Wilder is located in Windsor County, southwest of Norwich on Highway 13. It is a village in the town of Hartford; the combined population is 9,567 residents.
In 1880, the Wilder brothers of Boston constructed a large paper mill in the village, then named Olcott. One of the brothers, Charles T. Wilder, resided in Olcott and took an interest in its growth. When he died, his will stipulated that, if the village would change its name to Wilder, his estate would foot the bill for a badly needed bridge over the Connecticut River. At a town meeting held in 1898, the vote was unanimously in favor of the change. The bridge stood until the 1950s when it was removed to make way for the Wilder Dam.
Today, Wilder is home to manufacturers such as Hitchcock Woodworking, Madhouse Munchies, Energy Shield of New England, and Tucker Design Ltd.
A local attraction is the Big Splash River Festival held in June, which features music and dance, canoes and kayaks, exhibits and entertainment.