Colchester

About Colchester

Tucked into the rolling hills of New London County, Colchester is a quintessential Connecticut town with deep roots and a genuine sense of community pride. It blends rural charm — farms, forests, and open land — with an active, engaged civic life that keeps neighbors connected. It's the kind of place where history feels present and the outdoors are always within reach.

What to Know

• Colchester made history in 2010 as the first town in Connecticut — and 36th in the nation — to be certified by the National Wildlife Federation as a Community Wildlife Habitat, a testament to its deep commitment to conservation.
• The Cragin Memorial Library serves as a beloved community anchor, while the Colchester Historical Society operates a local history museum preserving the town's rich past.
• The Colchester Green features a Civil War monument dating to 1875, giving the town center a timeless, classic New England feel.
• The Paugussett tribe maintains a 106-acre reservation in Colchester, reflecting the town's lasting connection to Indigenous heritage.
• A right-to-farm ordinance adopted in 2009 formally recognizes agriculture as central to Colchester's heritage — and its future.

History

Colchester's story begins in 1661 when Jeremy Adams founded the original settlement on 340 acres gifted to him by Uncas, the famous Sachem of the Mohegan tribe — a remarkably peaceful origin for a Connecticut town. It was officially incorporated in 1698/1699, making it one of Connecticut's earlier established communities. The area was long part of Mohegan territory and carries that layered Indigenous and colonial history throughout its landscape and institutions.

Community & Living

Colchester offers a relaxed, small-town lifestyle with genuine community ties and easy access to nature — residents enjoy trails, open farmland, and the kind of quiet that's increasingly rare. The villages of Westchester and North Westchester add to the town's character, giving it a warm, unhurried pace that people who move here tend to fall in love with quickly.