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Norwalk CT Facts
and Statistics
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Norwalk CT is located forty miles northeast
of New York City and borders Darien,
New Canaan, Westport and Wilton in Fairfield County along the Long Island
Sound.
Norwalk was founded February 26, 1640 and incorporated September 11, 1651.
| The City of Norwalk is a coastal City bounded on
the north by New Canaan and Wilton, on the east by Long Island Sound and
on the west by New Canaan and Darien. Roger Ludlow purchased land in what
is now the present City of East Norwalk on February 26, 1640, embracing
the area of land lying between the Saugatuk and Norwalk Rivers. Not long
after, Captain Daniel Patrick purchased an additional portion of land
in what is known today as Norwalk. In 1776, Nathan Hale, disguising himself as a teacher, was rowed to British-held Long Island and then on to New York to give a report to the British. Later, General William Tryon raided Norwalk with a combined force of over 2,600 Hessian and British soldiers and burned the town down, leaving only six homes untouched. After the war, the citizens of Norwalk rebuilt the town, adding coastal trade, manufacturing and shipbuilding to their farm businesses. Norwalk citizens manufactured clocks, watches, paper, pottery, and nails, and hats. Oystering peaked between 1885 and 1910, going from public oyster beds to oyster farms. Today, the oyster business is booming in Connecticut. Currently, Norwalk is home to over 80,000 residents. |
Churches/Religion
More than one hundred churches and synagogues in the Greater Norwalk Area.
Climate
Average temp: January: 33.8 F; July: 76.7 F
Average annual rainfall: 43"
Education
Twelve elementary schools (grades K-5),
four middle schools (grades 6-8), two high schools (grades 9-12), one
Briggs High School (vocational arts, grades 9-12), and one Community/Technical
College.
Government
Mayor and Common
Council members are elected by five council districts in city elections.
Health Facility
Norwalk Hospital and
the Center for Advanced Medicine (affiliated with Yale University School
of Medicine), a voluntary, non-profit community hospital/healthcare provider
for Fairfield County.
Industry
A wide variety of electronic research and manufacturing companies producing
aircraft equipment & optical devices, chemicals, machinery of many kinds,
auto accessories, wearing apparel, hardware, frozen foods, lithography &
printing.
Libraries
Norwalk Public Library,
South Norwalk Branch Library, East Norwalk Library, Rowayton Library
Media Service
Newspapers - The Hour
(daily), Norwalk
Citizen News; Radio Stations - WEFX (95.9 FM) and WNLK (1350 AM); Cable
Television - Cablevision of Connecticut. All based in Norwalk. Several daily/weekly
newspapers, radio stations and network television from Hartford to New York
City service the Greater Norwalk area as well.
Post Office
Norwalk,
South
Norwalk and Rowayton
Transportation
Automobile via I-95, Merritt Parkway (Rt. 15), US Routes 1 & 7; rail via
Metro-North
Commuter Railroad (stations: East Norwalk, South Norwalk, Rowayton, and
Merritt 7 Corporate Park); Connecticut
Limousine for transportation to airports; local bus service is Wheels;
interstate bus service is Greyhound
, Trailways and Amtrak
About the City of Norwalk
Norwalk is the sixth largest city in the state of Connecticut with a population
of approximately 83,000. It is located in southwestern Connecticut, on Long
Island Sound, just a one hour drive from New York City. Norwalk's
History and major events were recreated by a third grade class at Tracey
Elementary School in Norwalk.
A host of agencies and organizations are devoted to a quality life for all
Norwalk residents and visitors. Major employers, diversified housing and excellent
educational opportunities attract people from all over the United States to
live and work in Norwalk and the surrounding communities. The presence of
many major employers based
in Norwalk generates job opportunities and enhances economic security for
all the communities in the Greater Norwalk area.
Norwalk offers numerous shopping, dining and recreational opportunities in East Norwalk, historic South Norwalk (SoNo), Rowayton, Silvermine, Cranbury, Norwalk Center, and major centers on U.S. Route 1 and Route 7. Over the past ten years the community has undergone a revitalization that incorporates historical preservation and beautification, the creation of major office complexes, the improvement of Norwalk's extensive waterfront area, as well as the development of new retail, cultural and recreational offerings. A partial listing of major attractions and events in Norwalk follows:
The safe, sandy beaches of Norwalk's Long Island Sound shore are glorious recreational assets both in summer and off-season. People can swim, cook out, fish, walk, enjoy the children's playgrounds, play miniature golf, visit the concession stands, learn to sail, play tennis, or just sit and relax. Calf Pasture Park and Cranbury Park are the largest of the public parks.
The Norwalk Seaport Association, through its ongoing renovations of the historic lighthouse on Sheffield Island has made a trip to the island a great day's excursion. A short ferry ride takes you to this 3-acre wildlife sanctuary and beautiful picnic spot.
Boating is superb! The city hosts the largest annual in water boat show on the East Coast. There are public moorings, marinas and launch facilities, as well as several private yacht and boating clubs. Water world devotees always find the access easy for boating, sailing, kayaking and fishing.
Landward
With over 1,400 acres of park and shoreline land available to residents, including
the Stewart B McKinney Wildlife Refuge which is part of the Norwalk Islands,
there is plenty of room for everyone to have a reason to enjoy the great outdoors.
The City has dozens of municipal tennis and basketball courts, soccer and
baseball fields, the Oak
Hills Public Golf Course, miles of walking, biking or skating paths and,
of course, open space for the pleasure of it. Come winter, the inland ponds
and fields are great for skating and cross-country skiing. Passive open space
property provides quiet walking use in season. There are 125 acres of woodland
trails in Cranbury Park alone.
Since there is so much outdoor enthusiasm in Norwalk, it follows that many of the city's special festivals are outdoors. The Annual Oyster Festival spreads its fun over the many harbourside acres at Veteran's memorial Park. This occasion allows many thousands of visitors to sample the excellent seafood from Norwalk's own harbor.
The SoNo
Art Celebration has been providing free visual and performing arts in
historic South Norwalk for over 25 years. The first full weekend of August,
it draws about 85,000 people to the area.
Norwalk State Heritage Park is a mixed
urban waterfront development project based around the estuary of the Norwalk
River, a small yet complex and important ecological system. The Norwalk River
flows into Long Island Sound and thus into the Atlantic Ocean. The estuary
and its group of islands are an example of the delicate balance between great
natural beauty and frequent human use. Norwalk State Heritage Park includes
museums, an amphitheater, visitor's center, boardwalk, fishing piers, boat
docks, artwork and children's playgrounds.
Numerous national and religous festivals like the pageantry-filled annual
fling of the Round Hill Highland Games
are eagerly awaited by Norwalk residents each year.
Shopping
Local stores ; Stew
Leonard's (world's largest dairy store), and Several along Route1/Connecticut
Avenue including Costco,
Home
Depot, Stop
& Shop, Shop Rite,
and Barnes
and Noble. Norwalk also offers numerous shopping opportunities in
historic South Norwalk and Norwalk Center. Over the past ten years the
community has undergone a revitalization that incorporates historical preservation
and beautification, new office buildings, development of the waterfront area,
retail, cultural and recreational offerings.
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