As of the census of 2000, 19,395 people, 6,822 households, and 5,280 families were residing in the town. The population density was . The 7,141 housing units averaged 322.7 per square mile (124.6/km). The racial makeup of the town was 95.27% White, 1.04% African American, 0.04% Native American, 2.29% Asian, 0.39% from other races, and 0.98% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 1.74% of the population.
Of the 6,822 households, 41.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.2% were married couples living together, 6.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.6% were not families. About 19.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.83, and the average family size was 3.26.
In the town, the population was distributed as 31.2% under the age of 18, 3.3% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 26.6% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.7 males.
Per the 2000 Census, the median income for a household in the town was $141,788, and for a family was $175,331. Males had a median income of $100,000 versus $53,924 for females. The per capita income for the town was $82,049. About 1.4% of families and 2.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.2% of those under age 18 and 2.2% of those age 65 or over.
Arts and culture
Points of interest
- New Canaan Nature Center
- Waveny Park on South Avenue was developed in 1912 by Lewis Lapham on what had been Prospect Farm, an early summer estate. In 1967 the Town acquired the 'castle' (Lapham's mansion on the property) and of surrounding parkland." "He used this studio from 1876 to the end of his life. The John Rogers studio houses one of the finest collections of Rogers Groups in the nation."
- Landis Gores House – 192 Cross Ridge Road "With its flat-roofed single-story form, full-height glass walls, and emphasis on horizontal planes, the house he designed for himself in New Canaan is an outstanding example" of modernist architecture. (added April 21, 2002)
- Maxwell Evants Perkins House – 63 Park Street (added June 6, 2004)
- Philip Johnson Glass House – 798–856 Ponus Ridge Road (added March 18, 1997)
- Richard and Geraldine Hodgson House – 881 Ponus Ridge Road (added February 28, 2005)
Seasonal events
New Canaan Nature Center Fall Fair: The fair offers activities for all ages from hay mazes to Old Faithful Antique Fire Truck rides to apple sling shots.
All Hallows Eve (Halloween) Parade: No matter your costume, children of all ages and their dogs can receive a goody bag and march in the Parade led by the Old Faithful Antique Fire Truck which is sponsored by the New Canaan Chamber of Commerce.
Holiday Stroll: Hosted by The Chamber of Commerce, downtown New Canaan celebrates with Christmas carolers, the lighting of the trees along Elm Street, the arrival of Santa Claus, and extended store hours.
Christmas Carolling on God's Acre: since 1919 New Canaan residents have been gathering on God's Acre every Christmas Eve to sing Christmas carols with the New Canaan Town Band. The New Canaan town band was founded in 1831 and is the second oldest town band in the United States.
Easter Egg Hunt: At the Annual Town Easter Egg Hunt, sponsored by the Young Women's League of New Canaan, children are able to collect candy-filled Easter eggs, get their faces painted, take pictures with the Easter bunny, and participate in many other festive activities.
Saint Mark's May Fair: Provides carnival rides and May Fair's famous strawberry shortcake.
Family Fourth Fireworks: Town residents gather at Waveny Town Park for picnicking, live music, bounce houses, and fireworks.
Juneteenth "Hearts of Freedom" Community Celebration put on by Stand Together Against Racism (S.T.A.R) annually on June 19 on the lawn of the New Canaan Historical Society. Features live music, local black-owned food trucks, kids activities and is free to attend. https://www.star-ct.org/juneteenth
Institutions and organizations
thumb|[[Grace Farms, a cultural and humanitarian center in New Canaan.]]
- New Canaan Museum & Historical Society – operates seven museums, preserves five historic buildings, collects and preserves material thought to be of local historical value, and supports education programs such as school tours, special exhibits, seminars and publications on New Canaan history. The society was founded in 1889 and is housed in New Canaan's first town hall.
- Harmony Lodge No. 67 Ancient, Free & Accepted Masons – the oldest voluntary society in the Town of New Canaan. It was chartered by the Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of the State of Connecticut and, with its establishment in 1763, became the first masonic lodge in lower Fairfield County. The only masonic lodges in the area at that time were Union Lodge No. 5 of Stamford and St. John's No. 6 in Norwalk. This meant that the brothers of Canaan Parish, prior to 1825, had to meet either at Union No. 5, which often physically met at Greenwich, Stamford, and sometimes Bedford, NY or at St. John's No. 6 in Norwalk. Once Canaan Parish was incorporated into a separate town, Brothers Samuel Carter, Jr., John Seely, Eliphalet Weed and several other members, requested the recommendation of St. John's Lodge No. 6 in Norwalk to the Grand Lodge for a charter to establish a new lodge in the Town of New Canaan which was granted on May 30, 1825. In 1954, the Lodge, in a three-way swap, bought the old Methodist Church building on Main Street, and Harmony Lodge No. 67 has been at this site ever since.
- Silvermine Arts Center
- New Canaan Red Cross
- New Canaan Land Trust
- New Canaan Library
- Grace Farms
Government
United States Congress
{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="2" style="text-align:center; vertical-align:bottom;" |Senators
! style="text-align:center; vertical-align:bottom;" |Name
! style="text-align:center; vertical-align:bottom;" |Party
! style="text-align:center; vertical-align:bottom;" |Assumed office
!Level
|-
| style="background:blue;" |
|Senate Class 1
|Richard Blumenthal
|Democratic
|2011
|Senior Senator
|-
| style="background:blue;" |
|Senate Class 3
|Chris Murphy
|Democratic
|2013
|Junior Senator
|-
! colspan="2" style="text-align:center; vertical-align:bottom;" |Representatives
! style="text-align:center; vertical-align:bottom;" |Name
! style="text-align:center; vertical-align:bottom;" |Party
! style="text-align:center; vertical-align:bottom;" |Assumed office
| rowspan="2" |
|-
| style="background:blue;" |
|District 4
|Jim Himes
|Democratic
|2009
|}
Connecticut General Assembly
Connecticut State Senate
{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="2" style="text-align:center; vertical-align:bottom;" |District
! style="text-align:center; vertical-align:bottom;" |Name
! style="text-align:center; vertical-align:bottom;" |Party
! style="text-align:center; vertical-align:bottom;" |Assumed office
|-
| style="background:blue;" |
|26
|Ceci Maher
|Democratic
|2023
|-
| style="background:red;" |
|36
|Ryan Fazio
|Republican
|2021
|}
Connecticut House of Representatives
{| class="wikitable"
! colspan="2" style="text-align:center; vertical-align:bottom;" |District
! style="text-align:center; vertical-align:bottom;" |Name
! style="text-align:center; vertical-align:bottom;" |Party
! style="text-align:center; vertical-align:bottom;" |Assumed office
|-
| style="background:blue;" |
|42
|Keith Denning
|Democratic
|2023
|-
| style="background:red;" |
|125
|Tom O'Dea
|Republican
|2013
|-
| style="background:blue;" |
|142
|Lucy Dathan
|Democratic
|2019
|}
Local government
New Canaan is led by a First Selectman, who is one of three members of the Board of Selectmen. As of November 2023, the First Selectman is Republican Dionna Carlson.
The legislative body of the town is a twelve-member Town Council.
Taxes
In 2023, the mill rate of New Canaan was 18.372.
Politics
New Canaan was one of five towns in Connecticut that backed former Governor John Kasich of Ohio over Donald Trump in the 2016 Republican presidential primary. Kasich received 1,362 votes (47.84%) ahead of Trump, who garnered 1,168 votes (41.03%). U.S. Senator Ted Cruz of Texas finished third with 262 votes (9.20%).
New Canaan was historically a Republican stronghold. However, the town has trended Democratic in recent elections. The town swung from a 64% win for Mitt Romney in 2012 to a 52% win for Hillary Clinton in 2016. This change mirrored a national trend of suburban voters turning away from Donald Trump. In 2020, Joe Biden won New Canaan over Trump by a margin of nearly 20 points. Despite a rightward shift in 2024, town voters still delivered a victory to Kamala Harris of roughly 13 percentage points.
{| class=wikitable
! colspan = 6 | Registration and Party Enrollment Statistics as of October 31, 2023
|-
! colspan = 2 | Party
! Active voters
! Inactive voters
! Total voters
! Percentage
|-
|
| Republican
| style="text-align:center;"| 5,051
| style="text-align:center;"| 634
| style="text-align:center;"| 5,685
| style="text-align:center;"| 36.23%
|-
|
| Democratic
| style="text-align:center;"| 3,750
| style="text-align:center;"| 445
| style="text-align:center;"| 4,195
| style="text-align:center;"| 26.74%
|-
|
| Unaffiliated
| style="text-align:center;"| 4,903
| style="text-align:center;"| 713
| style="text-align:center;"| 5,616
| style="text-align:center;"| 35.80%
|-
|
| Minor parties
| style="text-align:center;"| 158
| style="text-align:center;"| 35
| style="text-align:center;"| 193
| style="text-align:center;"| 1.23%
|-
! colspan = 2 | Total
! style="text-align:center;"| 13,862
! style="text-align:center;"| 1,827
! style="text-align:center;"| 15,689
! style="text-align:center;"| 100%
|}
{| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" style="float:center; margin:1em; font-size:95%;"
|+ New Canaan town vote<br /> by party in presidential elections
|- style="background:lightgrey;"
! Year
! Democratic
! Republican
! Third Parties
|-
|align="center" |2024
|align="center" |55.49% 6,014
|align="center" |42.44% 4,600
|align="center" |2.06% 224
|-
|align="center" |2020
|align="center" |59.02% 7,298
|align="center" |39.26% 4,855
|align="center" |1.72% 212
|-
|align="center" |2016
|align="center" |52.59% 5,767
|align="center" |41.41% 4,541
|align="center" |6.00% 658
|-
|align="center" |2012
|align="center" |35.02% 3,804
|align="center" |64.13% 6,966
|align="center" |0.85% 92
|-
|align="center" |2008
|align="center" |46.61% 5,187
|align="center" |52.81% 5,877
|align="center" |0.58% 64
|-
|align="center" |2004
|align="center" |38.32% 4,180
|align="center" |60.67% 6,618
|align="center" |1.01% 110
|-
|align="center" |2000
|align="center" |33.93% 3,516
|align="center" |62.73% 6,501
|align="center" |3.34% 346
|-
|align="center" |1996
|align="center" |32.37% 3,087
|align="center" |61.77% 5,890
|align="center" |5.86% 559
|-
|align="center" |1992
|align="center" |30.72% 3,438
|align="center" |56.21% 6,292
|align="center" |13.07% 1,463
|-
|align="center" |1988
|align="center" |27.14% 2,831
|align="center" |72.09% 7,520
|align="center" |0.77% 80
|-
|align="center" |1984
|align="center" |23.66% 2,564
|align="center" |76.12% 8,249
|align="center" |0.22% 24
|-
|align="center" |1980
|align="center" |19.87% 2,102
|align="center" |67.31% 7,120
|align="center" |12.82% 1,356
|-
|align="center" |1976
|align="center" |28.17% 2,887
|align="center" |71.52% 7,329
|align="center" |0.31% 32
|-
|align="center" |1972
|align="center" |29.50% 2,915
|align="center" |69.85% 6,903
|align="center" |0.66% 65
|-
|align="center" |1968
|align="center" |31.96% 2,802
|align="center" |66.12% 5,796
|align="center" |1.92% 168
|-
|align="center" |1964
|align="center" |52.50% 4,022
|align="center" |47.50% 3,639
|align="center" |0.00% 0
|-
|align="center" |1960
|align="center" |27.95% 1,970
|align="center" |72.05% 5,079
|align="center" |0.00% 0
|-
|align="center" |1956
|align="center" |20.33% 1,213
|align="center" |79.67% 4,755
|align="center" |0.00% 0
|-
|align="center" |1952
|align="center" |24.98% 1,276
|align="center" |73.81% 3,771
|align="center" |1.21% 62
|-
|align="center" |1948
|align="center" |23.03% 942
|align="center" |74.18% 3,035
|align="center" |2.79% 114
|-
|align="center" |1944
|align="center" |31.14% 1,163
|align="center" |68.86% 2,571
|align="center" |0.00% 0
|-
|align="center" |1940
|align="center" |28.46% 1,015
|align="center" |71.54% 2,552
|align="center" |0.00% 0
|-
|align="center" |1936
|align="center" |35.98% 940
|align="center" |64.02% 1,673
|align="center" |0.00% 0
|-
|align="center" |1932
|align="center" |33.97% 746
|align="center" |66.03% 1,450
|align="center" |0.00% 0
|-
|align="center" |1928
|align="center" |31.95% 614
|align="center" |67.53% 1,298
|align="center" |0.52% 10
|-
|align="center" |1924
|align="center" |20.63% 293
|align="center" |75.07% 1,066
|align="center" |4.30% 61
|-
|align="center" |1920
|align="center" |21.55% 267
|align="center" |76.52% 948
|align="center" |1.93% 24
|-
|align="center" |1916
|align="center" |33.73% 254
|align="center" |65.07% 490
|align="center" |1.20% 9
|-
|align="center" |1912
|align="center" |34.32% 266
|align="center" |44.52% 345
|align="center" |21.16% 164
|-
|align="center" |1908
|align="center" |24.89% 171
|align="center" |74.68% 513
|align="center" |0.43% 3
|-
|align="center" |1904
|align="center" |31.01% 192
|align="center" |67.53% 418
|align="center" |1.46% 9
|-
|align="center" |1900
|align="center" |31.67% 190
|align="center" |67.50% 405
|align="center" |0.83% 5
|-
|align="center" |1896
|align="center" |22.45% 139
|align="center" |73.99% 458
|align="center" |3.56% 22
|-
|align="center" |1892
|align="center" |44.25% 277
|align="center" |52.72% 330
|align="center" |3.03% 19
|-
|align="center" |1888
|align="center" |43.07% 264
|align="center" |51.88% 318
|align="center" |5.05% 31
|-
|align="center" |1884
|align="center" |46.24% 264
|align="center" |53.76% 307
|align="center" |0.00% 0
|-
|align="center" |1880
|align="center" |48.46% 300
|align="center" |51.54% 319
|align="center" |0.00% 0
|-
|align="center" |1876
|align="center" |51.27% 323
|align="center" |48.73% 307
|align="center" |0.00% 0
|-
|align="center" |1872
|align="center" |52.78% 285
|align="center" |47.22% 255
|align="center" |0.00% 0
|-
|align="center" |1868
|align="center" |43.39% 233
|align="center" |56.61% 304
|align="center" |0.00% 0
|-
|align="center" |1864
|align="center" |40.80% 206
|align="center" |59.20% 299
|align="center" |0.00% 0
|-
|align="center" |1860
|align="center" |27.86% 190
|align="center" |45.16% 308
|align="center" |26.98% 184
|-
|align="center" |1856
|align="center" |38.90% 198
|align="center" |61.10% 311
|align="center" |0.00% 0
|-
|align="center" |1852
|align="center" |55.11% 221
|align="center" |44.89% 180
|align="center" |0.00% 0
|-
|align="center" |1848
|align="center" |44.52% 195
|align="center" |42.01% 184
|align="center" |13.47% 59
|-
|align="center" |1844
|align="center" |50.22% 225
|align="center" |49.78% 223
|align="center" |0.00% 0
|-
|align="center" |1840
|align="center" |48.78% 220
|align="center" |51.22% 231
|align="center" |0.00% 0
|-
|align="center" |1836
|align="center" |48.19% 93
|align="center" |51.81% 100
|align="center" |0.00% 0
|-
|align="center" |1832
|align="center" |17.36% 29
|align="center" |58.69% 98
|align="center" |23.95% 40
|-
|align="center" |1828
|align="center" |2.38% 2
|align="center" |97.62% 82
|align="center" |0.00% 0
|}
Education
thumb|right|[[New Canaan High School]]
thumb|right|Saxe Middle School
New Canaan has five public schools:
- Elementary Schools: West School, South School, and East School
- Middle School: Saxe Middle School
- High School: New Canaan High School
New Canaan also has two private schools:
- St. Luke's School: 5–12
- New Canaan Country School: Pre-K–9<!-- This section on Education in New Canaan needs to be updated by an editor with the requisite knowledge of New Canaan's schools. -->
St. Aloysius School, once a K–8 Catholic school, closed in 2023 due to low enrollment.
Media
The town newspaper is the New Canaan Advertiser. Other daily newspapers which serve the area include Connecticut Post and Greenwich Time.
Infrastructure
Emergency services
Emergency medical services
New Canaan Emergency Medical Services, founded in 1975 as New Canaan Volunteer Ambulance Corps, is a free, all-volunteer ambulance corps with three ambulances and two paramedic fly-cars. EMTs are all volunteers, while paramedic services are contracted from Norwalk Hospital.
Fire department
The New Canaan Fire Department employs the professional firefighters of the New Canaan Fire Department and the volunteers of the New Canaan Fire Company, No. 1. Founded in 1881, the New Canaan Fire Department is a combination professional/volunteer fire department that operates out of a fire station located near the center of town, with a fire apparatus fleet of engines and other vehicles. The New Canaan Fire Department responded to 1,133 calls for service in 2023. The New Canaan Fire Department was featured on Rescue 911 when they saved a fire captain who was suffering a heart attack.
Police department
The New Canaan Police Department has forty-five sworn officers, five full-time civilians and two school crossing guards. The department responded to 16,741 calls during 2012.
Notable people
In popular culture
Film
Movies at least partially filmed in, or involving, New Canaan:
- The Stepford Wives (2004)
- The Ice Storm (1997)
- Gentleman's Agreement (1947)
Books
- The Ice Storm (1994)
Gallery
<gallery mode="packed">
File:PostcardCountryClubNewCanaanCT1906.jpg|Postcard of The Country Club,
File:PostcardGraceHouseNewCanaanCTca1915.jpg|Grace House in the Fields,
File:WavenyParkNewCanaanCt07252007.JPG|Waveny mansion in Waveny Park
File:PostcardNewCanaanCtCenterSchool1912.jpg|Center School, (now demolished)
File:PostcardNewCanaanCTHamptonInn1909.jpg|Hampton Inn,
</gallery>
Further reading
- A Guide to God's Acre, a walking tour of the Historic District; available from the New Canaan Historical Society.
- My Impressions of the Hour, a journal written by an early New Canaan teacher, Margaret Mary Corrigan; available from the society.
- New Canaan: Texture of a Community, available from the society.
- Portrait of New Canaan, available from the society.
- A Student's Memoir, edited by Robert W.P. Cutler. A history of the Little Red Schoolhouse, based on recollections of some of the school's graduates.