Ansonia, Connecticut

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Ansonia, Connecticut
Skyline of Ansonia, Connecticut
Nickname: "Copper City"
Coordinates: 41°20′36″N, 73°04′07″W
NECTA Bridgeport-Stamford
Region The Valley
Incorporated (town) 1889
Incorporated (city) 1893
Government type Mayor-Board of aldermen
Mayor James T. Della Volpe
Area  
 - City 16.1 km²  (6.2 sq mi)
Population  
 - City (2005) 18,744[1]
 - Density 1,206/km² (3,124/sq mi)
Time zone Eastern (UTC-5)
 - Summer (DST) Eastern (UTC-4)
ZIP code 06401
Website: Ansonia

Ansonia is a city and town in New Haven County, Connecticut, U.S.A., on the Naugatuck River, immediately north of Derby and about 12 miles northwest of New Haven. The population was 18,554 at the 2000 census. The ZIP code for Ansonia is 06401. The city has a Metro North train station, and the Route 8 state highway serves the city.

Ansonia is known for its devotion to its high school football team, the Ansonia Chargers. The Chargers' arch-rivals are the Naugatuck Greyhounds, from nearby Naugatuck. The annual Ansonia-Naugatuck game is one of the most important events of the year for the two cities.

Contents

[edit] History

The city, settled in 1840 and named in honor of the merchant and philanthropist Anson Greene Phelps (1781-1853), was originally a part of the township of Derby. The state chartered Ansonia as a borough in 1864 and as a township in 1889; in 1893 Ansonia incorporated as a city, consolidating with the coterminous township.

Ansonia suffered grievous damage in the Great Flood of 1955, when massive rain from Hurricane Diane filled the Naugatuck River beyond its capacity. Submerging the land along the river, the flood destroyed many houses and businesses. The high river waters swept away Maple Street Bridge, which linked the east and west sides of the city. After the inundation, the authorities erected a flood wall along the east bank of the river to protect the city's factories and Main Street. On the west bank, federal public housing took the place of blocks of destroyed homes and businesses on Olson Drive.

In the decades following the flood, Ansonia's Main Street fell into decline as retail shoppers decamped to the Ansonia Mall at one end of the street (now replaced by a Big Y supermarket) and for malls in nearby Milford, Trumbull, and Waterbury. In recent years, however, Main Street has perked up with the opening of several antique stores, a Polish delicatessan, a coffee shop, and other businesses.

Ansonia hosted its own daily newspaper, the Evening Sentinel, which enjoyed a wide readership throughout the Naugatuck Valley. However, the parent company of the Connecticut Post bought the Sentinel in the 1980's and quickly folded it, despite promises not to do so, in order to consolidate the Post's position as the region's main newspaper.

President George H. W. Bush paid a visit to Ansonia by helicopter during the 1992 presidential election campaign. He was running far behind schedule, and his late arrival and truncated appearance caused many residents to feel he had slighted their city.

[edit] Rubber Plant Fire

In May 2001, a wind-driven fire destroyed the Latex Foam Company building, a very large rubber plant along the Naugatuck River in downtown Ansonia. The fire gutted the 284,000-square-foot building, which was the workplace of 250 people. Firefighters from multiple counties fought the fire tirelessly for five days. Lingering clouds of foul-smelling smoke spread over the city and nearby communities, and chemical runoff produced by the fire unbalanced the eco-system of the nearby river. As of now though, a Target superstore is replacing the empty lot and is expected to be complete by Summer 2007. [1]

[edit] Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 16.0 km² (6.2 mi²), of which 15.6 km² (6.0 mi²) is land and 0.4 km² (0.2 mi²) (2.58%) is water.

The city is bisected by the Naugatuck River and spreads out from the river's banks up the hills - some quite steep - of the river valley. On the west side of the river, the city abuts Derby and Seymour along Silver Hill, and on the east side the city's Hilltop neighborhood meets Woodbridge.

The land along the river is mostly given over to factory sites (both operational and defunct), with an area of wooded land on the west bank close to the city's northern boundary that belongs to the American Brass Company and was the site proposed by Texas company American Ref-Fuel for a garbage incinerator in the early 1990's. The proposal was controversial and protests by residents resulted in its defeat.

Residential housing occupies most of the land in Ansonia, chiefly one- or two-family houses on plots of an acre or less. There are larger houses on larger plots in the Hilltop neighborhood. The Ansonia Nature Center on Hilltop preserves some open fields and woodlands and is a favorite for school trips.

An airport once operated on Hilltop, at the eastern edge of the city; during the Cold War the United States military deployed Nike missiles in silos at the airport. Developers have built residential housing on the former airport grounds. The Nike base is now a horse farm with riding stables holding just a few reminders of its former life.

[edit] Demographics

Historical population of
Ansonia[2][3]
1890 10,342
1900 12,681
1910 15,152
1920 17,643
1930 19,898
1940 19,210
1950 18,706
1960 19,819
1970 21,160
1980 19,039
1990 18,403
2000 18,554
2002 18,739 (estimate)

As of the census2 of 2000, there were 18,554 people, 7,507 households, and 4,977 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,188.0/km² (3,076.3/mi²). There were 7,937 housing units at an average density of 508.2/km² (1,316.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 85.52% White, 8.42% Black or African American, 0.34% Native American, 1.13% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 2.22% from other races, and 2.37% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.42% of the population.

There were 7,507 households out of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.1% were married couples living together, 15.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.7% were non-families. 28.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.3% 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 3.03.

In the city the population was spread out with 24.2% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 31.5% from 25 to 44, 20.7% from 45 to 64, and 15.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 90.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $43,026, and the median income for a family was $53,718. Males had a median income of $30,747 versus $28,517 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,504. About 6.2% of families and 7.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.3% of those under age 18 and 5.3% of those age 65 or over.

Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of October 25, 2005[2]
Party Active Voters Inactive Voters Total Voters Percentage
Democratic 3,396 192 3,588 35.24%
Republican 1,385 108 1,493 14.66%
Unaffiliated 4,668 418 5,086 49.95%
Minor Parties 12 3 15 0.14%
Total 9,461 721 10,182 100%

[edit] Economy

The city has manufactures of heavy machinery, electric supplies, brass and copper products, and silk goods. Ansonia, Derby, Shelton, Seymour, and Beacon Falls form one of the most important industrial communities in the state. The city hosts the world headquarters of the Farrel Corporation, a leading producer of plastics and rubber processing equipment. Ansonia Copper & Brass, which supplies metal rod, wire and tube products to manufacturers of finished commercial products, also makes its home in the city.

The highly successful Ansonia Clock Company had its start manufacturing Ansonia clocks in the city in 1851. The company moved to Brooklyn, New York, in 1878 but retained its home city's name.

In recent years, much of the heavy industry moved out and factories sat vacant. Starting in 2002, city authorities and residents began a revitalization of the downtown area. Two large regional clothing retailers, Marshalls and Bob's, opened stores there in 2006. In mid-2006 the popular international department store Target was seeking permits to locate a store on the former Latex Foam Company site (see "Rubber Plant Fire" above).

As a result of economic growth and plentiful employment in southwestern Connecticut, driven by corporate relocations from the New York City and Fairfield County metropolitan areas to nearby towns, Ansonia's housing market improved in the early 2000's. On the preferred East Side of the city, the average home price climbed almost 20% in the period from 2001 to 2006. Authorities are in the process of closing down federal housing projects on the West Side of town, where a large percentage of the crime in Ansonia is reported.

Ansonia is a station stop on the Waterbury Branch of the Metropolitan Transit Authority's Metro-North Railroad system. Trains on the Waterbury Branch run from Waterbury in the north to Bridgeport in the south, allowing Ansonia residents access to New York City via transfer to the main line at Bridgeport. Travel time from Ansonia to Grand Central Station in New York City is approximately two hours.

[edit] Landmarks

In addition to the Farrel Corporation and Ansonia Copper & Brass facilities along the banks of the Naugatuck River in the center of the city, Ansonia's landmarks include its public library, YMCA, National Guard Armory and many Victorian and Queen Anne houses.

Ansonia is noted for its many churches, including those forming five Catholic parishes, each historically associated with a particular ethnic group: Saint Joseph (Polish), Saint Anthony (Lithuanian), Assumption (Irish), Holy Rosary (Italian), and Saints Peter and Paul (Ukrainian). There are also Congregationalist, Methodist, Episcopalian, African Methodist Episcopal, Baptist, Russian Orthodox, Greek Orthodox, Pentacostal, and other Christian denominations. The region's Sikh community had a gurdwara (temple) in one of the buildings on Main Street until an accidental fire burned it down.

[edit] Notable Ansonians

[edit] On the National Register of Historic Places

  • Ansonia Library — 53 South Cliff St. (added September 23, 1985)
  • Gen. David Humphreys House — 37 Elm St. (added April 17, 1972)
  • Richard Mansfield House — 35 Jewett St. (added April 11, 1971)
  • US Post Office-Ansonia Main — 237 Main St. (added 1985)
  • Upper Main Street Historic District — 36-100, 85-117 Main St. (added 1982)

[edit] References

  1. ^ U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates
  2. ^ Registration and Party Enrollment Statistics as of October 25, 2005 (PDF). Connecticut Secretary of State. Retrieved on 2006-10-02.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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