New Canaan

Bucolic New Canaan is beloved by its residents. There’s a sizable population of natives who moved away and then came back, convinced that no other town can match New Canaan’s charm. Entirely inland, New Canaan’s differences from its coastal neighbors—Stamford to the west and Darien to the south—may seem minute to outsiders, but they are clear to loyal New Canaanites. They’ll point to the village’s walkable town center, which has remained unchanged for decades, with staples like the New Canaan Toy Store, which opened in 1928, and to traditions like July 4th fireworks at Waveny Park or caroling with the New Canaan Town band, the second oldest band in the United States. New Canaan is also known for its unusually large collection of truly iconic mid-century modern houses, with four of them, including Philip Johnson’s famous Glass House, listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Nearby Neighborhoods:

Get to know our homes for sale in New Canaan

You can also check out our homes for rent in New Canaan

Living in Fairfield County

Fairfield County is often called Connecticut’s Gold Coast, referring to its string of waterfront towns that glisten in the sun, with hubs of finance interlaced with beach towns and nautical villages—albeit villages with some of the most prosperous populations in the country. The station names called off by the train conductors evoke images of ultimate suburbia: Greenwich, Stamford, Darien, Norwalk, and Westport. Residents have long been drawn to Fairfield County because of its proximity to New York City, thanks its many stops on the commuter rail. It also offers idyllic country acreage, much of it with views and access to the Long Island Sound. Houses here include aristocratic estates, where sailing and horseback riding is still a part of daily life; glass-walled Modernist icons; and solid, historic clapboard Colonials that might have been models for a 19th-century painting.