Canaan is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

Litchfield County Litchfield County is in northwestern Connecticut. As of the 2020 census, the population was 185,186. The county was named after Lichfield, in England. Litchfield County has the lowest population density of any county in Connecticut and is the ...

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

, United States. The population was 1,080 at the 2020 census, down from 1,234 at the 2010 census. The town of Canaan is often referred to locally by the name of its principal settlement, Falls Village.

Geography

Canaan is in northwestern Litchfield County; it is bordered to the north by the town of

North Canaan North Canaan is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 3,211 at the 2020 census. The town center is still called "Canaan", being the main town center of the old town of Canaan prior to North Canaan splitting o ...

, to the east by

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

, to the south by

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

, and to the west, across the

Housatonic River The Housatonic River ( ) is a river, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 in western Massachusetts and western Connecticut in the United S ...

, by

Salisbury Salisbury ( ) is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers Avon, Nadder and Bourne. The city is approximately from Southampton and from Bath. Salisbury is in the southeast of Wil ...

. It is northwest of Torrington, north of

Danbury Danbury is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, located approximately northeast of New York City. Danbury's population as of 2022 was 87,642. It is the seventh largest city in Connecticut. Danbury is nicknamed the "Hat City ...

, and south of

Great Barrington, Massachusetts Great Barrington is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 7,172 at the 2020 census. Both a summer resort and home to Ski Butternut, ...

. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the town of Canaan has a total area of , of which are land and , or 0.97%, are water.

Principal communities

* Falls Village (town center) *Huntsville *Lower City *South Canaan

History

The town was incorporated in 1739. The name "

Canaan Canaan (; Phoenician: 𐤊𐤍𐤏𐤍 – ; he, כְּנַעַן – , in pausa – ; grc-bib, Χανααν – ;The current scholarly edition of the Greek Old Testament spells the word without any accents, cf. Septuaginta : id est Vetus T ...

" is derived from Hebrew.

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2000, there were 1,081 people, 445 households, and 298 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 610 housing units at an average density of 18.5 per square mile (7.1/km). The racial makeup of the town was 97.04%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 1.48%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.19%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.09%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...

, 0.37% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 0.83% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

people of any race were 0.37% of the population. There were 445 households, out of which 30.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.8% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.0% were non-families. 27.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.97. In the town, the population was spread out, with 23.6% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 28.8% from 45 to 64, and 14.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.6 males. The median income for a household in the town was $54,688, and the median income for a family was $62,500. Males had a median income of $40,438 versus $29,219 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the town was $35,841. About 3.0% of families and 4.7% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 5.6% of those under age 18 and 3.8% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Canaan is a member of Regional School District 1, which also includes the towns of

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

, and

Sharon Sharon ( he, שָׁרוֹן ''Šārôn'' "plain") is a given name as well as an Israeli surname. In English-speaking areas, Sharon is now predominantly a feminine given name. However, historically it was also used as a masculine given name. In I ...

. Public school students attend Lee H. Kellogg School for grades K–8, and

Housatonic Valley Regional High School Housatonic Valley Regional High School (HVRHS) is a public high school in Falls Village, Connecticut, United States. It was established in 1939 as a result of a special act of the Connecticut General Assembly in 1937. It is the first regional hi ...

for grades 9–12.

Notable people

* Philo Belden, Wisconsin politician *

Steve Blass Stephen Robert Blass (born April 18, 1942) is an American former professional baseball player and television sports color commentator. He played his entire career in Major League Baseball as a right-handed pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates in a ...

, former Major League Baseball pitcher and current broadcaster *

Major Felten Major Felten, also "Felton" (March 19, 1904 – November 1975) was an American visual artist and illustrator, active in the 1930s-1950s. He became known for his dramatic posters and book illustrations. Some of his posters were published by Dav ...

, artist and illustrator *

James Mars James Mars (March 3, 1790 – May 27, 1880) was an American slave narrative author and political activist. Born into slavery in Canaan, Connecticut, he gained his freedom in 1811. In 1864, he published his memoir ''A Life of James Mars, a Slave ...

slave narrative The slave narrative is a type of literary genre involving the (written) autobiographical accounts of enslaved Africans, particularly in the Americas. Over six thousand such narratives are estimated to exist; about 150 narratives were published as s ...

author *

Judson Philips Judson Pentecost Philips (August 10, 1903 – March 7, 1989) was an American writer who wrote more than 100 mystery and detective novels under the pseudonyms Hugh Pentecost and Philip Owen, as well as under his own name. As Judson Philips, ...

, author of mystery novels *

Cyrus Prindle Cyrus Prindle (April 11, 1800 – December 1, 1885) was an American abolitionist and one of the founders of the Wesleyan Church. He was born in Canaan, Conn., and entered the New York conference in 1821. An Abolitionist in principle, he wa ...

abolitionist Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people. The British ...

and one of the founders of the

Wesleyan Church The Wesleyan Church, also known as the Wesleyan Methodist Church and Wesleyan Holiness Church depending on the region, is a Methodist Christian denomination in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Namibia, Sierra Leone, L ...

Lemuel Roberts Lemuel Roberts was a soldier and historian of the American Revolutionary War. Youth Lemuel Roberts was born 1751 in Canaan, Connecticut, to Lemuel Roberts and Lydia (Purchase) Roberts. He moved with his family to Stillwater at the age of 10. He ...

, Revolutionary War soldier and historian, born in Canaan in 1755 *

Catherine Roraback Catherine Gertrude Roraback (September 17, 1920 – October 17, 2007) was a civil rights attorney in Connecticut, best known for representing Estelle Griswold and Dr. C. Lee Buxton in the famous 1965 Supreme Court case, '' Griswold v. Connecticut ...

, civil rights attorney *

Bates Turner Bates Turner (October 1760 – April 30, 1847) was a Vermont lawyer, judge and politician. In addition to serving as a member of the Vermont House of Representatives, he was a justice of the Vermont Supreme Court for two years. Biography Turner w ...

, Vermont politician and jurist * Elizur Wright, the "father of life insurance"

Transportation

The town is served by

U.S. Route 7 U.S. Route 7 (US 7) is a north–south United States highway in western New England that runs for through the states of Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Vermont. The highway's southern terminus is at Interstate 95 (I-95) exit 15 ...

, Route 63, and Route 126. US 7 leads north into

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

and south to

, while Route 63 leads southeast to Litchfield. Route 126 is a local road that passes through the center of Falls Village and runs north along the Housatonic River.

Pictures

File:PostcardCanaanCtFamousElm19081914.jpg, Purportedly "famous" elm, File:PostcardHighSchoolBldgCanaanCT1910.jpg, High school, 1910 File:SouthCanaanCongregationalChurch 737.jpg,

South Canaan Congregational Church The South Canaan Congregational Church is a historic Congregational church building at Connecticut Route 63 and Barnes Road in the town of Canaan, Connecticut. Built in 1804, it is a remarkably, well-preserved example of early Federal period c ...

References

External links

Town of Canaan official websiteNorthwest Connecticut Arts CouncilNorthwest Connecticut Convention and Visitors Bureau
{{authority control Towns in Litchfield County, Connecticut Canaan (town), Connecticut Towns in the New York metropolitan area Towns in Connecticut