Town of Cheshire

Facts about Cheshire

Town/City establishment:

• Incorporated in 1780.

Named from:

• The town’s name comes from Cheshire, England; earlier called, “West Farms on Mill River.”

County:

• New Haven. 

Notable citizens (past and present): 

• Elizabeth Esty, U.S Congresswoman.
• Chris Murphy, U.S Senator.
• James Van Der Beek, actor.
• Samuel A. Foot, 28^th Governor of CT, U.S Representative and U.S Senator.
• Brad Ausmus, professional baseball player (1993-2010), manager of the Detroit Tigers.
• Brian Leetch, NHL player for NY Rangers, Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs.

Top Attractions:

• Barker Character Comic and Cartoon Museum.
• Drazen Orchards.
• Hitchcock-Phillips House Museum.
• Roaring Brook Park.

Annual Visitor’s Events:

• Strawberry Festival & Craft Fair, June. 
• Cheshire Fall Festival, September.
• Cheshire Christmas Fair, December.

Quality of the town/city:

• Ranked as one of the best places to live in Connecticut, this quaint New England town prides themselves as being “The Bedding Capital of Connecticut.” With a population of over 29,000, Cheshire residents remain active in the agriculture community. Several farms are spread throughout the 33 square miles of land, offering residents and guests’ seasonal activities to enjoy. Cheshire’s rich history can be discovered at the Hitchcock-Phillips House museum, built in 1785. Here you can take a tour through this historical colonial home to experience what life looked like in the 18^th century and learn quite a bit about the heritage of Cheshire.  The town also offers dozens of fine dining and casual restaurants, small shops, parks and playgrounds. The Barker Character Comic & Cartoon Museum, which opened in 1997, houses a collection of 80,000 antique toys and collectibles for residents and tourists to enjoy.