Why Danbury
Located in the heart of the Housatonic Valley in Fairfield County, Connecticut, Danbury is a historic city situated approximately 50 miles northeast of New York City. Positioned along the Still River, its territory encompasses the southern tip of Candlewood Lake, the largest lake in the state. Serving as a major commercial center for western Connecticut, the city is home to many regional commuters as well as seasonal residents from New England and the broader New York metropolitan area.
The region was originally occupied by the Pahquioque Native Americans along the Still River prior to the arrival of European colonists, who settled the area in 1685 and formally named it Danbury in 1687. During the American Revolutionary War, the settlement functioned as an important military supply depot for the Continental Army until British troops burned and raided the town in 1777. The city subsequently adopted the Latin motto Restituimus, meaning "We have restored," on its official seal. Danbury is also connected to a significant milestone in American political history; an 1802 letter sent by President Thomas Jefferson to the local Baptist association marked the first written use of the phrase "Separation of Church and State," a document now kept at the Unitarian-Universalist Congregation of Danbury.
Throughout the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Danbury established itself as the center of the American hat industry, earning the enduring moniker of the "Hat City." Although the hatting trade gradually fell into decline before the last local facility ceased operations in 1987, this era shaped much of the city's identity. Modern Danbury is distinguished by its high degree of cultural diversity, with over a third of its residents born outside the United States. Its population includes established communities originating from Portugal, Lebanon, Brazil, Ecuador, India, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Germany, and the Dominican Republic.
Visitors to Danbury can explore a variety of civic, commercial, and historic sites. The Danbury Fair Mall occupies the former grounds of the long-running Danbury Fair, which took place regularly from the nineteenth century through 1981. The city hosts prominent regional institutions including Western Connecticut State University and Danbury Hospital. Historical points of interest include Wooster Cemetery, named for Revolutionary War General David Wooster who is buried there. The community is also served by the Danbury Municipal Airport, an aviation facility originally created from leased farmland in the late 1920s.
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