| Canaan, Connecticut | |
| Settlement Type: | Town |
| Coordinates: | 41.9617°N -73.3083°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Type1: | U.S. state |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Litchfield |
| Subdivision Type3: | Region |
| Subdivision Name3: | Northwest Hills |
| Established Title: | Incorporated |
| Established Date: | 1739 |
| Government Type: | Selectman-town meeting |
| Leader Title: | First Selectman |
| Leader Name: | Henry Todd (R) |
| Leader Title1: | Selectmen |
| Leader Name1: | David Barger (D) Greg Marlowe (R) |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Total Km2: | 86.08 |
| Area Land Km2: | 85.24 |
| Area Water Km2: | 0.84 |
| Elevation M: | 200 |
| Elevation Ft: | 656 |
| Population Total: | 1080 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Timezone: | EST |
| Utc Offset: | -5 |
| Timezone Dst: | EDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -4 |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP code |
| Postal Code: | 06031 |
| Area Code: | 860/959 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 09-10940 |
| Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
| Blank1 Info: | 0213402 |
Canaan is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 1,080 at the 2020 census,[1] down from 1,234 at the 2010 census. The town is part of the Northwest Hills Planning Region. The town of Canaan is often referred to locally by the name of its principal settlement, Falls Village.[2]
Canaan is in northwestern Litchfield County; it is bordered to the north by the town of North Canaan, to the east by Norfolk, to the south by Cornwall, and to the west, across the Housatonic River, by Salisbury. It is northwest of Torrington, north of Danbury, and south of Great Barrington, Massachusetts.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town of Canaan has a total area of 86.1sqkm, of which 85.2sqkm are land and 0.8sqkm, or 0.97%, are water.[3]
The town was incorporated in 1739. The name "Canaan" is derived from Hebrew.[4]
See also: List of Connecticut locations by per capita income. As of the census[5] of 2000, there were 1,081 people, 445 households, and 298 families residing in the town. The population density was 32.8sp=usNaNsp=us. There were 610 housing units at an average density of 18.5 per square mile (7.1/km). The racial makeup of the town was 97.04% White, 1.48% Black or African American, 0.19% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 0.37% from other races, and 0.83% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 0.37% of the population.
There were 445 households, out of which 30.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.8% were married couples living together, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.0% were non-families. 27.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.97.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 23.6% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 28.8% from 45 to 64, and 14.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.6 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $54,688, and the median income for a family was $62,500. Males had a median income of $40,438 versus $29,219 for females. The per capita income for the town was $35,841. About 3.0% of families and 4.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.6% of those under age 18 and 3.8% of those age 65 or over.
| Voter registration and party enrollment as of October 29, 2019[6] | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Active voters | Inactive voters | Total voters | Percentage | ||||||
| Republican | align = center | 150 | align = center | 26 | align = center | 176 | align = center | 21.86% | ||
| Democratic | align = center | 297 | align = center | 20 | align = center | 317 | align = center | 39.38% | ||
| Unaffiliated | align = center | 258 | align = center | 50 | align = center | 308 | align = center | 38.26% | ||
| Minor Parties | align = center | 4 | align = center | 0 | align = center | 4 | align = center | 0.50% | ||
| Total | align = center | 709 | align = center | 96 | align = center | 805 | align = center | 100% | ||
| Presidential Election Results[7] [8] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Democratic | Republican | Third Parties | |
| 2020 | 66.7% 437 | 31.9% 209 | 1.4% 9 | |
| 2016 | 60.3% 357 | 34.3% 203 | 5.4% 32 | |
| 2012 | 63.4% 384 | 34.7% 210 | 1.9% 12 | |
| 2008 | 67.7% 429 | 29.8% 189 | 2.5% 16 | |
| 2004 | 61.1% 378 | 35.4% 219 | 3.5% 22 | |
| 2000 | 49.1% 288 | 35.9% 211 | 15.0% 88 | |
| 1996 | 50.8% 302 | 30.3% 180 | 18.9% 112 | |
| 1992 | 41.2% 237 | 33.4% 192 | 25.4% 146 | |
| 1988 | 46.3% 241 | 52.6% 274 | 1.1% 6 | |
| 1984 | 28.2% 151 | 71.0% 380 | 0.8% 4 | |
| 1980 | 30.4% 153 | 54.6% 275 | 15.0% 76 | |
| 1976 | 36.4% 170 | 61.2% 289 | 2.4% 8 | |
| 1972 | 28.8% 146 | 70.6% 358 | 0.6% 3 | |
| 1968 | 32.4% 140 | 64.4% 278 | 3.2% 14 | |
| 1964 | 47.1% 202 | 52.9% 227 | 0.00% 0 | |
| 1960 | 20.7% 89 | 79.3% 341 | 0.00% 0 | |
| 1956 | 16.4% 68 | 83.6% 346 | 0.00% 0 | |
Canaan is a member of Regional School District 1, which also includes the towns of Cornwall, Kent, North Canaan, Salisbury, and Sharon. Public school students attend Lee H. Kellogg School for grades K–8, and Housatonic Valley Regional High School for grades 9–12.
The town is served by U.S. Route 7, Route 63, and Route 126. US 7 leads north into Massachusetts and south to Danbury, while Route 63 leads southeast to Litchfield. Route 126 is a local road that passes through the center of Falls Village and runs north along the Housatonic River.