|
Until the advent of the railroad, Darien was
a small, rural community of about one thousand farmers,
shoemakers, fishermen, and merchants engaged in coastal
trading. In 1864 during the Civil War, the first home for
disabled war veterans and soldiers' orphans in the United States
was built at Noroton Heights, named after its founder, Benjamin
Fitch of Darien. At the end of the Civil War, security and
economic prosperity in the North brought a building boom. What
had once been farmland and open space was divided and residences
for prosperous businessmen and affluent local merchants
blossomed on major streets including Brookside, Prospect,
Mansfield, Noroton and Middlesex. A number of well-to-do New
Yorkers discovered Darien's picturesque shoreline and built
summer homes in Tokeneke, Long Neck Point and Noroton.
Darien was still a small town of a few thousand people in 1914,
even though there were already a few hardy commuters here who
taxied by surrey from home to station. After World War II, new
streets and developed areas sprang up. The town center grew
steadily along with the population. By the mid-1950's the
Connecticut Turnpike came through the town. General prosperity
and growth continued until the population leveled off around
20,000 by 1970. Today Darien is a suburban community with an
active town center, excellent schools, and involved residents.
It offers unspoiled land and clear waters. Those who have come
to live here have been careful stewards of its architectural and
natural heritage while enjoying the resources of a modern
community. |
