Page 25 - Wallingford Magazine Issue 55 Summer 2025

Sleeping Giant Tower
year. And, no need to fear goblins in the dark
because Wallingford was ranked 2nd safest
town in Connecticut by the Forbes Advisor
this year.

Since she was a little girl Lila has enjoyed
hiking in Sleeping Giant State Park and Wall-
ingford’s Tyler Mill Preserve. Having a state
park in our own town (it abuts Wallingford in
several locations) is pretty awesome. And to
claim, along with Hamden and North Haven,
the state’s most popular park, well, what’s
not to like? Tower Trail here we come! Tyler
Mill offers color-coded trails, wildflowers,
and some dramatic overlooks like Morse
Rock.
Lila hopes to visit our town for the Holiday
Stroll this year and other festive downtown
events. She is looking forward to a future
visit and lunch at Bees Knees (another Best
in Connecticut) as she heard from her mom
that it was a special place.

After assessing Lila’s cumulative experiences
in Wallingford over the past 12 years, I could
totally appreciate why she said she could live
here. Wallingford has almost anything you
could need or want close by; and if you occa-
sionally pine for a city encounter, New Haven
is only 20 minutes down the road. And you
can train to New York or Boston pretty quick-
ly too.

I will soon tell Lila that in the near future,
Wallingford will have a brand new swimming
pool and splash pad in which to cool off in
the summertime. Her brother, Calvin, can
practice his laps there as well.

In decades to come, it’s conceivable that Lila
could get her wish to live in Wallingford. She
could choose our town in which to spend her
senior years—it was selected by Kiplinger’s
last month as one of the six best places to re-
tire in New England. These days however, her
thoughts are more likely to include a walk to
DQ or Sweet Cream’s for an ice cream cone
rather than planning for retirement.

Note: I could also live in Wallingford, and
do—for 50 years! Such a great town!

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