Danbury, Connecticut
Danbury is a city in northern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It has an estimated population (as of July 1, 2009 ) of 79,743. Danbury is the fourth largest city in Fairfield County and is the seventh largest city in Connecticut.The city was named for the place of origin of many of the early settlers, Danbury, Essex in England. The city has been nicknamed Hat City, because it used to be a center of the hat industry, at one point producing 25% of America's hats.[citation needed]Danbury is home to Danbury Hospital, northeast of downtown, and Danbury High School, off Route 39.
History
Danbury was first settled by colonists in 1685, when eight families moved to the area from the area that is now Norwalk and Stamford. The area was then called Pahquioque by the Pahquioque Native Americans. One of the first settlers was Samuel Benedict who bought land from the Paquioque natives in 1685 along with his brother James, James Beebe, and Judah Gregory. The settlers originally chose the name Swampfield for their town, but in October 1687, the general court decreed the name Danbury. The general court appointed a committee to lay out the bounadries of the new town. A survey was made in 1693 and a formal town patent was granted in 1702 according to the 1693 survey.During the American Revolution, Danbury was an important military supply depot for the Continental Army. On April 26–27, 1777, the British under Major General William Tryon burned and looted the city. The central motto on the seal of the City of Danbury is Restituimus (Latin for 'We have restored'), a reference to the destruction caused by the Loyalist army troops. The American General David Wooster was mortally wounded near the city of Ridgefield, Connecticut at the Battle of Ridgefield by these same British forces which had earlier attacked Danbury. He is buried in Danbury's Wooster Cemetery, and the private Wooster School in Danbury is named in his honor. In 1780, the first hat factory in Danbury was established by Zadoc Benedict, employing three workers and producing 18 hats a week. Danbury was known as 'The Hat City' or the 'Hatting Capital of the World' during the early 20th Century.In 1802, Thomas Jefferson wrote a letter to the Danbury Baptist Association, a group expressing fear of persecution by the Congregationalists of that town, in which he used the expression 'Separation of Church and State'. It is the first known instance of the expression, which contrary to popular belief does not appear in the U.S. Constitution in those words, but is present by the combined effect of the establishment and free exercise clauses of the First Amendment. The letter is on display at the Unitarian-Universalist Congregation of Danbury.The first Danbury Fair was held in 1821. By 1869, it became a yearly event and was held until 1981. After 1981, the fairgrounds were demolished to make room for the Danbury Fair Mall, which opened in the fall of 1986.In 1835, the Connecticut Legislature granted a rail charter to the 'Fairfield County Railroad', but after 15 years, no work had been completed and investment was slow. In 1850, the organization's vast plans were scaled back and it was renamed the 'Danbury and Norwalk Railroad'. Work moved quickly on the 23-mile (37 km) railroad line. In 1852, the first railroad line in Danbury opened, with two trains making the 75-minute trip to Norwalk.The central part of Danbury was incorporated as a borough in 1822. The borough was reincorporated as the city of Danbury on April 19, 1889. The city and town were consolidated on January 1, 1965.In 1902, the American Federation of Labor union called for a nationwide boycott of a non-union hat manufacturer, Dietrich Loewe, in Danbury. The manufacturer sued the union under the Sherman Antitrust Act for unlawfully restraining trade. The U.S. Supreme Court held that the union was liable for damages in 1908. This case is also known as the Danbury Hatters' case.A 60-acre (24 hectares) tract near the Danbury Fairgrounds known as Tucker's Field was purchased by local pilots in 1928, and leased to the town. This became an airport, which is now Danbury Municipal Airport (ICAO airport code: KDXR).Connecticut's largest lake, Candlewood Lake, was artificially created in 1929 where Wood Creek and the Rocky River meet near the Housatonic River. The lake is operated as a hydroelectric power facility by the Connecticut Light and Power Company, which sold the lake for $9 million in June 2006.In the August 1988 issue of Money Magazine, Danbury topped the magazine's list of the best U.S. cities to live in, mostly due to low crime, good schools, and location.
Social activism, desegregation, and conscientious objectors during World War II
During the second World War, Danbury's prison was one of many sites used for the incarceration of conscientious objectors. One in six inmates in the United States' federal prisons was a conscientious objector, and prisons like Danbury found themselves suddenly filled with large numbers of highly educated men skilled in social activism. Due to the activism of inmates within the prison, and local laborers protesting in solidarity with the conscientious objectors, Danbury became one of the nation's first prisons to desegregate its inmates.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 44.3 square miles (114.7 km2), of which, 42.1 square miles (109.1 km2) of it is land and 2.2 square miles (5.7 km2) of it (4.94%) is water. Danbury is located at 41°45.23′N 73°16.85′W / 41.75383°N 73.28083°W / 41.75383; -73.28083. Danbury also surrounds the southern parts of Candlewood Lake.
Demographics
As of July 2005, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated the city's population at 78,736. As of the census of 2000, there were 74,848 people, 27,183 households, and 17,886 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,777.4 people per square mile (686.3/km²). There were 28,519 housing units at an average density of 677.2/sq mi (261.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 76.0% White, 6.8% African American, 0.29% Native American, 5.5% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 7.6% from other races, and 4.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 15.8% of the population.There were 27,183 households out of which 30.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.1% were married couples living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.2% were non-families. 26.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.18.The population was distributed as follows: 21.7% under the age of 18, 10.2% from 18 to 24, 35.4% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 11.0% 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 96.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.3 males.The median income for a household in the city was $53,664, and the median income for a family was $61,899. Males had a median income of $39,016 versus $31,319 for females. The per capita income for the city was $24,500. About 5.9% of families and 8.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.7% of those under age 18 and 8.3% of those age 65 or over.When ZIP codes were introduced in 1963, the 06810 code was given to all of Danbury; it was shared with a then-still-rural New Fairfield to its north. In 1984, the 06810 Zip Code was cut back to areas of Danbury south of Interstate 84. A new 06811 ZIP code was created for areas north of Interstate 84. New Fairfield received its own code, 06812.
Economy
ATMI Inc.– headquarters 7 Commerce Drive; makes materials and materials packaging for semiconductor and flat panel manufacturers worldwide; 700 employees company wide;$281.8 million in 2005 revenues; CEO Doug Neugold
Cartus(asubsidiaryofRealogy Corporation) – headquarters, 40 Apple Ridge Road; Relocation; 1,800 employees (2,700 worldwide); CEO Kevin Kelleher
Ethan Allen Interiors Inc.– headquarters, Ethan Allen Drive; designs, manufactures and distributes furniture, rugs, lamps, draperies and other decorative home accessories sold by a network of more than 300 Ethan Allen interior design centers in the United States and abroad; 6,400 employees company wide, 618 in Connecticut; $949 million in 2005 revenues; CEO Farooq Kathwari
Praxair Inc.– headquarters, 39 Old Ridgebury Road; theFortune 500company makes and sells industrial gases used worldwide in the electronics, metal fabrication, health care and food processing industries, also makes metallic and ceramic powders and coatings; 27,000 employees company wide, 550 in Connecticut; $8.3 billion in 2006 revenues; CEO Steve Angel
Scholastic Library Publishing Inc.(a division ofScholastic Corporation) – headquarters, 90 Sherman Turnpike; Scholastic Library publishes educational, children's and reference books, including theEncyclopedia Americana(the first encyclopedia published in the US), as well asNueva Enciclopedia Cumbre en Linea(the Spanish language encyclopedia) andLands and Peoples.Imprints include Franklin Watts and Children's Press. Its interactive unit produces games and interactive software, includingGrolier Multimedia Encyclopedia(the first encyclopedia in electronic form); Greg Worrell, division president
Union Carbidemade Danbury its headquarters in 1983. The company remained there for over 20 years, until it was merged intoDowchemical.
Government
The chief executive officer of Danbury is the Mayor, who serves a two year term. The current mayor is Mark Boughton (R). The Mayor is the presiding officer of the Common Council, which consists of 21 members, two from each of the seven city wards, and seven at-large. The Common Council enacts ordinances and resolutions by a simple majority vote. If after five days the Mayor does not approve the ordinance (similar to a veto), the Common Council may re-vote on it. If it then passes with a two-thirds majority, it becomes effective without the Mayor's approval. The current Common Council consists of 14 Republicans and 7 Democrats.Danbury also has four state representatives as of the 2008 elections, Rep. Jason Bartlett D-2, Rep. Joe Taborsak D-109, Deputy Speaker of the House Bob Godfrey D-110, and Rep. Jan Giegler R-138. There is one state senator, Michael McLachlan R-24. Danbury is represented in the United States Congress by U.S. Rep. Chris Murphy (D).Danbury's 2010 mill rate is 20.96.Danbury is also home to an Army Reserve Special Operations unit, the 411th Civil Affairs Battalion.
Danbury Federal Correctional Institute
Danbury is also the site of a low-security women's prison, the Danbury Federal Correctional Institute, formerly a men's prison. It is located near the border with New Fairfield. Notable ex-prisoners include cocaine dealer and trafficker of Blow fame George Jung, Unification Church leader the Rev. Sun Myung Moon, and hotel magnate Leona Helmsley. James Michael Curley, mayor of Boston from 1945–1949, spent five months of his mayoral term at Danbury Federal Prison, after he was convicted on federal charges of official misconduct. Media personality and homemaker Martha Stewart (incarcerated in West Virginia) and female rap star Lil' Kim requested that their prison terms be served at Danbury Federal Correctional Institute due to its proximity to their New York City homes. However, due to the media attention their requests were denied.
Education
Danbury is home to Western Connecticut State University and Ridley-Lowell Business & Technical Institute.
Public schools
2 high schools:Danbury High School(9-12) (An alternative school by the name of Alternative Center for Excellence is housed off-campus; graduates receive Danbury High School diplomas upon completion of their studies) andHenry Abbott Technical High School(9-12)
2 middle schools: Broadview Middle School (6-8) and Rogers Park Middle School (6-8)
14 elementary schools: Western Connecticut Academy for International Studies Magnet School (K-5), Ellsworth Avenue (K-5), Great Plain (K-5), Hayestown (K-5), King Street Primary (K-2) and King Street Intermediate (3-5), Mill Ridge Primary (K-2) and Mill Ridge Intermediate (3-5), Morris Street (K-5), Park Avenue (K-5), Pembroke (K-5), Shelter Rock (K-5), South Street (K-5) and Stadley Rough (K-5)
Parochial schools
Roman Catholic parochial schools in Danbury reside within the administration of the Diocese of Bridgeport and include:1 high school:Immaculate High School(9-12)
3 elementary schools: St Peter-Sacred Heart School (Birth-8), St. Gregory the Great School (PK-8),andSt. Joseph School(PK-8)
Private schools
In addition, Danbury is home to:Anderson Montessori School
Colonial Hills Christian Academy
Hudson Country Montessori School
New England Country Day School
New Hope Christian Academy
Maimonides Academy
Wooster School
Immanuel Lutheran School
Media
The News-Timesof Danbury, a daily newspaper owned by Media News Group.
Tribuna Newspapera biweekly, bilingual(Portuguese/English) publication.
WFAR-FM 93.3 - Radio FamiliaPortuguese Radio Station.
WLAD-AM 800; 1,000 watts (daytime); 287 watts (nighttime)
WDAQ-FM98.3; 3,000 watts; owned by the Berkshire Broadcasting Corporation
WXCI-FM91.7; 3,000 watts; College radio station owned by Western Connecticut State University and operated by past and present students. It receives funding from the Western Connecticut State University Student Government Association.
Hiking trails
Bear Mountain Reservation
The Old Quarry Nature Center has two short educational trails on 39acres(15hectares) off Mountainville Avenue.
Tarrywile Mansion and Parkis one of Danbury's most popular parks. There are 21 miles (34 km) of trails as well as several ponds located on the 722 acres (264hectare) park. The historic Victorian mansion and gardens are a common location for weddings. Hiking Trail maps & more information can be found at www.tarrywile.com
Parks
Danbury Candlewood Park overlooks Candlewood Lake. Swimming, picnicking, and a boat launch are available in the 11.1-acre (45,000 m2) park.
Elmwood Park
Hatters Community Park
Kenosia Park
Richter Park
Rogers Park
Tarrywile Park - Recreation park on 722 acres (2.92 km2) with 21 miles (34 km) of hiking trails. Mansion is a community center available for rental, more information can be found at www.tarrywile.com
Portions of the private Morefar Back O’Beyond golf course are located in Danbury.
Museums
Danbury Museum and Historical Society
Danbury Railway Museum
Military Museum of Southern New England
Other
Danbury was the home of theDanbury Fair(1869–1981). TheDanbury Fair Mallwas built on the fairgrounds in 1986.
Danbury is home to the411th Civil Affairs Battalion, an Army Reserve Special Operations unit.
Danbury Hospitalis a 400-bed institution with 3,300 employees.The hospital is the home of the new Praxair Regional Heart and Vascular center,providing state of the artcardiovascularcare to this growing region includingopen heart surgeryandcoronary angioplasty.
Danbury is home to Richter Park Golf Course, which is annual rated in the top 25 public courses to play, and hosts numerous tournaments, including the Danbury Amateur, and Junior Golf events.
On the National Register of Historic Places
Ball and Roller Bearing Company- 20-22 Maple Ave. (added September 25, 1989)
Charles Ives House- 7 Mountainville Ave. (added May 26, 1976)
Hearthstone- 18 Brushy Hill Rd. (added 1987)
John Rider House- 43 Main St. (added December 23, 1977)
Locust Avenue School- Locust Ave. (added June 30, 1985)
Main Street Historic District- Boughton, Elm, Ives, Keeler, Main, West and White Sts. (added December 29, 1983)
Meeker's Hardware- 86-90 White St. (added July 9, 1983)
Octagon House- 21 Spring St. (added June 7, 1973)
P. Robinson Fur Cutting Company- Oil Mill Rd. (added December 30, 1982)
Tarrywile- Southern Blvd. & Mountain Rd. (added February 6, 1988)
Union Station (Danbury Railway Museum)- White St. and Patriot Dr. (added October 25, 1986)
Sports
The Danbury Westerners, a member of the New England Collegiate Baseball League, play their home games at Rogers Park in Danbury.The Danbury Mad Hatters are one of four founding members of the Eastern Professional Hockey League (2008). They play their home games at the Danbury Ice Arena.The United Hockey League (UHL) expanded to Danbury in 2004. The Danbury Trashers played their first season at the Danbury Ice Arena in October 2004. Among those on the roster included Brent Gretzky (brother of hockey legend Wayne Gretzky) and Scott Stirling (son of former New York Islanders coach Steve Stirling). Scott's older brother, Todd, coached the Trashers in the 2004-2005 season.On June 9, 2006 the owner of the Trashers, James Galante, was arrested as part of a federal investigation into illegal practices in the Connecticut garbage industry. Team executives were also charged with fraud as it was alleged the owner illegally subsidized players and violated the league salary cap. The club folded due to the ongoing investigation and lack of teams within close proximity to them.As of 2006 a new team was created to occupy the ice arena, the New England Stars were formed to represent Danbury in the defunct North Eastern Hockey League.On March 25, 2008, Danbury was named the first city to officially have a new team in the newly formed Eastern Professional Hockey League. The team is called the Danbury Mad Hatters. The League is now defunct.Danbury High School carries a strong athletic tradition. They are perennial powers in wrestling, boys and girls track and field, boys cross country, baseball, basketball, and football. The wrestling, cross country, and track teams have all numerous state titles and New England championships. All three programs are considered to be nationally ranked annually.On December 27, 2009, Danbury was named the first city to officially have a new team in the newly formed Federal Hockey League. The team is named the Danbury Whalers, bringing back the name 'Whalers' to Connecticut for the first time since 1997. The original Hartford Whalers of the WHA/NHL moved to North Carolina and became the Carolina Hurricanes.The Danbury Hatters Cricket Club formed in 2001 and has been playing cricket in Southern Connecticut along with other cities such as Norwalk, Stamford, Bridgeport, New Haven, Waterbury and West HavenAmerican Top Team has a gym on 13 Barnum Court. American Top Team is an MMA gym.
Transportation
Danbury is the terminus of the Danbury branch line of the MTA Metro-North Railroad which begins in Norwalk. The line was first built by the Danbury and Norwalk Railroad which was later bought by the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad Company. Danbury was an important junction between the Danbury Branch and the Maybrook Line. The Maybrook line was the New Haven's main freight line which terminated in Maybrook, New York, where the New Haven exchanged traffic with other railroads. After the ill-fated Penn Central took over the New Haven, the Maybrook line was shut down when a fire on the New Haven bridge over the Hudson River made the line unusable. Many believe the fire was set by Penn Central to reroute that freight traffic over their Boston & Albany route to the north. Today, the historic station is part of the Danbury Railroad Museum. The Providence and Worcester Railroad, along with the Housatonic Railroad provide local rail freight service in Danbury.Local bus service is provided by Housatonic Area Regional Transit (HART).The city is also the location of Danbury Municipal Airport (DXR).Interstate 84 and U.S. Route 7 are the main highways of the city. I-84 runs east-west from the Hudson Valley region of New York towards Waterbury and Hartford. US 7 runs north-south from Norwalk (connecting to I-95) to the Litchfield Hills region. The two highways overlap in the downtown area. The principal surface roads through the city are Lake Avenue, West Street, White Street, and Federal Road. Other secondary state highways are U.S. Route 6 in the western part of the city, Newtown Road, which connects to US 6 east of the city, Route 53 (Main Street and South Street), Route 37 (North Street, Padaranam Road, and Pembroke Road), and Route 39 (Clapboard Ridge Road and Ball Pond Road).
Notable people
James Montgomery Bailey, 19th-centuryDanbury Newseditor noted for popular, nationally-syndicated 'Danbury News Man' pieces.
Julius Baker, Principal flutist of theNew York Philharmonicfrom 1965-83.
Jonathan Brandis(1976–2003), actor
Tracy Chapman, singer
Neil Cavuto, Fox television anchor
Felix Cavaliere, producer, musician
Frank Conniff(1914–1971), journalist and editor who won a1956 Pulitzer Prizefor international reporting
William E. Devlin(1949-) Author ofWe Crown Them All: An Illustrated History of Danbury.
Charles Ives(1874–1954), one of America's most influential composers
Joe Lahoud,MLBplayer for theBoston Red Sox,Milwaukee Brewers,California Angels,Texas Rangers, and theKansas City Royals
Rose Wilder Lane, author, writer, daughter ofLaura Ingalls Wilder
Merle Miller, biographer ofHarry S. TrumanandLyndon B. Johnson
Don Morrow, voice actor, announcer, emcee
Jerry Nadeau, formerNASCARNextel Cupdriver (retired due to head injury)
Laura Nyro, singer-songwriter
Neil Rudenstine, ex-president ofHarvard University
Dr. Ian Smith, panelist onVH1's Celebrity Fit Club
John Hubbard Tweedy, U.S. Congressional Delegate from theWisconsin Territory
Samuel Tweedy(1776–1868) was aUnited States Representativefrom Connecticut.
Michael Whelan, science fiction and fantasy artist
Zalmon Wildman(1775–1835) was a United States Representative from Connecticut.
R. Gordon Wasson(1898–1986) was one of the first westerners to participate in a Mazatec sacred mushroom ritual and study psychedelic mushrooms.
Peter Wiley, cellist
Jimmy Monaghan, Irish boxer and songwriter who was born in Danbury
Twin cities
-Decollatura, Italy