 A logging town for nearly two hundred years after its settlement early in the eighteenth century, New Fairfield underwent a basic change in 1927. The catalyst was the creation of Candlewood Lake, the state's largest manmade body of water. Added to two other major recreational resources, Pootatuck State Forest and Squantz Pond State Park, the lake turned New Fairfield into a residential community. Although a popular vacation spot, the town maintains its rural charm with such events as the old-fashioned parade it staged to mark its 250th birthday. Reflecting a profound civic spirit, New Fairfield turned out to cheer the Governor's Horse Brigade, a cavalry unit with pre-Revolutionary origins, among other highlights. New Fairfield's main cultural asset is its professional summer theater, well known for fine productions of topflight shows.
Population: 13,109 - Area: 25.3 square miles
Type of Government: Board of Selectmen/Town Meeting
Incorporated: 1740 | 
