Branford

With panoramic coastal views and well-protected harbors, the historic New England coastal town of Branford is located along a twenty-mile stretch of the scenic Connecticut shoreline of Long Island Sound. While being justly proud of its many recreational opportunities and its richly preserved history, Branford, less than ten miles east of New Haven and Yale University, also boasts a healthy modern business climate with bioscience, information technology, manufacturing, tourism, and other industries contributing to its economic health. Its below-average taxes, convenient intermodal transportation, business-oriented environment, and its location mid-way between Boston Commons and Wall Street have earned it the Connecticut Economic Resource Center’s statement that “the Branford community has an enviable location, business climate, and quality of life.” With a population of less than 30,000, with several excellent universities, with its shoreline beauty and recreation, its quality public schools with small class sizes, as well as its offerings of a variety of cultural opportunities, Branford is a highly desirable community in which to work and live.

Branford’s interface of river, wetland, sea, and wooded shore has drawn settlers from at least as far back as 2500 BC, as archeologists have shown. Native Americans who lived in the area at the time of the coming of the first Europeans in the early 1600s called the Branford area Totoket, “place of the tidal river.” The river and the shoreline, with its rocky coastal woods and broad tidal marshes--rich with sea life and feathered by egrets, blue heron, osprey, and hundreds of other warblers--give Branford a distinct ecological niche. Trap rock ridges rise like islands, covered by woodlands, while spring wild flowers abound, thanks to the rich soil formed by weathered basalt. The forests, composed of oak, hickory, maple, ash and other trees, are home for deer, chipmunk, raccoon, squirrels and river otter, a species that went into severe decline earlier in the century.

Homes and other public buildings in the Branford area are also richly diverse. In 1983 the Architectural Preservation Trust of Branford set about to preserve as many as possible of the buildings and sites from the town’s 350 years of recorded history, such as the Nathaniel Hawthorne House, circa 1724. The renovation of the downtown area and the area along Main Street, with its brick walks, reproduction lighting and bench fixtures, as well as its careful landscaping, make for a well-loved town center. A focal point is the Town Green, graced with charming shops, historic homes, and excellent restaurants, as well as its old Academy and monumental public buildings. “Characteristic charm," and "independent individuality" is how Dave Driessens, a town historian, describes Stony Creek, a unique village located within the borders of Branford. Truly a change of pace from growing Branford proper, here visitors catch a glimpse of life before strip malls and chain stores. A quiet harbor neighbors the main street through Stony Creek, dotted with shops, restaurants and the Stony Creek Puppet Theatre. Of the “Thimbles," a chain of 365 islands called "the beautiful sea rocks" by the Mattabec Indians, 23 islands are inhabited, and they range in size from less than a half acre to 12 acres. About 85 homes, mostly from the Victorian era, occupy these unique islands.

The Branford Point Historic District contains many well-preserved examples of late Federal, Greek Revival, Italianate, Second Empire, Stick, Queen Anne, Arts and Crafts/Bungalow, Shingle and Colonial Revival homes and buildings.

In addition to historical buildings, new buildings and new architecture also give needed life and texture to the community, while bringing in new people, new jobs, and new resources. In spite of continued waves of building in town, Branford is still blessed with a surprising amount of undeveloped land and with a good diversity of natural habitat. In total, more than 3,900 acres remain as open and/or undeveloped space, including woodlands and salt marshes. These areas present a great diversity of scenery and provide endless opportunities for hiking, cycling, or kayaking. Walking trails include the Stony Creek Trolley Trail, the Short Beach Preserve, and the Branford Trail that is a 28-mile walking route that circles the town, passing through woods, fields, and quiet neighborhoods. The Shoreline Greenway Trail, running from New Haven Harbor to Hammonasset Beach State Park in Madison, connecting parks, railroad stations, village centers, and other trails for walkers, hikers, bicyclists, runners, cross country skiers, and more, passes through Branford. And drivers too can enjoy the scenery, especially along what was once known as the Old Boston Post Road, U.S. Route 1, spanning the length of Branford. This historic byway includes not only remnants of times gone by, but also many of the town's foremost places of interest, as well as numerous craft and antique shops.

Marinas are homes too for the sea vessels of many Branford boating residents. The Branford River is home port for hundreds of boats at more than six facilities offering a full range of marine services. At the mouth of the river is Branford Harbor and Branford Point, providing vistas of the Branford shoreline and Long Island Sound. Seal watches in late winter give visitors the opportunity to see migrating harbor seals that visit the Thimbles from December through early May.

An array of community organizations in Branford provide for the city’s residents, as well as offering a number of annual events. Father's Day Weekend, for example, has become synonymous with The Branford Festival during which the Historic Town Green is transformed into a festival of crafts, activities, food, talent shows, live music, and much more