New Canaan dates to 1731, and 19% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 86% of U.S. towns · #68 of 155 in Connecticut. What drives it
25 places in town are on the National Register, among them 2 National Historic Landmarks and three historic districts with 22 buildings between them. Below: 17 old photos and papers, maps from 1951 on, and the census since 1810.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1818.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives New Canaan’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, New Canaan is more historic than 86% of U.S. towns, #68 of 155 in Connecticut. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its age ranks highest and its National Register listings lowest.
A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of New Canaan’s overall grade.
Connecticut towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Connecticut town has 73.3 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so New Canaan’s 28.3 sits below most of its state (28% of Connecticut towns have fewer) while its 59 historic buildings outnumber those of 86% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1731.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ to A. The pre-1940 share (±2.5 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about New Canaan’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
In 1731, Connecticut's colonial legislature established Canaan Parish as a religious entity in northwestern Norwalk and northeastern Stamford. The right to form a Congregational church was granted to the few families scattered through the area. As inhabitants of Norwalk or Stamford, Canaan Parish settlers still had to vote, pay some taxes—no income tax, and many other modern taxes did not yet exist—serve on juries, and file deeds in their hometowns. Because Canaan Parish was not planned as a town when it was first settled in 1731, when New Canaan was incorporated in 1801, it found itself without a central common, a main street, or a town hall.
In 1731, according to Wikidata. New Canaan’s post office opened in 1818, and the census of 1810 counted 1,599 people here.
How does New Canaan rank for history?
New Canaan is more historic than 86% of U.S. towns, #68 of 155 in Connecticut. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in New Canaan?
25 listings, 2 of them National Historic Landmarks: 22 buildings, among them the John Rogers Studio (a National Historic Landmark since 1965), and 3 historic districts, the Johnson, Philip, Glass House, the Waveny and the Chichester Road Historic District, with 22 contributing buildings. 59 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in New Canaan?
19% of New Canaan’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.5 points), against a typical 15% for a Connecticut town; the median home was built in 1967.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (15), the Library of Congress (2), Wikidata (6), the National Register of Historic Places (25), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
★ Landmark
★ Landmark
1823
1838
1901–1907
1906
1907–1915
c. 1909
1910
1910
1912
1915
1921
1923
c. 1945
1977
1977
1977
1977
