Between 1950 and 1981, North Branford was considered one of the fastest-growing communities in the Northeast. The population jumped from two thousand seventeen in 1950 to eleven thousand seven hundred in 1981. The town changed from a small, rural community to a residential suburb as farms gave way to subdivisions. New schools were built, new town services were instituted, and in 1971, a charter established a council-manager form of government. Existing churches expanded, a church was erected, and a new parish was established. Many organizations for adults and youth were founded. Several national, state, and local anniversaries were commemorated, and in 1981, the town celebrated the one hundred fiftieth anniversary of the establishment of North Branford, including Northford, as a separate town from Branford.