This junction made the village a major transit point for bringing the area's commercial goods to market.

The district includes the Canaan Union Depot, built in 1872 to serve the two railroads.

The Blackberry River, a tributary of the Housatonic, forms the southern edge of the CDP.

The eastern border of the CDP follows (from north to south) U.S. Route 7 (Ashley Falls Road), North Elm Street, Granger Lane, Daisy Hill Road, Lime Kiln Road, East Main Street (U.S. Route 44), and Elm Street (US 7 south) to the Blackberry River.

[4] According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 1.7 square miles (4.5 km2), all land.

38.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.