Danbury is a city located in Fairfield County, Connecticut, USA, with a population of 80,893 according to 2010 census statistics. Danbury is the fourth most populated city in the county and seventh in the state. The town's name comes from the town of Danbury in England, where the early settlers came from. The city is home to the University of Western Connecticut, part of the University of Connecticut system.
According to the United States Census Bureau, Danbury covers a total
area of 44.3 square miles (115 km²), with 42.1 square miles (109 km²) of
land and 2.2 square miles (5.7 km²), or 4.94%, consisting of water. The
city lies in the foothills of the Berkshire Mountains on low-lying land
just south of Candlewood Lake, which includes its southern sections.
Danbury developed along the Still River, which flows west to east
through the city before joining the Housatonic River. The terrain
features rolling hills and modestly elevated mountains in the Western
Highland region to the west and northwest. Elevations range from 378
feet to 1,050 feet above sea level.
Additionally, a geologic
fault known as Cameron's Line runs through Danbury.
The fur-removal process in hatmaking relied on mercury nitrate, which
led to significant water pollution as manufacturers routinely discharged
waste into the Still River from the late 19th century through the 1940s.
The toxic mercury flowed downstream into the Housatonic River and Long
Island Sound, adversely impacting water quality and aquatic life.
Field studies conducted in the Still River basin in the 21st century
have revealed persistently high levels of mercury in the river's
sediments and surrounding soils.
Danbury experiences a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa), with
four distinct seasons, resembling the climate of Hartford more than that
of coastal Connecticut or New York City. Summers are typically hot and
humid, while winters are cold and snowy. The average daily temperature
ranges from 28.0 °F (−2.2 °C) in January to 74.5 °F (23.6 °C) in July.
On average, temperatures of 90 °F (32 °C) or higher occur on 18 days per
year, while temperatures of 0 °F (−18 °C) or lower occur on 3.1 days
annually.
The city receives an average of 56.04 inches (1,420 mm)
of precipitation annually, evenly distributed throughout the year.
Seasonal snowfall averages 49.3 inches (125 cm), though this total can
vary significantly year to year. Temperature extremes have ranged from a
high of 106 °F (41 °C) on July 22, 1926, and July 15, 1995 (the highest
temperature ever recorded in Connecticut), to a low of −18 °F (−28 °C)
on February 9, 1934.
Danbury was first settled by colonists in 1685 when eight families
relocated from what are now Norwalk and Stamford, Connecticut. The area,
known as Pahquioque, was named after the Algonquian-speaking Pahquioque
Native Americans, believed to be a band of the Paugusset people, who
lived along the Still River. These bands were often identified by
geographic areas but shared cultural and linguistic ties with the larger
nation.
One of the first settlers, Samuel Benedict, purchased
land from the Pahquioque in 1685, alongside his brother James Benedict,
James Beebe, and Judah Gregory. The Pahquioque referred to the area as
Paquiack, meaning "open plain" or "cleared land." The settlers initially
named the town Swampfield, reflecting its wetlands. However, in October
1687, the general court officially renamed it Danbury and appointed a
committee to define the town's boundaries. A survey was conducted in
1693, and Danbury received its formal town patent in 1702.
During
the Revolutionary War, Danbury became a crucial military supply depot
for the Continental Army. On April 26, 1777, Sybil Ludington, the
16-year-old daughter of Colonel Henry Ludington, reportedly rode 40
miles during the night to alert the people of Danbury and her father's
forces in Putnam County, New York, of an approaching British attack.
While this account, originating from the Ludington family, has been
questioned by modern historians, it remains a notable story of the era.
On April 26, 1777, British forces led by Major General William Tryon
burned and plundered Danbury. Thanks to Sybil Ludington's warning,
fatalities were limited. The City of Danbury's seal bears the Latin
motto "Restituimus," meaning "We have restored," referencing the
rebuilding after the Loyalist army's destruction. American General David
Wooster, mortally wounded during the Battle of Ridgefield while
confronting the British forces that had raided Danbury, is buried in
Wooster Cemetery. The private Wooster School in Danbury was named in his
honor.
In 1802, President Thomas Jefferson wrote to the Danbury
Baptist Association, addressing their concerns about potential
persecution by the Congregationalists. In this letter, he used the
phrase "Separation of Church and State," marking its first recorded use
in American legal or political discourse. The letter is displayed at the
Unitarian-Universalist Congregation of Danbury.
The first Danbury
Fair was held in 1821 and became an annual event starting in 1869,
continuing until 1981. The fairgrounds were later redeveloped into the
Danbury Fair Mall, which opened in autumn 1986.
On January 31,
1869, the Kohanza Reservoir dam failed, releasing a devastating flood
that killed 11 people within 30 minutes and caused widespread damage to
homes and farms.
The Connecticut Legislature granted a rail
charter to the Fairfield County Railroad in 1835, but construction was
delayed due to insufficient funding. In 1850, the project was scaled
back and renamed the Danbury and Norwalk Railroad. By 1852, the first
railroad line in Danbury opened, connecting the city to Norwalk with a
75-minute journey.
Danbury's central area was incorporated as a
borough in 1822, later reincorporated as the City of Danbury on April
19, 1889. The city and town were consolidated on January 1, 1965.
Danbury, a thriving city, often hosted traveling shows, including
Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show in 1900. The show featured Oglala Sioux
performers, including Albert Afraid of Hawk, who died in Danbury on June
29, 1900, at age 21. He was buried in Wooster Cemetery. In 2012,
employee Robert Young discovered his remains. After consultations with
Oglala Sioux leaders from the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, the remains
were repatriated and reburied at Saint Mark's Episcopal Cemetery in
Manderson, South Dakota, wrapped in a bison skin, with his tribal
descendants present.
In 1928, local pilots purchased a 60-acre tract near the Fairgrounds,
known as Tucker's Field, and leased it to the town. This area was
developed into what is now Danbury Municipal Airport (ICAO: KDXR).
That same year, Candlewood Lake, Connecticut's largest lake, was
created as a hydroelectric power facility. A dam was constructed where
Wood Creek and the Rocky River meet near the Housatonic River in New
Milford, forming the lake, with its southernmost part extending into
Danbury.
During World War II, the federal prison in Danbury
housed many conscientious objectors, who represented one-sixth of the
U.S. federal prison population at the time. The prison became one of the
first in the nation to desegregate its inmates, driven by activism from
within the prison and protests from local laborers in solidarity with
the objectors.
On August 18–19, 1955, Hurricane Diane caused the
Still River to overflow, flooding downtown Danbury. This followed
Hurricane Connie just five days earlier, which had already saturated the
area. The floods caused $3 million in damages and heavily impacted White
Street between Main and Maple. In October of the same year, an
additional 12 inches of rain caused even worse flooding, resulting in $6
million in damages, the destruction of bridges, and two fatalities. The
city subsequently undertook a $4.5 million urban renewal project to tame
the river by straightening, deepening, and enclosing it in a concrete
channel. Roads were also rebuilt, 123 buildings were demolished, and 104
families were relocated. Despite these efforts, which continued through
1975 with an additional $22 million in federal funding, the
revitalization of the central business district was unsuccessful.
On February 13, 1970, brothers James and John Pardue detonated time
bombs, injuring 26 people, as part of a robbery at Union Savings Bank.
The bombing was the culmination of a two-year crime spree involving
multiple robberies and murders.
Between 1979 and 1981,
Perkin-Elmer's Danbury Optical System unit ground and polished the
flawed primary mirror for the Hubble Space Telescope. A miscalibrated
testing device caused the mirror to be shaped incorrectly, a mistake
discovered only after the telescope was in orbit. The flaw was corrected
during a 1993 servicing mission.
In August 1988, Danbury was
ranked the best U.S. city to live in by Money magazine, praised for its
low crime rate, quality schools, and convenient location.
On
September 19, 2006, a controversial event involving the arrest of 11 day
laborers, later known as the "Danbury 11," made national headlines.
Police, posing as contractors, lured the laborers into a van under the
pretense of offering work. Once driven to a parking lot, they were
arrested by ICE agents if found to be undocumented. Represented pro bono
by Yale University law students, the laborers filed a civil rights
lawsuit against the city. In 2011, a settlement was reached in which
Danbury agreed to pay $400,000, and the federal government contributed
$250,000. The city admitted no wrongdoing, and its policies remained
unchanged.
In 1780, Zadoc Benedict established what is traditionally recognized
as the first hat shop in Danbury, though hatmaking existed in the area
before the American Revolution. Benedict's shop employed three workers
and produced 18 hats per week. By 1800, Danbury was manufacturing 20,000
hats annually, surpassing all other U.S. cities in production. With the
resurgence of fur felt hats for men and the rise of mechanization in the
1850s, hat production in Danbury grew significantly, reaching 1.5
million hats annually by 1859. By 1887, the city’s 30 factories were
producing 5 million hats per year. During this period, fur processing
was separated from hat manufacturing with the establishment of companies
like the P. Robinson Fur Cutting Company (1884) on Oil Mill Road and the
White Brothers’ factory.
By 1880, Danbury's hat workers had
unionized, leading to decades of labor disputes. Strikes and lockouts
disrupted production as workers fought for fair wages and better
conditions. In 1893, 19 manufacturers locked out 4,000 union hatters. A
major legal battle arose in 1902 when the American Federation of Labor
organized a nationwide boycott of Dietrich Loewe, a non-union hat
manufacturer in Danbury. Loewe sued the union under the Sherman
Antitrust Act, and in the 1908 Danbury Hatters' Case, the U.S. Supreme
Court held the union liable for damages. Labor unrest persisted into the
1930s and 1940s, with violent clashes during strikes involving
strikebreakers.
In 1892, the industry underwent a transformation
as large hat factories began focusing on manufacturing unfinished hat
bodies, which were then supplied to smaller shops for finishing. By
1904, while Danbury produced 24% of the nation’s hats, it supplied 75%
of the hat bodies used across the industry. This era marked the peak of
Danbury’s hatting industry, earning the city its nickname, "Hat City" or
the "Hatting Capital of the World," along with the motto, "Danbury
Crowns Them All."
The use of mercuric nitrate in the felting process caused widespread
mercury poisoning among workers in Danbury's hat factories, leading to a
condition known as erethism, or "mad hatter disease." Locally referred
to as the "Danbury shakes," symptoms included slurred speech, tremors,
stumbling, and, in severe cases, hallucinations. The detrimental effects
of mercury on workers' health were first observed in the late 19th
century. Although factory workers advocated for mercury regulations in
the early 20th century, it wasn't until 1937 that the government
conducted a study on its health impacts. In 1941, the State of
Connecticut officially banned the use of mercury in hatmaking.
Despite the cessation of mercury use in Danbury hat factories in the
1940s, mercury contamination has persisted. Residual mercury waste
remains in the Still River and nearby soils, with high levels still
detected in the 21st century.
By the 1920s, the hat industry in Danbury was in decline. By 1923, only six manufacturers remained, intensifying pressure on workers. After World War II, the trend of returning GIs going hatless gained popularity, further accelerating through the 1950s and sealing the fate of the city's hat industry. Danbury's last major hat factory, owned by Stetson, shut down in 1964. The final hat produced in the city was made in 1987 when a small Stetson-owned factory closed its doors.
As of the 2000 census, Danbury had a population of 74,848 people,
17,886 families, 27,183 households and 28,519 dwellings. The average
population density was about 686.3 people per square kilometer. The
racial makeup of Danbury, according to the census, was as follows: 76%
White, 6.8% Black or African American, 0.29% Native American, 5.5%
Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 4% - representatives of mixed races, 7.6%
- other nationalities. Hispanic speakers made up 15.8% of all residents
of the city.
Of the 27,183 households, 30.3% were raising
children under the age of 18, 51.1% were married couples living
together, in 10.5% of families women lived without husbands, 34.2% had
no families. 26.2% of the total number of families at the time of the
census lived independently, while 8.5% were single elderly people aged
65 and over. The average household size was 2.64 people and the average
family size was 3.18 people.
The population of the city according
to the age range according to the 2000 census was distributed as
follows: 21.7% - residents under 18 years old, 10.2% - between 18 and 24
years old, 35.4% - from 25 to 44 years old, 21.7% — from 45 to 64 years;
and — aged 65 and over. The average age of residents was 35 years. For
every 100 women in Danbury, there were 96.2 men, while for every 100
women 18 and over, there were 94.3 men also over 18.
The median
income for a single household in the city was $53,664, and the median
income for a single family was $61,899. At the same time, men had an
average income of $39,016 per year compared to $31,319 of the average
annual income for women. The per capita income for the city was $24,500
per year. 5.9% of the total number of families in the city and 8% of the
total population were below the poverty line at the time of the census,
while 8.7% of them were under the age of 18 and 8.3% were aged 65 and
over.
The chief executive officer of Danbury is the Mayor, who serves a
two-year term. The current mayor is Roberto L. Alves (D). The Mayor also
acts as the presiding officer of the City Council, which consists of 21
members: two representatives from each of the city's seven wards and
seven at-large members. The City Council passes ordinances and
resolutions by a simple majority vote. If the Mayor does not approve an
ordinance within five days (effectively a veto), the City Council can
hold a re-vote. If the ordinance receives a two-thirds majority on the
second vote, it becomes effective without the Mayor's approval.
Currently, the City Council is composed of 14 Republicans and 7
Democrats.
As of 2021, Danbury has six state representatives:
Raghib Allie-Brennan (D-2), Stephen Harding (R-107), Patrick Callahan
(R-108), David Arconti (D-109), Bob Godfrey (D-110), and Kenneth Gucker
(D-138). The city is represented in the Connecticut State Senate by
Julie Kushner (D-24). At the federal level, Danbury is represented in
the U.S. Congress by Representative Jahana Hayes (D).
Industrial gas manufacturer Praxair is headquartered in Danbury. The chemical company Union Carbide has employed over 3,000 people at its Union Carbide Corporate Center in Danbury since the early 1980s. However, this number declined rapidly since 1984 due to financial difficulties resulting from the Bhopal disaster. Today, Dow subsidiary Union Carbide no longer has offices in the city.
Interstate 84 (I-84) and U.S. Route 7 (US 7) serve as the primary highways in the city. I-84 stretches west to east, connecting the lower Hudson Valley region of New York with Waterbury and Hartford. US 7 runs south to north, linking Norwalk (and I-95) to the Litchfield Hills. These two highways intersect in the city's downtown area. Key surface roads in the city include Lake Avenue, West Street, White Street, and Federal Road. Additional state highways include U.S. Route 6 in the western part of the city, Newtown Road (connecting to US 6 east of the city), Route 53 (Main Street and South Street), Route 37 (North Street, Padaranam Road, and Pembroke Road), and Route 39 (Clapboard Ridge Road and Ball Pond Road). In total, Danbury features 242 miles of streets.
The Housatonic Area Regional Transit (HART) provides local bus service, covering the entire Greater Danbury region and connecting to various train stations along the Harlem Line in Putnam and Westchester counties. Additionally, a shuttle service operates between Downtown Danbury and Norwalk.
Danbury serves as the terminus of the Danbury Branch Line of the MTA
Metro-North Railroad, which begins in Norwalk. This branch provides
commuter rail service from Danbury to South Norwalk, Stamford, and Grand
Central Terminal in New York City. Originally constructed by the Danbury
and Norwalk Railroad, the line was later acquired by the New York, New
Haven & Hartford Railroad Company. Historically, Danbury was a
significant junction between the Danbury Branch and the Maybrook Line,
the New Haven Railroad's primary freight route. The Maybrook Line, which
terminated in Maybrook, New York, facilitated freight exchange with
other railroads. However, after the Penn Central took over the New Haven
Railroad, the Maybrook Line was abandoned following a fire on the
Poughkeepsie Bridge that rendered it unusable. Today, the historic
station is part of the Danbury Railway Museum.
Local rail freight
service in Danbury is now provided by the Providence and Worcester
Railroad and the Housatonic Railroad.
For frequent direct rail
access to New York City, residents can utilize Brewster Station on
Metro-North’s Harlem Line, located approximately 8 miles from downtown
Danbury, just over the New York state border. Plans are underway to
connect Danbury Station to the Harlem Line using existing Maybrook Line
tracks owned by the MTA. Dubbed the "Fast Track to NYC," this project
aims to enhance rail service between Danbury and Grand Central Terminal.
In June 2022, a $2 million federal grant was approved to study the
environmental impacts of this initiative.
The Danbury baseball club has had a sporting exchange with the German baseball club Solingen Alligators since 2004. Tournaments are held and players are accommodated with host families. The Danbury Trashers ice hockey team played in the United Hockey League from 2004 to 2006.
Jonathan Brandis (1976–2003), actor
Kyle Bruckmann (* 1971), jazz
musician
Charles Ives (1874–1954), classical music composer
Lindsey Jacobellis (born 1985), snowboarder and Olympic medalist
Al
Klink (1915–1991), jazz saxophonist and swing flutist
Rose Wilder
Lane (1886–1968), writer and political theorist
Jenna von Oÿ (*
1977), actress
Elizabeth Peyton (* 1965), painter and illustrator
Robert Joseph Shaheen (1937–2017), Maronite bishop
Trevor Siemian
(born 1991), football player