Brookfield is an affluent town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, situated within the southern foothills of the Berkshire Mountains. The population was 16,487 at the 2010 census. The town is located 43 miles (69 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.
Video Brookfield, Connecticut
History
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 animals that were taken from the forest and rivers were deer, passenger pigeon, turkey, bass, trout, crawfish, squirrel, rabbit and others. 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. When 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 the headquarters of LEGO USA.
Throughout the 1970s and late 20th century, Brookfield saw a massive influx in its population. This is attributed to New Yorkers who began relocating from the city to the suburbs. This created rapid real estate development in Brookfield, and turned Brookfield into a popular commuter town for those who work in New York City. The top professions of residents today are in the fields of professional, scientific, and technical services, health care and finance and insurance.
Maps Brookfield, Connecticut
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 northwest, and Bridgewater to the northeast.
Neighborhoods
The town's largest neighborhoods include:
- Brookfield Town Center (known to locals as "Four Corners") is the downtown shopping district of Brookfield. The area is experiencing heavy growth and revitalization in recently years with new apartment and shopping buildings, bringing over 1,500 new apartments and dozens of new stores. It is also a potential site for a future railway station.
- Brookfield Center is the original town center and a historic district, added NRHP, September 15, 1991). The original town hall, original general store, historic society, several churches, and an elementary school are located here.
Other named minor neighborhoods 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
- Whisconier
Climate
Brookfield has a humid continental climate, similar to that of New York City, with mild to warm humid summers and cold to very cold winters. The highest recorded temperature was 103 °F (39 °C) in July 1966, while the lowest recorded temperature was -15 °F (-26 °C) in 1968. Snowfall is generally frequent in winter while average precipitation is most common in September.
Economy
Companies in Brookfield include:
- BNP Associates, an airport systems designer, is headquartered in Brookfield.
- Bridgewater Chocolate, a premium chocolate manufacturer, is headquartered in Brookfield.
- Cerulean Studios, a software company, 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.
- The Pepsi Bottling Group operates a large facility 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 operates a regional office in Brookfield.
- Trendhaven Investment Management, an investment firm, is headquartered in Brookfield.
- Trident Indistrial Inkjet, a printing company, is headquartered in Brookfield.
Demographics
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.
Government and politics
Elected bodies in the town government are a three-member Board of Selectmen, a seven-member Board of Education, a six-member Board of Finance, a five-member Planning and Zoning Commission, three-member Board of Assessment Appeals, and a 100-member, nonpartisan Representative Town Meeting. The town has several elective offices as well: the town clerk, probate judge, registrar of voters, tax collector and treasurer.
The Board of Finance approves financial measures, including the town budget; the Board of Education controls the town's public schools; the Representative Town Meeting is the main legislative body of the town.
At the capital, Brookfield is in the 107th Assembly District, currently represented by State Rep. Stephen Harding (R), a lifelong Brookfield resident, and the 20th Senate District, currently represented by State Sen. Craig Miner (R) of Litchfield, CT. Brookfield is part of the 5th congressional district, which is represented by Elizabeth Esty (D).
Taxes
As of 2016, the mill rate in Brookfield is 26.40%.
Education
Public schools
- Brookfield High School (grades 9-12)
- Whisconier Middle School (grades 5-8)
- Huckleberry Hill School (grades 2-4)
- Center School (grades Pre-k-1)
Private schools
- St. Joseph Elementary School (Catholic School, grades Pre-k-8)
- Christian Life Academy (Christian School, grades Pre-k)
- Country Kids Child Care (grades Pre-k-K)
- Goddard School (grades Pre-k-K)
- Montessori Community School (grades Pre-k-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 (Pre-k-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.
Downtown Redevelopment Project
For years, despite being a major economic center for retail in Fairfield County, Brookfield has lacked a walkable downtown area. Most of the large economic activity was centered on Federal Road heading toward Danbury. In 2016, construction began on a project known as "Brookfield Village", which will create a downtown district consisting of sidewalks, street lamps, and parallel parking. Dozens of retail storefronts and residential apartment buildings (more than 1,500 units) are also being developed in this area, which has gained attention from retailers and will promote further development in the area. In conjunction with other retail developments on Federal Road and with the completion of Phase I of the newly revitalized district, many new restaurants, stores and boutiques have recently opened in the Town Center District.
Community and Points of interest
Arts and culture
- Brookfield Craft Center -- an educational center that brings arts and crafts to people of all ages. Located in the former Brookfield Train Station.
- Brookfield Museum and Historical Society -- founded in 1968, a museum and archive pertaining to the history of Brookfield and the New York and New England Region as a whole.
- Brookfield Public Library -- located within the Brookfield Center Historic District. It is part of Bibliomation, a state-wide library consortium utilizing Evergreen in Connecticut which allows all involved libraries to share their resources, vastly increasing their collection sizes. The library was established in 1951 as the Joyce Memorial Library in the old Town Hall building on Whisconier Road using a $7,000 bequest left by Brookfield resident Daniel Clarke Joyce in 1929 to establish a library in Brookfield. The current library was constructed in 1975, and is 9,600 square feet. At this time, the former "Joyce Memorial Library" was renamed "The Brookfield Library". Several proposals have been made to construct a new library in Brookfield, due to the significant increase in population since 1975 when the current facility was constructed. In 2002, the Library Board of Trustees began the planning stage for a new library, and in 2009, a one million dollar state grant was awarded for the construction of a new library. A referendum was held in February 2018 over whether or not to begin construction on a 36,000 square foot library at a cost of 14.7 million dollars, although the motion did not pass. The Library Committee is now revising the plan, with hopes to bring a revised plan to referendum.
- Brookfield Theatre for the Arts -- a theatre where community productions of various plays are held. The theatre building is part of the former Curtis School for Boys, an all-boys boarding school which closed in 1943.
- DiGrazia Vineyards -- founded in 1978, a vineyard and winery located at 131 Tower Road that offers tours and wine tasting. DiGrazia is one of the three wineries in Fairfield County that are part of the Connecticut Wine Trail.
- JLG Autocrib -- located at 1 Sunset Hill Rd., housing a private collection of over 30 rare and vintage Porsche cars and memorabilia.
Lakes
- Candlewood Lake -- the largest lake in Connecticut, Candlewood spans five towns and forms the western border of Brookfield.
- Lake Lillinonah -- the second largest lake in Connecticut, spanning six towns. The lake was formed by the construction of the Shepaug Dam in 1955.
Parks and Beaches
- Arthur A. Harris Linear Park -- a trail located alongside the Brookfield Municipal Center, connecting the property to the Still River Greenway.
- Brookfield Municipal Center -- located on Pocono Rd., location of local government offices such as the Town Hall and Police Headquarters. Also home to the Brookfield Town Park, which is Brookfield's flagship park consisting of a large playground, baseball diamond and soccer fields. Also the location of the Brookfield Bandstand, an outdoor music pavilion where concerts and shows are held in the summer.
- Brookfield Nature Center -- consists of 16 acres owned by the Town of Brookfield and is managed by the Brookfield Conservation Commission. The land has a striking mix of old fields, upland woods with strands of Spruce mixed with large specimen trees of Tulip and White Oak. Merwin Brook cuts across the northwest corner of the property. The brook flows through a wooded wetland with White Ash, Elm, and Red Maple trees around it. The grassland fields are a nesting site of Bobolinks and other ground nesting birds. A careful mowing schedule is used to protect the eggs and chicks.
- Brookfield Town Beach -- located on 460 Candlewood Lake Road, the facilities include swimming, basketball, sand volleyball courts, restrooms, changing facilities, BBQ grills and picnic tables. The beach also features a Lakeside Community Room which is available for reservations to host events up to 50 people. The beach is only open to residents of the Town of Brookfield and their guests for daily admission, although residents of the Town of Bethel are eligible to purchase season passes.
- Burr Farm Protected Open Space -- a town-owned parcel of protected open space located at 23 Dingle Brook Road, comprising 116 acres divided into East and West parcels, along the now unused eastern end of Lake George Road.
- Cadigan Park -- a park located on Candlewood Lake Rd., containing turf football and lacrosse fields, lighted basketball and tennis courts, as well as walking/biking trails. Directly across the street from the Brookfield Town Beach.
- Gurski Farm Protected Open Space -- a town-owned parcel of protected open space that connects into Williams Park via trail.
- Happy Landings Protected Open Space -- a town-owned parcel of protected open space located along Whisconier Road (Route 25), containing historic barns, wells and windmills.
- Lillinonah Woods -- located at 54 Obutse Rocks Rd., the park is situated on 68 acres of land and connects to Lake Lillinonah. This park offers fishing (by permit), hiking trails, picnic tables and parking. A small beach is also located on-site.
- Old Bridge Sanctuary -- located at 57 Old Bridge Rd., a park situated on 25 acres that offers hiking trails and parking.
- Still River Greenway -- a paved trail through the woods used for walking and biking that connects the Brookfield Municipal Center to Brookfield Town Center.
- Whalen Pond -- located on 3 Broadview Road, a pond that is accessible for ice skating during the wintertime.
- Williams Park -- a trail for walking and biking through the woods, also containing public clay tennis courts. Entrance is across the street from the Brookfield Library.
Private Membership Clubs
- Brookfield Bay Marina -- marina and yacht club located on Candlewood Lake Road, north of the Candlewood Shores neighborhood.
- Candlewood East Marina -- marina and yacht club with a member clubhouse located on Candlewood Lake Road, south of the Candlewood Shores neighborhood. The property across the street from the docks formerly belonged to the Brookfield Tennis Club, an indoor, members-only tennis and athletic center.
- Candlewood Lake Club -- a private community on Candlewood Lake that encompasses land and properties in both Brookfield and adjoining New Milford. It includes a country club with an 18-hole golf course, tennis courts, swimming pools and a clubhouse. Real estate ownership within the community requires residents to pay membership fees to the club and homeowner association.
- Candlewood Shores Clubhouse -- a facility open to members of the Candlewood Shores Homeowner's Association, which includes private beaches and recreation centers.
- Echo Bay Marina -- a private marina located north of the Candlewood Shores neighborhood, adjacent to the Brookfield Town Beach.
- Knollcrest Marina -- a private community and marina located near the northern end of Candlewood Lake.
Recreation
- Aquatic Club of Brookfield -- Swimming pool and aquatic club located on Old State Road.
- The Dive Shop Aquatic Center -- indoor swimming pool, gym, spa and aquatic center that offers on-site diving courses.
- Golf Quest Brookfield -- driving range and miniature golf course.
- On Track Karting Brookfield -- indoor venue featuring a go-karting track for youth & adults, party space & league racing events.
- The Regional YMCA of Western Connecticut -- located on Huckleberry Hill Road, it is the third-largest YMCA in Connecticut.
- Sunset Hill Golf Club -- a public golf course on Sunset Hill Rd. established by former resident Gene Sarazen.
Boy Scouts
Brookfield has many active scout units, including two Boy Scout troops, a Boy Scout Ship on Candlewood Lake, as well as two Cub Scout packs. These are as follows:
- Troop 5 -- responsible for organizing many local events, including a popular Christmas tree fundraiser and pickup.
- Troop 135 -- the town's original Boy Scout troop; open to boys ages 11-18.
Annual events
- Easter Egg Hunt -- the Parks and Recreation Department holds an Egg Hunt every year in the Municipal Center on the Sunday that Easter falls on.
- Halloween Run -- held every year the weekend before Halloween; begins at the Municipal Center.
- Holiday Tree Lighting -- held the first weekend of December, 5:00pm to 7:30pm. The town lights its Holiday Tree in the Brookfield Municipal Center this time every year. Kids can also sit on Santa's lap, and free hot chocolate and cookies are provided in the Town Hall.
- Film Festival -- every year in March, the Brookfield Arts Commission holds a festival lasting three days, consisting of short and foreign films.
- Fire Dept. Kid's Day -- held the first weekend of June, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The fire company offers fire prevention and safety for the whole community. The membership provides demonstrations and practice for getting out alive through the use of a fire safety trailer, stop, drop and roll, and dialing 9-1-1 in the event of an emergency. They also team with outside agencies including the Brookfield Police Department to speak with residents about car seat safety and the importance of seat belts as well as the local Rotary Club to photograph children for the Amber Alert program. Kids and adults get to "dress up" in firefighter's gear-feeling the actual weight that firefighter's must carry. This also includes rides on two restored 1930's fire trucks owned by the department.
- Memorial Day Parade -- takes place on Memorial Day Weekend, running through the Brookfield Center Historic District. The parade consists of vintage and modern emergency vehicles, classic cars and supercars, and floats from various local and regional organizations.
- Mother's Day 5k -- The Parks & Rec Department holds an annual 5K on Mother's Day starting at Brookfield High School. Hundreds of runners and walkers from the region attend.
- Relay For Life 5k -- held each year in June at Brookfield High School.
- St. Baldrick's Foundation fundraiser -- held every year in March at Brookfield High School.
Rankings
Brookfield was selected as the best small town in Connecticut by Money magazine in 2013. It was selected as the 26th best town to live in nationwide by Money Magazine in 2013. In 2017, MarketWatch ranked the Greater Danbury area as the 10th most expensive place to raise a family in the United States. Brookfield Public Schools are frequently ranked as one of the best school districts in Connecticut. Brookfield is also frequently ranked as one of the safest towns in Connecticut, due to its extremely low crime rates.
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.
In popular culture
- Scenes from the 1968 movie Rachel, Rachel were filmed in Brookfield.
- The 1988-89 TV series Michaels' Movie Madness was shot in Brookfield.
- The short film Innocence was mostly filmed in Brookfield.
- In the 1941 film The Lady Eve, starring Henry Fonda and Barbara Stanwick, Fonda's character hosts lavish parties in a fictional town called Bridgefield, Connecticut, right outside of New York. This fictional town is based on either the town of Brookfield, Ridgefield or Bridgewater, as they have similar sounding names and fit this demographic at the time.
- Arcadia Publishing created an Images of America book detailing the History of Brookfield, composed by Marilyn S. Whittlesey.
- Annals of Brookfield, Fairfield County, Connecticut was written by Emily C. Hawley, and published in 1929.
Transportation
Highways
From the South, US 7 and US 202 jointly exit Interstate 84 at Exit 7 near Danbury. 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 and 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. Proposals have been made to extend the New Haven Line's Danbury Branch to New Milford, which would include a Brookfield Metro-North station. This 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. These tracks are currently used by the Housatonic Railroad for freight service.
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.
Emergency services
Fire Department and EMS
The town of Brookfield has two volunteer fire companies in town staffing three stations, with the Headquarters for the Brookfield Volunteer Fire Company being at 92 Pocono Rd, the Center Company at 6 Obtuse Hill Rd and the Brookfield Volunteer Fire Department Candlewood Company at 18 Bayview Dr. The department was founded in 1934, and is composed entirely of volunteers.
Police Department
The Brookfield Police Department Headquarters is located at 63 Silvermine Rd, adjacent to the Brookfield Municipal Center. The department was established on July 1, 1977, and as of 2017, consists of 34 full-time officers, 6 special officers and 12 full and part-time civilian personnel. The Department Command Staff consists of the Chief of Police, a Major and a Captain. There is a Patrol Division, a Detective Division, including a Youth Officer and 2 School Resource Officers, and part-time SCUBA Team, Accident Investigation Team, Tactical Response Technicians with the Danbury Police Department, and part-time Evidence Technicians. Brookfield has plans to expand the current police headquarters, citing a growth in the population served, as well as the size of the police force.
Media
- WINE-AM 940; 1,000 watts; CBS Sports Radio affiliated station
- WRKI-FM 95.1; 50,000 watts; the station has a "mainstream rock" format and covers Fairfield, Litchfield, New Haven counties in Connecticut and Putnam, Dutchess, Westchester counties in New York
- The Brookfield Daily Voice and The Brookfield Patch are the two most prominent local online newspapers. The News-Times is the most prominent newspaper serving the Greater Danbury area, and reports on local news in Brookfield.
- Brookfield's public-access channels are channels 162 (education) and 164 (community), and are made available by Charter Spectrum.
- News 12 Connecticut is the local cable news station serving Fairfield County, and covers local news in Brookfield.
References
External links
- Town of Brookfield official website
- Brookfield Public Schools
- Brookfield Library
- Brookfield Chamber of Commerce
- Brookfield Craft Center
- Brookfield Museum and Historical Society
- Brookfield Theatre for the Arts
- Candlewood Lake Authority
- Brookfield Vol. Fire Co.
- Brookfield Vol. Fire Dept. Candlewood Co. Inc.
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