Morris is rural and spacious, with residents who preserve its character
Morris, Connecticut, is a small town built on farming history and rural character, with residents who want to maintain its peaceful atmosphere and natural surroundings. Homes are on side roads and in small subdivisions, but Morris is still a natural area of forests, wetlands, rolling hills and a lake. "There's a strong feeling of preservation and conservation in the surrounding area, and we want to preserve the lifestyle we have here," says Dave Luzi, associate broker with E. J. Murphy Realty Services, a lifelong resident of nearby Litchfield and realtor for 41 years. The town has grown in population over the years, especially around Bantam Lake. However, according to Luzi, "It's still a quiet and rural area with low housing density. You get a mile from the small centers of these northwestern Connecticut towns, and it's not uncommon for houses to be on 10 or more acres."
Older styles or new homes in place of torn-down lake cottages
Farmhouses, split-levels, Cape Cods and colonial homes from the 1800s are throughout Morris, either closely beside one another around Bantam Lake or spread out on large parcels of land. The older homes sell between $275,000 and $600,000, while newer styles are more expensive. "Back in the 1960s and 1970s, many of the properties around the lake were still simple cottages with no heating, no plumbing and limited electricity that drew water from the lake," Luzi says. People bought up the seasonal cottages, knocked them down and built homes for year-round living. "Some people even bought multiple adjacent lots and built very substantial homes – sometimes just for weekends away," he says. These large new traditional and modern Craftsman homes on Bantam Lake sell between $550,00 and $3.5 million.
Bantam Lake is a central part of the community
Morris Town Beach and Bantam Lake Yacht Club are on the lake's shores. "The main attraction of Morris is the lake," Luzi says of Connecticut's largest natural lake. "It's a central part of the community." Residents can boat, fish, swim and explore untouched stretches around the lake's perimeter. White Memorial Conservation Center is a 4,000-acre nature preserve that has 40 miles of hiking and biking trails, ponds, wetlands and woods. "It's just beautiful. And there's a nature museum with displays and exhibits," Luzi says.
South Farms is a wedding and event venue in Morris that also holds outdoor activities and community gatherings. Most notable are a summer concert series and a bluegrass festival, with games, food trucks and live music. In winter, they host indoor events like comedy and trivia nights.
James Morris left a legacy for public education
Morris is named after James Morris, an early Yale graduate, Revolutionary War and War of 1812 officer and a military captain under Alexander Hamilton. What he's most known for in the area, however, is opening one of the first coeducational schools in the country in 1790, which remained open until 1888. The school building no longer exists, but James Morris School stands in its place.
Regional School District No. 6 recently combined with Litchfield Public Schools, creating Regional School District No. 20. Elementary-aged students still attend the same school as before the districts merged, while middle and high schoolers attend new combined schools. James Morris School teaches kindergarten through fifth grade and is rated B-plus by Niche. Plumb Middle School and Lakeview High School are not yet rated. The high school offers an ASTE program, which stands for agriculture, science and technology education. Students from surrounding towns may apply and participate in classes that focus on agriculture, horticulture, farming and large animals.
Part-time residents and weekenders travel from New York City
Morris is 35 miles from Hartford and 15 miles from Waterbury. Both are large cities in Connecticut with employers and main highway connectivity via Interstate 84. New York City is 100 miles, or about two hours, away by car. "I don't know the numbers exactly, but I'd say close to 50 or 60 percent of Morris homeowners are weekenders or just live there seasonally," Luzi says. "Almost all those part-time residents are from New York City." Luzi says that Morris is too far from the city to commute daily, but close enough to get away easily. "It's the perfect distance to keep the area from being heavily developed like the suburbs." U.S. routes 202 and 6 are nearby, as is Connecticut State Route 8. Bradley International Airport is 44 miles away, and the nearest hospitals are in Waterbury and Torrington.
Filling up at the local grocery store and going to a nearby city for retail shopping
The Market CT – Bantam is a small grocery store with local produce and no-waste fill stations for pantry staples, grains and treats. Shoppers can also fill their own kombucha at a station with growlers and eight kombucha flavors on tap. The nearest traditional grocery store is Stop & Shop in Litchfield. Torrington and Waterbury have large shopping plazas with national retailers. "Torrington is also where the hospital is," Luzi says. "I always say that the doctors of the area work in Torrington but live in Litchfield or Morris." Two local spots for a bite to eat or a sweet treat are The Deli and Popey's Ice Cream Shoppe.
Written By
Heather Haggerty
