A report from the National Parks service released on September 5 revealed that the historic Weir Farm Park on the Ridgefield and Wilton border attracted 36,313 individual visitors in 2023 and $2,432,000 in spending in both communities. This directly supported 26 jobs and had a total cumulative benefit to the community of $3,508,000 according to the National Park Service.
“I’m so proud that our parks and the stories we tell make a lasting impact on more than 300 million visitors a year,” said National Park Service Director Chuck Sams. “And I’m just as proud to see those visitors making positive impacts of their own, by supporting local economies and jobs in every state in the country.”
“People come to Weir Farm and many other national parks across the northeast supporting the US and local economies all along the way,” said Superintendent Linda Cook. “We’re proud that Weir Farm is an active contributor to job creation and generates $2,432,000 in revenue to communities and businesses around the park.”
The National Parks Service has released a tool for exploring the economic impact of parks nationwide which can be found at: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/socialscience/vse.htm