The Northwest Hills (also known as the Litchfield Hills or Northwest Highlands) are a geographic region of the U.S. state of Connecticut located in the northwestern corner of the state. It is roughly coterminous with the boundaries of

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 ...

, for which it is named. The geographic region includes colloquial subregions -rural Northwestern Connecticut and the area associated with the city of Torrington, also known as the Upper Naugatuck River Valley or simply Litchfield Hills- which have also variously corresponded to designated government councils both past and present. Much of the area makes up the lowermost section of the

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...

region, and is culturally similar to the rest of western New England.

Towns and cities

* Bethlehem * Barkhamsted *

Burlington Burlington may refer to: Places Canada Geography * Burlington, Newfoundland and Labrador * Burlington, Nova Scotia * Burlington, Ontario, the most populous city with the name "Burlington" * Burlington, Prince Edward Island * Burlington Bay, no ...

* Canaan * Colebrook * Cornwall * Goshen * Hartland * Harwinton * Kent * Litchfield * Morris * New Hartford * Norfolk * North Canaan * Roxbury * Salisbury *

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 ...

* Torrington *

Warren A warren is a network of wild rodent or lagomorph, typically rabbit burrows. Domestic warrens are artificial, enclosed establishment of animal husbandry dedicated to the raising of rabbits for meat and fur. The term evolved from the medieval Angl ...

* Washington *

Winchester Winchester is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs Nation ...

Characteristics

The Litchfield hills are known for their distinct rural scenery, which can stand in contrast to central and southern Connecticut, which is largely urbanized or suburbanized. (However, there is some encroachment of development into the region as people from greater Hartford move west and people from New York City, northern New Jersey, and parts of Fairfield County move north.) This region is a key part of 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 ...

and Farmington River watersheds, and encompasses a number of Connecticut's highest peaks, such as Bear Mountain and Canaan Mountain. Most of the region comprises forested and rocky hills with farmland and small towns interspersed in the flatter areas. The terrain in the Litchfield Hills area varies from gently rolling to the south and east to more mountainous toward the north and west. The region generally experiences colder temperatures due to higher elevation. The Litchfield Hills, like the rest of Northwest Connecticut, are known for their town greens, fall foliage, and historical architecture. The hills comprise the southernmost portion of

the Berkshires The Berkshires () are a highland geologic region located in the western parts of Massachusetts and northwest Connecticut. The term "Berkshires" is normally used by locals in reference to the portion of the Vermont-based Green Mountains that ex ...

. This region also plays host to a large portion of the state's small vineyard and wine industry. Historically, the region was well known for the limestone, iron, and

dairy A dairy is a business enterprise established for the harvesting or processing (or both) of animal milk – mostly from cows or buffaloes, but also from goats, sheep, horses, or camels – for human consumption. A dairy is typically located on ...

industries. A unique term to the region is the word "

raggie ''Raggie'' ( et, Sipsik; da, Ida og PjalteRaggie

white trash White trash is a derogatory racial and class-related slur used in American English to refer to poor white people, especially in the rural southern United States. The label signifies a social class inside the white population and especially a d ...

". The term probably originated from iron workers from Mount Riga in Salisbury. These workers were often poor immigrants that wore grubby clothes as a result of their work. After the iron works closed down, the workers moved to Norfolk, Winsted, and Torrington, and the name stuck. The term "raggie" is rarely, if ever, heard elsewhere.

Subregions

Northwestern Connecticut

The towns included in the Northwestern Connecticut region are: Canaan, Cornwall, Kent, North Canaan, Roxbury, Salisbury,

, Washington. Unlike the rest of Connecticut, the portion of Northwestern Connecticut around the upper

contains more alkaline soils due to the underlying limestone. The flatter regions around the Housatonic River provide some of the best soils for farming in

. Due to the rural feel of the area, the region is an extremely popular location for second homes, primarily with New York City residents. The hills are rural enough to offer an escape from city life, yet close enough (less than 90 miles) to visit on weekends. Many visitors also arrive in the autumn to witness the fall foliage, and to visit the region's covered bridges or its many waterfalls. The area has been and continues to be home to many famous or wealthy residents, including Mia Farrow, Meryl Streep, Dustin Hoffman, Denis Leary, Kevin Bacon, This region is very similar to portions of

Berkshire County, Massachusetts Berkshire County (pronounced ) is a county on the western edge of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. As of the 2020 census, the population was 129,026. Its largest city and traditional county seat is Pittsfield. The county was founded in ...

, which lies just to the north. Northwestern Connecticut is known for its cultural activities, such as chamber performances at Music Mountain in Canaan and a wide array of art galleries. The region is also home to preparatory schools, such as the

Hotchkiss School The Hotchkiss School is a coeducational University-preparatory school#North America, preparatory school in Lakeville, Connecticut, United States. Hotchkiss is a member of the Eight Schools Association and Ten Schools Admissions Organization. It i ...

, Kent School,

Marvelwood School , motto_translation = , address = 476 Skiff Mountain Rd , region = New England , city = Kent , county = Litchfield, Connecticut , state = Con ...

, and

the Gunnery The Frederick Gunn School is a private, coeducational, boarding and day prep school for students in grades 9-12 and post graduate, located in rural Connecticut, United States. The campus borders the village green of Washington, a small, histori ...

Litchfield Hills

The Litchfield Hills region is also known as the Upper Naugatuck Valley and consists of the towns of Barkhamsted, Bethlehem, Colebrook, Goshen, Hartland, Harwinton, Litchfield, Morris, New Hartford, Norfolk, Torrington, and

. The Litchfield Hills feel a stronger pull toward industry than Northwestern Connecticut, with manufacturing centering on the Naugatuck River in Torrington and Mad River in Winsted. Historically, brass, needles, scythes, and other products were manufactured in the area. However, the rural areas still retain industries such as

vineyards A vineyard (; also ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is known as viticulture. Vineyards ...

, and stone. This region is sometimes included with the Naugatuck River Valley. Originally settled in the mid 18th century as agriculturally based towns, the areas with access to flowing water began to develop industries in the 19th century. As the

Midwest The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four Census Bureau Region, census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of ...

opened up to settlement, many farmers headed west in search of better farming opportunities. Among these included the

John Brown John Brown most often refers to: *John Brown (abolitionist) (1800–1859), American who led an anti-slavery raid in Harpers Ferry, Virginia in 1859 John Brown or Johnny Brown may also refer to: Academia * John Brown (educator) (1763–1842), Ir ...

family, originally from Torrington. Some notable areas settled by people from the Litchfield Hills include the Western Reserve of Ohio and

Torrington, Wyoming Torrington is a city in, and the county seat of, Goshen County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 6,501 at the 2010 census. It is the home of Eastern Wyoming College, and is the surrounding region's center of commercial activity. With ...

. Around the time industry became important in the area, many immigrants came to work in the factories. Many of the immigrants in the Litchfield Hills area came from Italy, Ireland, Lebanon, Poland, and Slovakia. Later in the 20th century, many of these industries declined or relocated, producing conditions similar to the Midwestern rust belt, but on a smaller scale. Today, tourism remains an important industry for the Litchfield Hills. The eastern towns, including Hartland, Barkhamsted, and New Hartford contain large water supply reservoirs to the city of Hartford. Culturally, the Litchfield Hills are politically more conservative than the rest of Connecticut, with

being the only county in the state to vote for

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

in the 2004 election. The region contains its own section in the Waterbury '' Republican-American'', which covers local events and news. The region is also split between allegiance to the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, with the southwestern part of the region generally supporting the Yankees and northeastern part of the region generally supporting the Red Sox.

Notable people

Ethan Allen Ethan Allen ( – February 12, 1789) was an American farmer, businessman, land speculator, philosopher, writer, lay theologian, American Revolutionary War patriot, and politician. He is best known as one of the founders of Vermont and for ...

, Revolutionary War hero and leader of the

Vermont Republic The Vermont Republic ( French: ''République du Vermont''), officially known at the time as the State of Vermont ( French: ''État du Vermont''), was an independent state in New England that existed from January 15, 1777, to March 4, 1791. The ...

* Ira Allen, leader of the Vermont Republic * Henry Ward Beecher, Congregational minister and abolitionist * Lyman Beecher, Congregational minister *

, abolitionist * Lorenzo Carter, pioneer in the Western Reserve * Thomas Chittenden, governor of Vermont * Jonathan Edwards (the younger), Congregational minister, Native American linguist, and abolitionist *

Charles Finney Charles Grandison Finney (August 29, 1792 – August 16, 1875) was an American Presbyterian minister and leader in the Second Great Awakening in the United States. He has been called the "Father of Old Revivalism." Finney rejected much of tradi ...

, Presbyterian minister and revivalist *

Madeleine L'Engle Madeleine L'Engle DStJ (; November 29, 1918 – September 6, 2007) was an American writer of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and young adult fiction, including ''A Wrinkle in Time'' and its sequels: ''A Wind in the Door'', ''A Swiftly Tilting Plan ...

, author *

Elam Luddington Elam Luddington, Jr. (also spelled Ludington; November 23, 1806 – March 22, 1893) was a Mormon pioneer, officer in the Mormon Battalion, first Mormon missionary, missionary of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) to preac ...

, Mormon missionary *

Seth MacFarlane Seth Woodbury MacFarlane (; born October 26, 1973) is an American actor, animator, filmmaker, comedian, and singer. He is the creator and star of the television series ''Family Guy'' (since 1999) and ''The Orville'' (since 2017), and co-creator ...

, cartoonist *

Michael J. McGivney Michael Joseph McGivney (August 12, 1852August 14, 1890) was an Irish-American Catholic priest based in New Haven, Connecticut. He founded the Knights of Columbus at a local parish to serve as a mutual aid and fraternal insurance organization, p ...

, founder of the Knights of Columbus * Admiral Charles B. McVay III, Captain of

USS Indianapolis Four ships of the United States Navy have been named USS ''Indianapolis'': * was a cargo ship commissioned 12 December 1918 and decommissioned 9 July 1919. * was a heavy cruiser commissioned in 1932 and sunk in July 1945. * was a ''Los Angeles' ...

at the end of World War II *

Samuel John Mills Samuel John Mills Jr. (April 12, 1783 – June 16, 1818) was an American preacher and missionary from Connecticut. He is known for contributing to the organization of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions and to the formation of t ...

, Congregational missionary * Ralph Nader, politician *

Henry Obookiah Henry Ōpūkahaia (circa 1792–1818) was one of the first native Hawaiians to become a Christian, inspiring American Protestant missionaries to come to the islands during the 19th century. He is credited with starting Hawaii's conversion to Chris ...

, Hawaiian native instrumental in founding the

Foreign Mission School The Foreign Mission School was an educational institution which operated between 1817 and 1826 in Cornwall, Connecticut. It was established by the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions. The ABCFM was focused on sending missionaries ...

Tapping Reeve Tapping Reeve (October 1, 1744 – December 13, 1823) was an American lawyer, judge, and law educator. In 1784 he opened the Litchfield Law School, the first law school in the United States, in Litchfield, Connecticut. Early life Tapping Reev ...

, lawyer and educator * Thomas Robbins, Congregational minister and librarian * John Sedgwick, Civil War commander *

Harriet Beecher Stowe Harriet Elisabeth Beecher Stowe (; June 14, 1811 – July 1, 1896) was an American author and abolitionist. She came from the religious Beecher family and became best known for her novel ''Uncle Tom's Cabin'' (1852), which depicts the harsh ...

, writer and abolitionist * Oliver Wolcott, politician

References

External links

Hiking/outdoor activity information for Berkshire Mountains, Hudson Valley, and Litchfield HillsNorthwest Connecticut Convention and Visitors BureauConservation Efforts in the Mid-Atlantic Highlands Region
{{Authority control Tourist attractions in Litchfield County, Connecticut Regions of Connecticut Geography of Litchfield County, Connecticut