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Brookfield, Connecticut

Town of Brookfield
Brookfield Town Hall
Brookfield Town Hall
Official seal of Brookfield, Connecticut
Seal
Motto(s): 
"Pro Patria"
Location in Fairfield County and the state of Connecticut
Location in Fairfield County and the state of Connecticut
Brookfield, Connecticut is located in Connecticut
Brookfield, Connecticut
Brookfield, Connecticut
Location in Connecticut
Brookfield, Connecticut is located in the United States
Brookfield, Connecticut
Brookfield, Connecticut
Location in the United States
Country  United States
U.S. state  Connecticut
County Fairfield
Metropolitan area Bridgeport-Stamford
Incorporated 1788
Government
 • Type Selectman-town meeting
Area
 • Total 20.4 sq mi (52.8 km2)
 • Land 19.8 sq mi (51.3 km2)
 • Water 0.6 sq mi (1.6 km2)
Elevation
459 ft (140 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 17,528
 • Density 806.5/sq mi (311.4/km2)
Time zone UTC−5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP code
06804
Area code(s) 203/475
FIPS code 09-08980
GNIS feature ID 0213399

Brookfield is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, situated within the southern foothills of the Berkshire Mountains. The population was 17,528 at the 2020 census. The town is located 55 miles (89 km) northeast of New York City, making it part of the New York metropolitan area. In July 2013, Money magazine ranked Brookfield the 26th-best place to live in the United States, and the best place to live in Connecticut.

Brookfield was first settled in 1710 by John Muirwood, as well as other colonial founders including Hawley, Peck and Merwin. They bartered for the land from the Wyantenuck Nation and the Pootatuck Nation who were ruled under the Sachem Waramaug and Pocono. The purchase of the southern portion of town involved the current Municipal Center where Sachem Pocono then had his village and lived in an enormous palisade along the Still River. Eventually, when the town was settled, it was first established as the Parish of Newbury, which incorporated parts of neighboring Newtown and Danbury. The town of Brookfield was established in 1788. It was named after the first minister of the parish's Congregational church, Reverend Thomas Brooks.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 20.4 square miles (53 km2), of which 19.8 square miles (51 km2) is land and 0.6 square miles (1.6 km2), or 2.94%, is water. It borders Bethel to the south, Newtown to the southeast, Danbury to the southwest, New Fairfield to the west, New Milford to the north, and Bridgewater to the northeast.

Principal communities

  • Brookfield Four Corners (town center)
  • Brookfield Center (original town center, now a historic district)

Other named minor communities and geographic locations in the town are Barkwood Falls, Brookfield Junction, Candlewood Lake East, Candlewood Shores, East Iron Works, Huckleberry Hill, Iron Works, Long Meadow Hill, Obtuse, Pocono Ridge, Prospect Hill, West Iron Works, and Whisconier.

History

Before the English settled the area and before Dutch traders exposed native peoples to Europeans, it was inhabited by the Pootatuck and Wyantenuck Native Americans, members of the Algonquin Federation. The Wyantenuck were a sister tribe of the Paugusset Nation and lived in the northern part of the town of Brookfield, extending from North Mountain and Carmen Hill to the town center region. Their main village was located at Kent Falls in New Milford. The Paugusset, to whom the Wyantinuck are related, lived in present-day Milford and surrounding coast around the upper parts of Norwalk, seasonally making their way up and down the Housatonic river for hunting, fishing and trade. The Pootatuck lived in the southern part of town from the John Northrop house up north to the current police station, and extending into current-day Newtown. The Pootatcuks main village was at the banks of the Still River near present-day Pocono Road, which was named after the Sachem that lived there.

Early people who lived in Brookfield were subsistence farmers, gatherers and hunters. The main food sources were corn, beans, squash and wild foods found in the rocky, heavily forested foot hills of the Berkshire Mountains of Brookfield and New Milford. Such wild foods that were harvested were white oak acorns, American chestnuts, shag bark hickory nuts, may apples, beach nuts and Solomon's seal. The hunted foods that were taken from the forest and rivers were deer, passenger pigeon, turkey, bass, trout, crawfish, squirrel, rabbit and many more. In the 18th century the community was called "Newbury", a name that came from the three towns from which its land was taken – New Milford, Newtown, and Danbury.

As traveling to surrounding churches was difficult in winter, in 1752 the General Assembly granted the community the right to worship in area homes from September through March. In 1754, the General Assembly granted permission for the Parish of Newbury to build its own meeting house and recruit its own minister. On September 28, 1757, the first Congregational Church building was dedicated. The Reverend Thomas Brooks was ordained as the first settled minister. Incorporated in 1778, the town's name was changed to Brookfield in honor of Brooks, who was still the minister.

Along the Still River, mills were in operation as early as 1732 in an area that became known as the Iron Works District. Brookfield was a thriving town with iron furnaces, grist mills, sawmills, comb shops, carding and cotton mills, a paper mill, a knife factory, hat factories, stage-coach shops, lime kilns, harness shops and other plants in operation. The grist mill still stands, as the Brookfield Craft Center. The Iron Works Aqueduct Company, formed in 1837 to supply water from mountain springs to the Iron Works District, still supplies water as the Brookfield Water Company.

Before 1912 the town had two train stations: one in the Iron Works District near the present Brookfield Market and a second, Junction Station, near the corner of Junction Road and Stony Hill Road.

The Danbury & Bethel Gas and Electric Company brought electricity to Brookfield in 1915. The .475 Wildey Magnum gun, later made famous in the 1985 Charles Bronson movie Death Wish 3, was developed by Wildey J. Moore in Brookfield in the early 1970s (the factory has since moved to Warren, Connecticut).

In the early 1970s, the town was home to LEGO USA headquarters.

The White Turkey Inn was razed in 1972. A historic, rambling, and quintessentially New England building, the White Turkey Inn was situated on several bucolic acres with towering trees and ponds at the intersection of U.S. Route 7/Federal Road and what is now referred to as Candlewood Lake Road. This road is sometimes still referred to by locals as White Turkey Road.

Some controversy regarding large-scale commercial and residential development is part of ongoing local conversation. Going back to the early 1980s, Brookfield has been radically transformed from a colonial New England town to a major shopping and consumer goods destination. The area surrounding Candlewood Lake has also seen increased residential growth and volume of summer traffic.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1820 1,159
1850 1,359
1860 1,224 −9.9%
1870 1,193 −2.5%
1880 1,152 −3.4%
1890 989 −14.1%
1900 1,046 5.8%
1910 1,101 5.3%
1920 896 −18.6%
1930 926 3.3%
1940 1,345 45.2%
1950 1,688 25.5%
1960 3,405 101.7%
1970 9,688 184.5%
1980 12,872 32.9%
1990 14,113 9.6%
2000 15,664 11.0%
2010 16,452 5.0%
2020 17,528 6.5%

As of the census of 2000, there were 15,664 people, 5,572 households, and 4,368 families residing in the town. The population density was 791.1 people per square mile (305.4/km2). There were 5,781 housing units at an average density of 292.0 per square mile (112.7/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 95.29% White, 0.76% Black or African American, 0.07% Native American, 2.48% Asian, 0.61% from other races, and 0.79% from two or more races. 2.37% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 5,573 households, out of which 39.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.1% were married couples living together, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.6% were non-families. 17.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.18.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 27.4% under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 29.2% from 25 to 44, 27.8% from 45 to 64, and 10.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.7 males, slightly under the US average. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.0 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $119,370, and the median income for a family was $136,682. Males had a median income of $91,396 versus $48,318 for females. The per capita income for the town was $58,715. About 1.2% of families and 2.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.4% of those under age 18 and 2.3% of those age 65 or over.

Points of interest

  • Brookfield Center Historic District — Long Meadow Hill Rd. (added September 15, 1991)
  • Brookfield Craft Center — an educational center that brings arts and crafts to people of all ages. Located in the former Brookfield Train Station.
  • Candlewood Lake — the largest lake in Connecticut, Candlewood spans five towns and forms the western border of Brookfield.
  • Down the Hatch Restaurant — the only restaurant available on the lake, which offers docking space for those who want to grab a quick bite during a day on the lake.
  • Four Corners — A shopping district of Brookfield and future site of downtown area and possible railway station.
  • The Regional YMCA of Western Connecticut —Located on Huckleberry Hill Rd.
  • Still River Greenway Trail — a paved trail through the woods used for walking and biking that connects the Brookfield Municipal Center to Four Corners.
  • Sunset Hill Golf Course — a public golf course on Sunset Hill Rd. established by former resident Gene Sarazen.
  • William's Park — A trail for walking and biking through the woods. Entrance is across the street from the Brookfield Library.

Economy

Companies in Brookfield include:

  • BNP Associates, an airport systems designer, is headquartered in Brookfield.
  • Branson Ultrasonics, a division of Emerson, is headquartered in Brookfield.
  • Bridgewater Chocolate, a premium chocolate manufacturer, is headquartered in Brookfield.
  • Lego USA was formerly headquartered in Brookfield.
  • LesserEvil, a snack company, has a corporate office in Brookfield.
  • McMullin Manufacturing Corporation, a contract manufacturing company of precision metal stampings, fabricated metal parts and assemblies, is headquartered in Brookfield.
  • Nordex Inc a metal components manufacturing firm, is headquartered in Brookfield.
  • Photronics, a major semiconductor manufacturer, is headquartered in Brookfield.
  • Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics has a facility in Brookfield.
  • Southridge Technology, an IT company, is headquartered in Brookfield.
  • Townsquare Media has a corporate office in Brookfield.
  • Trendhaven Investment Management, an investment firm, is headquartered in Brookfield.

Education

Public schools

  • Brookfield High School (Grades 9–12)
  • Whisconier Middle School (Grades 5–8)
  • Huckleberry Hill School (Grades 2–4)
  • Center School (Grades PreK-1)

Private schools

  • St. Joseph Elementary School (Catholic School, Grades PreK-8; now houses the Danbury Primary School for kindergartners)
  • Christian Life Academy (Christian School, Grade PreK)
  • Country Kids Child Care (Grades PreK-K)
  • Goddard School (Grades PreK-K)
  • Montessori Community School (Grades PreK-K)
  • Curtis School for Boys (All-boys boarding school open from 1883-1943. Starting in the 1920s, girls were allowed to enroll as day-students. The school has since become the Brookfield Theatre for the Arts.)

There is also a magnet school in Danbury, Connecticut that students from Brookfield are accepted into. Students to this school are also accepted from Bethel, Redding, Ridgefield, New Fairfield, New Milford, Newtown, and other regional communities. Henry Abbott Technical High School is a public technical high school for students grades 9–12, being located in Danbury but also accepting students from other regional communities.

Many residents of Brookfield attend private schools in the Greater Danbury area, including Canterbury School (9–12), Immaculate High School (9–12) and Wooster School (PreK–12).

The Brookfield Craft Center is a specialized, non-degree school which teaches the skills of craftsmanship and offers courses and workshops to the general public. It is largely housed in an old historic mill house, on the Still River.

Transportation

Highways

Southville Bridge 057
The Southville Bridge, part of Connecticut Route 133

From the South, US 7 and US 202 jointly exit Interstate 84 at Exit 7 near Danbury. To the South, US 7 connects to the Merritt Parkway and Interstate 95 in Norwalk. US 202 then splits from US 7 at Exit 11, and runs parallel north through town before reconnecting with US 7 near the New Milford border. For many years, US 7 and US 202 ran concurrently through Brookfield but, after decades of discussion and planning, the US 7 Bypass officially opened on November, 2009. The Governor of Connecticut at the time was Jodi Rell (R), a Brookfield resident.

Connecticut Route 133 connects Brookfield to its eastern neighbor Bridgewater over the iconic Southville Bridge, which spans the Housatonic River. Connecticut Route 25 also connects Brookfield with Newtown and its Hawleyville neighborhood to the southeast, passing by Interstate 84 and terminating at US 6. Interstate 84 passes through the southern tip of Brookfield, but is most directly accessible through Exit 9 in Hawleyville.

Buses

The town is part of the "4 Route", "7 Route" and "New Milford Loop", which are operated by HARTransit. A park and ride is located at 67 White Turkey Road Ext., and offers connections to nearby bus and train stations as well as nearby airports.

Railroad

Until 1971, the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad (later the Penn Central Railroad) operated commuter service between Grand Central Terminal and Pittsfield, Massachusetts, which included a stop in Brookfield. Brookfield's station building is currently occupied by the Brookfield Craft Center, which ceased to operate as a station in 1971 when service ended. There was also a station on Stony Hill Road known as Brookfield Junction, which closed in 1925.

Proposals have been made to extend the New Haven Line's Danbury Branch to New Milford, which would include a Brookfield Metro-North station. These tracks are currently used by the Housatonic Railroad for freight service. This extension would give Brookfield's significant population of commuters another way to travel to Lower Fairfield County and New York City, since they must currently leave from the nearby Danbury station or other stations along the New Haven or Harlem Lines, such as Southeast station (located 12 miles from Brookfield).

Airports

The closest public airport to Brookfield is Danbury Municipal Airport, being located in bordering Danbury. Brookfield is within close proximity of several airports with commercial service, including Westchester County Airport, Bradley International Airport, Tweed New Haven Airport and the airports of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

Notable people

Partially due to Brookfield's close proximity to New York City, Brookfield has seen many notable residents ranging from famous golfer Gene Sarazen to Connecticut's 87th governor Jodi Rell. Many finance and business executives also reside in Brookfield, due to the centralization of investment firms and hedge funds in Fairfield County, as well as many Fortune 500 companies.

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See also

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