A cloud of uncertainty lingers over the future of the Northwest Corner as demographics continue to skew older, according to the recent report by Northwest CT Community Foundation.
Northwest Connecticut is headed for “considerable change,” according to a new report by the Northwest CT Community Foundation that examines the trends in the region’s demographic, economic and education makeup.
In a report, an update from a ‘2017 Community Crossroads’ study, the foundation paints a picture of a region that faces a declining and aging population, dropping school enrollment and skyrocketing home prices that continue to outstrip moderate family incomes.
The 2025 outlook confirms that trends identified seven years ago have borne out — and are even more pronounced. NCCF, a charity located in Torrington that supports nonprofits and provides grant assistance and student scholarship opportunities, said that the goal of the community update is to help municipal planners and policymakers.
The report found that the region’s population will continue to drop. Besides the decline, overall the 20 towns in the Northwest Corner will be populated by more seniors and fewer pre-school and school-aged children, which translates into a continued decline in public school enrollment.
Student enrollment drop
The report found a gradual and consistent decline in student population over the period, noting a 12% drop — a deficit of 1,900 over a ten-year period.
In Region One, enrollment at Housatonic Valley Regional High School fell from 446 in 2015-’16 to 314 in 2023-’24, a decline of 132 or 30%.
The number of pre-school and school age children in the 20-town region trended downward, and the decrease exceeded forecasts. Those between birth and age 4 decreased by 9% — 397 fewer children — in a seven-year period.
Some Northwest Corner towns showed enrollment increases.
—Falls Village/Canaan reported an increase of four students.
—Cornwall counted five more students.
—Salisbury reported an increase of 29 students.
—Norfolk’s student enrollment dropped dramatically from 116 to 56, a 52% drop.
—Sharon also showed a deficit of 54 students over the period, a 34% decline.
—North Canaan had 16 fewer students, down 6%.
—Kent enrollment declined by 46, a 19% drop.
The trends show that birth rates will remain low and death rates will remain high.
Racial and ethnic change
The NCCF report also reported that the region is becoming more racially and ethnically diverse. Asian, Black and Hispanic populations rose substantially, while the White population fell by 12% in the past seven years.
There was an unexpected increase in the number of young adults, including in the 25- to 39-year old group. Noting a “small but steady” increase in young adults of 13%, NCCF said that it was an unexpected and positive finding, but said continuation of the trend will depend on housing, job opportunities and work-at-home options.
On the economic front, the region also faces the prospect of fewer and fewer available and experienced workers, some of whom will be turning their backs on Northwest Connecticut for jobs outside the region.
Experienced worker issue
Experienced workers are expected to continue to decline, and more education and training will be required to obtain employment.
Four out of five workers were employed in a town outside their home town, and three quarters of workers commuted outside the 20-town region for employment.
“This trend brings into question the overall vitality of NWCT’s business environment and its capability for meeting the employment needs of its resident workforce,” NCCF wrote in the report.
The increase in the young adult group was led by a 41% increase in Torrington. The pandemic was cited as a possible cause due to remote and hybrid learning and working at home. Yet the NCCF study noted that the ongoing decrease in K-12 enrollments is a warning sign for the region’s future young adult cohort.
The number of experienced workers in the 40 to 54 year age group showed a sharp decline since 2015, and the purchasing power in this group also declined. Vocational/technical high school education or post-secondary education are viewed as necessary for workers to achieve long-term economic security.
A senior ‘explosion’
The senior “explosion” will challenge the capacity of social and healthcare services, NCCF says.
The aging of the region’s population will result in a 10% growth in the 65-plus population, meaning that the older adult population will be 25% greater in number than it was in 2015. The total 65-plus population is expected to reach 24,937 this year.
Litchfield County continued to experience migration out of the county, though it was lower than it was seven years ago. The most popular states for relocation were New York, Florida, Massachusetts, South Carolina, California and Arizona. In-migration from other Connecticut counties more than doubled since 2015, with New Haven and Fairfield Counties leading. NCCF noted that the impact of the pandemic is unknown.
Home values from 2013 to 2023 rose by 65% for a median increase of $171,816, while household incomes rose 22%.
Rising home prices
One quarter of the region’s housing units with a mortgage were owned by households earning $75,000 or less. Two thirds of those households were paying more than 30% of their income on housing, and the same was found for renters.
From 2017 to 2023, median home values rose accordingly:
—Falls Village/Canaan: $186, 467 to $324,432
—Cornwall: $383,592 to $607,987
—Salisbury: $473,369 to $807,848
—Sharon: $364,709 to $598,667
—North Canaan: $178,508 to $309,831
—Kent: $344,540 to $567,457
—Norfolk: $279,233 to $462,507
“In sum, the high cost of both homeownership and rental housing does not serve the region well for either persuading those aged 25 to 39 to remain in NWCT or for attracting that demographic to relocate here,” NCCF said.
The report can be found at www.yournccf.org
Lakeville Journal
SALISBURY — Alfred Lyon Ivry, a long-time resident of Salisbury, and son of Belle (Malamud) and Morris Ivry, died in Bergen County, New Jersey, on Feb. 12 at the age of 91, surrounded by family members. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he was a graduate ofAbraham Lincoln High School and Brooklyn College, where he earned a B.A. in English literature and Philosophy and served as drama critic for the school paper.
Alfred earned a PhD in Medieval Jewish Philosophy from Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts in 1963 and in 1971 was awarded a D. Phil in Medieval Islamic Philosophy from Oxford University, Linacre College.
He enjoyed a long career as a professor of Jewish and Islamic philosophy, with appointments at Cornell, Ohio State, Brandeis, and New York University. Alfred wrote more than one hundred scholarly articles and book reviews, and was the author or editor of nine books, including Maimonides’ Guide of the Perplexed: A Philosophical Guide, published in 2016.
Alfred and Joann, his wife of 67 years, moved to the Berkshire area in the early 1990s, splitting their time between the Twin Lakes and New York City until their respective retirements. After that, they lived in Salisbury full time, availing themselves of the region’s many cultural offerings. They relocated in late 2020 to Noble Horizons for two years before moving to New Jersey to be closer to their children.
In their many years together, Alfred and Joann traveled regularly, frequenting museums, national parks, and other destinations. Alfred was an avid reader of the newspaper, fiction, and poetry, and possessed both a sharp wit and an estimable sense of humor. Throughout his life, he enjoyed outdoor activities including swimming, camping, hiking, ice skating on Twin Lakes, and tennis. Like many Brooklyn boys of his era, he followed the Dodgers, but happily took his children to Red Sox games at Fenway Park and later his grandchildren to see the Red Sox at Yankee Stadium.
In Salisbury, Alfred became a successful gentleman farmer, and embarked on canoe trips and fishing expeditions on Twin Lakes and beyond.He took up birding, among other hobbies, and with Joann developed and enjoyed the friendships he made in Salisbury and environs, and especially amongst members of the Great Barrington-based Berkshire Minyan, of which they were founding members.
Above all, Alfred was committed to the Jewish tradition and people, and to his family. He is survived by his wife, Joann (nee Saltzman);children, Rebecca and husband Clifford Stein, Jonathan, Sara, and Jessica, grandchildren; Molly and husband Josh Mark, Noah and wife Noa Shapiro, Ben Stein, Talia, Max, Isaiah, and Esther Ivry; great-grandchild, Aaron Mark; and colleagues and friends made throughout his life. He was predeceased by his sister, Grace.
Donations in Alfred’s memory may be made to the Berkshire Minyan and to the Yaakov Goboff Fund at the Yaakov Herzog Institute for Jewish Studies.
Lakeville Journal
LAKEVILLE — Alice Gustafson (née Luchs), 106, of Lakeville, Connecticut, passed away on March 2, 2026. Born in Chicago on Dec. 15, 1919, Alice was raised between New York City, Florida and Lime Rock, where she graduated from Salisbury High School in 1937.
Alice’s career spanned roles at Conover-Mast Publications in New York City, The Lakeville Journal, the Interlaken Inn, and as a secretary to the past president of Smith College. In 1948, she married Herbert “Captain Gus” Gustafson at Trinity Church in Lime Rock.
A devoted community servant, Alice volunteered for twenty years at White Plains Hospital and for over thirty years at Sharon Hospital. She was a passionate supporter of the arts, notably through her involvement with Music Mountain and Crescendo Music Program. She was also an active member of the Salisbury Congregational Church, the Nichi Bei Fujinkai society, and served as a docent at Philipsburg Manor.
Alice is survived by her son, Gordon Gustafson, and his wife Christine, her daughter Elizabeth (DeeDee) Dohan, and her husband Andrew, her grandchildren and great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, Herbert.
Her celebration of life will take place on Saturday, June 6, at 11:00 a.m. at the Congregational Church of Salisbury.
While flowers are a lovely tribute, those who wish to further honor Alice’s memory may consider a contribution to Music Mountain, Crescendo, or the Congregational Church of Salisbury.
Lakeville Journal
LAKEVILLE — Larry Power passed away peacefully at home on March 9, 2026.
Larry was born at St. Vincent’s Hospital in New York City in 1939.
He had a successful public relations firm for over 35 years in NYC.
After retiring, he chaired the Sharon Land Trust board for many years. He always said one of the most important things he ever did was saving the Twin Oaks Field from development.
He is survived by his husband Lea Davies of 44 years.
Donations in his memory can be sent to East Mountain House in Lakeville in honor of Keavy Bedell or the Sharon Hospital Primary Care Project in honor of Doctor Jonathan Joseph.
The Kenny Funeral Home has care of arrangements.
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Lakeville Journal
KENT — Carol L. Hoffman Matzke passed away peacefully with family by her side on Feb. 22, 2026.
She was a beloved mother and stepmother, daughter, sister, grandmother, great-grandmother, community member, and friend.Her presence will be deeply missed. She had a beautiful way of loving, accepting, and supporting all the many members of her vast family, and of welcoming others into her family circle. She was intelligent and well-informed about history and current events, and she took a genuine interest in knowing and understanding everyone she met, from friends and family right down to the stranger who stood next to her in line at the grocery store. Kind and generous, her family and friends knew that she would do anything in her power to help and support them.
Carol was the oldest of five children, born on June 21, 1939 in Springfield, Vermont to Janet (Beal) Lawrence and John Lawrence. She graduated from Mt. Lebanon High School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1957. She attended Colby College, graduating with a history degree in 1961. She was married and widowed twice, first to John Hardie Hoffman (1935-1984) and second to William A Matzke, Jr. (1924-2001).
In 1976 she and her husband, John, moved to Kent, to realize their dream of opening a small retail bookstore which they named The House of Books. Carol and John blended seamlessly into the community, and The House of Books quickly became part of the fabric of Kent where it has continued to welcome and serve the readers and writers of the area.
Carol was an active member of St. Andrews Episcopal church, where she served in various roles throughout the years. She was also an avid tennis player throughout her life and could often be found in the midst of a competitive match on the Kent School courts.
In 1993, Carol shifted her full-time residence to Seattle, Washington where her eldest daughter, Cathy resided with her family.It was in Seattle that she met and married her second husband, William A Matzke, Jr. Carol and Bill had a vibrant life in the Seattle area where she supported her children and step-children in raising their families, volunteered for The Fisk Genealogical Library, the USO at Sea-Tac Airport, and was an active member of two church communities: Evergreen Covenant Church in Mercer Island, Washington and St Mark’s Cathedral in Seattle, where she served as senior warden.
In 2017, after many years splitting her time between Seattle and Kent, Carol settled full-time in Kent. Carol was frequently spotted walking her dog along Kent’s roadways, sometimes in the pre-dawn darkness. She was a regular at the soccer games, plays, concerts, and other activities of her many New England grandchildren.
In 2024, Carol found a loving home with her daughter Barb’s family in Upton, Massachusetts, eventually transitioning to memory care at Keystone Place in Torrington, where she passed peacefully with loving family and caregivers by her side.
Carol is survived by her daughters, Cathy Miller, Barbara (and David) Lundbom and Tracy (and Rich) Horosky; stepson Scott Hoffman; stepdaughters Lori (and Dick) Ehrig, Andrea Matzke, Cynthia Matzke, and Lisa Matzke as well as 15 grandchildren and 7 great grandchildren. She is also survived by her siblings, Johanne LaGrange, Rod (and Fayne) Lawrence and Ann Wessel. She was pre-deceased by husband John Hardie Hoffman (1984), husband William A. Matzke, Jr. (2001), stepson John Morris “Jay” Hoffman (2023) and sister Gale Lawrence (2024).
Memorial services are planned in both Kent and Seattle later in the spring.Remembrances honoring Carol’s life can be made to the Kent Library Association (P.O. Box 127, Kent, CT 06757) or the Northwest USO (17801 International Blvd, PMB #313, Seattle, WA 98158).
Lakeville Journal
Riley Klein
From left, is First Selectman Gordon Ridgway, Dick Sears and CVFD Chief Will Russ signed the contract for two new fire trucks March 3.
CORNWALL — Cornwall Volunteer Fire Department and the Board of Selectmen signed the contract for two new fire trucks Tuesday, March 3.
The custom rescue pumper and mini pumper will be manufactured by Greenwood Emergency Vehicles, located in North Attleboro, Massachusetts.
The cost is $1.2 million and the estimated delivery time is mid-2027. CVFD raised $600,000 in donations, which will be paired with money from the town’s truck fund.
Greenwood had the lowest price and fastest delivery time of the three manufacturers that submitted bids.
The new vehicles will replace outdated trucks that are both more than 25 years old.
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