Preston is a town in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 4,788 at the 2020 census. The town includes the villages of Long Society, Preston City, and Poquetanuck. History In 1686, Thomas Parke, Thomas Tracy, and several others petitioned for and were granted by the Connecticut General Court authority to establish a plantation seven miles square to the east of Norwich and north of New London and Stonington. Owaneco, son of the Mohegan sachem Uncas, gave a confirmatory deed for the land in 1687. In October of that same year, the town was formally incorporated as Preston, named for the English city of Preston, Lancashire. Early trades in the area included shoe making, metal smithing, shipbuilding, and brickmaking. The Ecclesiastical Society of Preston was first organized in 1698, with the first meetinghouse located in present-day Preston City. At the request of residents in the northern part of Preston (now the town of Griswold), the North Society was established in 1716. A splinter group, the Separate Church of Preston, was established in 1747 and continued until 1817. The Preston City Baptist Church (now the Preston City Bible Church) was established in 1812. The town of Griswold separated from the town of Preston in 1815. On August 4, 1954, an Air France Lockheed L-1049C Super Constellation flying from Orly Airport, Paris, to Idlewild Airport, New York City, crash-landed in a farm field in Preston. There were no deaths. Preston has a large number of properties on the National Register of Historic Places including the Preston City Historic District and the Long Society Meeting House. Geography According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 2.71%, is water. Principal communities There were three distinct settlements in the town when it was first established: Long Society Preston City Poquetanuck Other minor communities and geographic locations in the town are Hallville, Happyland, and Preston Plains. Demographics As of the census of 2000, there were 4,688 people, 1,837 households, and 1,359 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 1,901 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 95.63% White, 0.75% African American, 0.83% Native American, 1.15% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.51% from other races, and 1.11% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were