Shelton is a city cupped into a valley at Fairfield County’s easternmost edge, 68 miles from Midtown Manhattan. This lovely bedroom community to NYC has more than a great location to offer.
Shelton, shaped like an arrowhead, has 3 sections; Huntington which features historic churches and colonials, White Hill which is somewhat rural and Pine Rock Park.
When you take time to talk to some of the long-time locals, they’re quick to share the major attraction to this area. Shelton is known for having high performing public schools, a strong local economy and a low crime rate. Those are the kind of attributes that bring people here to settle and keep them here for years to come.
The public-school system currently offers one high school serving grades 9-12, Shelton Intermediate school serving grades 7-8, Perry School for grades 5-6 and five primary schools that serve grades K-4. Shelton averages 14 students per classroom and spends well above the national average per student per year.
This is one Connecticut city that is known for providing something for everyone and giving plenty of opportunity to bring neighbors together to participate in classes and activities for adults and children alike. The Shelton Community Center is a hub for social activity and community engagement. The community center provides its members a public pool, basketball court, and fitness room. Along with these amenities, the community center boasts of 5 craft rooms, a meeting room, and a multipurpose room.
The city of Shelton is 31.9 square miles with 30.6 square miles of land and 1.4 square miles of water. The city has set a goal to preserve at least 15% of the land as permanently protected, locally controlled open spaces. The city owns close to 2,000 acres of public open space. There are over 15 miles of hiking trails in Shelton, including a portion of the Paugussett Trail, part of an 800-mile network of hiking trails throughout the state. There is opportunity for fishing, boating, geocaching, letterboxing, hiking, walking and biking. Dogs are welcome on leash. Shelton has really invested in superb parks and recreational areas for its residents and visitors.
Indian Well State Park’s scenic waterfall and brook give this park its name. The lovely falls and shaded picnic grove at the water’s edge make this park a great place to spend a lazy summer day. This park also offers boating, fishing, hiking, field sports and swimming.
Riverview Park is the city’s first park, located on the northern edge of downtown Shelton. This park has been a major attraction for many years. The playground and baseball fields bring the greatest number of visitors to the park, but once you arrive, you certainly don’t want to miss out on nearby but lesser known features such as the hiking trail, Constitution Oak, or Pootatuck Indian rock.
The Huntington Green provides a peaceful safe open space, like a small park in the center of the more suburban part of Shelton. The Green runs a free concert series, known as Music Under the Stars, on Wednesday nights throughout the Summer with craft shows and other events through the year. Keeping up with is reputation for consistently reinventing itself, the city has continuously kept up with the revitalization of the town center with a diverse mix of shops and restaurants and the scenic qualities with its quaint historic homes and neighborhoods.
You also have your choice of two private golf courses in town. Highland Golf Club of Shelton is located in the downtown Shelton area where it was founded in 1900 and features a 9-hole course. The clubhouses 1920’s era structure still remains as the core to the current structure. Brownson Country Club is an 18-hold venue located in the Huntington section of Shelton. There is an annual competition between the clubs for the “Mayor’s Trophy”.
The Shelton Farmers Market meets every first Saturday of the month from 9-1. The market is truly incredible and features farmers and artisans coming together to provide the community with locally grown and produced seasonal offerings. As a producer, only market, you can be assured that you are buying direct from the farmer. This farmers market is the only producer only market in Fairfield County per DOAG regulations.
Along with live music, events for kids and families and cooking demonstrations, this is a wonderful way to bring the community together, shop local and meet your neighbors. If you have a desire to live somewhere with true old fashioned New England charm and friendly neighborhoods where people still enjoy bike rides and long walks with their dogs, this might just be the town for you. There is a reason that Shelton is known as “the town for all seasons”.
Last Updated on September 14, 2017 by Minna Reid