Brookfield, Connecticut


Brookfield is a 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 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.

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.
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 and around 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.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of, of which is land and 0.6 square mile, 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:
Other named minor neighborhoods and geographic locations in the town are:
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 in July 1966, while the lowest recorded temperature was in 1968. Snowfall is generally frequent in winter while average precipitation is most common in September.

Economy

Companies in Brookfield include:
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. There were 5,781 housing units at an average density of 292.0 per square mile. 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, a lifelong Brookfield resident, and the 20th Senate District, currently represented by State Sen. Craig Miner of Litchfield, CT. Brookfield is part of the 5th congressional district, which is represented by Jahana Hayes.
Brookfield is a Republican leaning town in Democratic leaning Fairfield County. Lyndon B. Johnson was the last Democrat to carry the municipality in his landslide victory in 1964; since then, Republican presidential candidates have carried the town comfortably.

Taxes

As of 2016, the mill rate in Brookfield is 26.40‰.
Voter registration and party enrollment as of October 29, 2019Voter registration and party enrollment as of October 29, 2019Voter registration and party enrollment as of October 29, 2019Voter registration and party enrollment as of October 29, 2019Voter registration and party enrollment as of October 29, 2019Voter registration and party enrollment as of October 29, 2019
PartyPartyActive votersInactive votersTotal votersPercentage

YearDemocraticRepublicanThird Parties
201644.01% 4,21651.91% 4,9734.08% 391
201243.68% 3,91655.11% 4,9411.21% 108
200847.29% 4,34051.79% 4,7530.92% 84
200440.78% 3,61958.17% 5,1621.05% 93
200043.84% 3,53651.49% 4,1534.67% 377
199640.18% 2,98248.92% 3,63010.90% 809
199231.46% 2,65744.40% 3,75024.14% 2,039
198831.96% 2,26167.22% 4,7560.82% 58
198426.68% 1,83473.03% 5,0200.29% 20
198026.98% 1,63559.97% 3,63413.05% 791
197634.70% 1,85664.49% 3,4490.80% 43
197224.50% 1,20873.67% 3,6321.83% 90
196830.68% 1,14763.17% 2,3626.15% 230
196452.75% 1,47547.25% 1,3210.00% 0
196030.27% 54469.73% 1,2530.00% 0
195611.54% 13988.46% 1,0650.00% 0

Education

Public schools
Private schools
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, Immaculate High School and Wooster School.
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 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 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:
Known as an affluent Fairfield County suburb, Brookfield has regularly placed high in various 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. In 2015, Connecticut Magazine rated Brookfield as one of the best among towns in Connecticut with median home values over $325,000. The rating considers education, crime, economy, community engagement, and culture/leisure.

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

Highways

From the South, US 7 and US 202 jointly exit Interstate 84 at Exit 7 near Danbury. To the South, US 7 connects to the Merritt Parkway in Norwalk. 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, a Brookfield resident.
Connecticut Route 133 connects Brookfield to its eastern neighbor Bridgewater over the iconic Southville Bridge, which spans 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 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 two 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