Canaan is a village and

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), 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 counte ...

(CDP) within the

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

of North Canaan in Litchfield County,

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

, United States. Formerly known as Canaan Depot, the village is more commonly known as Canaan Village to distinguish it from the town of Canaan located to the south of North Canaan. The Canaan Village Historic District is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

. As of the 2010 census, the CDP had a population of 1,212, out of a total population of 3,315 in the town of North Canaan. The historic district comprises about , covering the central business district and surrounding residences of the village that preserve the period from the mid-19th to early 20th centuries. Canaan village developed as a regional commercial center, first by the construction of the north–south

Housatonic Railroad The Housatonic Railroad ( ; ) is a Class III railroad operating in southwestern New England and eastern New York. It was chartered in 1983 to operate a short section of ex-New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad in northwestern Connecticut, a ...

, and then by the arrival of the east–west Connecticut Western Railroad. This junction made the village a major transit point for bringing the area's commercial goods to market. The district includes the Canaan Union Depot, built in 1872 to serve the two railroads. The Canaan Fire Company was established in 1911.

Geography

Canaan village is in the northwestern corner of the town of North Canaan. The CDP is bordered 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 ...

, by the town of

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, situated south of Leeds and east of Manchester. The city is the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire and some of its so ...

, and to the north by the town of

Berkshire County, Massachusetts Berkshire County (pronounced ) is the Western Massachusetts, westernmost County (United States), county in the U.S. state, U.S. state of Massachusetts. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 129,026. Its la ...

. The Blackberry River, a tributary of the Housatonic, forms the southern edge of the CDP. The eastern border of the CDP follows (from north to south) U.S. Route 7 (Ashley Falls Road), North Elm Street, Granger Lane, Daisy Hill Road, Lime Kiln Road, East Main Street ( U.S. Route 44), and Elm Street (US 7 south) to the Blackberry River. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the CDP has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 1,288 people, 597 households, and 337 families residing in the CDP. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 622 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 95.96%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 1.48%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.16% Native American, 0.39% Asian, 0.00%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, 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 th ...

, 0.78% from other races, and 1.24% from two or more races. 4.11% of the population were

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race. There were 597 households, out of which 27.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.5% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 12.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.4% were non-families. 38.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.89. In the CDP the population was spread out, with 22.5% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 28.3% from 25 to 44, 21.8% from 45 to 64, and 20.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.5 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $30,438, and the median income for a family was $44,000. Males had a median income of $31,861 versus $23,375 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the CDP was $18,816. 6.7% of the population and 5.2% of families 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 ...

. 3.5% of those under the age of 18 and 6.2% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

References

{{Litchfield County, Connecticut North Canaan, Connecticut Historic districts in Litchfield County, Connecticut Census-designated places in Litchfield County, Connecticut Villages in Litchfield County, Connecticut National Register of Historic Places in Litchfield County, Connecticut Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut

Geography

Demographics

See also

References