Fairfield, Connecticut

費爾菲爾德(Fairfield),康乃狄克州
Location in Connecticut
NECTA	Bridgeport-Stamford
Region	Greater Bridgeport
Settled	1639
Government
• Type	Representative town meeting
• First Selectman	Kenneth A. Flatto
• Town meeting moderator	Joel Green
Population  (2005)
• Total	57,813
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (Eastern)
ZIP code	06824, 06825, 06890
Website	http://www.fairfieldct.org/

Fairfield is a town located in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It is situated along the Gold Coast of Connecticut. Fairfield is a town of many neighborhoods, two of which -- Southport and Greenfield Hill -- are notably affluent. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 57,340. In July 2006, Money Magazine ranked Fairfield the ninth "best place to live" in the United States, and the best place to live in the Northeast.[1] This is primarliy due to its affluence, low crime rate, excellent public school system, suburban character, and proximity to both New York and scenic Litchfield county.

It considers itself the "dogwood capital of the world."

Fairfield is home to Fairfield University and Sacred Heart University.

The television sitcom "Who's the Boss?" took place in Fairfield; in certain episodes, particular streets and even neighboring Bridgeport were mentioned. An episode of the Food Network show "Rachael Ray's Block Party" was filmed in Fairfield, as were portions of several episodes of "Ham on the Street."

Fairfield is also the home of Lewis the cat, a feline who attacked several neighbors before the police put a restraining order on him.

History

Founding

In 1639 soon after the Pequot War, Roger Ludlow, a founder of the colony of Connecticut, led a small group of men and a herd of cattle to a place known to the local Paugausetts as Unquowa. They established a settlement that was named for the acres of salt marsh that bordered the mainland shore across from Long Island.

Revolutionary War

When the Revolutionary War began in the 1770s, Fairfielders were caught in the crisis as much as if not more than the rest of their neighbors in Connecticut. In a predominantly Tory section of the state, the people of Fairfield were early supporters of the cause for independence. Throughout the war, a constant battle was being fought across Long Island Sound as men from British-controlled Long Island raided the coast in whaleboats and privateers. Gold Selleck Silliman, whose home still stands on Jennings Road, was put in charge of the coastal defenses.

In the spring of 1779, he was kidnapped from his home by Tory forces in preparation for a British raid on Fairfield County. His wife watched from their home as, on the morning of July 7, 1779, approximately 2,000 enemy troops landed on Fairfield Beach near Pine Creek Point and proceeded to invade the town. When they left the following evening, the entire town lay in ruins, burned to the ground as punishment for Fairfield's support of the rebel cause. Ten years later, President George Washington noted after traveling through Fairfield, that " the destructive evidences of British cruelty are yet visible both in Norwalk and Fairfield; as there are the chimneys of many burnt houses standing in them yet."

Fairfield recovered slowly from the burning, but soon after the end of the war its houses and public buildings had all been rebuilt.

Twentieth century

World War I brought Fairfield out of its agrarian past by triggering an unprecedented economic boom in Bridgeport, the center of a large munitions industry. The prosperity created a housing shortage in the city, and many of the workers looked to Fairfield to build their homes. The trolley and later the automobile made the countryside accessible to these newly rich members of the middle class, who brought with them new habits, new attitudes, and new modes of dress. The prosperity lasted through the twenties.

By the time of the stock market crash in 1929, the population had increased to 17,000 from the 6,000 it had been just before the war. Even during the Depression, the town kept growing.

The opening of the Connecticut Turnpike in the 1950s brought another wave of development to Fairfield and by the 1960s the town's residential, suburban character was firmly established.

Population Change

Fairfield in 2000 had a population of 57,340 people the latest of 2004 put it at a 0.4% increase to 58,900 people, though some estimates of the 2006 September estimate place it at a 2% drop to 56,700 residents which is on par for many cities in the state of Connecticut.

On the National Register of Historic Places

• Birdcraft Sanctuary — 314 Unquowa Road (added July 23, 1982)
• Bronson Windmill — 3015 Bronson Road (added 1971)
• David Ogden House — 1520 Bronson Road (added September 17, 1979)
• Fairfield Historic District — Old Post Road from Post Road to Turney Road (added April 24, 1971)
• Fairfield Railroad Stations — Carter Henry Drive (added August 28, 1989)
• Greenfield Hill Historic District — Roughly bounded by Meeting House Lane, Hillside Road, Verna Hil Road and Bronson Road (added April 11, 1971)
• John Osborne House — 909 King's Highway West (added March 12, 1987)
• Jonathan Sturges House — 449 Mill Plain Road (added December 23, 1984)
• Pine Creek Park Bridge — North of Old Dam Road, over Pine Circle (added May 8, 1992)
• Southport Historic District — Roughly bounded by Southport Harbor, railroad tracks, Old South Road, and Rose Hill Road (added April 24, 1971)
• Southport Railroad Stations — 96 Station St. and 100 Center St. (added August 28, 1989)

Education

Public schools in Fairfield include Fairfield Warde High School, Fairfield Ludlowe High School, Roger Ludlowe Middle School, Tomlinson Middle School, Fairfield Woods Middle School, and 11 elementary schools.

Private schools include Fairfield College Preparatory School, Notre Dame High School, the Unquowa School, and Fairfield Country Day School.

Fairfield is home to post-secondary institutions Fairfield University and Sacred Heart University.

Geography

The town is on the shore of the Long Island Sound. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 81.1 km² (31.3 mi²). 77.8 km² (30.0 mi²) of it is land and 3.4 km² (1.3 mi² or 4.15%) of it is water. Lake Mohegan, which includes waterfalls called The Cascades, is in the middle of town and is a popular destination for hiking, as is the Fairfield Audubon Society on Burr Street and the Bird Sancutary on Unquowa Road.

Fairfield comprises many neighborhoods. The best known are wealthy Southport -- where well-known General Electric Chief Executive Officer Jack Welch lived for many years -- and Greenfield Hill, with its large acreages, famous dogwood trees, and picturesque green with white-spired Congregational church. Other neighborhoods include the Stratfield area, near Bridgeport, the Lake Mohegan area, and the Fairfield Beach area, where many of the Fairfield University students live and as a result there are town/gown tensions. Two shopping districts in town include the Post Road (U.S. Route 1) and Black Rock Turnpike.

Large and distinctive companies

• General Electric Co. -- headquarters, 3135 Easton Turnpike (307,000 employeees companywide)
• R.C. Bigelow (Bigelow Tea Company) -- headquarters, Black Rock Turnpike
• IMS Health Inc. (RX) -- headquarters, 1499 Post Road; provides market intelligence and consulting services to the pharmaceutical and health care industries worldwide; 6,400 employees companywide, 54 in Connecticut; $1.8 billion in 2005 revenues; CEO David R. Carlucci
• Sturm, Ruger & Co. --headquarters, Lacey Place in Southport, firearms manufacturer

Media

• Fairfield Minuteman
• Fairfield Citizen-News

Arts & entertainment

• The Fairfield Community Theatre Foundation not only runs the downtown, two-screen moviehouse for independent and second-run films, but operates educational programs for young people who also volunteer at the moviehouse. More information including what movies are currently playing, is available at the foundation's Web site.
• The Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts on the campus of Fairfield University opened in 1990 and includes events such as popular and classical music, dance, theatre, programs for young audiences, and the Open VISIONS Forum lecture series featuring present eminent opinion-makers, artists, authors, learned contributors to the humanities and sciences and civic and political commentators. It houses the 740-seat Kelley Theatre, the 150-seat Lawrence A. Wien Experimental (Black Box) Theatre, and the Thomas J. Walsh, Jr. Art Gallery. The Quick Center has become known as one of the finest concert halls in the country and was recognized as the "cultural epicenter of Fairfield County" by Westport Magazine.
• The PepsiCo Theatre, a renovated 1922 carriage house on the campus of Fairfield University, is the home to the Theatre Program of the Department of Visual and Performing Arts and Theater Fairfield, the resident production company of the University. The PepsiCo Theatre is also home to Shakespeare Ventures, a professional theatre company.
• WSHU Public Radio

Transportation

Fairfield is traversed by U.S. Route 1, Interstate 95, and the Merritt Parkway. It has two Metro-North Railroad stations, Fairfield Station and Southport Station. A third station is being constructed in the Black Rock neighborhood, as part of a large commercial development known as Fairfield Metro Center.

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there are 57,340 people in the town, organized into 20,397 households and 14,808 families. The population density is 737.2/km² (1,909.3/mi²). There are 21,029 housing units at an average density of 270.4/km² (700.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the town is 95.27% White, 2.04% Asian, 1.09% African American, 0.06% Native American, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.55% from other races, and 0.97% from two or more races. 2.34% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 20,397 households out of which 33.9% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.8% are married couples living together, 8.5% have a female householder with no husband present, and 27.4% are non-families. 22.0% of all households are made up of individuals and 10.3% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.61 and the average family size is 3.07.

In the town the population is spread out with 23.7% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 16.3% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 38 years. For every 100 females there are 90.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 85.7 males.

The per capita income for the town is $43,670. 2.9% of the population and 1.8% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 2.8% of those under the age of 18 and 3.6% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

Fairfield is notable for, among other things, its very low crime rate. Money Magazine's 2006 Best Places to Live Survey ranks Fairfield as the second safest municipality in the United States. [2] Fairfield is fully protected by the Fairfield Police Department and the Fairfield Firefighters.

Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of October 25, 2005
Party		Active Voters	Inactive Voters	Total Voters	Percentage	Republican	10,829	1,047	11,876	31.88%	Democratic	8,634	728	9,362	25.13%	Unaffiliated	14,423	1,574	15,997	42.94%	Minor Parties	21	1	22	0.06%
Total		33,907	3,350	37,257	100%

Famous residents, past and present

• Joe Nemeth, NY Jets quarterback and sport commentator,past resident
• James Blake, professional tennis player
• Faith Hill and Tim McGraw have a country house in Southport.
• Don Imus, radio personality, past resident in Southport
• Eliot A. Jardines, Assistant Deputy Director of National Intelligence for Open source intelligence
• Leonard Bernstein, conductor, composer, musician
• Susan Cooper, author of the acclaimed children's sequence The Dark is Rising.
• Justin Long, actor and a native
• John Mayer, Grammy-winning singer-songwriter
• John Byrne, legendary Comic Book creator.
• Patrick O'Boyle, international speed skater
• Jason Robards, actor
• Henry Fairfield Osborn, late scientist, eugenicist and a native
• Meg Ryan, actress and a native
• Raviv "Ricky" Ullman, star of hit Disney Channel show "Phil of the Future"
• Hume Cronyn, actor
• Franco Ventriglia, opera singer and a native
• Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth, founding members of Talking Heads and Tom Tom Club
• J.J. Henry, PGA golfer, 2006 Ryder Cup team member, and a native
• Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric, former town resident
• Linda Kozlowski, actress and a native
• Richard Rodgers, composer
• Robert Penn Warren, author and poet
• Michael Weatherly, actor and a native

Movies filmed in Fairfield

• More Than Skin Deep (2002)
• Robbie the Rabbit (1998)
• The Stepford Wives (1975)

Source: Internet Movie DataBase Web site's page for Fairfield, Connecticut

External links

• Official website
• Fairfield Chamber of Commerce
• Fairfield Historical Society
• Fairfield Public Library
• Fairfield CT Business Directory
• Coastal Fairfield County Convention & Visitor Bureau