About the Westport, Weston and Norwalk, Connecticut Area
 

WESTPORT

Cosmopolitan Westport offers the best of all worlds to a diverse and culturally exciting population. Located on Long Island Sound, breath-taking oceanfront scenery and charming country landscape, attractive amenities, and comfortable commute to Manhattan attracts families and people from every walk of life. Although Westport is one of the affluent suburbs of New York City, it is very family oriented, culturally minded, and artistically inclined. While there is considerable international representation, Westport still retains old New England charm throughout the town.

Westport is the hometown of many executives, Wall Street wizards and famous celebrities. Once an artists' colony, Westport continues to attract residents involved in the arts. Walking down the very active and "tony" Main Street you will likely see famous authors, theater people, musicians, TV personalities, and movie stars exchanging stories with other local residents.

Autumn day on Main Street

WESTON

Weston is known for its sweeping fields, ponds, riverside vistas, thickly wooded forests and rolling hills. This is definitely country, but a very sophisticated country. Weston residents have worked hard to preserve a rural feeling, voting for two-acre zoning early in the 1950s and recently voting to keep the whole town on septics and private wells. Although there are dozens of "McMansions" being built every year, the old-timers work hard to preserve the historic look of Weston perhaps seen best in the Town Hall and the Norfield Church.

The town prides itself on the complete absence of industry and confines retail operations to one small shopping center that provides a grocery store, a bank, a dry-cleaning shop, a pharmacy, a hardware store, a luncheonette, and a service station. Most shopping opportunities are outside of the town either in Westport to the south or Wilton to the west. The only restaurant, the Cobb's Mill Inn, is in a picturesque 19th century mill. This quaint ambience attracts a handful of celebrities. Singer and guitarist, Jose Feliciano, stage and screen actor Christopher Plummer, author Erica Jong, and Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards can often be seen shopping at the market.

Onion Barn-also the town bulletin board

NORWALK

In recent years Norwalk has earned an outstanding reputation as one of the best places to live in America and has been given top rankings for schools, parks, housing, culture, health care and other "quality of life" living standards by Money Magazine and by Barron's Rand McNally's Places Rated Almanac. A broad range of diverse housing styles and prices enhances Norwalk's livability in a variety of locations.

Norwalk has a large downtown area filled with shopping and restaurants. There are all sorts of shops, entertainment, and restaurants up and down the Route #1/ Boston Post Road corridor. In fact, Norwalk is emerging as a lively city, with three multi-screen movie theaters, an art movie house, and dozens of restaurants catering to a range of pocketbooks and palates. Historic South Norwalk (SoNo), a restored 19th century waterfront neighborhood, is widely heralded as a distinguished example of urban revitalization. It features arts and antiques, many unique shops and a collection of some of the finest, and most diverse, restaurants in the area.

A funky café in Norwalk's "SoNo" District

Neighborhoods

Many residents have found a better, more affordable life style than is available in Norwalk's more "tony" neighboring towns. Estates on the wooded, rocky waterfront, handsome back country colonials and Tutors, and luxury condominium complexes cost 30-40 percent less than their counterparts in neighboring towns. Whatever your preference or purse, Norwalk offers the lowest housing costs in Southwestern Connecticut all in a family environment where there are still parades on Memorial Day and Labor Day, and fireworks every Fourth of July.

Silvermine, Wilson Point, and Rowayton are three unique, more expensive, established neighborhoods. Heavily wooded and secluded, Silvermine boasts the Silvermine Inn, a century old inn and restaurant on the Silvermine River. Close by is a renowned art workshop and studio. This area has attracted such celebrities as actress Eileen Heckart, writers Vance Packard and Evan Hunter, and sculptor Solon Borglum. Wilson Point is a gated community on the Sound that contains a private beach club and handsome homes on wooded, hilly roads overlooking Norwalk harbor. The more densely populated Rowayton, also on the water, has its own shopping district, beach, park, art center, and yacht club and is a true shore community. Andy Rooney is a resident of Rowayton.

Tree Lined Road

FAIRFIELD

Population: 53,740 Area: 30.6 Square Miles
Distance from Manhattan: 60 Minutes
Schools: 10 Elementary Schools, 3 Middle Schools, 1 High School, 2 Universities

Lifestyle

Fairfield was settled in 1639 and has a rich history, including being burned to the ground by 2,000 British troops in July of 1779 as punishment for Fairfield's support of the rebel cause. Today you can find many antique houses built shortly after the town was burned, standing proudly as a testament to the Yankee spirit. Today, Fairfield is a thriving community with an extremely diverse population reflecting the different geographic, ethnic, and financial backgrounds of its people. The town is equidistant from Hartford and Manhattan and many residents commute to work. There is an extensive and diverse range of housing, which suits the most selective tastes and pricing requirements of residents. You'll find stately colonials dating back to the late 1700s, Greek Revival, Federal and Victorian homes, as well as striking contemporary structures and a wide variety of condominiums.

The center of town is focused around Route 1, the historic Boston Post Road, which runs from New York City to Boston. There you'll find the Village Green, and, on the "Old" Boston Post Road only two streets away, the Old Town Hall built in 1794 as the Fairfield County Court House and still used today. Most shopping is along this corridor and along Black Rock Turnpike, a north/south route on the eastern border. Building lots around town and the beach tend to be small with zoning increasing as you travel north until you reach the more affluent Greenfield Hills where the zoning is 2 acres. Greenfield Hills is famous today for its beautiful antique homes and for the Dogwood Festival held each May. It is centered on the Greenfield Hill Congregational Church and green built in 1783, which is surrounded by beautiful homes built by merchants and prosperous farmers during this period.

New England Garden in Southport

Southport, another special part of Fairfield, was a leading coastal port on Long Island Sound during the eighteenth century. However, competition from steamboats and the railroad took its toll on prosperity. Today, much of the old village area is part of an historic district, where buildings from three centuries are protected for future generations. The harbor village has a maritime flavor and only about six streets. People often compare Southport to Nantucket. A drive through this part of "quintessential" New England is a step back in time. Today this picturesque haven is home to many high-powered leaders of industry and stars of stage, screen and television, along with extremely pricey homes both modern as well as antique.

The Great Outdoors

Situated on Long Island Sound, Fairfield's six-mile coastline and pristine beaches are a summer paradise for watersport enthusiast and sun worshippers alike. There are many other well used parks on lakes and rivers that offer the tranquil pleasures of picnicking, bicycling, walking and nature study including a very active Audubon Society.

Six miles of beaches

Education for Life

Whether your child needs a general curriculum, an academically accelerated program, or a specialized agenda for the handicapped, Fairfield offers a solid education to the student population. The program features a general academic curriculum, accelerated classes for exceptional pupils, and a specialized agenda for the handicapped. A summer session supplements the traditional school year with a variety of academic, cultural, and arts program designed to maximize the learning potential of the town's children. The environment for learning does not end with the public schools. There are several private and parochial schools and two universities that bring vitality to the town with the infusion of students and activities centered on Fairfield University and Sacred Heart University.

WILTON

Population: 16,659
Area:27.4 Square Miles Distance from Manhattan: 60 Minutes
Schools: 2 Elementary School, 2 Middle Schools, 1 High School

Lifestyles

Though more suburban than rural, most Wilton neighborhoods are still thickly wooded, and the occasional horse still ambles through pastures. Antique houses stand close to the roads as they did when the roads were nothing more than dirt paths. Many of the modern highways follow the meandering paths that lead the colonists-and British troops-inland from the coast. Wilton Center serves as the hub of community life. Neighbors chat over free coffee at the Village Market and, in the summer months, enjoy free jazz in the courtyard outside Eric and Michael's Steak House and Wilton Pizza, two of about a dozen of Wilton's fine restaurants.

Quaint Ha'Penny British Shop

The Third Congregational Church, built on the road to Ridgefield in 1790, is still the oldest surviving-and active--house of worship in Fairfield County. Commercial development, including corporate offices and research firms, are carefully planned and limited to specific districts. The picturesque Town Green in the center of Wilton with its gazebo, is where you can see the occasional concert, awards ceremony, dedication, plant sale or craft show. Town offices, the post office, professional offices, and shops of all sorts surround the Town Green.

There are several very special, historic areas in Wilton. To the South is the Silvermine area, shared with Norwalk and New Cannan, full of antiques houses and history. To the North, Nod Hill is one of the oldest roads in town and has its share of wonderful antique estate houses interspersed with newer one and two million dollar homes. Just north of the High School is Cannon Crossing, a collection of pre-Civil War farming village buildings restored by the actress June Havoc in the Cannondale section of Wilton. There are many antique shops in old antique houses, a flower shop and Ye Olde Schoolhouse Grill-you guessed it-a place for lunch in an old time schoolhouse. Another attraction is Penny, Ha'Penny, a British shop, where you can buy authentic shortbread or beef and kidney pie. Cannon Crossing is fun at any time of the year, but is perhaps best known for the Blessing of the Animals at Christmas time.

Education

The reputation of Wilton's public schools attracts many young families as Wilton children receive a solid education, rich in fundamental skills and cultural programs. Wilton students consistently rank at or near the top on the Connecticut Mastery Tests and the state's SAT scores, even though the town's per pupil expenditure is substantially less than neighboring high-scoring towns, making Wilton a good value in education. Towns in Fairfield County, like the rest of the country, have been trying to keep up with the rapid growth in enrollment and Wilton has done one of the best jobs of moving forward quickly with additions to stay ahead of the growth.

Historic Schoolhouse in Cannondale, now Ye Olde Schoolhouse Grill

The Great Outdoors

A dozen parks covering 668 acres provide recreation, including 37-acre Merwin Meadows, which has a playground, a picnic area and a swimming pond. The state's 34-acre Quarry Head Park, once a granite quarry, offers views of Long Island Sound. Hiking trails go through the 88-acre Town Forest, which also allows camping. The state's 146-acre Woodcock Nature Center offers a wide variety of educational classes and activities including stargazing. The 17-acre Schenck's Island along the trout-filled Norwalk River is popular for fly fishing.

Bridge to Schenk's Island

The 60-acre country retreat of Wilton's most famous past resident, J. Alden Weir, the American Impressionist painter, is called Weir Farm. A national park open to visitors year-round includes Weir's home and studio and a second studio built by Mahonri Young, the sculptor. A visitor's center provides information about the site, which is traversed by walking trails. There is a private Wilton Riding Club for equestrians and Rolling Hills Country Club, a private club, for golfers.

A small, but far from sleepy, New England town where people say "hello" to you on the street. The large number of active clubs illustrates the strong sense of community in Wilton and civic organizations and the exciting cultural and recreational activities promoted by the town. In addition to school activities, Wilton has a dynamic nonprofit Children's Theater, many organized sports, and an extremely active YMCA. The Comstock Community Center has pre-school programs, parent and child activities and all sorts of lessons and activities for seniors. The townspeople enjoy a wealth of leisure and sporting opportunities at excellent town facilities.

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