Fairfield, town, Fairfield County, southwestern Connecticut, on Long Island Sound; settled and incorporated 1639, rechartered 1947. It is largely a residential town with several beaches and marinas. Manufactures include machinery and textiles. Fairfield University (1942) is here. The site was opened to settlement after the Pequot people were defeated here in 1637. During the American Revolution the town was burned (1779) by the British. Fairfield was named by early settlers either for local topographic features or after Fairfield, England. Population 54,849 (1980); 53,418 (1990).
