Fairfield County is located in the southwestern corner of the state of Connecticut. It is part of the New York Metropolitan area. Fairfield County is informally known in Connecticut as The Gold Coast. The County has a total area of approximately 626 square miles of which 75% is land and 25% water. Fairfield County is one of the wealthiest counties in the country, currently ranking #5 in the nation by per capita income. As of the 2000 U.S. census, there were 882,567 people, 324,232 households, and 228,259 families residing in Fairfield County, CT.