New Milford is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The town, part of Greater Danbury, as well as the New York Metropolitan Area, has a population of 28,115 as of the 2020 census. New Milford is located within the Western Connecticut Planning Region.
New Milford is located roughly west of Hartford, northeast of New York City proper, and 80 miles from Midtown Manhattan.
New Milford lies north of Danbury on the banks of the Housatonic River, and shares its border with the northeastern shore of Candlewood Lake. It is the largest town in the state of Connecticut in terms of land area at nearly 63.7 mi2 (164.9822 km). The town center is listed as a census-designated place (CDP).
New Milford consists of a number of town sub-divisions (i.e. boroughs, districts, communities, or neighborhoods), including Chimney Point, Gaylordsville, Merryall, and Northville. The town's infrastructure largely branches off from either side of the highway routes U.S. 7 and U.S. 202, which intersect and split within the town and together form its main thoroughfare.
The area constituting contemporary New Milford was originally inhabited by the indigenous Wawyachtonoc people, while the town of New Milford itself was formally established by English colonists in the early 18th century.
History
Native Americans
The indigenous Wawyachtonoc people, an Algonquian-speaking sub-group of the Golden Hill branch of the Paugusset Nation, and later a Mahican-affiliated Native American tribe, are the earliest known inhabitants of the area constituting contemporary New Milford, having resided there both before and during the colonial era. They had a farming and fishing culture, cultivating corn—mainly by the Housatonic River and its local tributary, the Still River—squash, beans, and tobacco; and fishing in freshwater areas.
Colonial times In 1707, John Noble Sr., previously of Westfield, Massachusetts, and his eight-year-old daughter Sarah Noble were the first Anglo-American settlers. (A public school was later named after Sarah Noble.) They were soon joined by others who had bought land there."New Milford History" , Learning Zone section, Historical Society of New Milford website, accessed August 2, 2006
On October 17, 1711, twelve families (including a total about 70 people) petitioned the Connecticut General Assembly to create the town, together with the associated privilege of levying a tax to support a minister. With the legislature's approval, the town was organized the next year. The residents soon secured Daniel Boardman to preach, and he was ordained as the minister of the Congregational Church on November 21, 1716."History" , New Milford Congregational Church, accessed December 23, 2010
In 1722, most of northwestern Connecticut (except for the town of Litchfield) was placed under the jurisdiction of New Haven County. In 1730, the eastern half of northwestern Connecticut was transferred to the jurisdiction of Hartford County. But New Milford, Salisbury and Sharon continued in New Haven County until the formation of Litchfield County in 1751.
American Revolution Roger Sherman lived in New Milford before moving to New Haven in 1761. He later became a member of the Continental Congress and signed both the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution. The lot of his former house is the site of the present Town Hall.
During the American Revolution, the 7th Connecticut Regiment (also known as the 19th Continental Regiment) was raised in town on September 16, 1776. The regiment, and the New Milford men in it, would see action in the Battle of Brandywine, Battle of Germantown and the Battle of Monmouth. In total, the town "sent 285 men to fight in the War out of a total population of 2,776."
The Boardman family
David Sherman Boardman (1768–1864) was the youngest child of Deacon Sherman and Sarah (Bostwick) Boardman. He became a lawyer in town and later chief judge in Litchfield County Court. He served as judge of probate for the district of New Milford in 1805, and held the place by successive annual appointments for sixteen years. He was elected Representative to the General Assembly eight times. Elijah Boardman (1760–1823) was a U.S. senator representing Connecticut. Born in New Milford, he was educated by private tutors, and served in the Revolutionary War. William Whiting Boardman (1794–1871), a U.S. Representative born in town, was the son of Elijah Boardman. He was a Connecticut state senator in the fourth district, 1830–32, a member of the Connecticut State House of Representatives, 1836–1839, 1845, and 1849–1851; Speaker of the Connecticut State House of Representatives, 1836, 1839, and 1845; US Representative from Connecticut's second district, 1840–1843. He died in New Haven, and is interred at Grove Street Cemetery in New Milford.
19th and 20th centuries During the early- to mid-19th century, New Milford was home to several locations that were part of the Underground Railroad network.
In the second half of the 19th century, many new industries came to town. The Water Witch Hose Company No. 2, local telephone and electricity companies, and newspapers were all founded. Factories in town made buttons, paint and varnish, hats, furniture, pottery, lime, dairy products and pasteboard, among other goods. Tobacco became the major crop in the area, and tobacco warehouses sprang up to handle its storage and processing before sales.
In 1942 Buck's Rock Camp was founded off Bucks Rock Road, and has remained in operation ever since.
The house that inspired the 1946 novel and 1948 film, Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House, still stands in the Merryall section of town.
21st century The town has constructed a 1,000,000-gallon sewer plant expansion on West Street, a sewer pump station on Boardman Road, reconstruction of the Route 67/ Grove Street Intersection, and ambulance facility on Scovill Street.
The town has added a skate park at Young's Field (2006), reconstructed the tennis and basketball courts at Young's Field (2010), reconstructed the basketball court at Williamson Park in Gaylordsville (2010), and improved Lynn Deming Park (2017), and is working on the New Milford River Trail, which will eventually join the existing 1.5-mile Sega Meadows Park trail (2012), 3.5 miles of River Road, and the 0.25-mile Young's Field River Trail (2017) and link them to the greenways in the neighboring towns of Brookfield and Kent. Several streetscape projects were completed by the Department of Public Works (DPW) with grant money on Church Street, Whittlesey Avenue, and the west side of East Street (2009/2010). Candlewoof Dog Park is completed on Pickett District Road. A bocce ball court was constructed at the Senior Center by Boy Scout Troop 66 (2012).
New Milford is frequented on weekends between the months of April and December, when visitors attend the Elephant's Trunk Flea Market, a large outdoor flea market located near the southern end of the town which WRKI has claimed is the largest weekly flea market in New England. It is also a popular destination with summer and weekend residents from NYC and its suburbs. It is also a popular place for those looking to tour a city similar to Stars Hollow in the television series Gilmore Girls. Communities on Candlewood Lake's NE corner and the rural and rolling farm land in the northern portion of the town between Routes 7 and 202 swell with added population between May and October.
The trend of town population growth has continued but slowed since the beginning of the 21st century.
National Register of Historic Places sites
Boardman's Bridge – Boardman Road at Housatonic River, northwest of New Milford (added June 13, 1976) Carl F. Schoverling Tobacco Warehouse – 1 Wellsville Avenue (added May 12, 1982) E. A. Wildman & Co. Tobacco Warehouse – 34 Bridge Street (added November 20, 1988) Hine-Buckingham Farms – 44, 46, and 48 Upland Road, 78, 81 Crossman Road (added June 7, 2004) Housatonic Railroad Station – Railroad Street (added April 1, 1984) J. S. Halpine Tobacco Warehouse – West and Mill Streets (added 1982) John Glover Noble House (added September 29, 1977) Lover's Leap Bridge – south of New Milford on Pumpkin Hill Road (added June 13, 1976) Merritt Beach & Son Building – 30 Bridge Street (added May 28, 1992) Merryall Union Evangelical Society Chapel – Chapel Hill Road (added July 5, 1986) New Milford Center Historic District – Bennitt and Elm Streets, Center Cemetery, East, South Main, Mill, and Railroad Streets (added July 13, 1986) United Bank Building – 19-21 Main Street (added May 12, 1982)
Geography New Milford is located on the northeastern shore of Candlewood Lake. The East Aspetuck River, Still River and Housatonic River flow through the town. Downtown New Milford is home to a large town green, commonly cited as the longest town green in the state of Connecticut.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , making it the largest town in Connecticut. Behind New Milford is Greenwich with 47.62 square miles . of New Milford is land, and of New Milford (3.40%) is water. The CDP corresponding to the town center has a total area of , of which is land and (0.88%) is water.
Greater New Milford Area The Greater New Milford Area, also known as Southern Litchfield County, encompasses a cluster of towns nestled in the landscapes of Connecticut. This region includes Bridgewater, Kent, New Milford, Roxbury, Sherman, Warren, and Washington. With a combined urban and town proper population of 43,732, the area is celebrated for its rich history, rural charm, and picturesque surroundings. Residents and visitors alike are drawn to the area's historic architecture, vibrant community life, and a harmonious blend of urban and rural living.
Principal Communities
Gaylordsville (06755) Boardman Bridge Lower Merryall Merwinsville New Milford Center Northville Park Lane Still River Upper Merryall Lanesville Candlewood Hills Sunny Valley Pickett District Squash Hollow
Climate
New Milford has a humid continental climate, with mild to warm humid summers and cold to very cold winters and precipitation being relatively uniformly distributed throughout the year. The highest recorded temperature was 103 °F (39 °C) in July 1966, while the lowest recorded temperature was −18 °F (−28 °C) in January 1968. Snowfall is generally frequent in winter.
Demographics
As of the census of 2020, there were 28,276 people, 10,775 households, and 7,503 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 11,763 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 81.6% White, 4.1% Black or African American, 0.1% Native American, 3.2% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 3.5% from other races, and 7.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race was 10.6% of the population.
Of the 10,618 households, 33.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.0% were married couples living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.3% were non-families. 23.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.13.
In the town, the population had 24.30% under the age of 18, 6.87% from 18 to 24, 24.90% from 25 to 44, 31.75% from 45 to 64, and 12.18% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41.4 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.6 males.