses based in New Canaan

Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation
Voices of 9/11

Notable residents

New Canaan is the birthplace of conservative political commentator Ann Coulter and the hometown of L. Paul Bremer. Katherine Heigl (Grey's Anatomy) grew up in New Canaan.Philip C. Johnson built and resided in his famous Glass House in New Canaan on Ponus Ridge Road. News anchor Brian Williams currently resides there. Harry Connick Jr. lives in New Canaan as well as Sherman Bull, the oldest man to reach the summit of Mount Everest. It is also home to music legend Paul Simon from Simon and Garfunkel. As well, the Founder/CEO of JetBlue Airways, David Neeleman, resides here with his family. The CEO of SoftSoap, as well as the CEO of General Electric live here will their families.

Former residents of New Canaan include The Late Show host David Letterman, Barry Williams of The Brady Bunch, and Kate Bosworth.

New Canaan in the Media

Movies filmed In New Canaan

Books about New Canaan

Public Schools Should Learn to Ski, by Stephen E. Rubin
The Ice Storm, by Rick Moody

References in popular culture

In the movie Fools Rush In, Mathew Perry's character grew up in New Canaan, CT.

External links