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Bridgeport, Connecticut
Bridgeport is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. Located in and the former county seat of Fairfield County, the city had an estimated population of 137,912 in 2006[1] and is the core of the Greater Bridgeport area. It is considered part of the labor market area for New York City. Bridgeport is also the center of the 41st largest urban area in the United States, just behind Austin, Texas (40th), the Bridgeport-Stamford urban area surpasses several well known urban areas such as Jacksonville, Oklahoma City, Nashville, Tucson, and Honolulu. The city is quite marked by its attachment to its famous resident, the circus-promoter and once mayor P.T. Barnum. Barnum built three houses in the city, and housed his circus in town during winters. Other than Black Rock and parts of Brooklawn which were originally part of the Town of Fairfield, Bridgeport was originally a part of the Town of Stratford. The first settlement was made in 1659. It was called Pequonnock until 1695, when its name was changed to Stratfield, because of its location between the already existing towns of Stratford and Fairfield. During the American Revolution it was a center of privateering. In 1800, the borough of Bridgeport was chartered, and in 1821 the township was incorporated. The city was not chartered until 1836. The city was home to the Frisbie Pie Company, and therefore it has been argued that Bridgeport is the birthplace of the frisbee.[2] The city is also home to the first Subway Restaurant. The first Restaurant opened in the North End section of the city in 1965. The community has two hospitals, Bridgeport Hospital and St. Vincent's Medical Center.
HistoryEarly yearsBridgeport's early years were marked by residents' reliance on fishing and farming, although the farm land was rocky, much like other towns in New England. The city's location on the deep Newfield Harbor fostered a boom in shipbuilding and whaling in the mid-19th century, especially after the opening of a railroad to the city in 1840. The city rapidly industrialized in the late-19th century, when it became a manufacturing center. It produced such goods as the famous Bridgeport milling machine, brass fittings, carriages, sewing machines, brassieres, saddles, and ammunition. 
Eastern View of Bridgeport, Con. by John Warner Barber (1836) Abraham Lincoln's visitOn Saturday, March 10, 1860, Abraham Lincoln spoke in the city's Washington Hall, an auditorium at what was then the Fairfield County Courthouse (now McLevy Hall), at the corner of State and Broad streets. Not only was the largest room in the city packed, but a crowd formed outside as well. Lincoln received a standing ovation before taking the 9:07 p.m. train that night back to Manhattan.[3][4] A plaque marks the site where Lincoln spoke. (In 2006, just across the street, in the Polka Dot Playhouse {now known as Playhouse on the Green}, President George W. Bush spoke before a small, select group of Connecticut business people and officials about health care reform.) Later historyBy 1930, Bridgeport was a thriving industrial center with more than 500 factories. Since the late 19th century, its industrial jobs had attracted the most recent immigrants: Irish, Italians and eastern Europeans. The build-up to World War II helped its industries. Restructuring of heavy industry starting after the mid-20th century caused the loss of thousands of jobs and residents. Like other urban centers in Connecticut, Bridgeport suffered during the deindustrialization of the United States in the 1970s and 1980s. Many middle class people sought work elsewhere, and poverty became concentrated among those who remained. Unemployment rose, crime soared, and the city became known for a major drug problem. Immigrants continued to arrive in the city because of low housing costs; some were able to find work in the area. Former industrial sites within the city were discovered to be heavily polluted, leaving Bridgeport with extensive environmental costs and damage. Sites were abandoned, and sometimes burned by arson. Areas of the city resembled ghost towns. In September 1978, Bridgeport teachers went on a 19-day strike due to deadlocked contract negotiations. A court order, as well as state law that made strikes illegal in Connecticut, resulted in 274 teachers being arrested and jailed.[5] After a quarter century of troubles, in the early 21st century, Bridgeport seems to be rebounding. It is becoming a center of service industries. With long commutes and competition with expensive housing in the region, some people are moving back into the city for its more affordable housing. 
A portion of the harbor in Bridgeport. Like other northeastern cities suffering from the effects of Post World War II industrial decline, Bridgeport made numerous efforts at revitalization. In one proposal Las Vegas developer Steve Wynn was to build a large casino, but that project failed to materialize. More recently, the City of Bridgeport has taken steps to acquire the last parcels in private hands to be able to develop better packages for redevelopment. The city's many historic buildings are being renovated into residential and retail units, and offer architectural texture. Its waterfront location will be a draw. Law EnforcementThere are 5 law enforcement agencies that serve bridgeport. Two at the city level, one at the county level, and two at the state level. City Level:
County Level:
State Level:
Geography and climateBridgeport is located along Long Island Sound, at the mouth of the Pequonnock River. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 19.4 square miles (50.2 km˛), of which, 16.0 square miles (41.4 km˛) of it is land and 3.4 square miles (8.8 km˛) of it (17.53%) is water. Bridgeport lies within the Humid subtropical climate belt, with warm to occasionally hot and humid summers and cold, snowy winters. Its winters are cold so it can be thought of as borderline Humid subtropical and Humid continental. The seasonal extremes are moderated by Long Island Sound. The adjacent waters result in Bridgeport being several degrees cooler in summer and slightly milder with less snowfall in winter than locations further away from the coast. The city receives of precipitation and around of snowfall in an average year. The snowiest winter on record is 1996 where Bridgeport received .[6]
CityscapeThe harbor is formed by the estuary of the Pequonnock River and Yellow Mill Pond, an inlet. Between the estuary and the pond is a peninsula, East Bridgeport, which was once the site of some of the largest manufacturing establishments (most no longer exist). West of the harbor and the river is the main portion of the city, with the wholesale section extending along the bank, the retail section farther back, and numerous factories along the line of the railway far to the West. There are two large parks. Beardsley is in the extreme northern part of the city. Seaside is west of the harbor entrance and along the Sound. It has statues in honor of Elias Howe, who built a large sewing-machine factory in 1863; and of P.T. Barnum, the showman, who lived in Bridgeport after 1846. He contributed much to the city, especially East Bridgeport. Seaside Park also has a soldiers' and sailors' monument. In the vicinity are many upscale residences. Cedar Creek is a lake-like tidal creek that lies between Black Rock and Seaside Park. Black Rock Harbor lies at the mouth of the creek.[7] The principal buildings are the two hospitals (St Vincent's and Bridgeport), the Protestant orphan asylum, the Barnum Institute (occupied by the Bridgeport Scientific and Historical Society), the Bridgeport Medical Society and the United States Customs House, which also contains a post office. LandfillBridgeport has a landfill known as Mount Trashmore located on the north shore of the Seaside Park peninsula in the south end of the city. The landfill is visible, as is the Wheelbrator Resco Regional Trash to Energy incinerator plant, on the opposite side of the cove from the Black Rock neighborhood. Mount Trashmore was a large pile of construction debris on several vacant lots located in the East end of the city for many years in the early 1990s until it was finally cleaned up. NeighborhoodsThere are several neighborhoods not listed here. Feel free to add neighborhoods to this list!
DemographicsAs of the census of 2000, there were 139,529 people, 50,307 households, and 32,749 families residing in the city. The population density was 8,720.9 people per square mile (3,367.0/km˛). There were 54,367 housing units at an average density of 3,398.1/sq mi (1,312.0/km˛). The racial makeup of the city was 45.02% White, 30.76% African American, 0.48% Native American, 3.25% Asian, 0.11% Pacific Islander, 14.81% from other races, and 5.57% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 31.88% of the population. Other ancestry groups include: Italian (8.6%), Irish (5.1%), Portuguese (2.9%), Polish (2.8%), and German (2.4%).http://www.city-data.com/city/Bridgeport-Connecticut.html 
A typical street scene in Bridgeport In the city the population was spread out with 28.4% under the age of 18, 11.2% from 18 to 24, 30.5% from 25 to 44, 18.4% from 45 to 64, and 11.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females there were 91.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.3 males. The median income for a household in the city was $34,658, and the median income for a family was $39,571. Males had a median income of $32,430 versus $26,966 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,306. About 16.2% of families and 18.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.8% of those under age 18 and 13.2% of those age 65 or over.
EducationBridgeport is home to the University of Bridgeport and Housatonic Community College. The city's public school system has 30 elementary schools, three comprehensive high schools, two alternative programs and an interdistrict vocational aquaculture school. The system has about 23,000 students, making the Bridgeport Public Schools the second largest school system in Connecticut. The school system employs a professional staff of more than 1,700. The city has started a large school renovation and construction program, with plans for new schools and modernization of existing buildings. High Schools
Bridgeport is also home to several Catholic schools, including St. Ambrose (the largest), St. Raphael's, St. Augustine, St. Andrew's, St. Peter's, and St. Ann. Government and politicsBridgeport is notable for having had a Socialist mayor for 24 years; Jasper McLevy served as mayor from 1933 to 1957. Its more recent mayors, including Joseph Ganim, have been plagued with corruption scandals, reflecting a similar pattern found in other urban centers in Connecticut. In June 2006, Mayor John M. Fabrizi admitted that he had used cocaine since taking office, but had not used cocaine for over a year. Its status as a struggling post-industrial city marked by poverty is well-known within Connecticut, and stands out markedly from its Gold Coast neighbors. Culture
Barnum Museum Popular culture
Several movies/TV shows were filmed in the city[9]
Performing ArtsBridgeport has been the three-time home to Gathering of the Vibes, a weekend long arts, music and camping festival featuring some of the best names in festival talent. In 1999, 2000 and again in 2007, thousands of people came from all over the world to camp in Seaside Park and enjoy such talent as Buddy Guy, Bob Weir and Ratdog, Bridgeport's own The Alternate Routes, Deep Banana Blackout, Les Claypool, Assembly of Dust, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, and Los Lobos. Bridgeport is also the home of the Black Rock Art Center, a multi-cultural center that presents performing artists from Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and the Americas both at the Art Center and also in a Summer Sounds of the World concert series. The series has featured such legendary artists as blues musician James Cotton, Grammy-award winner Eddie Palmieri, the Cambodian Angora Dance Company, salsa master Larry Harlow, and folk artists Richie Havens and Odetta. The Art Center features a world music series, a cabaret series, the Black Rock Blues Festival, in addition to cinema, gallery, and educational programs. Theater
Notables
In the movie Die Hard With a Vengeance, the character John McClain (played by Bruce Willis) called the Coast Guard in Bridgeport. Museums, Zoos & Parks
The Beardsley Zoo is the only such center in Connecticut. The "Park City" also has these parks:
Sports
The recently-built Arena at Harbor Yard serves as the city's sports and hospitality center. Seating 10,000, the Arena serves as the home rink of the Bridgeport Sound Tigers AHL hockey team, as well as the home court of the Fairfield University's basketball team. The Ballpark at Harbor Yard serves as a minor-league baseball stadium, and was built in 1998 to serve as the homefield of the Bridgeport Bluefish. It is located downtown on a former brownfield site. It is visually prominent to commuters on I-95 or on passing trains. Kennedy Stadium serves as a community sports facility. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, it was the home of an Atlantic Coast Football League minor league football team, the Bridgeport Jets, a New York Jets farm team also known locally as the Hi-Ho Jets due to their sponsorship by the (Hi-Ho) D'Addario construction company. Fairfield University is located in the neighboring town of Fairfield, and many of the athletic teams play on campus. Only the men's and women's basketball teams play in Bridgeport. Broadcast stations in the cityRadio
Due to Bridgeport's close proximity to Long Island Sound, many AM stations from New York are received clearly day and night in the market. These include WMCA, WFAN, WOR, WABC, WNYC, WCBS, WEPN, and WQEW.[12] Media
105.5- sometimes know as "106. fiyah " is a local station that plays reggae music. Television
TransportationAirportsNearby Sikorsky Memorial Airport once provided regional flights to major hub cities such as Logan International Airport in Boston and Baltimore-Washington International Airport; however, service to the airport declined in the 1990s, and US Airways Express became the last airline to suspend operations at the airport in November 1999. In June 2006, US Helicopter began scheduled service to New York City from the Sikorsky Airport. Tweed New Haven Regional Airport is another nearby facility that provides scheduled air service. The closest international airports are La Guardia and John F. Kennedy in New York City, Newark in Newark, New Jersey, Stewart in Newburgh, New York and Bradley in Windsor Locks, Connecticut. Major highwaysBridgeport is at the intersection of many major highways which have contributed greatly to its industrial past. Interstate 95, the Merritt Parkway, Route 8 and Route 25, U.S. 1 (The Boston Post Road) all run through the city east to west, with the intersection of Route 8/Route 25 and Interstate 95 located downtown. Other secondary through routes are Main Street (the southward extension of Route 111, Route 127 (East Main Street), and Route 130 (Connecticut Ave, Stratford Ave, Fairfield Ave and Water Street) Railroad and ferries
The Bridgeport Station is part of an intermodal transit hub The city is connected to nearby New York City by both Amtrak and Metro-North commuter trains. Many residents commute to New York jobs on these trains, and the city to some extent is developing as an outpost of New York-based workers seeking cheaper rents and larger living spaces. Connecting service is also available to Waterbury via Metro-North, and New Haven via Amtrak and Metro-North. A ferry service runs from Bridgeport across Long Island Sound to Port Jefferson, New York; the three vessels "Grand Republic", "P.T. Barnum" and "Park City" transport both automobiles and passengers. BusesThe Greater Bridgeport Transit Authority (GBTA) provides bus service to Bridgeport and its immediate suburbs. Route 2 the Coastal Link goes west to Norwalk and east to Westfield's Connecticut Post Mall in Milford, from where Connecticut Transit can bring passengers to the New Haven Green. Greyhound and Peter Pan Bus Lines both offer intercity bus service to points throughout the Northeast and points beyond. On the National Register of Historic Places
For an extensive list of places elsewhere in Connecticut on the register, see List of Registered Historic Places in Fairfield County, Connecticut. Notable people, past and presentFor further information, see People of Bridgeport, Connecticut Perhaps Bridgeport's most famous resident from the past is P. T. Barnum, the circus promoter who also served as mayor of the city. Other Bridgeporters who achieved fame far outside the city include:
ReferencesExternal links
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