Brookfield, Connecticut
Town
Brookfield Town Hall
Seal
Motto:  "Pro Patria"
Fairfield County and Connecticut  Western Connecticut Planning Region and Connecticut
Show Brookfield Show Connecticut Show the United States
Coordinates: 41°28′07″N 73°23′31″W / 41.46861°N 73.39194°W / 41.46861; -73.39194
Country	United States
U.S. state	Connecticut
County	Fairfield
Region	Western CT
Incorporated	1788
Government
• Type	Select board-town meeting
• First selectman	Stephen C. Dunn (D)
• Selectman	Robert D. Belden (I)
• Selectwoman	Tara S. Carr (R)
Area
• Total	20.4 sq mi (52.8 km2)
• Land	19.8 sq mi (51.3 km2)
• Water	0.6 sq mi (1.6 km2)
Elevation	459 ft (140 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	17,528
• Density	806.5/sq mi (311.4/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP Code	06804
Area code(s)	203/475
FIPS code	09-08980
GNIS feature ID	0213399
Website	www.brookfieldct.gov

Brookfield is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, situated within the southern foothills of the Berkshire Mountains.^[1] The population was 17,528 at the 2020 census.^[2] The town is located 55 miles (89 km) northeast of New York City, making it part of the New York-Newark, NY-NJ-CT-PA combined statistical area.^[3] The town is part of the Western Connecticut Planning Region. In July 2013, Money magazine ranked Brookfield the 26th-best place to live in the United States, and the best place to live in Connecticut.^[4]

Colonists settled in what is now known as Brookfield in 1710, led by John Muirwood and other colonial founders including Hawley, Peck and Merwin. They bartered for the land from the Wyantenuck and the Potatuck Nations who were ruled under the Sachems Waramaug and Pocono. Sachem Pocono's village was in an enormous palisade along the Still River. Colonists first established the area as the Parish of Newbury, incorporating parts of neighboring Newtown and Danbury. The parish later was renamed and incorporated as the town of Brookfield in 1788, named for Rev. Thomas Brooks, the first minister of the parish's Congregational church.

History

Early people who lived in Brookfield were subsistence farmers, gatherers, and hunters. The main food sources were corn, beans, squash and wild foods found in the rocky, heavily forested foothills of the Berkshire Mountains of Brookfield and New Milford. Such wild foods that were harvested were white oak acorns, American chestnuts, shag bark hickory nuts, may apples, beach nuts and Solomon's seal. The hunted animals that were taken^[5] from the forest and rivers were deer, passenger pigeon, turkey, bass, trout, crawfish, squirrel, rabbit and others.^[6] In the 18th century the community was called "Newbury", a name that came from the three towns from which its land was taken—New Milford, Newtown, and Danbury.^[5]

As traveling to surrounding churches was difficult in winter, in 1752 the General Assembly granted the community the right to worship in area homes from September through March. In 1754, the General Assembly granted permission for the Parish of Newbury to build its own meeting house and recruit its own minister. On September 28, 1757, the first Congregational Church building was dedicated. The Reverend Thomas Brooks was ordained as the first settled minister. When incorporated in 1778, the town's name was changed to Brookfield in honor of Brooks, who was still the minister.^[5]

Along the Still River, mills were in operation as early as 1732 in an area that became known as the Iron Works District. Brookfield was a thriving town with iron furnaces, grist mills, sawmills, comb shops, carding and cotton mills, a paper mill, a knife factory, hat factories, stage-coach shops, lime kilns, harness shops and other plants in operation. The grist mill still stands, as the Brookfield Craft Center. The Iron Works Aqueduct Company, formed in 1837 to supply water from mountain springs to the Iron Works District, still supplies water as the Brookfield Water Company.^[5][6]

Before 1912, the town had two train stations: one in the Iron Works District near the present Brookfield Market and a second, Junction Station, near the corner of Junction Road and Stony Hill Road.^[5]

The Danbury & Bethel Gas and Electric Company brought electricity to Brookfield in 1915.^[5] The .475 Wildey Magnum gun, later made famous in the 1985 Charles Bronson movie Death Wish 3, was developed by Wildey J. Moore in Brookfield in the early 1970s (the factory has since moved to Warren, Connecticut).

In the early 1970s, the town was home to the headquarters of Lego USA.^[7]

Throughout the 1970s and late 20th century, Brookfield saw a massive influx in its population. This is attributed to New Yorkers who began relocating from the city to the suburbs. This created rapid real estate development in Brookfield, and turned Brookfield into a popular commuter town for those who work in and around New York City.^[8] The top professions of residents today are in the fields of professional, scientific, and technical services, health care, and finance and insurance.^[9] As of 2022, 88.7% of residents in the workforce hold white-collar jobs, and about 20% work remotely full-time.^[10]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 20.4 square miles (53 km²), of which 19.8 square miles (51 km²) is land and 0.6 square miles (1.6 km²), or 2.94%, is water. It borders Bethel to the south, Newtown to the southeast, Danbury to the southwest, New Fairfield to the west, New Milford to the northwest, and Bridgewater to the northeast.

Brookfield is located between the two largest lakes in Connecticut. Candlewood Lake (the largest) spans the west side of the town, while Lake Lillinonah spans the entire east side. The Still River also runs directly through the town, flowing directionally from south to north.

Neighborhoods

Various buildings located throughout the Town Center Historic District

The town's largest neighborhoods include:

• Brookfield Town Center (known to locals as "Four Corners") is the downtown shopping district of Brookfield. The area is experiencing heavy growth and revitalization in recent years with new apartment and shopping buildings, bringing over 150 new apartments and dozens of new stores. It is also a potential site for a future railway station.^[11]
• Brookfield Center is the original town center and a historic district, added NRHP, September 15, 1991). The original town hall, original general store, historic society, several churches, and an elementary school are located here.

Other named minor neighborhoods and geographic locations in the town are:

• Barkwood Falls
• Brookfield Junction
• Candlewood Lake Club
• Candlewood Orchards
• Candlewood Shores
• East Iron Works
• Huckleberry Hill
• Iron Works
• Long Meadow Hill
• Obtuse
• Pocono Ridge
• Prospect Hill
• Viva Farms
• West Iron Works
• Whisconier

Climate

Brookfield has a humid continental climate, similar to that of New York City, 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 −15 °F (−26 °C) in 1968.^[12] Snowfall is generally frequent in winter while average precipitation is most common in September.

Economy

Companies in Brookfield include:

• BNP Associates, an airport systems designer, is headquartered in Brookfield.
• Branson Ultrasonics, a division of Emerson, is headquartered in Brookfield.
• Bridgewater Chocolate, a premium chocolate manufacturer, is headquartered in Brookfield.
• Cerulean Studios, an instant messaging software company, is headquartered in Brookfield.
• Lego USA was formerly headquartered in Brookfield.
• McMullin Manufacturing Corporation, a contract manufacturing company of precision metal stampings, fabricated metal parts and assemblies, is headquartered in Brookfield.^[14]
• Millbrook Press, an international book publisher, was formerly headquartered in Brookfield.
• Nordex Inc, a manufacturer of medical and robotics components, is headquartered in Brookfield.
• Photronics, a major semiconductor manufacturer, is headquartered in Brookfield.
• ROMTech, a medical device technology company, is headquartered in Brookfield.
• Southridge Technology, an IT company, is headquartered in Brookfield.
• Townsquare Media has a corporate office in Brookfield.
• Trendhaven Investment Management, an investment firm, is headquartered in Brookfield.

Demographics

The 2020 US Census counted a total population of 17,528. The total number of households in Brookfield was recorded at 6,209 with an average of 2.73 persons per household.^[15] The population density was recorded at 861.9 persons per square mile (332.8 persons/km²).

According to the 2020 Census, the population of Brookfield was 86.4% White, 4.2% Asian, 3.1% Black or African American, and 0.2% Pacific Islander. Individuals from two or more races made up 4.5%.^[16] In addition, Latinos of any race made up 6.5% of Brookfield's population. About 28.5% of Brookfield residents were younger than age 18 as of 2020; higher than the U.S. average of 24%. 15.1% of Brookfield residents were born outside of the United States.

As of the census^[17] of 2000, there were 15,664 people, 5,572 households, and 4,368 families residing in the town. The population density was 791.1 inhabitants per square mile (305.4/km²). There were 5,781 housing units at an average density of 292.0 per square mile (112.7/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 95.29% White, 0.76% Black or African American, 0.07% Native American, 2.48% Asian, 0.61% from other races, and 0.79% from two or more races. 2.37% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 5,573 households, out of which 39.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.1% were married couples living together, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.6% were non-families. 17.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.18.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 27.4% under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 29.2% from 25 to 44, 27.8% from 45 to 64, and 10.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.7 males, slightly under the US average. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.0 males.

In 2022, the median income for a household in the town was $132,950, and the median income for a family was $172,383. The per capita income for the town was $63,411. About 1.2% of families and 2.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.4% of those under age 18 and 2.3% of those age 65 or over.

Government and politics

Elected bodies in the town government are a three-member Board of Selectmen, a seven-member Board of Education, a six-member Board of Finance, a five-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. The three selectmen are elected on a town-wide basis, although each person can only vote for two members. This assures that there will almost always be one Democrat and two Republicans or two Democrats and one Republican. Many of the town committees have equal representation between Democrats and Republicans, regardless of the vote breakdown, since each individual can only vote for half as many seats as are available.^[18]

At the state level, Brookfield is in the 107th House district, currently represented by State Rep. Martin Foncello (R).^[19] Brookfield is part of the 30th and 32nd Senate districts, currently represented by State Sen. Stephen Harding (R) of Brookfield,^[20] and State Sen. Eric Berthel (R) of Watertown.^[21] At the federal level, Brookfield is part of the 5th congressional district, which is represented by Rep. Jahana Hayes (D).

For the 2020 Presidential Election, Joe Biden (D) received the majority of votes cast by Brookfield residents.

Taxes

As of 2022, the mill rate in Brookfield is 25.88.^[22]