Wilton, Connecticut

Wilton is a town in Fairfield County in southwestern Connecticut in the United States.[2] According to the 2010 census, the town population was 18,062.[3]

Wilton, Connecticut

Town of Wilton
Town
Seal
Location in Fairfield County and the state of Connecticut.
Wilton
Location in the contiguous United States and Connecticut
Wilton
Wilton (Connecticut)
Coordinates: 41°12′N 73°26′W
Country United States
U.S. state Connecticut
CountyFairfield
Metropolitan areaBridgeport-Stamford
Incorporated1802
Government
 • TypeSelectman-town meeting
 • First selectmanLynne Vanderslice (R)
 • SelectmenDavid Clune (U)
Michael P. Kaelin (U)
Lori A. Bufano (R)
Deborah McFadden (D)
Area
 • Total27.4 sq mi (71.0 km2)
 • Land26.9 sq mi (69.8 km2)
 • Water0.4 sq mi (1.1 km2)
Elevation
335 ft (102 m)
Population
 (2010)[1]
 • Total18,062
 • Density660/sq mi (250/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (Eastern)
ZIP code
06897
Area code(s)203/475
FIPS code09-86370
GNIS feature ID0213535
Websitehttp://www.wiltonct.org/

Officially recognized as a parish in 1726, Wilton is today, like many other Fairfield County towns, an expensive residential community with open lands (a testament to its colonial farming roots), historic architecture such as the Round House and antique colonial homes, as well as extensive town services.[4][5] Many residents commute to Stamford or New York City.

Wilton is home to global corporations such as ASML, Deloitte & Touche, Sun Products, Breitling SA, Cannondale Bicycle Corporation, and Melissa & Doug. Many Fortune 500 companies are headquartered within a 30-minute commute.

It was also home to AIG Financial Products, which helped create the global financial crisis of 2008–2009.[6][7][8]

History
Main article: History of Wilton, Connecticut

The original 40 families of the parish began their own Congregational church and were allowed by Norwalk to hire a minister (Robert Sturgeon, who also became the town's first schoolmaster), open schools and build roads.[9] During the Revolutionary War in 1777, the British used Wilton as an escape route after their successful raid on Danbury.[10] Several homes were burned, but the town remained intact.[11] In 1802, Wilton was granted a Town Charter by the Connecticut General Assembly and became a political entity independent from Norwalk.[12]

With a strong anti-slavery sentiment by its residents, Wilton served as a stop on the Underground Railroad, primarily at the house of William Wakeman, "an earnest abolitionist and undergrounder for many years."[13]

Wilton was classified as a "dry" town until 1993, when the local ordinance was altered to permit the sale of alcoholic beverages in restaurants. The town was then referred to as "damp." On November 5, 2009, a referendum proposal was passed to allow liquor stores.[14] The town Board enacted an ordinance to allow liquor stores to sell alcoholic beverages in 2010 and several stores have since opened.

Bridgewater Associates was headquartered in Wilton from 1981 to 1996.[15]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 27.4 square miles (71 km2), of which 27.0 square miles (70 km2) is land and 0.4 square miles (1.0 km2), or 1.50%, is water, including the South Norwalk Reservoir. Wilton is bordered by Ridgefield to the Northwest, Norwalk to the South, New Canaan to the Southwest, Westport to the Southeast, and Weston and Redding to the Northeast. It is also bordered on the west by the hamlet of Vista in Lewisboro, Westchester County, New York.

The scenic Ridgefield Road offers a look at many historic homes, places, and sights.

The latitude of Wilton is 41.201 N. The longitude is -73.438 W.

Housing and land use
Police station, behind Town Hall on Danbury Road

Wilton has approximately 500 surviving 18th- and 19th-century homes. In 2005, Marilyn Gould—director of the Wilton Historical Society—told the New York Times, "People aren't taking down historic houses but the more modest homes that were built in the '50s and '60s," she said. "What that's doing is changing the affordability of the town and the demographic of the town. Wilton used to have a wide demographic of people who worked with their hands - artisans, builders, mechanics. Now it's management and upper management."[16] Between 1999 and 2005, the town's voters endorsed spending $23 million through municipal bonds to preserve land.[16]

South Norwalk Electric and Water (SNEW) has a reservoir on the western side of town with about 350 acres (1.4 km2) of land, along with another 25 acres (100,000 m2) adjacent in New Canaan. In the fall, hunters with bows and arrows—no more than 10 at a time—are allowed to hunt deer on the Wilton property, in order to keep down the number of deer in the area.[17]

Wilton town center contains several local restaurants, boutiques, retail stores, a Starbucks, a Stop & Shop, and a four-screen movie theater owned by Bow-Tie Cinemas.[18] These stores were added around 2000 next to the old Wilton Center, which consists of the Wilton Library,[19] the Wilton Post Office, a CVS/Pharmacy, the Old Post Office Square, and the Village Market.[20] In the southern part of town, US 7 contains a commercial section.

Recent nature access developments in town include the expansion of the Norwalk River Valley Trail, a multi-use trail that is designed to eventually run between Norwalk and Danbury.

Neighborhoods

The southwest corner of town includes part of the Silvermine neighborhood (which also extends into New Canaan and Norwalk). Georgetown, which is primarily in Redding and partly in Weston, extends a bit into the northeast corner of town. Other neighborhoods in town are South Wilton, Wilton Center, Gilbert Corners, Cannondale, and North Wilton.

On the National Register of Historic Places
Weir Farm National Historic Site, Wilton

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.%±
18201,818—
18502,066—
18602,2086.9%
18701,994−9.7%
18801,864−6.5%
18901,722−7.6%
19001,598−7.2%
19101,7066.8%
19201,284−24.7%
19302,13366.1%
19402,82932.6%
19504,55861.1%
19608,02676.1%
197013,57269.1%
198015,35113.1%
199015,9894.2%
200017,63310.3%
201018,0622.4%
Est. 201518,714[21]3.6%
U.S. Decennial Census[22]
See also: List of Connecticut locations by per capita income

As of the census[23] of 2000, there were 17,633 people, 5,923 households, and 4,874 families residing in Wilton. The population density was 654.3 people per square mile (252.6/km2). There were 6,113 housing units at an average density of 226.8 per square mile (87.6/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 95.55% White, 0.60% African American, 0.09% Native American, 2.69% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.27% from other races, and 0.79% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.53% of the population.

There were 5,923 households out of which 46.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 75.4% were married couples living together, 5.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 17.7% were non-families. Of all households 15.3% were made up of individuals and 6.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.91 and the average family size was 3.25.

The age distribution is 31.5% under the age of 18, 2.8% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 27.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.2 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $197,428, and the median income for a family was $217,415. Males had a median income of $190,000 versus $71,611 for females. The per capita income for the town was $65,806. About 1.3% of families and 2.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.7% of those under age 18 and 6.6% of those age 65 or over.

Government & Politics
Wilton town vote
by party in presidential elections[24]
Year Democratic Republican Third Parties
2016 58.27% 6,055 36.44% 3,786 5.29% 550
2012 45.37% 4,589 53.62% 5,424 1.01% 102
2008 53.41% 5,569 46.04% 4,801 0.55% 57
2004 46.57% 4,823 52.35% 5,422 1.08% 112
2000 41.90% 4,086 54.52% 5,316 3.58% 349
1996 38.75% 3,451 54.55% 4,859 6.70% 597
1992 33.95% 3,402 51.32% 5,143 14.74% 1,477
1988 31.85% 2,964 67.51% 6,283 0.64% 60
1984 27.23% 2,462 72.46% 6,553 0.31% 28
1980 23.73% 1,117 59.91% 2,820 16.36% 770
1976 31.63% 2,566 67.95% 5,513 0.42% 34
1972 31.38% 2,378 67.63% 5,124 0.99% 75
1968 32.69% 1,995 64.85% 3,957 2.46% 150
1964 52.58% 2,553 47.42% 2,302 0.00% 0
1960 26.10% 1,121 73.90% 3,174 0.00% 0
1956 18.19% 612 81.81% 2,753 0.00% 0

Once a Republican bastion, Wilton voted in 2008 for Barack Obama, who became the first Democrat to carry the town since Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964. The town flipped back in 2012, voting for to Mitt Romney, a former governor of neighboring Massachusetts. In 2016, voters in Wilton delivered a 22-point margin of victory to Hillary Rodham Clinton, the best performance for a Democratic presidential nominee in the town since Johnson.

Media

The Wilton Bulletin[25] is a weekly newspaper published by Hersam Acorn Newspapers. GOOD Morning Wilton[26] is an online daily news website. Virgin Mobile Live, a 24-hour online radio service licensed by Virgin Radio, is based in Wilton. There is also the weekly Wilton Villager newspaper.

In 2016-2017, the Wilton Economic Development Commission,[27] a town commission tasked with promoting the Town of Wilton to prospective residents and visitors, put out two videos to promote the town:

  • It's Working In Wilton[28]
  • Visit Wilton, CT[29]

Education

Public schools

Elementary schools include Miller-Driscoll School (pre-K–2) and Cider Mill School (3–5). There is one middle school named Middlebrook School (6–8) and one high school named Wilton High School, which features accelerated classes for gifted students, music and visual arts courses, and a resource center. The language laboratory encourages foreign language studies, including French, German, Spanish, Latin and Classical Greek.

The town of Wilton has approximately 4,150 students who attend pre-K through 12th grade in the four schools. The two elementary schools have class sizes ranging from 18 to 22 and a 19 to 1 student/teacher ratio. Middlebrook features interdisciplinary instruction teams in languages and science, mathematics, social studies, computers, art, and gifted student instruction. Class sizes range from 20 to 25 students with a student/teacher ratio of 13 to 1.[30]

Private schools

There are four private schools in this town:

  • Connecticut Friends School, a Quaker preschool (formerly preschool through grade 8)
  • Our Lady of Fatima, a Catholic school, preschool through eighth grade[31]
  • The Montessori School, preschool through sixth grade[32]
  • The Goddard School, a preschool.

Clubs and organizations

Clubs and civic organizations in town include a Newcomers Club, Wilton Women's Club, League of Women Voters, Kiwanis Club, The Wilton Kiwanis[33] youth coalition, senior meal delivery, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts,[34] the Wilton Land Conservation Trust,[35] the Wilton Family Y and the Moms Club of Wilton.[36] Cultural amenities include the Wilton Historical Society, a Library Association, an Arts Council, an Audubon Society, the Wilton Singers[37] and the Wilton Playshop.[38] Some church organizations at Our Lady of Fatima include the Knights of Columbus and the Columbiettes.

Parks and recreation

The Wilton Parks and Recreation Department offers a number of programs for all ages including pre-school programs, senior programs youth soccer and basketball.[39] There are also many walking paths including part of the Norwalk River Valley Trail.[40] Merwin Meadows is a picnic area for families with a pond, playground and athletic field.[41]

Wilton Little League

Wilton Little League organizes Little League baseball and softball leagues for boys and girls 5 to 12 years old, including T-ball, Coach Pitch, Machine Pitch, A, AA, AAA, and Majors leagues. Games are played at Miller and Driscoll Elementary Schools, Cider Mill Elementary School, Middlebrook Middle School, and the Wilton YMCA. In post-season summer play, Wilton all-star teams compete in the District 1 Little League tournaments. In 2012, Wilton's 12-year-old team won their tournament and advanced to state sectionals.[42]

Events in town
  • Minks to Sinks[43] is a twice-a-year flea market that benefits Family & Children's Agency,[44] a not-for-profit agency that supports people and families in crisis or transitional moments.
  • Cannon Grange,[45] "a kind of 4-H club for adults,"[16] hosts an annual fair.
  • Ambler Farm Day,[46] an annual fall event that spotlights farm activities such as hay rides, apple sling shots, and scarecrow-making contests.
  • CNSW Pumpkin Festival,[47] an annual fall festival run since 1984 by the families of the Community Nursery School of Wilton, raises funds for scholarships.
  • Relay for Life
  • Jazz in the Garden takes place at Weir Farm every September.[48]
  • Wilton Rocks for Food is an annual concert by Wilton-based musicians who send all the proceeds to the Wilton Food Pantry and the Connecticut Food bank.[49]
  • Wilton Farmers' Market is an outdoor farmers' market held at the Wilton Historical Society[50] on Wednesdays from June through October.[51]
  • Wilton's annual Street Fair & Sidewalk Sale[52] is an outdoor sales event in the town center that occurs in the summer.

Transportation

Highways

There are several highways that crisscross the town, including U.S. Route 7 and Route 33, which form the main north-south roadways in town. While not passing through any part of Wilton, the Merritt Parkway (Route 15) also serves the town via the Route 33 exit (Exit 41) which is signed for Wilton, as well as the Route 7 exits (Exits 39B & 40B) which are signed for Danbury. Other state highways that run through Wilton are Route 53 and Route 106.

Railroad

The town has two railroad stations: Wilton in the town center and Cannondale (a sub-station where tickets are not sold). Both are served by Metro-North Railroad's Danbury Line, which provides direct commuter train service south to Norwalk (15 mins), Stamford (25 mins), and New York City's Grand Central Station (90 mins); and north to New Haven and Boston. A connection to Amtrak's Boston-to-Washington, D.C. Northeast Corridor line is available at the Stamford station.

Buses

The town is served by "7 Link" bus route of the Norwalk Transit District that runs between Norwalk and Danbury along the Route 7 corridor. A commuter shuttle bus during rush hours is also available between southern Wilton and the South Norwalk railroad station on the New Haven Line.

Notable people

References
  1. "Wayback Machine". 15 October 2006. Archived from the original on 15 October 2006.
  2. "The Town of Wilton, Connecticut – Official Website". www.wiltonct.org.
  3. "Race, Hispanic or Latino, Age, and Housing Occupancy: 2010 Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary File (QT-PL), Wilton town, Connecticut". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 11, 2011.
  4. "The Round House | Wilton Connecticut".
  5. "Gregory family donates 19th century road cart | Wilton Bulletin". Wilton Bulletin. 2017-09-06. Retrieved 2018-08-10.
  6. Behind Insurer’s Crisis, Blind Eye to a Web of Risk, New York Times, September 27, 2008.
  7. Hampson, Rick (March 21, 2009). "AIG office flies under radar of Conn. town". USA TODAY. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
  8. DE LA MERCED, MICHAEL J. (August 5, 2011). "A.I.G. Unit at Center of Financial Crisis Is Wound Down". Dealbook. New York Times. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
  9. "The Town of Wilton, Connecticut – Official Website". www.wiltonct.org. Retrieved 2018-08-10.
  10. Barone, Meg (2018-10-10). "On the Market / 'The red house with the big window' hits the market". The Hour. Retrieved 2019-03-10.
  11. Writer, FRANCIS CARR Jr Hour Staff (2015-07-09). "Historians address inaccuracies about the Battle of Norwalk on its (supposed) anniversary". The Hour. Retrieved 2019-03-10.
  12. The Connecticut Magazine: An Illustrated Monthly. Connecticut Magazine Company. 1903. p. 335.
  13. Strother, Horatio T. (1962). The Underground railroad in Connecticut. Middletown, Conn.: Wesleyan University Press. p. 121.
  14. "Did You Know? Three Facts About Every Connecticut Town". Hartford Courant. 2014-08-27.
  15. "Wilton, Conn. – Economist Dalio Foresees Greatest Crisis Since '29". Wilton Bulletin. September 22, 1982.
  16. West, Debra (December 4, 2005). "A Playground for Preservationists". Archived from the original on January 30, 2013 – via NYTimes.com.
  17. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2007-09-29. Retrieved 2007-04-14.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) Glavin, Kristiana, "Deer Hunt Plan Aims for Watershed by Fall", a news article in The New Canaan News Review, April 6, 2007
  18. "Bow Tie Cinemas". www.bowtiecinemas.com.
  19. "Welcome to Wilton Library - Wilton Library". www.wiltonlibrary.org.
  20. "Village Market". www.villagemarketwilton.com.
  21. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places: April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2014". Archived from the original on May 23, 2015. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  22. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  23. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  24. "General Elections Statement of Vote 1922". CT.gov - Connecticut's Official State Website.
  25. Wilton Bulletin
  26. "Good Morning Wilton". Good Morning Wilton.
  27. "Wilton Economic Development Commission - Town of Wilton CT". Wilton Economic Development Commission - Town of Wilton CT.
  28. CT, Town of Wilton (19 September 2017). "It's Working in Wilton (1080p)" – via Vimeo.
  29. CT, Town of Wilton (10 May 2017). "Visit Wilton" – via Vimeo.
  30. "Portal Berita Bola Paling Akurat – Website berita bola berdasarkan fakta, bukan gosip".
  31. "Our Lady Of Fatima School". www.fatimaschoolwilton.org.
  32. "The Montessori School - Private Montessori School in Wilton, CT". www.themontessorischool.com.
  33. "Wilton - Kiwanis International". wiltonkiwanis.org.
  34. "Wilton Pack 22". www.wiltonpack22.com.
  35. "Wilton Land Conservation Trust - Home". wiltonlandtrust.org.
  36. "wiltonmoms.com - Domain Name For Sale". DAN.COM.
  37. "Wilton Singers". Wilton Singers.
  38. "wiltonplayshop". wiltonplayshop.
  39. "Town of Wilton, CT, Parks & Recreation". wiltonparksandrec.org.
  40. "Norwalk River Valley Trail – Five Towns…One Vision".
  41. "Untitled Document". www.wiltonct.org.
  42. "Wilton Little League". wiltonlittleleague.org.
  43. "Home - Minks to Sinks". 4 October 2016. Archived from the original on 4 October 2016.
  44. "Family & Children's Agency - Together We Change Lives". fcagency.azurewebsites.net.
  45. "Cannon Grange No. 152 Patrons of Husbandry serving the Wilton Connecticut area". 26 October 2009. Archived from the original on 26 October 2009.
  46. "Ambler Farm".
  47. "Wikiwix's cache". archive.wikiwix.com. Archived from the original on 2011-08-12.
  48. Wilton, Mailing Address: 735 Nod Hill Road; Us, CT 06897 Phone:834-1896 x0 Contact. "19th Annual Jazz in the Garden Concert - Weir Farm National Historic Site (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved 2020-02-17.
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  50. "Wilton Historical Society - Wilton CT". Wilton Historical Society. Retrieved 2020-02-17.
  51. "Wilton Farmers' Market". Wilton Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved 2020-02-17.
  52. "Wilton Street Fair and Sidewalk Sale". Wilton Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved 2020-02-17.
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  55. "Linda Blair faces drug charge", article in The Victoria Advocate, March 12, 1979
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  57. Stowe, Stacey (May 13, 2001). "Bringing Home a Daytime Emmy". The New York Times.
  58. Cassidy, John. "Mastering the Machine". The New Yorker.
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  60. Kaplan, Don (November 13, 2008). "TWO NEW AT 'SNL&apos". New York Post.
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  62. Orshoski, Wes (September 3, 2003). "When Ace Frehley Said Farewell During Last Kiss Tour, He Meant It." Chicago Sun-Times.
  63. "Children's authors to sign at Just Books, Too", short notice in The Greenwich Post, Greenwich, Connecticut, October 16, 2003 ("Ms. Grodin, who lives in Wilton, with her actor husband Charles Grodin")
  64. Brown, Joe, "A trouper who cries not havoc", article in The Washington Post, May 22, 1987 ("She lives in Wilton, Connecticut at Cannon Crossings"); "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2006-05-21. Retrieved 2006-07-04.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) "Wilton Collects...Skip Heydt Delights in His Microcosmic World," by Nancy Maar, article in Wilton Magazine, Winter/Spring 2004; accessed on July 3, 2006
  65. "HEARST TO DO 'MONOLOGUES'", news brief, Mercury-News wire services, San Jose Mercury News, September 6, 2001, page 2A ("Patty Hearst will star in The Vagina Monologues when it plays Sept. 18 to 23 at the Shubert Theater in New Haven, Conn. She lives in Wilton, Conn., with her husband and two daughters.")
  66. "Political Theater: A Banned Play on the War (5 Letters)", first letter by Ira Levin, accessed on March 27, 2007
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  69. Alyson Kreuger (July 31, 2013). "Reluctantly Returning to the Stage". New York Times. Retrieved November 12, 2013.
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  71. "Former New Canaan Students Play Letterman's Late Show". New Canaan Daily Voice.
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