Bridgeport, Connecticut

Bridgeport, Connecticut is a place where economic prosperity, exciting history and mental toughness combine to form a city that never ceases to to be surprising. For the locals, the flight of industry was a hardship, but they've demonstrated a lot of resolve and build something new in the shadow of what once was.

Fairfield County is the sixth wealthiest in the entire United States, The people and the local government are working together to stimulate new growth and to renew the best parts of Bridgeport's past.

Bridgeport is a great place to live in. It has something to appeal to everyone's senses. People of any age or any profession will surely find the city exciting and vivacious to their own liking.

Bridgeport History

Bridgeport, Connecticut began as a fishing and farming community. Being located on Newfield Harbor made whaling and shipbuilding natural early businesses that boomed during the city's formative years. The first English settlement was built between 1639 and 1665 and named Pequonnock, for the nearby River. This village became known as Newfield between then and 1777, and eventually became chartered as the borough of Bridgeport in 1800. Bridgeport finally became a city in 1836. When the railroad first reached the city in 1840, economic growth really took off. Manufacturing became a significant part of the city's power in the 19th century.

Some of the more productive businesses in the city were the production of Bridgeport milling machine, brass fittings, carriages, bras, ammo for firearms, horse saddles and sewing machines. Bridgeport grew further when it annexed the village of Black Rock and the harbor it possessed in 1870. During that era, Abraham Lincoln spoke in the local auditorium now known as McLevy Hall.

The mid 19th century saw a great leap in the number of industries taking place in Bridgeport. Companies such as Wheeler & Wilson, the sewing machine company, and the Locomobile Company of America, the early car company, both had factories there. Of course, the region's industrial might spread outward. When something happened in Bridgeport, it often became a trend, such as protests for eight hour workdays during World War I. In the aftermath of the local protests, the sentiment spread throughout the entire Northeast. Bridgeport had over 500 factories in it by 1930, and World War II only gave a boost to the already thriving factory environment common there at the time.

However, the heavy industry was not immune to the successive depression that the rest of the country had to go through. Mismanagement by several city officials, suburban flight and the general deindustrialization of the entire United States during the 1970s and 80s all contributed to the change that couldn't be helped. Revitalization attempts were tried, but many failed. It got so bad for a time that in 1991 the city filed for bankruptcy protection. Later on, a federal court declared that the city was indeed solvent.

However, as time has gone on the healing process of Bridgeport has slowly but certainly progressed. Though much of the city had degenerated, the early 21st century is witnessing plans to address the area's problems passing and beginning. Urban renewal is a slow process, but for a town over 200 years old there is no great hurry. 

About Bridgeport, Connecticut

Bridgeport, Connecticut is a very large and prosperous city in Fairfield County. It ranks as the 41st largest urban area in the United States, coming in right after Austin Texas. While P.T. Barnum is one of the most famous former residents of Bridgeport if not the most famous, a lot more goes on in this city than circus antics. Combined with Stamford and Norwalk, this area is a significant economic and social powerhouse in its region. Bridgeport's economy was originally centered around agriculture, however it moved into manufacturing industry, which suffered heavy losses. However, despite suffering misfortunes after misfortunes in its past, this city refuses to give up, and continues to move onward in the most positive directions it can.

Bridgeport has an extremely sophisticated fire department. Out of its roughly 144,000 citizens, 350 of them are professional firefighters. Operating out of 8 fire stations, this highly professional organization puts 9 engines on the street, 4 ladders, a hazmat unit and 3 fireboats into the mix when flames threaten the city. They also operate reserve units and special units not normally used unless the situation demands it. In 2010 the Bridgeport Fire Department put down over 13,000 incidents, including a multitude of fires.

Bridgeport underwent the same kinds of changes the rest of the country has had to undergo over the past few hundred years. While it started earlier than many, the overall effect has been the same. The city of Bridgeport started out heavy on agriculture, and then moved slowly but certainly into being a place where production reigned. As time went on, industry lost favor as more and more production jobs were shipped to less expensive countries. Today, the service economy permeates the area, and prosperity flows.

In addition to the service industry, Bridgeport has a wide variety of different cultural attractions on offer. Some of these are theaters, such as the Arena at Harbor Yard, the Playhouse on the Green and the Downtown Cabaret Theatre. The area is also home to a number of folk artists, festivals, galleries and dance groups that add a tremendous amount of local flavor to the culture. If seeing and experiencing the performing arts if a passion of yours, Bridgeport has got you covered on every possible front.

Since the 19th century the people have recognized how important parks are to letting people enjoy themselves in nature, and because of this knowledge Bridgeport is full of great parks. So there's plenty to see and do there.

About Fairfield County, Connecticut

Bridgeport, Connecticut is located within the county of Fairfield. Fairfield itself is a large, prosperous and has a very long history behind it. Not only has Fairfield County been the home of Native Americans for long before Europeans came to the area, but the County itself has been partially responsible for a lot of good things happening since the dawning of the United States itself.

During the American Revolutionary War, crop output in Fairfield County was prodigious. Being fairly far away from most of the major conflicts, the area didn't have to contend with battles suddenly appearing in the midst of the local farmland. Due to the amount of food produced to help the Continental Army, Connecticut was briefly known informally as the Provisions State. A significant battle did erupt due to the supply lines of Connecticut, which came to be known as the Battle of Ridgefield. For several days, 700 Continental troops held off 2,000 men for a time, until the New York militia could be rallied and reinforce the Continentals in staving off the British.

Interestingly, many years later the political makeup of the country would be altered by a turn of phrase uttered by President Thomas Jefferson regarding members of the Danbury Baptist Association. They feared that their religious liberty might be threatened by the charter of Connecticut, which had been written long before a Baptist church had ever existed there. Jefferson wrote in reply that he believed there was "a wall of separation between church and State" that offered them protection from reprisal for their religious practice. This turn of phrase has made a massive impact on American affairs, and Fairfield County played a role.

But religion and wars are far from the only revolutionary concepts that have taken hold in this county over the years. For a very long time, one of the few places where edge city urbanization took place was in Stamford, a key city in Fairfield County. Edge city urbanization came from the fact that the offices of important companies could be close to New York but not actually within it.