United Way of Western Connecticut serves three distinct communities with a total of 15 towns: Bethel, Bridgewater, Brookfield, Danbury, Kent, New Fairfield, Newtown, New Milford, Redding, Ridgefield, Roxbury, Sherman, Stamford, Warren and Washington. These 15 towns represent three distinct communities in Southern Litchfield County, Northern Fairfield County and Stamford.
NORTHERN FAIRFIELD COUNTY sits just below Litchfield County. This area is often referred to as the Greater Danbury area. Nestled at the foot of the Berkshire Mountains, Danbury lies next to the New York State border and is often referred to as the "Gateway to New England". The hub of the Housatonic Valley Region and its close proximity to metropolitan centers, natural surroundings, many lakes and ponds, excellent school systems, cultural opportunities, healthcare facilities, low crime rate, quality of life, and real estate values makes this region a wonderful place to live.
The towns that comprise greater Danbury include Bethel, Brookfield, Danbury, New Fairfield, Newtown, Ridgefield and Redding. While each town varies in size of population and industry, all share the quality of closeknit community. Several major corporations, including Boehringer Ingelheim, Cartus, GE and Praxair operate headquarters or affiliated offices in the greater Danbury area.
, known as “The City That Works,” has a long and prominent history. It was known as Rippowam by the Native American inhabitants to the region, and the very first European settlers to the area also referred to it as such. By the Eighteenth century, one of the primary industries of the town was merchandising by water, which was possible due to Stamford's proximity to New York.
SOUTERN LITCHFIELD COUNTY is situated in the midwestern portion of Connecticut. Also referred to as Greater New Milford, it represents a cluster of area communities, offering a quality of life considered to be among the most desirable in Connecticut. The area, suburban and rural, abounds in natural beauty and shines as an environmental gem. Each town offers its own uniqueness and geographic personality, while blending together to create a regional wonder.
Unlike many of its surrounding towns, whose roots are firmly planted in farming, the town of New Milford encompasses 64.8 square miles of a fine blend of history enhanced by modernization. Located in Western Connecticut, its bordering towns of Sherman on the west, Kent and Warren to the north, Washington to the east, and Bridgewater and Roxbury lining the south, all remain more rural to this day.
THE CITY OF STAMFORD, known as “The City That Works,” has a long and prominent history. It was known as Rippowam by the Native American inhabitants to the region, and the very first European settlers to the area also referred to it as such. By the Eighteenth century, one of the primary industries of the town was merchandising by water, which was possible due to Stamford's proximity to New York.
Today, that same proximity to New York is one of the driving factors to the city’s rapidly growing population. Stamford is one of the top 4 largest cities in the state of Connecticut and in 2006 was considered the ninth-safest city in the United States. In 2005, Stamford was voted "The Best City to Reside In" by the magazine United States Living. In 2006, CNN/Money and Money magazine ranked Stamford 46th on its list of the “100 Best Places to Live in the United States.” In addition, United Way in Stamford works with Stamford’s diverse community to periodically assess and identify unmet and under-served human service needs through The Stamford Human Services Planning Council.
Many major U.S. companies have located their corporate headquarters in Stamford, including General Electric Capital Corporation, Pitney Bowes, Clairol, Xerox Corporation, Gartner Group, Omega Engineering, Cadbury Beverages, Circon/ACMI, General RE Corporation, and Hyperion Software. Stamford is also home to UBS, a Swiss-based international investment bank.
