10 Connecticut Towns With A Slower Pace Of Life

Washington was the real-life inspiration for Stars Hollow on Gilmore Girls. Colebrook's general store has been opening on its own schedule since 1812. Goshen built America's first cheese factory on a fad for pineapple-shaped cheese rounds. Roxbury claimed Arthur Miller, Marilyn Monroe, William Styron and Frank McCourt as residents. Quiet has always been part of the deal in these New England towns, especially in the rural northeast known as the Quiet Corner.

Washington

The real Connecticut town of Washington inspired the fictional town of Stars Hollow from the hit show "Gilmore Girls." Though Washington did throw one Gilmore Girls festival for an anniversary a few years back, it does not otherwise capitalize on the connection and remains a quiet town. Zoning regulations prevent much development, and a lot of the town consists of protected land.

It is surrounded by forests and hiking areas such as Steep Rock Preserve. Washington's century-old Mayflower Inn, now known as the Mayflower Inn & Spa, served as the model for the show's Independence Inn. And much like Stars Hollow, the town has a surprisingly rich arts scene and is home to two dance companies, MOMIX and Pilobolus.

Colebrook

Colebrook, just an hour north of Washington, is home to the state's longest-running general store. It operated from 1812 right until 2007, when the owner one day put up a sign reading, "Closed for Vacation." The Colebrook Preservation Society reopened it after seven years, then closed it again for renovations, which is the sort of pace that suits a small town.

The forest around Colebrook, including Algonquin State Forest, offers opportunities for quiet exploration. It contains the Kitchel Wilderness, a 600-acre preserve with old trees. Bobcats, black bears, and the occasional moose can be spotted here.

Woodstock

Woodstock is the second largest municipality in Connecticut by area, and that also makes it one of the sparsest. More than fifty times as many people live in each square mile of New Haven as in each square mile of Woodstock. In the northeastern Quiet Corner of the state, there's not much of a hectic downtown to explore. Instead, people go apple picking at Woodstock Orchards or order maple-flavored milk at one of the many dairy farms, such as Woodstock Creamery.

The town center's big landmark is Roseland Cottage, a startlingly pink Gothic Revival house that was famous in the 19th century. Roseland used to host massive Fourth of July celebrations. Guests included four different sitting US presidents. The house contains its own bowling alley, which is not a modern addition. It dates back to 1846, when the house first went up.

Warren

In the early 2000s, businessman Joe Cicio gradually bought up much of the small commercial center of Warren, Connecticut. That was possible because Warren is tiny, with fewer than 1,500 residents, and its downtown consists of only a handful of buildings. The unusual story drew national attention when Cicio listed much of the town center for sale on eBay. It offered buyers the chance to purchase the town with bids starting at $5,000,000.

Cicio said he didn't have the resources to develop the city center. Decades later, it remains a small spot many people miss unless they're on their way to nearby Lake Waramaug. Warren's main attractions are its town green, a compact, triangular piece of land, and Warren Congregational Church across the intersection, which is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Sharon

Several relics of the past loom over the northwest town of Sharon. The stone clocktower has been keeping time for 140 years. At the base of a nearby hill sits an old lime kiln, built in the 19th century by Isaac Newton Bartram, a prominent local furnace mason, industrialist, and entrepreneur. The marble structure was designed for producing lime and originally stood about 19 to 20 feet tall. Though it has deteriorated over time, Sharon has preserved it as a reminder of the town's industrial past.

The town green has a memorial to veterans of World War II as well as a larger monument to veterans of the Civil War. Local lore says a Civil War cannon used to stand at this corner, until one ambitious vandal stole it. The green also stretches for a mile and a half. That means Sharon's population of less than 3,000 could all gather there at once.

Kent

Kent is another small town of around 3,000 residents. In town, a one-lane covered bridge adds to the old New England feel. The Kent Barns complex is another highlight, with galleries and restaurants set inside restored historic barns. The Kent Art Association started here over a century ago, and its legacy still carries through the complex today.

Kent Falls State Park is home to a series of waterfalls fed by the wetlands around Warren. These falls drop 250 feet, and the largest of them is visible right from the parking lot. Hikers can also spend a little more time here, braving a steep mile-long trail around the falls or fishing in the pool for trout.

Barkhamsted

Barkhamsted's Peoples State Forest contains an archaeological site, with remnants of an unusual community that once lived here. The settlement became known as Lighthouse. While historical records are a little sketchy, tradition says a white woman named Mary married a Narragansett man named James in 1740, and they created an enclave for outcasts. The area they picked later became Barkhamsted, which encompasses a couple of smaller villages, each with winding roads and small shops.

Saville Dam, in front of the Barkhamsted Reservoir, offers a more unusual sight. The earthen dam, built in 1940, looks like a castle, complete with a gatehouse tower. The castle-like look is hard to square with the fact that it's holding back 30 billion gallons of water.

Roxbury

Roxbury is a secluded little town with a long list of famous authors who called it home. Arthur Miller lived here with Marilyn Monroe. Frank McCourt, author of Angela's Ashes, moved here, as did Sophie's Choice writer William Styron and Candace Bushnell, whose columns inspired Sex and the City. Other celebrities include Dustin Hoffman, Stephen Sondheim, and Walter Matthau.

The town is more rural than commercial. It has about 2,000 residents spread across 26.4 square miles, with farmland, forests, stone walls, and winding country roads throughout. Its center is modest rather than visitor-focused, but that quiet, open setting is exactly what makes people want to live there.

Goshen

Goshen contains two historic districts with buildings from the 18th and 19th centuries. Several farms sit farther out from the town center. Northern Farm & Flowers raises free-range pigs and chickens, while Mike's Beehives offers beeswax and honey. Mohawk Bison Farm raises bison, much to the surprise of those who never imagined buffalo east of the Mississippi.

These farms were also the source of Goshen's once-famous export: pineapple cheese. In 1809, Goshen farmer Lewis Norton started making cheese in pineapple-shaped molds, which proved wildly popular. He scaled up and built what was likely the nation's first cheese factory. In a few decades, he was turning a million pounds of milk a year into pineapple cheese. The world has forgotten pineapple cheese, but Goshen still has dairies such as Thorncrest Farm, which sells artisanal chocolate.

Deep River

Deep River is a quiet town in southern Connecticut, surrounded by natural beauty and tied to an unusual chapter in American manufacturing history.

In the 19th century, Deep River and neighboring Essex became major centers for ivory processing. Much of the ivory that entered the United States was worked here and turned into products such as combs and piano keys. One of the industry's major sites, the former Pratt, Read and Company Factory Complex, still stands in Deep River. Today, it is known as The Piano Works and has been converted into apartments.

Visitors can also enjoy the town's natural side, whether by taking a steamboat ride from the town landing or walking the trails at Canfield-Meadow Woods Nature Preserve.

Savor the Slow Life in Connecticut

Connecticut's towns are the kinds of places where general stores reopen on their own schedule, forests stay protected, and local history still carries weight. They have plenty of old stories behind them, but today they move in quiet, familiar routines. That slower pace is the point. People come here, and stay here, because tradition, privacy, and a little distance from the rush still matter.