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Ansonia is a city and town in New Haven County, Connecticut, on the Naugatuck River, immediately north of Derby and about 12 miles northwest of New Haven. The population was 18,554 at the 2000 census. The ZIP code for Ansonia is 06401. The city has a Metro North train station, and the Route 8 Expressway serves the city.
Ansonia is known for its devotion to its high school football team, the Ansonia Chargers. The Chargers' arch-rivals are the Naugatuck Greyhounds, from nearby Naugatuck, Connecticut. The annual Ansonia-Naugatuck game is one of the most important events of the year in the two cities.
In 2005-2006, the Ansonia school system was subject to negative publicity from television stations based in New Haven and Hartford surrounding the large class sizes in its elementary schools.
History
The city, settled in 1840 and named in honor of the merchant and philanthropist Anson Green Phelps (1781-1853), was originally a part of the township of Derby; it was chartered as a borough in 1864 and as a city in 1893, when the township of Ansonia, which had been incorporated in 1889, and the city were consolidated.
Ansonia suffered grievous damage from the Great Flood of 1955, caused by massive rain from Hurricane Diane that filled the Naugatuck River beyond its capacity. The flood submerged the area flanking the river and destroyed many homes and businesses. The high river waters swept away Maple Street Bridge, which linked the east and west sides of the city. Following the flood, authorities erected a flood wall along the east bank of the river to protect the city's factories and Main Street from future floods. On the west bank, federal public housing took the place of blocks of destroyed homes and businesses along Olson Drive.
In the decades following the flood, Ansonia's Main Street fell into decline as retail shoppers abandoned it for malls in nearby Milford, Trumbull, and Waterbury. In recent years, however, Main Street has perked up with the opening of several antique stores, a Polish delicatessan, a coffee shop, and other businesses.
President George H. W. Bush] paid a visit to Ansonia by helicopter during the 1992 presidential election campaign. He was running deeply behind schedule, and his late arrival and truncated appearance caused many people to feel the city had been slighted.
Accomplished Ansonians include Vincent R. Impellitteri, who grew up in Ansonia, attended Fordham Law School, and was elected the Mayor of the City of New York. He served from 1950 to 1953, when he was succeeded by Robert F. Wagner, Jr.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 16.0 km² (6.2 mi²). 15.6 km² (6.0 mi²) of it is land and 0.4 km² (0.2 mi²) of it (2.58%) is water.
The city is bisected by the Naugatuck River and spreads out from its banks up the hills - some quite steep - of the river valley. On the west side of the river, the city abuts Derby and Seymour along Silver Hill, and on the east side the city's Hilltop neighborhood meets Woodbridge.
The land along the river is mostly given over to factory sites (both operational and defunct), with an area of wooded land on the west bank close to the city's northern boundary that belongs to the American Brass Company and was the proposed site of a contentious and ultimately defeated garbage incinerator in the early 1990's.
In 2005 and 2006 a path along the riverside was completed, allowing walkers and cyclists access to the river. The river path connects with similar paths in Derby and Shelton.
Most of the land in Ansonia is occupied by residential housing, chiefly one- or two-family houses on plots of an acre or less. There are larger houses on larger plots in the Hilltop neighborhood. The Ansonia Nature Center on Hilltop preserves some open fields and woodlands and is a favorite for school trips.
Demographics
| '''Historical population of Ansonia** | |
| 1890 | 10,342 |
| 1900 | 12,681 |
| 1910 | 15,152 |
| 1920 | 17,643 |
| 1930 | 19,898 |
| 1940 | 19,210 |
| 1950 | 18,706 |
| 1960 | 19,819 |
| 1970 | 21,160 |
| 1980 | 19,039 |
| 1990 | 18,403 |
| 2000 | 18,554 |
| 2002 | 18,739 (estimate) |
There were 7,507 households out of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.1% were married couples living together, 15.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.7% were non-families. 28.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.3% 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 3.03.
In the city the population was spread out with 24.2% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 31.5% from 25 to 44, 20.7% from 45 to 64, and 15.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 90.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $43,026, and the median income for a family was $53,718. Males had a median income of $30,747 versus $28,517 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,504. About 6.2% of families and 7.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.3% of those under age 18 and 5.3% of those age 65 or over.
Economy
The city has extensive manufactures of heavy machinery, electric supplies, brass and copper products, and silk goods. Ansonia, Derby, Shelton, and Seymour form one of the most important industrial communities in the state. The highly successful Ansonia Clock Company started manufacturing Ansonia clocks here in 1851, before moving to Brooklyn, New York, in 1878. The original name of the company, however, was retained.
In recent years, much of the heavy industry moved out of town and their factories sat vacant. Starting in 2002, city authorities and residents began planning a major renovation of the downtown area. Two large clothing stores, Marshalls and Bob's, are scheduled to open in Spring 2006. The popular international retailer Target is in the process of getting all of the appropriate permits to begin building where the Latex Foam Company once stood.
Due to economic growth and plentiful employment in southwestern Connecticut driven by corporate relocations from the New York City and Fairfield County metropolitan areas to nearby towns, Ansonia's housing market has also improved over the last few years. On the more preferred East Side of Ansonia, the average home price has climbed almost 20% over the last 5 years. The federal housing projects on the West Side of town, where a large percentage of the crime in Ansonia occurs, are in the process of being closed down.
Landmarks
Landmarks in Ansonia include the Farrel Company and American Copper and Brass factories situated along the banks of the Naugatuck River (which bisects the city), the Ansonia Public Library, the Valley YMCA, the Ansonia Armory and many Victorian and Queen Anne houses.
Ansonia is noted for its many churches, including those forming five Catholic parishes, each historically associated with a different ethnic group: Saint Joseph (Polish), Saint Anthony (Lithuanian), Assumption (Irish), Holy Rosary (Italian), and Saints Peter and Paul (Ukrainian). There are also Congregationalist, Methodist, Episcopal, African Methodist Episcopal, Baptist, Russian Orthodox, Greek Orthodox, Pentacostal, and other denominations. Until an accidental fire burned it down, the Sikh community had a religious meetingplace in one of the buildings on Main Street.
References
See also
External links
Towns in Connecticut | New Haven County, Connecticut | Naugatuck River Valley
"Ansonia, Connecticut"