Weston, Connecticut
Weston is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 10,354 at the 2020 census with the highest median household income in Connecticut. The town is served by Route 57 and Route 53, both of which run through the town center. About 19% of the town's workforce commutes to New York City, about to the southwest. Like many towns in southwestern Connecticut, Weston is among the most affluent communities in the United States. Data collected in 2019 showed that Weston had the highest median household income in Fairfield County, Connecticut, at US $219,868 . In 2015, Connecticut Magazine rated Weston as the 9th best among towns in Connecticut with median home values over $325,000. The rating considers education, crime, economy, community engagement, and culture/leisure. In 2017, SafeWise ranked Weston the safest town in Connecticut and the 6th safest town in the country. Weston is the closest Connecticut town to New York City without a train station. Aside from a handful of stores that form the town's center, Weston has little commercial development and residential development is limited by two-acre zoning. Most of Devil's Den Preserve, a nature reserve, which  gets 40,000 visits a year, is located in the town. History. In the 17th century, Weston's first English settlers were mostly farmers living in the town of Fairfield, Connecticut, the boundaries of which extended to Weston until the late 18th century. The Norfield Parish was created in the area now occupied by the towns of Weston and Easton. In 1787, the area was formally incorporated as the Town of Weston. It is believed to be named after Weston-super-Mare, which was a small fishing village surrounded by countryside farmland, which many of the early British farming settlers originated  from. In 1845, the Town of Easton was split off from Weston. A meteor exploded above the town on December 14, 1807. Six pieces, totaling , were recovered and examined by scientists, who issued a report. This was the first time that people realized the nature of meteors. Despite rocky soil, farmers in town grew apples, onions, and potatoes. Grist, cider, lumber, and fulling mills were built. The town had nine manufacturers by 1850, but two decades later only the Bradley Edge Tool Company still thrived. That factory burned down in 1911. Unlike other nearby towns, Weston never had a railroad  built through it, which stifled the development of non-agricultural businesses. Between the Civil War and the Great Depression, the town's population dropped from approximately 1,000 to a low of 670, by 1930. Artists, writers, and actors from New York became attracted to the community in the 1930s and began settling in it. Construction of the Merritt Parkway, which arrived to the south of Weston in 1938, resulted in further population growth. Geography. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 4.39%, is water. The Saugatuck River  begins to the north in Redding. It flows through the town and ends in Long Island Sound in neighboring Westport. Weston is bordered by Westport to the south, Wilton to the west, Redding to the north, Easton to the east, and Fairfield to the southeast. Principal communities. Other minor communities and geographic areas are Devil's Den, Norfield, Upper Parish, and Valley Forge. Demographics. As of the 2010 census, there were 10,025 people, 3,289 households, and 2,811 families residing in the town. The population density was 506.0 people per square mile (195.7/km). There were 3,629 housing units at an  average density of 178.4 per square mile (68.9/km). The racial makeup of the town was 95.75% White, 0.88% African American, 0.11% Native American, 1.94% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 0.25% from other races, and 0.98% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.05% of the population. There were 3,289 households, out of which 49.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 78.4% were married couples living together, 5.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 15.1% were non-families. 11.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.9 % had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.03 and the average family size was 3.28. In the town, the population was spread out, with 31% under the age of 18, 4% from 18 to 24, 31% from 25 to 49, 23% from 50 to 64, and 11% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.9 males. , the median income for a household in the town  was $219,868. Males had a median income of $168,472 versus $103,345 for females. The per capita income for the town was $95,534. About 2.6% of the population were below the poverty line. In 2019, The National Council for Home Safety and Security ranked Weston the 4th safest town in the state of Connecticut. The National Council for Home Safety and Security ranked the safest towns and cities in Connecticut based on the most recent FBI Uniform Crime Report statistics and population sizes. Government. Like many other New England towns, the government of Weston consists of the  Town Meeting, and elective and appointive boards. First among the elective boards is the Board of Selectmen. Chris Spaulding is the First Selectman. By charter, the First Selectman is the Chief Executive and Administrative Officer of the town. The town's legislative powers are divided between the Board of Selectmen and the Town Meeting. Among other elective boards are the Board of Education, the Board of Finance, the Planning and Zoning Commission, and the Board of Police Commissioners. In the 2008 presidential election, Weston residents voted for Democrat Barack Obama with 62.21%. Republican John McCain received 37.33%. In 2016, Democrat  Hillary Clinton carried Weston over Republican Donald Trump. Budget and taxes. For the fiscal year of 2021-2022, the Town of Weston’s net budget is about $73-million. About 77 percent of the town’s budget is spent on the Weston Public Schools. Weston raises taxes on the basis of property value. With real estate assessed at 70 percent of market value, the mill rate evolved as follows: To make the mill rates comparable, the asterisked numbers are adjusted to account for the real estate revaluation of 2018-2019. The revaluation decreased the grand list by 6.3 percent . The numbers for 2013-2014 and prior years are also adjusted for revaluations in 2014 and 2009, respectively. Town Center. Commercial development in Weston is limited to the Town Center area located at the intersection of Weston Road and Norfield Road. The Town Center contains a community bank, liquor store, casual restaurant, dry cleaner, realtor, gas station, pharmacy and a post office. Education. There are four public schools in the Weston Public Schools district, all located on School Road: In June 2012, 24/7 Wall St. ranked Weston as the second wealthiest school district in the United States. In 2013 and  2014, U.S. News & World Report ranked Weston High School as the third best high school in Connecticut and the 240th best high school in the United States. Weston High School was awarded the gold medal for its high level of student performance. The methodology of ranking this honor is based on student performance on standardized tests as well as participation in Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) programs. AP programs are offered across a variety of subject matters, with sixty percent of WHS students participating. In August 2015, Newsweek ranked Weston High School number 47 for America's Top  High Schools in the country, public and private. In August 2015, Weston High School was ranked the best in the state and 47th best in the country according to a survey conducted by Newsweek magazine. Each year, the magazine ranks the top 500 high schools in the country based on which institutions do the best job of preparing students for college. According to the study, Weston High School has a 97.2% college enrollment rate, a 100% graduation rate, an AP/IB/Dual Enrollment Composite of 73, a weighted SAT/ACT score composite of 69.4, a student retention rate of 91.7 % and a counselor-to-student ratio of 1:156. In addition, the average SAT score at Weston High School is 1784, the average ACT score is 26.6, and the average AP test score is 3.87. [ In April 2019, U.S. News & World Report ranked Weston High School second best high school in the state and 169th best high school in the country out of 17,245 high schools ranked. In addition, Weston High School was also ranked 65th in STEM High Schools with a town graduation rate of 100%. U.S. News gave Weston a scorecard of 99.02% out of a possible 100. The  Best High Schools rankings identify the country's top-performing public high schools. The goal is to provide a clear, unbiased picture of how well public schools serve all of their students – from the highest to lowest achieving – in preparing them to demonstrate proficiency in basic skills as well as readiness for college-level work. The Connecticut State Department of Education has ranked the Weston schools in District Reference Group A (formerly the Educational Reference Group A), the nine most affluent and low-need-for-extra-assistance districts among the 162 school districts in Connecticut. Several pre-schools in town  are run by various churches, including Emmanuel Nursery School and Norfield Nursery School. Parks. The landscape of Weston is characterized by open spaces. Almost one quarter of the town is permanently devoted to open space use, including: