Waterbury, Connecticut
Waterbury is a city in
New Haven County,
Connecticut, 33
miles (53
km) southwest of
Hartford on the
Naugatuck River. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 107,271 and was the fifth-largest city in Connecticut.
In the past, Waterbury had large industrial interests, and was the leading center of the
United States for the manufacture of brassware (including castings and finishings). It was noted for the manufacture of watches and clocks. Waterbury's nickname is
Brass City. Indeed, the city's motto is
Quid Aere Perennius, which means "What Is More Lasting Than Brass."
The city is on
Interstate 84 and is the hometown of former Connecticut Governor
John G. Rowland who spent a year in jail for ethical violations stemming from corruption. The city has a
Metro North railroad station and is home to
Post University and a regional campus of the
University of Connecticut.
Settled in 1674, Waterbury was part of
Farmington until 1686, when it was incorporated as a town and its present name adopted in place of the old Indian name,
Mattatuck. It was incorporated as a city in 1853. In 1900, the town and the city of Waterbury were united into one municipality.
According to the
United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 74.9
km² (28.9
mi²). 74.0 km² (28.6 mi²) of it is land and 0.9 km² (0.3 mi²) of it (1.21%) is water.
Historical population of
Waterbury[1][2] |
| 1756 | 1,829 |
| 1774 | 3,536 |
| 1782 | 2,240 |
| 1790 | 2,937 |
| 1800 | 3,256 |
| 1810 | 2,874 |
| 1820 | 2,282 |
| 1830 | 3,070 |
| 1840 | 3,668 |
| 1850 | 5,137 |
| 1860 | 10,004 |
| 1870 | 13,106 |
| 1880 | 20,270 |
| 1890 | 33,202 |
| 1900 | 51,139 |
| 1910 | 73,141 |
| 1920 | 91,715 |
| 1930 | 99,902 |
| 1940 | 99,314 |
| 1950 | 104,477 |
| 1960 | 107,130 |
| 1970 | 108,033 |
| 1980 | 103,266 |
| 1990 | 108,961 |
| 2000 | 107,271 |
| 2005 | 107,902(estimate) |
As of the
census² of 2000, there were 107,271 people, 42,622 households, and 26,894 families residing in the city. The
population density was 1,449.7/km² (3,754.7/mi²). There were 46,827 housing units at an average density of 632.8/km² (1,639.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 67.14%
White, 16.31%
Black or
African American, 0.42%
Native American, 1.51%
Asian, 0.06%
Pacific Islander, 10.91% from
other races, and 3.66% from two or more races.
Hispanic or
Latino of any race were 21.77% of the population.
Waterbury is probably the most heavily
Italian-American large city in Connecticut today. The Italian influence is especially strong in the Town Plot neighborhood. At the beginning of the 21st century, Waterbury had a growing
Jewish Orthodox population
[Waterbury Republican-American Article (Please fix this citation)].
There were 42,622 households out of which 31.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.8% were
married couples living together, 19.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.9% were non-families. 31.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.11.
In the city the population was spread out with 26.5% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 29.9% from 25 to 44, 19.7% from 45 to 64, and 15.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 89.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $34,285, and the median income for a family was $42,300. Males had a median income of $35,486 versus $27,428 for females. The
per capita income for the city was $17,701. About 12.7% of families and 16.0% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 23.6% of those under age 18 and 11.1% of those age 65 or over.
As of December 2005, Waterbury's elected officials to take office in 2006 include:
| Mayor | Michael J. Jarjura (Write-in Democrat) | | Town Clerk | Antoinette C. Spinelli |
| City Sheriff | Stephen M. Conway |
| City Clerk | Michael J. Dalton |
Aldermen as of January 2006
| Aldermen (15) | | J. Paul Vance, Jr. (D - President) |
| Paul K. Pernerewski, Jr. (D â€" Majority Leader) |
| Laurie Singer Russo (D - President Pro-Tem) |
| Larry B. Butler (D) |
| Martin J. Misset (D) |
| Paul M. Nogueira (D) |
| Anthony T. Piccochi (D) |
| Sandra Ramirez (D) |
| Anne Phelan (D) |
| Cicero B. Booker, Jr. (I â€" Minority Leader) |
| Arthur J. Denze, Sr. (I) |
| Frank A. Burgio Sr. (I) |
| Francis J. Caiazzo Jr. (I) |
| Dennis Odle (R) |
| Paul V. Ciochetti (R) |
John S. Monagan, who is a prolific author in addition to his political responsibilities, served as Waterbury's mayor from 1943 to 1948. He also served as its district's congressional representative from 1959 to 1973. The City is known for its hard nosed political culture compared locally to
Cook County, Illinois, close elections, and a number of scandals. Two of Waterbury's recent mayors,
Joseph Santopietro and
Philip Giordano, have both served jail sentences for wrongdoings during their terms. Giordano remains incarcerated as of May 2005. Waterbury is in serious financial straits due to years of mismanagement. The successors to Giordano, former Acting Mayor Sam Caligiuri and present Mayor Michael Jarjura have managed the city without major controversy since 2001.
A number of Presidential candidates have campaigned in Waterbury due to its pivotal role in statewide elections. The most famous was the election eve visit on the Green by
John F. Kennedy in
1960. In September
1984 Ronald Reagan held a huge noontime election rally at the same location. In July
2006 former President
Bill Clinton made a campaign appearance at the
Palace Theatre for Senator
Joe Lieberman. The city supported Lieberman strongly in the 2006 Democratic primary, causing
Ned Lamont campaign manager Tom Swan to call the city "evil" after the primary.
[Waterbury Republican-American article]The city's schools are operated by
Waterbury Public Schools.
The four public high schools in Waterbury are Crosby, Kaynor Technical, Kennedy, and Wilby High Schools. Private high schools include
Chase Collegiate (formerly St. Margaret's-McTernan), Holy Cross High School, and Sacred Heart High School.
* Waterbury's
Post Office was once known for its
fancy stamp cancellations.
* In
1957,
George Metesky, AKA "The Mad Bomber" was arrested in Waterbury.
* Massive metal sculptures by
Alexander Calder were fabricated in Waterbury at the Waterbury Iron Works and Segre Iron Works.
* Waterbury is the number one jurisdiction in Connecticut for juries handing out death sentences, 6 out of 7 of the prisoners on death row coming from Waterbury.
*
Roger Connor,
major league baseball player
[ ]*
Bob Crane, actor, of Hogans Heroes fame was born in Waterbury and had a radio program on WATR.
*
Philip Giordano, former mayor of Waterbury, (R) was stripped of power in
2001 after a corruption investigation revealed alleged sexual acts with a minor and other possible
pedophilia charges. In
2003, he was convicted and sentenced to 37 years in federal prison.
*
Ryan Gomes,
Boston Celtics forward, was born and raised in Waterbury.
*
John G. Rowland, Waterbury native and former
Governor of Connecticut, (R) resigned from office on
July 1,
2004 after prolonged investigation for corruption. In April, 2005 he began serving a one year sentence. He has been released from prison and now resides in
West Hartford.
*
Rosalind Russell, actress, grew up in Waterbury.
*
Joseph Santopietro, former mayor, (R) had been convicted for corruption in
1992.
* Well known in music circles, guitar historian James Shine, Jr. was born and raised in the North End of Waterbury.
*
John Sirica, Watergate judge, was born and raised in Waterbury.
*
Waterbury Republican-American*
WTXX*
Official Waterbury, CT Home Page*
GreaterWaterbury.com*
The Country Club of Waterbury - Est. 1899*
Points of Interest*
An online tour of Waterbury in vintage images from the late 1800s to the 1950s, and memories of life in the Brass City in the '40s & '50s(This is a free website with a monthly bandwidth usage limit. If you get a "site temporarily frozen" screen, try again on or after the 4th of the month when the bandwidth usage is reset.)*
Great Flood of 1955 Photos*
Pontelandolfo Community Club*
Waterbury Information Technology Zone includes historical information.
*
Waterbury American Graffiti: The Crosby High School Class of 1959(This is a free website with a monthly bandwidth usage limit. If you get a "site temporarily frozen" screen, try again on or after the 2nd of the month when the bandwidth usage is reset.)*
WATR 1320 AM Waterbury's Radio Station since 1934. News, talk, and "Good Times Oldies".
*
Galaxia 1380 AM - Waterbury's Latino Radio Station.
*
Northwest Connecticut Convention & Visitors Bureau
