Newtown, Connecticut facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Newtown, Connecticut
Town
Main Street in Newtown
Seal
Fairfield County and Connecticut  Western Connecticut Planning Region and Connecticut
Country	United States
U.S. state	Connecticut
County	Fairfield
Region	Western CT
Incorporated	1711
Government
• Type	Select board
Area
• Total	57.66 sq mi (149.3 km2)
• Land	57.66 sq mi (149.3 km2)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation	397 ft (121 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	27,173
• Density	471.3/sq mi (182.0/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (Eastern)
ZIP Codes	06470, 06482
Area codes	203/475
FIPS code	09-52980
GNIS ID	0213475

Newtown (pronounced NOO-town) is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It is part of the Greater Danbury area. Newtown was founded in 1705 and became an official town in 1711. In 2020, about 27,173 people lived there.

History of Newtown

In 1705, English colonists bought the land for Newtown from the Pohtatuck Indians. It was first called Quanneapague. People from Stratford settled here. Newtown became an official town in 1711.

During the early Revolutionary War, many people in Newtown supported the British. Later in the war, in 1781, French General Rochambeau and his soldiers camped here. They were on their way to the siege of Yorktown in Virginia, which helped end the Revolution.

Newtown was an important crossroads early on. The village of Hawleyville became a railroad hub for a short time. The town's population grew to over 4,000 around 1881. It then dropped to 2,635 by 1930 before growing again.

Local businesses made furniture, tea bags, and hats. People also farmed and mined for mica and feldspar. The popular game "Scrabble" was even created here by James Brunot. After World War II, Newtown grew as a suburb of Danbury. Many people living here also travel to work in nearby cities like Norwalk and Stamford.

The Newtown Bee Newspaper

The Newtown Bee is the local newspaper. It has been serving the town since June 1877. The Smith family bought the newspaper in 1881 and has run it ever since.

Geography of Newtown

The Housatonic River forms the northeastern edge of Newtown. This river acts as a natural border for the town.

Newtown covers about 59.1 square miles (153.1 km²). Most of this area, about 57.8 square miles (149.7 km²), is land. Only about 1.3 square miles (3.4 km²) is water. Newtown is located in northern Fairfield County. It is about 45 miles (72 km) southwest of Hartford. It is also about 42 miles (68 km) northeast of New York City. Newtown is the fifth largest town in Connecticut by area. It shares borders with several other towns. These include Bethel, Brookfield, and Southbury.

Main Communities in Newtown

Newtown has several communities within its borders. Some of the main ones are:

• Botsford
• Dodgingtown
• Hattertown
• Hawleyville
• Newtown Borough
• Rocky Glen
• Sandy Hook (which includes Berkshire, Riverside, Walnut Tree Hill, and Zoar)

Smaller communities include Camelot, Head of Meadow, Hopewell, Huntingtown, Lands End, Middle Gate, Palestine, and Taunton.

Newtown's Population

Newtown has grown quite a bit over the years. In 1756, there were 1,253 people. By 2020, the population had reached 27,173.

Here's a quick look at how the population has changed:

In 2020, there were 9,934 households in Newtown. Most people in Newtown are White (95.14%). About 1.75% are Black, and 1.40% are Asian. About 2.36% of the population is Hispanic or Latino.

Many households (44.7%) had children under 18 living with them. Most families (73.3%) were married couples. The average household had 2.90 people. The average family had 3.24 people. The median age in town was 38 years old.

Parks and Fun Activities

Newtown offers many fun activities for its residents. There are several parks and fields. These places have playgrounds, swimming areas, and courts for tennis, softball, baseball, volleyball, lacrosse, and soccer. The town also has a nature center with walking trails.

Important parks in Newtown include Treadwell Park and Dickinson Park. Treadwell Park has recreation facilities and the town's swimming pool. Dickinson Park used to have a unique pool. It was a large, bowl-shaped area. This design was very safe for children. The old pool was filled in with earth in 2006.

Famous Places in Newtown

Newtown has many well-known local landmarks. The flagpole, first put up in 1876, stands in the middle of Main Street. Across from it is the Newtown Meeting House. This building was once the town's main church. A rooster weather vane sits on top of the meeting house. This rooster is a symbol of the town. French soldiers are said to have used it for target practice in 1781.

Hawley School is another landmark. It was built in the 1920s. It has been a school for all grades, a high school, and is now an elementary school. The original part of the building looks much the same. Two new sections have been added over time.

Newtown is also home to Fairfield Hills Hospital. This was a state mental hospital. It was built in the 1930s and closed in 1995. In 2004, Newtown bought the property. The Newtown Youth Academy opened there in 2008. It offers a fitness area, basketball courts, and a turf field for sports.

Edmond Town Hall

Edmond Town Hall

Cyrenius H. Booth Library, 2007

The Edmond Town Hall was built in 1930. A kind person named Mary Elizabeth Hawley paid for it. She wanted it to be a place for the community. Town offices are located here. The building also has rooms you can rent for parties or meetings. There's a gym used for sports and shows.

The Edmond Town Hall is famous for its movie theater. It shows popular movies soon after they leave big cinemas. It's known for being a very affordable movie theater in Connecticut. It's a popular spot for middle and high school students. The theater also hosts concerts and other events.

The building was named after Miss Hawley's great-grandfather, Judge William Edmond. Philip Sutherland was the architect. He also designed the Cyrenius H. Booth Library.

Cyrenius H. Booth Library

Newtown's public library opened on December 17, 1932. It could hold 25,000 books. This library was also a gift from Mary Elizabeth Hawley. She named it after her grandfather, Cyrenius H. Booth, who was a doctor in town. Her gift paid for the building and also created a special fund to help run the library. Because of this, the town didn't need to give money to the library until the 1980s.

Philip Sutherland designed the library. It was considered very modern for its time. It had special features like cork floors to make it quiet. It also had a system to control the humidity and a built-in vacuum cleaner.

In 1998, a new section was added to the back of the building. This addition doubled the space. It created areas for meetings and for showing art. It also has space for local historical items from the library's collection.

Historic Places in Newtown

Several places in Newtown are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This means they are important historical sites. Some of these include:

• Caleb Baldwin Tavern – 32 Main Street
• Camps Nos. 10 and 41 of Rochambeau's Army – an old army camp site near Hawley School
• Glover House – 50 Main Street
• Hattertown Historic District – an area with many historic buildings
• John Glover House – 53 Echo Valley Road
• March Route of Rochambeau's Army: Reservoir Road – part of the path Rochambeau's army took
• Nathan B. Lattin Farm – 22 Walker Hill Road
• New York Belting and Packing Co. – old factory buildings on Glen Road
• Newtown Borough Historic District – the historic center of Newtown
• Nichols Satinet Mill Site – an old mill site
• Sanford–Curtis–Thurber House

Newtown's Economy

Newtown has many different types of businesses. These businesses provide jobs for people in the town and nearby areas.

Major Employers in Newtown

Here are some of the biggest employers in Newtown and Sandy Hook:

Education in Newtown

The Newtown Public Schools district runs several schools. There are four elementary schools for grades K–4: Hawley, Head O'Meadow, Middle Gate, and Sandy Hook Elementary School. Reed Intermediate School serves grades 5–6. Newtown Middle School is for grades 7–8. Finally, Newtown High School teaches students in grades 9–12.

Newtown also has private schools. These include St. Rose of Lima Roman Catholic School, the Fraser-Woods Montessori School, and the Housatonic Valley Waldorf School.

Notable People from Newtown

Many interesting people have lived in or are from Newtown. Here are a few:

See also

In Spanish: Newtown (Connecticut) para niños