Roton Hill

Roton Hill is a neighborhood in South Norwalk, Connecticut. It’s an actual hill that runs north from Rowayton along Highland Avenue, through its intersection with Flax Hill Road and into the neighborhoods beyond. In the 1800’s people who lived in this area were described as living on Roton Hill, near South Norwalk. The real estate development along Rampart Road was called Roton Hill in the 1940's. Since then the use of term Roton Hill has pretty much died out, which was convenient for me because it meant that the domain name was available.

So what's Flax Hill, then? It's the hill just to the east of Roton Hill. If you’re heading west up Flax Hill Road from Washington Street, you immediately climb up Flax Hill (street view). Later there’s a slight dip before the road climbs again to Scribner Avenue. That’s Roton Hill. Just a bit later you'll descend off the hill before you get to Keeler Ave.

There is also a beachfront called Roton Point down in Rowayton, a little beyond the southern tip of Roton Hill. It was quite the popular getaway in the late 1890’s.

The word “Roton” comes from a Native American term of unclear meaning. It was applied to a number of landscape features in the 1600’s, including the nearby river and town of Noroton. It is ultimately the source of the name Rowayton as well.

I live on Roton Hill. This web site is a place for me to record and share what I’ve learned about the places I walk my dog.