New Milford 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 o ...

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 th ...

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 (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

. The town is in

western Connecticut Western Connecticut is a geographic region of Connecticut located in the southwest corner of the state. Numerous towns are part of the Western Connecticut Council of Governments (or WestCOG), one 9 regional councils of governments in Connecticu ...

, 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 ...

, on the banks of the Housatonic River, and it shares its border with the northeastern shore of

Candlewood Lake Candlewood Lake is a manmade lake located in Fairfield and Litchfield counties of Western Connecticut, in the northeastern United States. At , it is the largest lake in Connecticut and the largest lake within a 60 mile radius of New York City ...

. It is the largest town in the state of Connecticut in terms of land area at nearly 63.7 mi² (164.9822 km²). The population was 28,115 according to the 2020 census. The town center is listed as a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, suc ...

(CDP). The northern portion of the town is part of the region of northwestern Connecticut, and the far eastern portions are part of the

Litchfield Hills 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 Litchfiel ...

region. New Milford is located roughly west of Hartford; southwest of

Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield is a city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States, and the seat of Hampden County. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, th ...

; southeast of

Albany, New York Albany ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of New York, also the seat and largest city of Albany County. Albany is on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River, and about north of New York Cit ...

; and northeast of

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. Within the confines of Litchfield County, New Milford is directly bordered (in clockwise listing) by 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 ...

to the north,

New Preston New Preston is a rural village and census-designated place (CDP) in the northwest corner of the town of Washington, Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population of the New Preston CDP was 1,182, out of 3, ...

to the north-northeast,

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

(northeast) and

Roxbury Roxbury may refer to: Places ;Canada * Roxbury, Nova Scotia * Roxbury, Prince Edward Island ;United States * Roxbury, Connecticut * Roxbury, Kansas * Roxbury, Maine * Roxbury, Boston, a municipality that was later integrated into the city of Bo ...

(southeast) to the east, and Bridgewater to the south-southeast; it is bordered by Fairfield County to the immediate south and west—specifically the Fairfield County towns of Brookfield to the south, New Fairfield to the southwest, and Sherman to the west. New Milford consists of a number of town sub-divisions ( i.e. districts, communities, or neigborhoods), including Gaylordsville, Merryall, and Northville. The town's infrastructure largely branches off of either side of the highway routes US 7 and US 202, which meet and split within the town and together form its main thoroughfare. The area constituting contemporary New Milford was originally inhabited by the indigenous Wawyachtonoc people, while the town of New Milford itself was formally established by

English colonists The colonial history of the United States covers the history of European colonization of North America from the early 17th century until the incorporation of the Thirteen Colonies into the United States after the Revolutionary War. In the ...

in the early 18th century. During the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revoluti ...

, a number of men from New Milford fought as soldiers in the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

. During the early- to mid- 19th century, New Milford was home to several locations that were part of the Underground Railroad network. From the late 19th century until roughly the middle of the

20th century The 20th (twentieth) century began on January 1, 1901 ( MCMI), and ended on December 31, 2000 ( MM). The 20th century was dominated by significant events that defined the modern era: Spanish flu pandemic, World War I and World War II, nucle ...

, the town saw significant growth in industry. Since the beginning of the

21st century The 21st (twenty-first) century is the current century in the ''Anno Domini'' era or Common Era, under the Gregorian calendar. It began on 1 January 2001 ( MMI) and will end on 31 December 2100 ( MMC). Marking the beginning of the 21st centur ...

, New Milford has witnessed a relatively large growth in population, and remains a common destination for visitors from both the state of Connecticut and out of state, largely owing to its popular downtown and large town green. The town is also frequented on weekends between the months of April and December, when visitors attend th
Elephant's Trunk Flea Market
a large outdoor

flea market A flea market (or swap meet) is a type of street market that provides space for vendors to sell previously-owned (second-hand) goods. This type of market is often seasonal. However, in recent years there has been the development of 'formal ...

which WRKI has claimed to be the largest weekly flea market in New England.

History

Native Americans

The indigenous Wawyachtonoc lived in the area of modern New Milford both before and during the colonial era. They had a farming and fishing culture, cultivating corn, squash, beans and tobacco, and fishing in freshwater areas. They may have also traveled to the coast to fish during the summer months. They spoke an Algonquian language.

Colonial times

In 1707, John Noble Sr., previously of Westfield, Massachusetts, and his eight-year-old daughter Sarah Noble were the first Anglo-American settlers. (A public school was later named after Sarah Noble.) They were soon joined by others who had bought land there."New Milford History"
, ''Learning Zone'' section, Historical Society of New Milford website, accessed August 2, 2006 On October 17, 1711, twelve families (including a total about 70 people) petitioned the

Connecticut General Assembly The Connecticut General Assembly (CGA) is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is a bicameral body composed of the 151-member House of Representatives and the 36-member Senate. It meets in the state capital, Hartford. ...

to create the town, together with the associated privilege of levying a tax to support a minister. With the legislature's approval, the town was organized the next year. The residents soon secured Daniel Boardman to preach, and he was ordained as the minister of the

Congregational Church Congregational churches (also Congregationalist churches or Congregationalism) are Protestant churches in the Calvinist tradition practising congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its ...

on November 21, 1716. In 1722, most of northwestern Connecticut (except for the town of Litchfield) was placed under the jurisdiction of New Haven County. In 1730, the eastern half of northwestern Connecticut was transferred to the jurisdiction of Hartford County. But New Milford,

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 ...

and Sharon continued in New Haven County until the formation of Litchfield County in 1751.

American Revolution

Roger Sherman Roger Sherman (April 19, 1721 – July 23, 1793) was an American statesman, lawyer, and a Founding Father of the United States. He is the only person to sign four of the great state papers of the United States related to the founding: the Con ...

lived in New Milford before moving to

New Haven New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,023 ...

in 1761. He later became a member of the Continental Congress and signed both the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution. The lot of his former house is the site of the present Town Hall. During the American Revolution, the 7th Connecticut Regiment (also known as the 19th Continental Regiment) was raised in town on September 16, 1776. The regiment, and the New Milford men in it, would see action in the Battle of Brandywine, Battle of Germantown and the Battle of Monmouth. In total, the town "sent 285 men to fight in the War out of a total population of 2,776."

The Boardman family

David Sherman Boardman David Sherman Boardman (December 8, 1768 – December 2, 1864) was an American lawyer, judge, and state assemblyman in the early United States. The youngest child of Deacon Sherman and Sarah (Bostwick) Boardman, he lived for nearly his entire ...

(1768–1864) was the youngest child of

Deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Chur ...

Sherman and Sarah (Bostwick) Boardman. He became a lawyer in town and later chief judge in Litchfield County Court. He served as judge of probate for the district of New Milford in 1805, and held the place by successive annual appointments for sixteen years. He was elected Representative to the General Assembly eight times. * Elijah Boardman (1760–1823) was a

U.S. senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and power ...

representing Connecticut. Born in New Milford, he was educated by private tutors, and served in the Revolutionary War. *

William Whiting Boardman William Whiting Boardman (October 10, 1794 – August 27, 1871) was a politician and United States Representative from Connecticut. Biography Born in New Milford, Connecticut, William Whiting Boardman was the son of Elijah Boardman, Senator E ...

(1794–1871), a U.S. Representative born in town, was the son of Elijah Boardman. He was a Connecticut

state senator A state senator is a member of a state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. Description A state senator is a member of an upper house in the bicameral legislatures of ...

in the fourth district, 1830–32, a member of the Connecticut State House of Representatives, 1836–1839, 1845, and 1849–1851; Speaker of the Connecticut State House of Representatives, 1836, 1839, and 1845; US Representative from Connecticut's second district, 1840–1843. He died in New Haven, and is interred at Grove Street Cemetery in New Milford. Public Library, New Milford, CT

19th and 20th centuries

In the second half of the 19th century, many new industries came to town. The Water Witch Hose Company No. 2, local telephone and electricity companies, and newspapers were all founded. Factories in town made buttons, paint and varnish, hats, furniture, pottery, lime, dairy products and pasteboard, among other goods.

Tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...

became the major crop in the area, and tobacco warehouses sprang up to handle its storage and processing before sales. In 1942 Buck's Rock Camp was founded off Bucks Rock Road, and has remained in operation ever since.

21st century

The town has constructed a 1,000,000-gallon sewer plant expansion on West Street, a sewer pump station on Boardman Road, reconstruction of the Rte. 67/ Grove Street Intersection, and ambulance facility on Scovill Street. The town has added a skate park at Young's Field (2006), reconstructed the tennis and basketball courts at Young's Field (2010), reconstructed the basketball court at Williamson Park in Gaylordsville (2010), and improved Lynn Deming Park (2017), and is working on the New Milford River Trail, which will eventually join the existing 1.5-mile Sega Meadows Park trail (2012), 3.5 miles of River Road, and the 0.25-mile Young's Field River Trail (2017) and link them to the greenways in the neighboring towns of Brookfield and Kent. Several streetscape projects were completed by the Department of Public Works (DPW) with grant money on Church Street, Whittlesey Avenue, and the west side of East Street (2009/2010). Candlewoof Dog Park is completed on Pickett District Road. A bocce ball court was constructed at the Senior Center by Boy Scout Troop 66 (2012).

National Register of Historic Places sites

* Boardman's Bridge – Boardman Road at Housatonic River, northwest of New Milford (added June 13, 1976) * Carl F. Schoverling Tobacco Warehouse – 1 Wellsville Avenue (added May 12, 1982) * E. A. Wildman & Co. Tobacco Warehouse – 34 Bridge Street (added November 20, 1988) * Hine-Buckingham Farms – 44, 46, and 48 Upland Road, 78, 81 Crossman Road (added June 7, 2004) * Housatonic Railroad Station – Railroad Street (added April 1, 1984) * J. S. Halpine Tobacco Warehouse – West and Mill Streets (added 1982) * John Glover Noble House (added September 29, 1977) *

Lover's Leap Bridge The Lover's Leap Bridge is a wrought-iron lenticular truss bridge over the Housatonic River located in Lovers Leap State Park in New Milford, Connecticut. Built in 1895 by the Berlin Iron Bridge Company, it is one of the last bridges built by the ...

– south of New Milford on Pumpkin Hill Road (added June 13, 1976) * Merritt Beach & Son Building – 30 Bridge Street (added May 28, 1992) * Merryall Union Evangelical Society Chapel – Chapel Hill Road (added July 5, 1986) * New Milford Center Historic District – Bennitt and Elm Streets, Center Cemetery, East, South Main, Mill, and Railroad Streets (added July 13, 1986) * United Bank Building – 19-21 Main Street (added May 12, 1982)

Geography

New Milford is located on the northeastern shore of

. The

Aspetuck River The Aspetuck River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 1, 2011 river in the U.S. state of Connecticut. The river rises in the hills located in Huntington State P ...

, Still River and Housatonic River flow through the town. 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 th ...

, the town has a total area of , making it the largest town in Connecticut. Behind New Milford is Greenwich with 47.62 square miles . of New Milford is land, and of New Milford (3.40%) is water. The CDP corresponding to the town center has a total area of . of it is land and of it (0.88%) is water.

Principal communities

* Gaylordsville (06755) * Boardman Bridge * Lower Merryall * Merwinsville * New Milford Center * Northville * Park Lane * Still River * Upper Merryall * Lanesville * Downtown * Candlewood Hills * Sunny Valley * SouthSide

Climate

New Milford has a humid

continental climate Continental climates often have a significant annual variation in temperature (warm summers and cold winters). They tend to occur in the middle latitudes (40 to 55 north), within large landmasses where prevailing winds blow overland bringing so ...

, with mild to warm humid summers and cold to very cold winters. The highest recorded temperature was 103 °F (39 °C) in July 1966, while the lowest recorded temperature was −18 °F (−28 °C) in January 1968. Snowfall is generally frequent in winter while average precipitation is most common in September.

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 inc ...

of 2010, there were 28,142 people, 10,618 households, and 7,503 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 11,731 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 91.71%

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 ...

, 1.72%

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 ha ...

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 ...

, 0.24% Native American, 2.77% Asian, 0.04%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/ racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 1.65% from other races, and 1.87% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, 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 viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race was 6.02% of the population. Of the 10,618 households, 33.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.0% were married couples living together, 8.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.3% were non-families. 23.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.13. In the town, the population had 24.30% under the age of 18, 6.87% from 18 to 24, 24.90% from 25 to 44, 31.75% from 45 to 64, and 12.18% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41.4 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.6 males. As of the 2000 Census the median income for a household in the town was $65,354, and the median income for a family was $75,775. Males had a median income of $50,523 versus $34,089 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 $29,630. About 2.1% of families and 3.3% 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 ...

, including 2.7% of those under age 18 and 5.5% of those age 65 or over.

Religion

According to statistical data offered by Sperling's BestPlaces, 43.3% of the population of the New Milford CDP is religious, with

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global popula ...

being the primary faith practiced: 40.1% of the population identify as Christian, and the largest share of Christians in the town CDP are those professing

Roman Catholicism The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

, at 26.6% of the population. Smaller Christian communities (by percentage share of the town CDP population, ordered from greatest to least) include

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

denominations:

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their n ...

s (4.7%),

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's ...

s (2.9%), Episcopalians (2.3%),

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched ...

s (1.4%),

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only ( believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul c ...

s (0.7%), and

Pentecostal Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestantism, Protestant Charismatic Christianity, Charismatic Christian movement Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The ...

(

Mormon Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into se ...

s), and 0.9% of the population belong to another

Christian denomination A Christian denomination is a distinct Religion, religious body within Christianity that comprises all Church (congregation), church congregations of the same kind, identifiable by traits such as a name, particular history, organization, leadersh ...

otherwise unlisted. 0.3% of the population identify as religiously

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

(practicing

Judaism Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in th ...

) and 1.8% practice an Eastern faith. New Milford is known for its large church and religious school, the nondenominational Faith Church. It is also home to two Catholic churches; a Lutheran church; a Christian Science community; a longstanding Quaker community; a house of worship belonging to the

United Church of Christ The United Church of Christ (UCC) is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination based in the United States, with historical and confessional roots in the Congregational, Calvinist, Lutheran, and Anabaptist traditions, and with approximatel ...

; a

United Methodist The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was a leader in evangelica ...

church; and an Assemblies of God (Pentecostal) church; as well the Episcopalian (Anglican) St. John's Episcopal Church, located next to the town green. A Jewish

synagogue A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of wor ...

, Temple Sholom, is located near the town's border with Sherman. The Canterbury School, a well-known Catholic

boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of " room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. As they have existed for many centuries, and now exte ...

, is located near downtown New Milford. A Shaivite

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

ashram An ashram ( sa, आश्रम, ) is a spiritual hermitage or a monastery in Indian religions. Etymology The Sanskrit noun is a thematic nominal derivative from the root 'toil' (<

Kashmiri Shaivism Kashmir Shaivism or Trika Shaivism, is a nondualist tradition of Shaiva-Shakta Tantra which originated sometime after 850 CE. Since this tradition originated in Kashmir it is often called "Kashmiri Shaivism". It later went on to become a pan ...

, the Supreme Meditation Ashram, was once located on Sega Drive off of Danbury Road, the portion of Route 7 that runs through the town. A small

Theravadin ''Theravāda'' () ( si, ථේරවාදය, my, ထေရဝါဒ, th, เถรวาท, km, ថេរវាទ, lo, ເຖຣະວາດ, pi, , ) is the most commonly accepted name of Buddhism's oldest existing school. The school' ...

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

, a division of the

Preah Buddha Rangsey Temple Preah Buddha Rangsey Temple, also spelled Phra Buddha Ransi Temple, is a Cambodian Theravada Buddhist temple located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 2004, the Khmer Buddhist Humanitarian Association relocated the temple to the dilapidated St. ...

, has recently opened in the town on Danbury Road.
According to the recommendation engine Dwellics
57.7% of the population of New Milford is irreligious, including those who identify as

atheist Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...

agnostic Agnosticism is the view or belief that the existence of God, of the divine or the supernatural is unknown or unknowable. (page 56 in 1967 edition) Another definition provided is the view that "human reason is incapable of providing sufficien ...

; while 1.7% of the town's population is made up of Buddhists.

Sports

New Milford is home to the GMS Rowing Center. Founded in 2003, it manages a US Rowing Training Center Program. It has a highly successful Middle and High School (Junior) Program which competes at Youth National Championships, Junior National Team Trials, The "Royal Canadian Henley" and has sent rowers to the Junior World Rowing Championships. In 2011 GMS also had rowers representing the US at the Under 23 World Championships in Amsterdam, The Netherlands and at the World Rowing Championships at Bled, Slovenia.

Education

Elementary schools

* Northville Elementary School * Hill & Plain Elementary School

Intermediate schools

* Sarah Noble Intermediate School * Schaghticoke Middle School

High schools

* New Milford High School

Private schools

* Canterbury School **New Milford is home to the Canterbury School, a well-known

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

. The school's Chapel of Our Lady features the Jose M. Ferrer Memorial Carillon. The house that inspired the 1946 novel and 1948 film, '' Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House'', still stands in the Merryall section of town. * Faith Preparatory * Education without Walls

Infrastructure

Transportation

New Milford is served by fixed-bus routes of the

Housatonic Area Regional Transit Housatonic Area Regional Transit, known popularly as HARTransit (formerly as HART), is the provider of public transportation for Danbury, Connecticut and surrounding communities. HARTransit was founded in 1972 as the Danbury-Bethel Transit Distr ...

. The main highways of the town are U.S. Route 7 and U.S. Route 202. The long-awaited completion of Super 7 happened in November 2009. The realignment of Grove Street and Prospect Hill Road (Rte. 67) was completed in the fall of 2010. The Department of Public Works (DPW) awarded Stimulus ARRA Project 95-249 Grove Street (south of Anderson Ave) and Boardman Road (west of O+G Quarry). This was completed in the fall of 2010. There has been continued talk about a proposal to electrify and restore the Danbury Branch of the Metro-North Railroad north of

to New Milford. These efforts have included a Rail Study in 2008, proposed state legislation in 2017, and stimulus money in 2021. Candlelight Farms Airport is located 3 miles southwest of downtown, featuring a single grass runway and helipad.

Notable people

* Léonie Fuller Adams (1899–1988), poetry consultant to the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The libra ...

(now titled

poet laureate A poet laureate (plural: poets laureate) is a poet officially appointed by a government or conferring institution, typically expected to compose poems for special events and occasions. Albertino Mussato of Padua and Francesco Petrarca (Petrarch ...

) * Charles A. Beard (1874–1948), historian, activist * Mary R. Beard (1876–1958), historian, activist * Elizabeth Bentley (1908–1963), spy *

(1768–1864), lawyer, judge and politician * Elijah Boardman (1760–1823), U.S. senator *

(1794–1871), U.S. congressman *

Emily Sophie Brown Emily Sophie Brown (1881–1985) was an American politician who in 1920 became one of the first five women elected to the Connecticut House of Representatives. Brown subsequently served as a New Haven County commissioner from 1922 to 1927. She w ...

(1881–1985), one of the first women to serve in the Connecticut House of Representatives *

Kenny Coolbeth Kenny Coolbeth (born March 30, 1977) is a flat track motorcycle racer from Warren Connecticut, United States. He won the 2006, 2007, and 2008 AMA Grand National Championship. He races the #2 Indian motorcycle. He attended Wamogo Regional High ...

(born 1977), motorcycling champion * Fortunato Depero (1892–1960), painter, writer, sculptor and graphic designer * Jack Douglas (1908–1989), writer * Florence Eldridge (1901–1988), stage and screen actress *

Diane von Fürstenberg Diane von Fürstenberg (born Diane Simone Michele Halfin, 31 December 1946) is a Belgians, Belgian fashion designer best known for her wrap dress. She initially rose to prominence in 1969 when she married into the German princely House of Fürst ...

(born 1946), fashion designer, who plans to be buried at her farm in town * Peter Gallagher, actor * Ethan Hawke (born 1970), actor, writer * Lillian Hellman (1905–1984), playwright * Skitch Henderson (1918–2005), pianist, composer and conductor * Eric Hodgins (1899–1971), author * Ian Hunter (born 1939), English singer-songwriter * Keith Kane, guitarist and founding member of Vertical Horizon * Eartha Kitt (1927–2008), singer, actress, author * Columbia Lancaster (1803–1893), U.S. congressman * Jeremy Levin, businessman, physician and scientist * Max Lowenthal (1888–1971), lawyer and civil servant * Fredric March (1897–1975), film and stage actor *

Florence Maybrick Florence Elizabeth Chandler Maybrick (3 September 1862 – 23 October 1941) was an American woman convicted in the United Kingdom of murdering her husband, cotton merchant James Maybrick. Early life Florence Maybrick was born Florence Elizabet ...

(1862–1941), accused murderer, prison reform advocate * Hap Moran (1901–1994), football player * Dhan Gopal Mukerji (1890–1936), writer, author, Newbery Medal recipient 1928 *

William H. Noble William Henry Noble (September 22, 1788 – February 5, 1850) was an American businessman and politician who served one term as a U.S. Representative from New York from 1837 to 1839. Biography Born in New Milford, Connecticut, received a l ...

(1788–1850), U.S. congressman * M. Scott Peck (1936–2005), psychiatrist and self-help author * Natacha Rambova (1897–1966), costume and set designer, dancer, actress, academic, former wife of Rudolph Valentino * Thomas Riley, US ambassador to Morocco 2003–2009 *

Joan Rivers Joan Alexandra Molinsky (June 8, 1933 – September 4, 2014), known professionally as Joan Rivers, was an American comedian, actress, producer, writer and television host. She was noted for her blunt, often controversial comedic persona—heavi ...

(1933–2014), comedian, actress, writer, producer *

(1721–1793), signer of Declaration of Independence and

Constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When these pr ...

Jean Simmons Jean Merilyn Simmons, (31 January 1929 – 22 January 2010) was a British actress and singer. One of J. Arthur Rank's "well-spoken young starlets", she appeared predominantly in films, beginning with those made in Great Britain during and aft ...

(1929–2010), British actress *

Eric Sloane Eric Sloane (born Everard Jean Hinrichs) (27 February 1905 – 5 March 1985) was an American landscape painter, illustrator, and author of illustrated books on the cultural history and folklore of America. Life and career Eric Sloane was born ...

(1905–1985), artist * Walker Todd (1786–1840), lawyer, member of the New York State Senate (2nd D.) and Inspector of Mount Pleasant State Prison * Solmous Wakeley (1794–1867), pioneer Wisconsin legislator * Joseph J. Went (born 1930), general * Horace Wheaton (1803–1882), U.S. congressman * Theodore White (1915–1986), political author of the 1960s–1970s

Movies filmed in New Milford

The following movies with their actual or expected year of release have been filmed in New Milford:
"Internet Movie DataBase" Web site, "New Milford, Connecticut" Web page, accessed August 2, 2006 * ''The Brass Ring'' (1983) (TV) * ''

Mr. Deeds ''Mr. Deeds'' is a 2002 American comedy film directed by Steven Brill, written by Tim Herlihy, and starring Adam Sandler and Winona Ryder with Peter Gallagher, Jared Harris, Allen Covert, Erick Avari, and John Turturro in supporting roles. I ...

'' (2002) * '' Zero Day'' (2003) * ''What Alice Found'' (2003) * '' The Ballad of Jack and Rose'' (2005) * '' The Six Wives of Henry LeFay'' (2007) * ''

The Private Lives of Pippa Lee ''The Private Lives of Pippa Lee'' is a 2009 American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Rebecca Miller. The screenplay is based on her novel of the same name. It features an ensemble cast including Robin Wright, Alan Arkin, Maria ...

'' (2009) * ''25/8'' renamed to '' My Soul to Take'' (2009)

References

External links

*
New Milford Chamber of Commerce
* * {{authority control Towns in Litchfield County, Connecticut Populated places established in 1707 1707 establishments in Connecticut Towns in the New York metropolitan area Towns in Connecticut