Connecticut Town Considers Repealing Prohibition

In 2014 still being under the iron grip of Prohibition might give a town a fun point of interest to talk about, but it does not do much to make people want to move there. The affluent community of Bridgewater, Conn., is facing just that problem. The last dry town in Connecticut has no bars or restaurants, and the average age of the town's residents has gone up to 50.

According to the Associated Press, Bridgewater is 60 miles north of New York and has a medium household income of about $100,000. But it has a lot of homes for sale, and not many people are buying. Currently the only restaurant in town is a deli located in one of the local stores.

"The town definitely needs a boost," said First Selectman Curtis Read.

Two restaurants have been proposed for the town, but the developers say opening the restaurants is contingent upon being able to serve alcohol. One of the proposed restaurants would be a pub-style place where people could gather to have a pint. Not everyone is behind the repeal, though.

"I feel people moved here because Bridgewater is the way it is and I'd like to keep it that way," said Cynthia Bennett, whose grandmother led the charge to keep Prohibition going in Bridgewater after the 21st Amendment repealed it in 1933. "I'm not saying you don't, say, have a game of horseshoes and have a beer. There's plenty of it in Bridgewater."