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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 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 Boston Post Road (U.S. Route 1) and Black Rock Turnpike. Large and distinctive companies Media Arts & entertainment 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. * Fairfield is fully protected by the Fairfield Police Department and the Fairfield Firefighters. Famous residents, past and present Movies filmed in Fairfield Source: Internet Movie DataBase Web site's page for Fairfield, Connecticut | |||||||||
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