Norwalk

Welcome to Norwalk

Enriched with more than 1400 acres of parks and shoreline recreation areas, Norwalk is a delightful blend of the urban and suburban, the trendy and the traditional. Founded in 1640, Norwalk consists of distinct neighborhoods, each with its own style and character: East Norwalk, South Norwalk, West Norwalk, Silvermine, Cranbury, Wolfpit, Sasqua Hills & Rowayton. Major employers, diversifi ed housing and excellent educational opportunities attract people from all over the U.S. to live and work in Norwalk. Norwalk has been named by Money Magazine as one of the best places to live in the nation. The revitalized downtown district of SoNo, the area’s active cultural community, good schools, and superb recreational advantages will continue to maintain Norwalk’s place as the pinnacle of desirability.

History

In 1640, Roger Ludlow and Daniel Patrick purchased the site of Norwalk from the Native Americans. The fi rst settlers arrived from Hartford in 1649 and the town was incorporated in 1651. The common tradition concerning the name is that the name Norwalk is derived from the one day’s “North-walk” that limited the northern extent of the purchase from the Native Americans. The Native Americans were called “the Norwake Indians’” and the river bore the name of “Norwake River,” when the English first came to these shores.

Connecticut’s state song, Yankee Doodle, has Norwalk-related origins. During the French and Indian War, a regiment of Norwalkers was assembled to report as an attachment to British regulars. Assembling at Col. Thomas Fitch’s yard in Norwalk, Fitch’s younger sister Elizabeth, along with other young local women who had come to bid them farewell, were distraught at the men’s lack of uniforms and so they improvised with plumes from chicken feathers which they gave to the men for their hats. British regulars began to mock and ridicule the rag-tag Connecticut troops.

Recreational Facilities

Norwalk has dozens of municipal tennis and basketball courts, soccer and baseball fields, the Oak Hills Public Golf Course, miles of walking, biking or skating paths and cross-country skiing. There are 125 acres of woodland trails in Cranbury Park alone. Besides the numerous parks, museums and galleries, which include Heritage Park, the Lockwood-Matthews Mansion Museum, the Stepping Stones Museum for Children, the Maritime Aquarium and the Silvermine and Rowayton Arts Centers, Norwalk is the site of numerous events that give both breadth and depth to life in the city. Norwalk Symphony and Youth Symphony orchestras, Shakespeare on the Sound, the SoNo Arts Celebration, and the Oyster Festival are but a few of the cultural options the city offers.

Education

Norwalk’s educational system supports its diversity with 12 elementary schools, 4 middle schools and 2 high schools which offer some of the best musical programs in the state as well as The Center for Global Studies which offers Japanese, Chinese, and Arabic. Brien McMahon High School offers an International Baccalaureate diploma program which is a comprehensive and rigorous two year pre-university course of study. In addition, Norwalk High School, Norwalk Community College and IBM have created a partnership in which students will earn a high school diploma and an associate’s degree in six years or less at no cost.

Cafes & Restaurants

BREAKFAST

• Cafe Dolce
• SoNo Bakery
• The Family Diner

LUNCH/DINNER