Darien is an amazing place to live. And although Darien is one of the most expensive places to live in North America it has also been rated one of the best places to live in America by CNN. The town has a total area of 14.8 square miles of which, 12.9 square miles of it is land and 2.0 square miles is water.
Darien has a rich history. According to early records, the first clearings of land were made in 1641 and the area became known as Middlesex parish in 1737. It was finally incorporated into the town of Darien in 1820.
According to the Darien Historical Society, the name Darien was decided upon when many families wanted the town named after the state assemblyman. He declined but a friend of his who had traveled to Darien, Panama suggested the name. It was eventually adopted because of the heritage of the early shipping industry along the Darien shoreline.
Until the advent of the railroad in 1848, Darien remained a small rural town of 1,000. Today the town boasts more than 20,000 residents with approximately 6,700 households. With the easy commute to New York, ample parks and beaches, great schools, and outstanding natural beauty, it is easy to see why so many people pick Darien to raise their families.
However what many people cannot easily see when they simply visit Darien is what really makes this town such a vibrant and remarkable place. It is the unique sense of small town community that Darien provides with a wonderful fellowship among people in town who are working toward common interests and goals. This can be seen in innumerable events played out every day through out the year. Here is just a snapshot of a few of the many, many special things that Darien has to offer.
Where else in the world can you stroll through 27 acres of a park like Cherry Lawn which houses community gardens, tennis courts, a children’s park donated by the townspeople, a dog area, exceptional Nature Center and a pond where families fish and ice skate together like a scene from a Norman Rockwell painting.
Where else in the world can you enjoy a sunrise beach service on a still Sunday morning over looking Long Island Sound. With your cup of coffee in hand, and blanket or beach chair, you can take part in the Noroton Presbyterian 6:00 am church service. Or just as unusual, you can spend the day at one of the wonderful retreats offered by The Convent of St. Brigitta, which houses a Swedish order of nuns.
In Darien, you can take advantage of recreation and sport activities for every age whether it’s paddle tennis, bicycle riding, sailing, soccer, baseball, football, lacrosse, rugby, basketball, canoeing or spend the day at Darien YMCA or The Depot, a youth center for town teenagers. You can even attend a horse show at Ox Ridge where a charity event attracts up to 1,300 equestrians from as far away as California and Europe.
Darien also boasts philanthropic groups all over town such as A Better Chance, Center For Hope, Children’s Council of Darien, Darien Technology & Community Foundation, Person to Person, Red Cross just to name a few and most of them are funded and staffed with town volunteer efforts.
We also have our own privately funded ambulance service known as the Darien EMS – Post 53. It is the only ambulance service in the nation staffed and run entirely by high school volunteers. Moreover we have a fire department and police unit that responds within minutes of a call for help.
Darien also has some of the best schools in the the nation with phenomenal teachers and tireless moms who pour out their heart and souls into volunteer school boards to insure our children have access to a variety of learning and enrichment programs.
And our own Darien Library has consistently ranked in the top ten of its category in the HAPLR (Hennen's American Public Library Ratings) Index of libraries.
Where else in the world can you can walk into a restaurant like The Sugar Bowl for breakfast and be greeted by the owners who pour your coffee and bring your favorite muffin to the table before you’ve even seen the menu.
Or see families enjoying the traditional tree lighting with Santa at the Darien Sports Shop with free cocoa and donuts every December.
In Darien, when you are facing a family emergency, neighbors show up with dinners, when a storm floods your home, someone arranges a team to bail you out, and when your child needs a ride or a word of encouragement, another parent is always there to offer help.
It’s the people in Darien that put the icing on the cake and aren’t we all extraordinarily lucky that we get to be neighbors and friends to each other and live in this beautiful and historic town.
