New Canaan

NEW CANAAN This region was established in 1731 as Canaan Parish, a separate ecclesiastical society of the Congregational Churches of Norwalk and Stamford. Incorporated as a town in 1801, New Canaan encompassed the area of Canaan Parish with additional land annexed on the southern and western boundaries. During the early nineteenth century, New Canaan was one of the important shoe-making centers of New England. In the latter half of the nineteenth century, considerable numbers of summer residents were attracted here. Many of their descendants made the town their home, helping to create the residential community that New Canaan remains.