If you imagine that Norwalk is the gateway to New England, then the Silvermine neighborhood is exactly what you would expect. Rolling hills, trees, and homes that look quintessential New England farmhouse.

This is perhaps why the neighborhood became home to a bunch of artists post Great Depressions and they formed an art colony and then the neighborhood pretty much stayed as it was, for years.

But signs of change came roaring in anyways. The farmhouses gave way to McMansions, and a golf club sprouted up. But for the most part, it is New England. When it snows, there’s a chance the power will go out.

A cultural landmark like Silvermine Artists Guild anchors the cultural aspect of the neighborhood, but technically it is in New Canaan. The old Silvermine Tavern once of the last colonial-era mills converted to a bed and breakfast and food place became like a Pottery barn reclamation project and sprouted a new contemporary American restaurant called Graybarns.

The proximity to New Canaan and Wilton though makes this the place to land if you value parks with wooded trails.