108 Leeuwarden Rd Sideways Brochure

Darien, Connecticut
Until the advent of the railroad, Darien was a small, rural community of
about one thousand farmers, shoemakers, fishermen, and merchants
engaged in coastal trading. In 1864 during the Civil War, the first home for
disabled war veterans and soldiers’ orphans in the United States was built at
Noroton Heights, named after its founder, Benjamin Fitch of Darien. At the
end of the Civil War, security and economic prosperity in the North brought a
building boom. What had once been farmland and open space was divided and
residences for prosperous businessmen and affluent local merchants blossomed
on major streets including Brookside, Prospect, Mansfield, Noroton and
Middlesex. A number of well-to-do New Yorkers discovered Darien’s picturesque
shoreline and built summer homes in Tokeneke, Long Neck Point and Noroton.
Darien was still a small town of a few thousand people in 1914, even though
there were already a few hardy commuters here who taxied by surrey from
home to station. After World War II, new streets and developed areas sprang up.
The town center grew steadily along with the population. By the mid-1950’s the
Connecticut Turnpike came through the town. General prosperity and growth
continued until the population leveled off around 20,000 by 1970. Today
Darien is a suburban community with an active town center, excellent schools,
and involved residents. It offers unspoiled land and clear waters. Those who
have come to live here have been careful stewards of its architectural and natural
heritage while enjoying the resources of a modern community.