Located in the northeast corner of New London County, Voluntown is a rural community consisting of 39.8 square miles with two-thirds of the town made up of state forest. Pachaug State Forest offers many outdoor activities; such as hunting, camping, hiking and horseback riding. The town hall and library are located in the Village Center, along with the PreK-8 school, Constitution Field, the walking track, and gazebo. Voluntown was Incorporated in 1721 and has a rich history of textile mills, historic buildings, the Civilian Conservation Corps. (CCC Camp), folklore and was originally known as “Volunteer Town”.
First Selectman – Tracey Hanson
Selectmen – Mark “Skipp” Oulton and Robert “Jim” Thevenet
About Voluntown
Incorporated in 1721, the town of Voluntown lies in the southeastern part of Connecticut, bordering the State of Rhode Island, as well as Windham County and the towns of North Stonington and Griswold. Located half way between Boston and New York, Voluntown is conveniently accessible from I-95 and I-395, Route 2 and the scenic highway of Route 49. The town’s population of 2, 500 doubles during the summer months as its tourism season flourishes.
Visitors enjoy lodging at places such as Nature’s Campsite, or Circle C Campground, and hometown cooking at popular restaurants such as Town Pizza and Tamarack. Nearby Pachaug State Forest provides 28,000 acres of recreational opportunities and the area is known as one of the top five sites for fall foliage in Connecticut. Within town limits, visitors will also find numerous riding trails and the state’s only “horse camp”, as well as boating and fishing at Beach Pond, which has a public boat launch and is annually stocked by both Connecticut and Rhode Island.
Voluntown is also home to many entrepreneurial companies offering services from carpentry and construction to antiques and motion pictures. Dairy and tree farms are an important part of the Voluntown economy, as well.
“Voluntown is a unique little town. The Town has always worked well with us and is fortunate to have great assets like 26,000 acres of state forest, the Pachaug River and recreational opportunities like hiking, mountain biking, kayaking and other outdoor sports. It is a great place for people who love the outdoors!” – Pete Lazourack, Nature’s Campsite
Statistics
Estimated 2020 population – 2535
Land area – 39.8 square miles
State of Connecticut owns 70% of land (Pachaug State Forest)
Population per square mile (2010) – 70
Households (2010) – 1060
Median Age (2010) – 38
Total Students Enrolled in Voluntown Schools (pre-K thru grade 8) – 308
Student/Teacher Ratio – 14
Total Students Enrolled in Designated High Schools (Griswold High and Norwich Free Academy) – 129+
