Guilford was founded by Reverend Henry Whitfield in 1639, originally named Menuncatuck. The center of town is located just south of RT 1 and is one of the most picturesque Colonial Town Greens in Connecticut. Whitfield Street leads from the town green to the Town dock on Long Island Sound, passing the Rev. Henry Whitfield Museum. Guilford is 47 square miles with a population just over 22,000 people. There is plenty to do in this community with town beaches, a beautiful lake in North Guilford with a public beach, numerous hiking trails, and Bishop's Orchards which in addition to a great country store features various "Pick Your Own" opportunities throughout the year.
Some Town Facts
ouse Holds -8,369
Average Age - 43
Median Household Income $95,326
School Enrollment - 3,922
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Having lived in Guilford for several years I am still amazed at the level of geographic diversity in this town. Slightly larger than neighboring Madison (or East Guilford) it boasts 47 square miles and slightly over 21,000 residents.
You start at Long Island Sound continue North along RT 77 past RT 80 to Durham CT. As you travel through the town you notice the diversity of landscape. Guilford's town green set a few blocks south of RT is classic New England. It is the site of summer concerts and quite walks. Guilford's annual Fair each September is run at the Fairgrounds close to the town green. As you travel north you will see wooded tracks of land and Lake Quonnipaug.
The town offers a tremendous variety of recreation starting with the town beaches at Jacobs Beach and Lake Quonnipaug, the very nice (hit it straight) par 3 golf course at Guilford Lakes, hiking on the Westwoods trail system and a variety of boating options. Guilford's town marina has been designated by the State DEP as a Clean Marina - a special designation given to marinas with a focus on minimizing pollution.
A big attraction in town is Bishops Orchard. On top of being a great year-round produce market and makers of the best pies in the area, in summer and fall Bishops offers a variety of pick your own fruit options. We have our annual trek to Bishops to pick apples, pears and peaches each fall and enjoy a tractor ride around the orchard. This is always followed by the pie baking and eating back at the house.
Guilford is also very commutable to many areas. About 25 min to New Haven on I 95 or RT 80, about 35 min to New London on I 95, about 30 min to Middletown via RT 77 and about 60 min to Hartford via RT 77. Having managed a large territory in the northeast, I needed to get into NYC, Boston, Providence among others and found Madison to be the perfect spot. We are 2 1/2 hours to Boston and NYC and 1 1/4 hours to Providence. The Shoreline East Rail service has been expanding and offers a great alternative to driving into New Haven and points south to NYC.
There is town wide belief in supporting education as a foundation for the future. Guilford school system gets a relatively high return on investment with its schools consistently in the top tier in the state and over 99.5% graduation rate and over 90% attending college.
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