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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.
History
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.
Geography
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.
Demographics
| Historical population of Waterbury** | |
| 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) |
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.
Government
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 – 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 – 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 and kickback schemes orchestrated by the mayors and their supporters. The successors to Giordano, former Acting Mayor Sam Caligiuri and present Mayor Michael Jarjura have managed the city without major controversy since 2001
Education
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.
Trivia
- Waterbury native and former Connecticut Governor John G. Rowland (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.
- Previous Mayor Philip Giordano (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.
- Former Mayor Joseph Santopietro (R) had been convicted for corruption in 1992.
- 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 was the childhood home of movie star Rosalind Russell.
- Actor Bob Crane of Hogans Heroes fame was born in Waterbury and had a radio program on WATR.
- Well known in music circles, guitar historian James Shine, Jr. was born and raised in the North End of Waterbury.
- Boston Celtics forward Ryan Gomes was born and raised in Waterbury.
See Also
External links
- Official Waterbury, CT Home Page
- Waterbury's Best
- 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.
References
Cities in Connecticut | New Haven County, Connecticut
Waterbury (Connecticut) | Waterbury (Connecticut) | Waterbury (Connecticut) | Waterbury | Waterbury (Connecticut) | Waterbury (Connecticut) | Waterbury
"Waterbury, Connecticut"