Preston, CT

Preston is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 10,868 at the 2010 census. Preston is located in the northwest corner of the state and is bordered by Windsor to the north, Bloomfield to the east, Durham to the south and West Hartford to the west. It is part of Greater Hartford.

The town was first settled in 1786 as part of Bloomfield. The town was named for Preston Wills, an early settler who donated land for a school and church. Preston became an independent town in 1853. The first railroad line through Preston was built in 1872 and led to increased development of the town's mills and factories. In 1905, Preston became home to Connecticut's first automobile factory which produced cars for Sears Roebuck & Co.. In 1915, Ford Motor Company opened its first plant in North America in Preston. By 1930 there were over 1,000 workers at Ford's plant; however after World War II production decreased and by 1957 it had closed down completely. In recent years there has been renewed interest in restoring automotive manufacturing within Preston; however no plants have yet reopened as of 2010.

Today much of what makes Preston unique lies within its historic downtown district which includes well-preserved Victorian homes as well as several businesses that are still operational from when the town was founded such as a bank (now defunct), post office (now closed), general store (now closed), millinery shop (closed) and blacksmith shop (still operational). Additionally there are several restaurants and bars located within walking distance of one another including The Black Sheep Inn & Pub which features live music most nights along with pub fare such as burgers, fries & shakes; The General Store Restaurant which specializes in American cuisine such as burgers & dogs; Pizzeria Uno which offers pizza by the slice or whole pie; Mama Mia's Italian Kitchen which serves up traditional Italian dishes such as lasagna & spaghetti carbonara; along with several other small businesses including a hair salon/day spa called Salon Twenty-Two One Hair Studio & Spa., a pet store called PetSmart Inc., two churches - First Congregational Church on Main Street and Trinity Episcopal Church on Elm Street - both affiliated with United Church Of Christ denomination - two convenience stores - Circle K on Main Street and 7-Eleven on Route 34 - three gas stations - Hess / Shell / ExxonMobil located on Route 34 near Exit 9 off I-84 (the only station open 24 hours per day), two pharmacies - CVS Pharmacy at 860 Main Street and Rite Aid Pharmacy at 901 Main Street., three car dealerships including Volkswagen/Audi dealership at 901 Main Street., two banks including Bank Of America at 920 Main Street.; one post office branch located inside Bank Of America at 920 Main Street.; one public library branch located inside Bank Of America at 920 Main Street.; one municipal building housing police department headquarters along with fire department headquarters also known locally as Station 2; one elementary school serving students from prekindergarten through eighth grade known locally simply as " Preston School"; one middle school serving students from ninth through twelfth grades known locally simply as " Preston Middle School" ;and finally one high school serving students from ninth through twelfth grades known locally simply " Preston High School".

There are also numerous parks throughout downtown including Park Place Park situated across from Bank Of America on 920 Main St.; Memorial Park situated off Elm St.; Green Acres Park situated off Route 34 just west of I-84 Exit 9; Veterans Memorial Park situated off Route 34 just east of I-84 Exit 9 near Windham Technical Community College ;along with numerous smaller parks scattered throughout downtown . Additionally there are several nature trails that wind their way throughout downtown providing residents with opportunities for hiking , biking , cross country skiing or snowboarding .

Outside of downtown Preston is home to many affluent neighborhoods such as East Windsor Village consisting primarily of single family homes built between 1940s – 1970s along East Windsor Road between Routes 34 & 84 ; Windsor Hills consisting primarily of single family homes built between 1950s – 1970s along Windsor Hills Road between Routes 34 & 84 ; Oakdale consisting primarily of single family homes built between 1960s – 1980s along Oakdale Road between Routes 34 & 84 ;along with several other affluent neighborhoods scattered throughout suburban areas surrounding downtown .