Welcome to the Southbury Business Association

Southbury is a town of approximately 16,000 residents. It is about 40 square miles in area and is midway between Danbury and Waterbury on Interstate 84. It is in New Haven County, 18 miles from New Haven, 41 miles from Hartford and 83 miles from New York City.

The town is bounded on the west by the Housatonic River, with Lake Zoar and Lake Lillinonah. The Pomperaug River runs through the town.

Founded in 1673 by religious dissenters from Stratford, the town originally was known as the Pomperaug Plantation. Its main street was once an old Pomperaug Indian trail and many of the town’s first homes were built on the road. In 1787, Southbury was incorporated as a town.

Bullet Hill School, which celebrated its bicentennial in 1989 and still stands on Main Street North, is one of the oldest school buildings in the United States. It was used until 1942 and is now maintained by the town and the Southbury Historical Society. Its name is believed to have been derived from a hill where bullets were cast for guns during the Revolutionary War.

Southbury has a traditional New England town meeting form of government and functions under a Town Charter, revised in 1997. The executive authority rests in a six-member Board of Selectmen, with financial control shared with a Board of Finance. Numerous boards and commissions are made up of volunteers, some of whom are elected while others are appointed. These commissions determine town policy in areas of planning, zoning, inland wetlands, economic development, conservation and parks and recreation.

The tax rate is based on 70 percent of the assessed value of the property. The mil rate for 1996-97 was 17.5 and for 1997-98 the mil rate was 18.3. In 1998-99, the mil rate was 21.5; the 1999-2000 rate was 23.2. The mil rate for 2001-02 is 24.5. Revenue garnered from taxes on real estate, motor vehicles and personal property funds town government and approximately two-thirds of the Regional School District #15 budget.

The Region 15 school district includes the towns of Southbury and Middlebury. There are two elementary schools, two middle schools and a regional high school.

Southbury has a modern and well-equipped Volunteer Fire Department. The Southbury Police Department operates under a Resident State Trooper Program directly responsible to the Connecticut State Police.

Southbury offers a wide choice of medical and dental services, including many internists and specialists. The Southbury Volunteer Ambulance Association operates 24 hours a day. Hospitals are located in nearby Waterbury, Danbury and Derby.

On more than 1,000 acres lies Heritage Village, a residential community designed for those over the age of 55, or one member of a couple over the age of 55. More than 4,000 residents live in the Village.

The town has two life care centers, offering living arrangements and full medical care for their elderly residents. The two are Pomperaug Woods and East Hill Woods. Kensington Green, an assisted living facility, opened in spring 2001.

Also providing services for the elderly, infirm or those convalescing are the Lutheran Home of Southbury and Mediplex of Southbury.

Russian Village

One of the more intriguing spots in Southbury is the section close to I-84 and Lakeside Road known as Russian Village. The groundwork for the village was laid by Count Ilya Tolstoy, son of the Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy. The Southbury Historical Society has much information on the village, which was founded by those who escaped the Russian Revolution.

Many Russian emigres followed Tolstoy and a whole community was founded, centering around a tiny chapel in which the residents worshiped. Few of the descendants of the first settlers remain today, and some of the old cottages are now gone.

Only about eight of the original 26 Russian families still live in the area, but St. Sergius Chapel still stands. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Parks and Recreation

The Town of Southbury operates four parks. In addition, three state parks are located within the town’s limits. Together with the varied recreational facilities of the schools and an extremely active Parks and Recreation Department, there are opportunities for tennis, boating, camping, swimming, picnicking, fishing, hiking, running, skiing, golf and trail riding, as well as many ball fields and playground equipment.

Culture and Entertainment

Besides offering a host of fine local talent to discover and enjoy, Southbury is close to Interstate 84 and therefore within fairly easy driving distance to nearby museums, music and theater in Waterbury, Danbury, Hartford, New Haven and even New York City.

During the warmer months, the Charles Ives Center in Danbury provides a wide variety of musical offerings, as do summer theaters in the area.

The Waterbury Symphony Orchestra offers a yearly concert series, with outstanding guest artists. Seven Angels Theater in Waterbury offers comedies and musicals with professional flair.

The Newtown Friends of Music sponsors a winter series, focusing on smaller instrumental groups.

Within a two-hour drive are the Berkshires and Tanglewood, summer home of the Boston Symphony. Easily accessible is the Yale School of Music summer home in Norfolk where chamber music concerts are played on weekends.