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Only 50 miles from Manhattan, stretching from the harbors of Long
Island Sound inland to the rolling hills of countryside and horse country,
Southport, Fairfield, Westport, Weston, Easton and Wilton offer a beautiful
Fairfield County lifestyle.
SOUTHPORT
Like many other activities in this tiny unincorporated village
in the southwest corner of the Town of Fairfield, CT, the gatherings are linked
to the water.
In
1661, the area was a marshy part of Fairfield - Sasqua Fields - that
settlers from elsewhere in New England bought from the Paugusseu Indians.
Within a year, farmers were tilling the soil and grazing their sheep and
cattle, and Perry's Mill was grinding oats, rye and corn along Mill River.
Around 1760 the growing village was renamed Mill River and three years later a
shipyard was built.
 Trinity Episcopal Church ca. 1854 |
The
hamlet was torched by the British on July 8, 1779, but by 1825 sloops and
schooners from the rebuilt community were carrying meat and produce as far
south as the Caribbean. In 1831 the bustling area officially became the Borough
of Southport. By the middle of the century it had earned a reputation as the
onion capital of America.
The
borough disbanded in 1854 and by the end of the century trading faded, a
victim of an onion blight and competition from the rapidly growing ports of
Bridgeport and Norwalk. The community became a sleepy little village.
The
Sasquanaug Association, set up in 1897 by women, tries to preserve the old
ambiance and is one of many groups that monitor a harbor management plan that
includes dredging and opening some of the 150 private and municipal moorings to
out-of-towners. Since the early 1980's another group, the 500-member Southport
Conservancy, has bought and renovated historic sites such as the Pequot School
and Freight Station, which is to be leased for commercial use.
The
Pequot Library, in an 1887 Romanesque-revival building with a Tiffany
stained-glass window and a pink granite exterior, is a center of activity.
It has 124,000 books and an extensive collection of Americana. It also holds a
half-dozen weekly story hours for toddlers to 6-year-olds and is the site of
concerts and lectures. The annual book sale involves an outreach from the
community and many volunteers.
Antique hunters can find American primitives, architectural and
garden ornaments and formal 18th and 19th century furniture amid a dozen
dealers. There is also the annual Southport-Westport Antiques Show at the
Fairfield Country Hunt Club in Westport in April and the annual Southport
Congregational Church Antiques Show in October.
The
Pequot Yacht Club is open only to its 250 members but there is a municipal
boatyard, and anyone can fish on tidal water for bluefish or picnic on Perry's
Green. There is also Southport Racquet Club, Wakeman Boys & Girls Club,
swimming and water sports at Southport Beach and at Sasco Hill Beach.
FAIRFIELD
A
place where country homes and wooded pastures meet the blue water and the mist
of Long Island Sound…that's Fairfield, CT. A residential waterfront
community as diverse as it is intriguing. Fairfield boasts cozy condominiums as
well as equestrian estates. Too diverse to categorize, the residents of this
former farming and seafaring community come together to enjoy a strong sense of
community. There are eleven neighborhoods in Fairfield to call home: the Beach
area, Tunxis Hill, Stratfield, Grasmere, Greenfield Hill, Mill Plain, Holland
Hill, the University area, Southport, Black Rock Turnpike and Town Center.
POPULATION AND LOCATION: Fairfield has a population of
approximately 53,000, covers 30.6 square miles and ranges from 1 to 450 feet
above sea level. It borders Long Island Sound about 50 miles northeast of New
York City; New Haven is approximately 20 miles to the north. Commuters can
choose from several train stations which use MetroNorth rails to New York City
(commute time is approximately one hour and 10 minutes). Fairfield is also
served by major routes - I-95, and the Merritt Parkway from east to west, and
routes 1, 136, 58 and 59. A regional airport (Sikorsky) is only 15 minutes
away; New York airports are approximately 75 minutes. Fairfield has a
traditional New England representative town government headed by a First
Selectman.
SCHOOLS: Fairfield's reputation for quality education started
way back in 1640 when early settlers established the first school. Since that
time, many private academies and even Universities have come to call Fairfield
home. Fairfield University, on North Benson Road, and Sacred Heart University,
on Park Avenue, draw students from diverse parts of the nation. Fairfield
currently has 1 senior high school, 3 middle schools, and 10 elementary schools
which accommodate grades kindergarten through fifth. There are 11 private and
parochial schools completing Fairfield's spectrum of educational opportunities.
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RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES: Fairfield is a cultural whirlwind.
With two universities contributing rich culture (including the Quick Center for
the Arts, located on the Fairfield University campus), community art
organizations, nature centers, wildlife preserves and sports opportunities
galore, both intellects and sports fans will enjoy this mid-Fairfield County
town. With two rivers, shorefront, and a fresh water lake, it is a haven for
water sports enthusiasts. Well-maintained public tennis courts, three golf
courses, and 22 parks, playgrounds and picnic areas ensure outdoor fun through
most of the year.
OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST: Fairfield is home to the corporate
headquarters of the global conglomerate General Electric. Many commercial
enterprises dot the Post Road, which was once a dirt road used as a mail route
from New York to Boston. Shopping is plentiful, with eclectic boutiques in
Southport as well as megastores such as Home Depot and BJ's Wholesale Warehouse
providing no reason to leave town! Because of the ethnic diversity of the
residents of this town, restaurants representing the four corners of the world
are not hard to find.
WESTPORT
Today Westport covers 22 miles with 24,000 people calling it
home. Many commute daily to Manhattan, Westchester and nearby towns. They
are a civic-minded group, with a great percentage proud of their involvement.
Westport is also home to one of the state's finest school
systems, leading the way in curriculum, athletics, special education, and
extracurricular activities, while stressing academic excellence and individual
growth. Integrated within the program are music, drama, dance and the visual
arts. They are proud to offer students a visiting relationship with performing
artists from New York City's Lincoln Center, among others.
 Westport's Longshore Club for
town residentsThe
other side of the Westport story is a commercial one. Sometimes called the
"Rodeo Drive of Connecticut," Westport's sophisticated yet informal Main Street
atmosphere has attracted chic boutiques, fine restaurants, and a high level of
creativity, making the town a gourmet and shopping mecca.
Westport is often called the "Hollywood of the East," home in
the past to such legends as F. Scott Fitzgerald and Bette Davis; it is still
home to such celebrities as Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, Phil Donahue, Marlo
Thomas and Michael Bolton. Its 24,000 residents relish the secluded and rural
parts of town, as well as Saugatuck Shores, Greens Farms, Compo Beach and Old
Mill. Throughout these little enclaves are avenues of water for sailors and
fishermen, trails for hikers and woodlands or wetlands for nature lovers.
 The Westport
Country Playhouse, one of the first of the "Straw Hat Theaters",
brings the
stars of Broadway and television
to its picturesque setting each
summer.The
warmth of summer finds Westport's residents heading for the sand and surf at
Compo, Burying Hill, and Old Mill beaches; sailing the water blue; at an
evening concert, with family, friends, and a picnic dinner at the Levitt
Pavilion. Informality is part of Westport's way of life, from the summer
open-air art show which lines its streets, to concerts and exhibits at the
Westport Arts Center. Winter finds Westporters curling up before the fire,
browsing in the many bookshops, sampling gourmet foods in the famous
restaurants, and even cross-country skiing on the hills and dales.
Whatever the season, Westport is a vital and colorful place,
rich in history yet completely up-to-date and ready to offer an exceptional
quality of life in a time when such quality is becoming ever more rare.
WESTON
Nearby, Weston's three public schools share a 113-acre campus.
Connected by a common drive, the complex boasts eight athletic fields. A wide
variety of programs are available, from drama, music, math, and computers to
special education. The school system, small in size yet great in scope, is
recognized nationally as a font of academic excellence and athletic
accomplishment. It is justifiably proud of a record which sends an inordinately
high number of students to continue their education at top colleges and
universities around the world.
During times of leisure, Westonites enjoy a long list of outdoor
activities within their own town's boundaries, not the least of which are
skating and cross-country skiing, hiking and biking, swimming and canoeing,
fishing and tennis, horseback riding and more. A plethora of sports activities
are available through Weston's Town Recreation Department. And although Weston
is inland, with no shoreline of its own, it has use of Westport's town beaches.
Among the town's liveliest activities is its government.
Well-attended Town Meetings can be filled with information and
conversation. Weston's Selectmen and its residents strive together for the life
they love…one filled with a natural beauty that continues the high quality
of living in a rural setting. For the protection of its residents and its
municipal facilities, Weston employs a working police force of 14, including a
Chief of Police and two Sergeants. There are also two fire stations with the
town's borders, manned by 82 volunteers, all of whom are certified
firefighters, and a 24-hour paramedic EMT volunteer unit, which provide
emergency service.
Weston's 8,850 residents have created a small community,
filled with opportunity for people of all ages, and a spirit which is hard to
find in metropolitan areas. Its roads and lanes, its historic district and
antique houses, its stone walls and vintage fences, even its country fair,
represent peace and beauty and refuge from the outside world.
WILTON
Nestled in the Norwalk River Valley in western Connecticut, Wilton
is a quiet, beautiful town full of wooded hillside, ancient stone walls,
rippling streams and open meadows.
 Cannondale
Railroad Station |
 Wilton
Historical Society and Museum |
Rich in heritage, Wilton features many historic buildings and
landmarks plus some unique local businesses. It is home to modern research
centers and corporate headquarters. In Wilton, old meets new in a pleasant mix
of America's past and present.
FACTS AND FIGURES: Wilton's 15,989 residents live in an area
of 27 square miles in just over 5,500 households. Many are single-family
residences, though there are some condominiums and apartments. Recently,
Connecticut Magazine named Wilton the top overall town in its size group. In
1992 Wilton voters approved the sale of liquor in restaurants, repealing
prohibition rules that existed since the 1930's.
TRANSPORTATION: Wilton is 55 miles from midtown Manhattan and
is within easy driving distance of Norwalk, other major Connecticut business
centers and Westchester County, New York. The Town is accessible from Routes 7,
33, and 106. It is an hour from Grand Central Station on the New Haven Line of
Metro-North Railroad; LaGuardia, Kennedy and Westchester County airports are
all within a convenient distance.
EASTON
Easton, with its clean air and open space, is Fairfield County's
Town of the new Millennium. The town covers 28.8 square miles,
approximately 40% of which is devoted to reservoirs and open space watershed
owned by the hydraulic company, furnishing water to surrounding towns. Easton
allows one acre and three acre zoning, with a minimum lot frontage of 200 feet
for all properties. Commercial enterprise is limited to two general stores, gas
stations and produce stands that pre-date 1941 establishment of zoning. Major
shopping, restaurants and super highways are easily accessible.
Easton has extensive farmland, and is considered ideal horse country.
There are no property size requirements to keep horses, but a horse barn
must be at least 40 feet from the side property lines and at least 40 feet from
the road-and must not be a health hazard.
POPULATION AND LOCATION: The population of Easton hovers
around 6,800 and will undoubtedly increase as some farmlands convert to new
development. Easton is bordered by Fairfield, Westport, Weston, Redding,
Trumbull and Monroe. Commuting by car or by train is convenient.
SCHOOLS: Easton schools are excellent. Samuel Staples
Elementary School is for Kindergarten - grade 5, and Helen Keller Middle School
is for Grades 6-8.
All
Easton students are bussed to their respective schools, with the longest
run projected to be 30 minutes. Population of grades 1-8 is approximately 1036
students. Special education classes are also available.
Approximately 325 secondary school students from Easton attend
Joel Barlow High School; Redding, Ct. This award-winning secondary school
serves students from Redding and Easton. Ninety five percent of Joel Barlow
graduates attend college.
RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES: School campuses provide tennis
courts, baseball and football fields. There is a town "swimming hole." Private
clubs provide racquet sports, golf, swimming, horseback riding and boarding,
for both Western and Eastern riding.
OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST: Easton has been home to Helen Keller,
Bellamy Partridge, Hume Cronyn and the late Jessica Tandy, in addition to many
other celebrities.
There are more than 30 volunteer civic and social clubs and
organizations in town - garden clubs, singing groups, bands, Boy Scouts,
Girl Scouts, the Lions Club, Exchange Club, and the Easton Historical
Society.
With its poetic views, quiet countryside and involved residents, Easton
offers a superb lifestyle combining beauty, comfort and sophistication.
| REAL ESTATE TRIVIA |
| Q |
What real estate term was first used in the 19th century and means "a high-flying flag on a ship"?
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| A |
Skyscraper was first used in the 1880s when office buildings of 10 stories or more were built in Chicago and New York. |
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