Welcome to New Canaan
Beautiful, community-oriented town on the Gold Coast with quintessential New England charms
As part of the illustrious Connecticut Gold Coast, New Canaan is a beautiful, flourishing small town with 22.5 verdant square miles. While New Canaan is steeped in natural beauty –– including the many town "ridges," Ponus Ridge, Smith Ridge, and Oenoke Ridge that enable breathtaking westerly sunsets –– it's the strong, tight-knit community that is the town's real beating heart.
New Canaan Real Estate is home to the number one public schools in the state, New Canaan hosts a quintessential New England town center and is home to the famed Harvard Five, five mid-century modern architects who are Harvard graduates of great fame. New Canaan houses are architecturally diverse, ranging from historic, 300-year-old buildings to ultra-modern new construction homes adorned with all the latest smart home technology.
What to Love
- Gorgeous sunsets on the ridges
- Number one public schools
- Harvard Five
- Part of the Gold Coast
- Strong, tight-knit community
- Charming New England town center
People & Lifestyle
New Canaan residents are attracted to the area because of its thriving community. Life in this town is marked by day-to-day interactions—exchanging pleasantries at one of the local farmers' markets, waving to friendly faces while walking through one of the lush local parks, or catching up with friends over drinks at one of the many award-winning restaurants nestled within the town's vibrant Village Center.
Families love the area because of the abundance of green space, including the 300-acre Waveny Park and Mansion, which regularly hosts town events and includes an art gallery, live theater, town pool, dog park, senior center, and more. But perhaps the biggest draw to the area for those with school-aged children are the top-rated public schools, ranked number one in the state!
Dining, Entertainment & Shopping
The award-winning restaurants and sheer variety of culinary delights available to residents and tourists in New Canaan are among the most substantial attractions to the area. Among the many restaurants located here are farm-to-table eateries and decadent multicultural spots. Elm, Ching's Table, Gates, Spiga, Cherry Street East, Roger Sherman Inn, Sole, and Farmers Table are some of the most popular local restaurants.
You'll likely want to visit places like Togs, Elm Street Books, Pennyweights, and Against the Grain for shopping. Most of the best shopping and dining happens in New Canaan's charming, festive town center, which is the epitome of New England culture.
Grace Farms is a fascinating 80-acre public space established to support initiatives toward justice, community, faith, nature, and the arts, both locally and globally. The eye-catching and famous River Building was the first U.S. building designed by a Tokyo-based architectural firm called SANAA, which won an esteemed Pritzker Prize for their work on the project.
Things to Do
The New Canaan Farmers' Market is a trendy fresh, family seasonal event that sells an abundance of Connecticut-grown fruits, veggies, annuals, perennials, fresh-cut herbs, flowers, farm-raised meats, eggs, farm-fresh cheeses, granola, pestos, sauces, soaps, and a whole lot more! It's a great place to take the family and relax for a fun morning of activity and delicious home-grown products.
As New Canaan is such a strong and involved community, tons of events are happening year-round, particularly during the holidays. The Christmas Eve Caroling at God's Acre is a long-standing community event that gathers members of the town to sing carols around the town Christmas Tree on Christmas Eve. Summer Theatre takes place during the warm months of the year, hosting seasonal productions of musicals and plays in an open-air tent theater.
Already mentioned above (but worth drawing further attention to) is Waveny Park. The sprawling park, which was formerly owned by actor Christopher Lloyd's family, is one of the city's most popular attractions. The park's centerpiece is a castle built in 1912, and the land is brimming with open fields, ponds, and an extensive trail system. It's so well known that the park was even used to film exterior shots on the popular soap opera All My Children.
New Canaan homes for sale are also close to multiple clubs, including The Field Club, The Lake Club, The Winter Club, and The Country Club of New Canaan.
Schools
The New Canaan Public Schools system is ranked number one in the state of Connecticut. There are also a few prestigious local private schools like New Canaan Country School, St. Luke's, and St. Aloysius.
