The Eastern Norwalk Neighborhood Association began in 2001 as VZSHAN (pronounced Vision). The acronym stood for Van Zant to Sunset Hill Association of Neighbors. It was founded with the vision that the region have in place a strong neighborhood group that would link the residential neighborhoods along East Avenue located north and south of the Interstate so as to provide a forum for consolidating common concerns and finding solutions to problems identified.
VZSHAN very soon became the East Avenue Neighborhood Association (EANA). As the EANA, the organization got a reputation as a catalyst for positive change in the eastern Norwalk community. Until August 24, 2003, when the Association became the East Norwalk Neighborhood Association the EANA remained an active organization.
‘East Norwalk’ was changed to ‘Eastern Norwalk’ in the association name in September of 2005 as a result of concerns voiced by several long-time residents of the area who strongly believed that the boundaries of traditional East Norwalk (south of the I-95) should be adhered to when using the name ‘East Norwalk’.
Most recently (and finally) in 2015 the Board unanimously approved a change in both the geographic boundaries and the name of the organization to East Norwalk Neighborhood Association. The boundaries remain today as “traditional” East Norwalk: West to the Norwalk River, East to the Westport town line, North to I-95 and South to Long Island Sound and the Norwalk Islands. A decision was made to keep the IRS Business Name as Eastern Norwalk Neighborhood.
