New Canaan was originally established in 1731 as Canaan Parish and incorporated as a town in 1801. Before the Revolutionary War this was an agricultural village. After the war, the incorporation as a town meant the establishment of a main street, a central common and a town hall and New Canaan had arrived. Our main industry between the Revolutionary and Civil Wars was shoemaking. After the Civil War the establishment of a railroad connection to New York City in 1868 caused New Canaan to be increasingly settled by wealthy New Yorkers who built their summer homes here. With improved rail service some of the summer settlers chose to settle year-round and commute to their jobs in New York City, creating the beginnings of the year-round residential community that exists today.

A visible distinction between New Canaan's history and that of surrounding towns is the lasting presence of the Harvard Five architects who designed and built their own homes here and later the homes of their clients. Their distinct style of incorporating glass and steel, flat roofs and a modern aesthetic influenced the modern design movement internationally from the late 1940's through roughly 1965 but it is in New Canaan that their legacy is most profoundly felt. Over 80 modern homes were built in New Canaan during this time of which approximately 60 survive. The presence of so many fine examples of the mid-century modern design movement in one place certainly makes New Canaan unique in the world. The most famous of these mid-Century modern homes is Philip Johnson's Glass House which is now owned and operated as a museum six months of the year by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Today, New Canaan is chiefly known for its lovely residential neighborhoods. New Canaan is one of the most prestigious suburbs in the New York City area. Spacious grounds, beautiful homes and luxury condominium complexes typify the homes to be found here. The downtown Village offers over 100 shops, galleries, boutiques and restaurants. Historic houses, many dating to the Colonial era before the Revolutionary War, are found throughout New Canaan.