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Darien, Connecticut
Town
Boston Post Road in Darien's retail district
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Fairfield County and Connecticut Western Connecticut Planning Region and Connecticut
Show DarienShow ConnecticutShow the United States
Coordinates: 41°03′04″N 73°28′45″W / 41.05111°N 73.47917°W / 41.05111; -73.47917
Country	United States
U.S. state	Connecticut
County	Fairfield
Region	Western CT
Incorporated	1820
Government
• Type	Representative town meeting
• First selectman	Jon Zagrodzky (R)
• Selectmen	Michael Burke (D) Marcy Minnick (R) Monica McNally (R) Sarah Neumann (D)
Area
• Total	23.4 sq mi (60.6 km)
• Land	12.9 sq mi (33.4 km)
• Water	10.6 sq mi (27.4 km)
Elevation	52 ft (16 m)
Population
• Total	21,499
• Density	1,666.6/sq mi (643.5/km)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (Eastern)
ZIP Code	06820
Area code(s)	203/475
FIPS code	09-18850
GNIS feature ID	0213416
Website	www.darienct.gov

Darien (/ˌdɛəriˈæn/ DAIR-ee-AN) is a coastal town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. With a population of 21,499 and a land area of just under 13 square miles (34 km), it is the smallest town on Connecticut's Gold Coast.

Situated on the Long Island Sound between the cities of Stamford and Norwalk, Darien is a commuter town for New York City. There are two railroad stations in Darien, Noroton Heights and Darien, linking the town to Grand Central Terminal.

History

According to early records, the first clearings of land were made by men from the New Haven and Wethersfield colonies and from Norwalk in about 1641. It was not until 1739, however, that the Middlesex Society of the Town of Stamford built the first community church, now the First Congregational Church of Darien, which stands on the original site at the corner of Brookside Road and the Boston Post Road.

Tories raided the town several times during the American Revolution; at one point, they took 26 men in the parish prisoner for five months, including the Reverend Moses Mather, pastor of the parish. The Loyalist-Patriot conflict in Darien is the setting for the novel Tory Hole, the first book by children's author Louise Hall Tharp. Middlesex Parish was incorporated as the Town of Darien in 1820.

According to the Darien Historical Society, the name Darien was decided upon when the residents of the town could not agree on a name to replace Middlesex Parish, many families wanting it to be named after themselves. Some proposed naming the town "Belleville" in honor of Thaddeus Bell, a veteran of the revolutionary war. He apparently rejected the honor while supporting the Darien option. A sailor who had traveled to Isthmus of Darien, then part of the Spanish Empire, suggested the name Darien, which was eventually adopted by the people of the town. The town name is pronounced /dɛəriˈæn/ (like "Dairy-Ann"), with stress on the last syllable, and has been referred to as such at least as far back as 1913.

Darien was mostly white Protestant through the middle of the twentieth century, but by the twenty-first century it had become a multi-ethnic town with residents of many religions and backgrounds. One of seven households report speaking a language other than English at home. The town's exclusive policies in the early 20th century were similar to other segregated suburbs of the time, including Beverly Hills, California, and Tuxedo Park, New York. There were events involving anti-Black racism and anti-Semitism in the 1930s and 1940s, with Darien being a prototypical sundown town.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 14.8 square miles (38 km), of which 12.9 square miles (33 km) is land and 2.0 square miles (5.2 km), or 13.41%, is water.

Darien is bordered on the west by Stamford, on the north by New Canaan, and on the east by Norwalk. On the south it faces Long Island Sound and the North Shore of Long Island. It is part of the Connecticut panhandle jutting into New York state. Highways include Interstate 95. It also has two Metro-North Railroad stations for commuter trains into New York City, Noroton Heights and Darien.

Sections of Darien

• Downtown Darien
• Ox Ridge
• Noroton Heights, a neighborhood that historically "housed the European immigrants who serviced the old estates". Noroton Heights' densely populated streets contain "modest Capes and colonials" along with other house styles.
• Springdale
• Long Neck Point
• Tokeneke

Climate

Darien has a humid continental climate, similar to that of New York City, with warm to hot summers and cold winters. The highest recorded temperature was 103 °F (39 °C) in July 1966, while the lowest recorded temperature was −15 °F (−26 °C) in 1968. Snowfall is generally frequent in winter while average precipitation is most common in September.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 19,607 people, 6,592 households, and 5,385 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,525.2 inhabitants per square mile (588.9/km). There were 6,792 housing units at an average density of 203.9 inhabitants/km (528.3 persons/sq mi). The racial makeup of the town was 95.97% White, 0.45% African American, 0.04% Native American, 2.42% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.30% from other races, and 0.80% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.19% of the population. In 2019, the median household income was $232,523 and the per capita income for the town was $116,564.

Arts and recs

Annual events

• May – Memorial Day Parade.
• June – Weed Beach Fest.
• October – Downtown Halloween Parade.

Library

Darien's library was founded in 1894. Andrew Carnegie offered funds for a library, and was rejected. The Darien Library is the most heavily utilized library in Connecticut.

Landmarks

• Frederick J. Smith House, by Richard Meier, was complete in 1967.
• Stephen Tyng Mather Home is a National Historic Landmark, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Parks and recreation

The Darien Ice House is an ice rink.

Founded in 1928, Noroton Yacht Club runs the largest junior sailing program in the United States.

Government

Elected bodies in the town government are a five-member Board of Selectmen, a nine-member Board of Education, a seven-member Board of Finance, a six-member Planning and Zoning Commission, three-member Board of Assessment Appeals, and a 100-member, nonpartisan Representative Town Meeting. The town has several elective offices as well: the town clerk, probate judge, registrar of voters, tax collector and treasurer. The Board of Finance approves financial measures, including the town budget; the Board of Education controls the town's public schools; the Representative Town Meeting is the main legislative body of the town.

United States Congress

Connecticut General Assembly

Connecticut State Senate

Connecticut House of Representatives

Education

Darien is served by the Darien Public Schools, and Darien High School was ranked No. 1 in the "U.S. News Best High Schools in Connecticut" in 2019. The school also ranked in the top 150 in the national rankings, and in the top 50 in STEM high schools in the United States. Darien has five elementary schools: Hindley School, Holmes School, Ox Ridge School, Royle School, and Tokeneke School. A $27 million addition was completed in 2000 to the town's middle school, Middlesex Middle School, and a new $73 million campus for Darien High School was completed in the fall of 2005. Darien sports teams go by the name of the "Blue Wave".

Pear Tree Point School, originally named Plumfield School, was a private school on Long Neck, educating students in pre-kindergarten through Grade 5. The school was closed in summer 2018.

Media

Darien is served by a local print/online weeklies, the Darien Times, four exclusively online local news websites, Darienite, HamletHub Darien, the Darien Patch, and The Daily Voice, Darien. A monthly magazine known as New Canaan and Darien Magazine is also published covering Darien, New Canaan, and Rowayton (a section of the city of Norwalk). Sound Watch Magazine. is another monthly publication, founded in 2019, dedicated to local news and history of the area. Most public meetings are filmed and broadcast live, and recorded for later broadcast by Cablevision's Channel 79 Government Access.

Film

Films at least partially filmed in Darien with release date include:

• Gypsy (2017)
• Hope Springs (2012)
• Hello I Must Be Going (2012)
• My Soul to Take (2010)
• Birds of America (2008)
• Revolutionary Road (2008)
• The Big Wedding (2013)
• The Life Before Her Eyes (2007)
• The Stepford Wives (2004)
• Cannonball Run II (1984)
• The Stepford Wives (1975)
• Gentleman's Agreement (1947) – based on a book by Laura Hobson that portrayed Darien as a restricted community that excludes Jews.
• The Perfect Date (2019) – a young man obsessed with getting into Yale pretends to be from Darien to impress a wealthy Greenwich woman.

Infrastructure

Emergency

Ambulance

An ambulance service, known as "Darien EMS – Post 53" is the only ambulance service in the nation staffed and run entirely by high school student volunteers, covers one of the deadliest stretches of Interstate 95, and responds to over 1,500 emergency calls annually. The Explorer post is chartered under the Connecticut Yankee Council, and is considered a scouting unit. The service provides emergency care at no cost to the patient, funded entirely by private donations from town residents. Teenagers are allowed to perform patient care due to the fact that Connecticut is one of the few states in the nation which allows emergency medical technicians to be certified at age 16. The town is served by two train stations, Noroton Heights and Darien station. The Connecticut Turnpike (Interstate 95) and Post Road (U.S. Route 1.) pass through Darien. Interstate 95 has rest stops in Darien for the southbound and northbound lanes.

Notable people

• Long Neck Point from Contentment Island by John Frederick Kensett, collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, depicting the area where Andrew Carnegie spent some summers
• Shore of Darien, Connecticut by John Frederick Kensett

See also

• List of sundown towns in the United States

References

1. Hersh, Mollie (November 8, 2023). "Zagrodzky Elected As Darien's First Selectman After Running Unopposed, Unofficial Results Show". The Darien Times. Archived from the original on August 1, 2024. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
2. "Census - Geography Profile: Darien Town, Connecticut". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on September 30, 2024. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
3. Capuzzo, Jill P. (December 5, 2018). "Living in Darien, Conn.: Darien, Conn.: An Old New England Town with a Busy Social Life". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 26, 2024. Retrieved October 31, 2023.
4. Adapted from: Case & Cooper 1935
5. "The Darien Historical Society, Inc". Historical.Darien.org. Archived from the original on July 20, 2006. Retrieved May 26, 2006.
6. "Darien Historical Society 2016 Membership Brochure". Issuu. December 6, 2016. Archived from the original on September 30, 2024. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
7. The Connecticut Magazine: An Illustrated Monthly. Connecticut Magazine Company. 1903. p. 331. Archived from the original on October 1, 2023. Retrieved September 12, 2024 – via Google Books.
8. Jenkins, Stephen. "Darien: Stephen Jenkins". USGenWeb Project. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons. Retrieved March 28, 2007.
9. "The Grapevine - The Town Name That Sounds Like a Milk Maid". The Fairfield County Business Journal. Westfair Communications. Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
10. Prevost, Lisa (July 20, 2013). "Snob Zones: Fear, Money and Real Estate". Salon.com. Archived from the original on July 23, 2013. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
11. ^ Loewen, James W. (2005). Sundown Towns: A Hidden Dimension of American Racism. New York: The New Press. p. 218. ISBN 156584887X. Archived from the original on September 30, 2024. Retrieved September 30, 2024 – via Google Books.
12. Loewen, James W. (1999). Lies Across America: What Our Historic Sites Get Wrong. The New Press. pp. 408–413. ISBN 1-56584-344-4. Archived from the original on September 30, 2024. Retrieved September 30, 2024 – via Google Books.
13. ^ Prevost, Lisa (December 14, 2003). "A Haven for Both Sailors and Commuters". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved April 10, 2008.
14. "Average Weather for Darien, CT". Weather.com. Archived from the original on September 30, 2024. Retrieved February 1, 2014.
15. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on April 26, 2015. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
16. "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Darien CDP, Connecticut". Census.gov. United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on May 21, 2024. Retrieved June 11, 2021.
17. Hersh, Mollie (May 30, 2023). "In Photos: Darien's Annual Memorial Day Parade Marches to Spring Grove Veteran's Cemetery". The Darien Times. Archived from the original on April 10, 2024. Retrieved April 10, 2024.
18. "Weed Beach Festival Is Saturday". The Darien Times. June 17, 2017. Archived from the original on June 13, 2018. Retrieved September 10, 2019.
19. "Annual Easter Egg Hunt: Friday, April 7 at 10 AM – Sold Out". Darien Community Association. Archived from the original on September 25, 2023. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
20. "Library History". DarienLibrary.org. Archived from the original on March 9, 2022. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
21. Lyons, Ray; Lance, Keith Curry (November 8, 2012). "LJ Index 2012: The Star Libraries". Lj.LibraryJournal.com. Archived from the original on November 18, 2012. Retrieved November 17, 2012.
22. "Darien Ice House". DarienIceHouse.com. Archived from the original on September 12, 2024. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
23. "Darien Government Guide: 2006", a brochure published by the League of Women Voters of Darien
24. Shultz, Susan (May 1, 2019). "Darien Named Top High School in Connecticut by U.S. News & World Report". The Darien Times. Archived from the original on July 22, 2020. Retrieved July 22, 2020.
25. "Updated: Pear Tree Point School to Close at End of This Academic Year – DarieniteDarienite". darienite.com. September 27, 2017. Archived from the original on April 7, 2024. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
26. "Pear Tree Point School, Darien, CT – Home". PTPSchool.org. Archived from the original on April 2, 2007. Retrieved April 4, 2007.
27. "About Us". Darienite. Archived from the original on August 19, 2020. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
28. Satin, Nate. "Darien's HamletHub Team". HamletHub.com. Archived from the original on September 17, 2020. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
29. "Darien, CT Patch - Breaking News, Local News, Events, Schools, Weather, Sports and Shopping". Darien, CT Patch. Archived from the original on September 6, 2020. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
30. "Darien Daily Voice - Community News and Information for Darien, CT". dailyvoice.com. Archived from the original on September 15, 2020. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
31. "New Canaan-Darien & Rowayton Magazine – New Canaan, Darien, Rowayton CT Luxury Lifestyle: Community, Real Estate & Travel – New Canaan-Darien Magazine". newcanaandarienmag.com. Archived from the original on September 12, 2024. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
32. "Current Events | Sound Watch News | Darien | Rowayton |United States". Sound Watch News. Archived from the original on August 28, 2024. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
33. "Welcome to the Town of Darien, Connecticut – Darien Government Access Television". DarienCT.gov. Archived from the original on September 26, 2008. Retrieved May 8, 2007.
34. Getz, Dana. "Who's Diane Hart on 'Gypsy'? Jean's Alias Is an Unsolved Mystery". Bustle. Archived from the original on December 24, 2019. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
35. Barone, Meg (August 30, 2012). "Westport Showcased in Town Native's Film, 'Hello I Must Be Going'". Westport News. Archived from the original on October 26, 2021. Retrieved September 12, 2024. One of the big houses used for filming was in Darien, 'a beautiful part of Darien on the water,' Koskoff said.
36. "Darien, CT Home Transformed for "Revolutionary Road" Movie". Zillow. April 20, 2009. Archived from the original on December 23, 2019. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
37. "Post 53". Post53.org. Archived from the original on August 27, 2005. Retrieved October 2, 2005.
38. "Connecticut Department of Health Emergency Medical Technician Application Form" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on June 19, 2007. Retrieved May 2, 2007.
39. Ginocchio, Mark. "I-95 Ramp in Darien May Close for Work". The Advocate. pp. 1, A4.

Further reading

• Case, Henry J.; Cooper, Simon W. (1935). Town of Darien: Founded 1641, Incorporated 1820. Darien Community Association.

External links

• Official website

v t e Municipalities and communities of Western Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut, United States
Cities	Danbury Norwalk Stamford
Towns	Bethel Bridgewater Brookfield Darien Greenwich New Canaan New Fairfield New Milford Newtown Redding Ridgefield Sherman Weston Westport Wilton
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v t e Municipalities and communities of Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States
County seat: Bridgeport
Cities	Bridgeport Danbury Norwalk Shelton Stamford
Towns	Bethel Brookfield Darien Easton Fairfield Greenwich Monroe New Canaan New Fairfield Newtown Redding Ridgefield Sherman Stratford Trumbull Weston Westport Wilton
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Other communities	Aspetuck Greenfield Hill Hattertown Mianus Mill Plain Nichols Silvermine
Ghost town	Little Danbury
Indian reservation	Golden Hill Paugussett reservation‡
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