Bethel Real Estate Listings of Houses and Homes for Sale in Fairfield County, Connecticut


	Bethel Houses for Sale

Bethel

Tree-lined streets, luscious parks and antique, colonial-style homes comprise the town of Bethel. Strategically isolated from major industrial life, the town is able to inherit and preserve the personalities of its residents without much outside influence. The community places a tremendous value on education and the continued growth of its youth. This is evident in that all five of Bethel’s school buildings are clustered in a beautiful 140-acre park that is the focal point of many town activities. Athletic fields, tennis and bocce courts, playgrounds, a skate park, and walking trails attract residents to the park. The closeness of the schools allows staff and parents to move conveniently from one facility to another. This unique campus-like setting is located just a few minutes from downtown Bethel where quaint shops, many restaurants and a movie theatre can be found.

When not in school or at work, residents enjoy playing in Putnam Memorial State Park where the variety of recreational activities seems endless. This 183-acre park was the site of the Continental Army’s 1779 winter encampment under the command of General Israel Putnam. The site consists of remains of the encampment, reconstructed log buildings and a museum. Activities range from fishing to ice-skating, picnicking to field sports. Also nearby is Huntington Park, a great place to hike, bird watch, jog or ride your mountain bike.

Side trips to Blue Jay Orchards and Sunrise Herb Farm are also very popular, especially in September and October when visitors can pick their own apples. The Orchards offer guests a farmer’s market, a Cider mill and press and free hayrides to the pumpkin patch in October. The Herb Farm is located on a 200-acre nature reserve with various hiking trails and a petting zoo. Once there, patrons can dine at the natural food café and juice bar, receive aromatherapy, or purchase herbal remedies and herb plants. All in all, these alternative nature trips compliment the lifestyle of the region, offering residents and guests alike a closer look into New England living and its deep history.

The early history of the town is incomplete since Bethel was part of Danbury until 1855. The exact time of the first settlement of Bethel is unknown, but settlers probably moved into the area around 1700. Bethel, meaning house of God, got its name from the General Assembly of the Colony of Connecticut when the parish of Bethel was organized in 1759. The name Bethel remained when the parish became a township in 1855. While the main occupation was farming, hat manufacturing prospered in the late 18th century. It became the basis of the town’s economy well into the mid-20th century. By 1968, the last working factory had finally closed. The production of shoes, combs, silk, slippers, and corsets were also popular in the area, but these industries dwindled by the 1900s.

Possibly the town’s most famous native is Phineas Taylor Barnum, better known as the Barnum of Barnum and Bailey’s Circus. This great circus showman took his act to every corner of the world, entertaining people of all ages. Barnum’s original Jumbo the Elephant died in 1885, but a mural of Jumbo can be seen on the Grosso building at the corner of P.T. Barnum Square and School Street. Another famous local was Rudolph Kunett. In 1932, he opened the first vodka distillery in the United States right in the middle of downtown Bethel. He is responsible for making the first bottle of Smirnoff vodka, wisely purchasing the Smirnoff family’s secret vodka recipe.

Bethel has grown up through the years, adopting technological advances and expanding its civic facilities. However, it has never abandoned its claim to small town life. One example of this is the organization and preservation of the Bethel Newcomers and Neighbors Club. The club was established to help new and existing residents of Bethel make friends and offer support in adjusting to a new community. The club was organized exclusively for non-profit social, charitable and educational causes and is still in existence today.

Bethel is a community in every sense of the word. Its residents respect the values and traditions of their neighbors and take pride in the town’s unique history and culture. This agriculturally rich environment is well suited for the many ranch style homes in the area. Most residents tend to their own gardens, planting vegetables and flowers. The growing season starts in April for cool-weather crops. A suitable time to plant tender vegetables and flowers is after Mother’s Day, presumably after the season’s last frost. The most popular flowers are impatiens, marigolds, geraniums and perennials. Residents prefer to grow what the deer do not like to eat, but it is getting harder and harder to find plants they dislike. Vegetable growers have success with such things as tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, pumpkins and corn. Herb gardens also do well here and are becoming more and more popular.

With the added attraction of home gardens in combination with small town living and big city life close by, but not too close, Bethel makes for a stimulating place to live, work, and play. So, if becoming a member of a diverse, expanding community is important to you then Bethel may be the ideal place for you and your family to call home.