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Wilton is nestled in the Norwalk River Valley
in western Connecticut. Located in Fairfield County, Wilton is
north of the city of Norwalk, west of the town of Weston and
east of the town of New Canaan. Wilton’s 17,633 residents live
in an area of 26.8 square miles. Wilton is 55 miles from midtown
Manhattan and is within easy driving distance from Westchester
County, New York. The town is accessible from routes 7, 33, 106
and 107. Wilton is only 1 hour from Grand Central Station on the
New Haven Line Danbury branch of Metro-North Railroad, which
runs daily commuter service. In April 1995, Connecticut Magazine
named Wilton the top overall town in its size group.
Wilton is a rural residential town rich in
New England history. The first written records of the areas that
are now Wilton date back to 1640, when Roger Ludlow and his
friends purchased land from the Indians between Norwalk and
Saugatuck Rivers and “a day’s walk into the country.” This land
was called Norwalk.
The coming of the railroad in 1852 did not bring many advantages
to a community of home industry and farming; instead it offered
easy access to the bountiful western lands. After the Civil War,
Wilton’s population declined as cities grew, industrialization
increased, the market for home products dropped and farms were
abandoned. About 30% of the population was lost between 1860 and
1900. By 1900, the census showed only 1,598 people living in
Wilton.
Today Wilton is grateful for this long
dormant period in its history because it saved many of the 18th
and 19th century homes from demolition and suburban development.
Beginning in the 1910’s, abandoned farms were discovered by New
Yorkers for summer homes and in the 1930’s, there were
noticeable stresses at Town Meetings between the “old-timers”
and the “new people”. The community was changing from
agricultural to one of commuters.
The town has had the foresight to preserve almost 1,000 acres of
open space for active and passive recreational use. Although
there is limited land remaining for development, Wilton retains
much of its open feeling and rural atmosphere. Winding back
roads with trees, streams, ponds, woods and rolling hills are
all part of Wilton’s beauty and charm and afford privacy as well
as a pastoral setting.
There exists among both new residents and those with established
roots a strong commitment and concern that Wilton, whatever its
future, shall retain some part of its rural heritage. |
