Stonington (borough), Connecticut

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Stonington is a borough and the town center of Stonington, Connecticut. Locals call it “The Borough.” It’s in New London County in the southeastern part of the state and is part of the Stonington School District.

Geography and layout
The borough sits on a point of land that sticks into Little Narragansett Bay. It covers about 0.7 square miles in total, with roughly 0.3 square miles of land and 0.3 square miles of water. The two main streets are Cannon Square and Wadawanuck Square, connected by the historic town layout. Wadawanuck Square gets its name from the Wadawanuck Hotel, which drew wealthy visitors after the Civil War.

What it’s like
Stonington Borough is known for its preserved Colonial, Federal, and Greek Revival architecture. Because there’s little heavy industry and traffic, the area has stayed charming and historic, yet it remains a working community with one of Connecticut’s last fishing and lobster fleets.

History and notable sites
The borough has a sizable Portuguese community. In the American Revolution, private sloops entered Stonington Harbor in 1775 and were attacked after docking. In the War of 1812, British ships bombarded the town for several days in August 1814; the defenders held out, with limited casualties.

The Stonington Harbor Light, a stone lighthouse built in 1840, became the flagship museum of the Stonington Historical Society in 1925, making it the oldest lighthouse museum in America. A granite Customs House on Main Street reflects Stonington’s past as a port of entry (established around 1842). Historically, Stonington supported fishing, whaling, and sealing, with some West Indies trade, and it remains the last commercial fishing fleet in Connecticut.

Population and community
As of the 2020 census, 976 people lived in the borough, up from 929 in 2010. The borough is a small, close-knit community within the town of Stonington.

Miscellaneous
- The ZIP code is 06378 and the area code is 860.