Norwalk, Connecticut

Norwalk, Connecticut
—  City  —
Norwalk City Hall and Concert Hall
Seal
Motto: E Pluribus Unum
Location in Fairfield County, Connecticut
Coordinates:
Country	United States
State	Connecticut
County	Fairfield
NECTA	Bridgeport-Stamford
Region	South Western Region
Incorporated	1651
Consolidated	1913
Government
- Type	Mayor-council
- Mayor	Dick Moccia (R)
Area
- Total	36.3 sq mi (94.0 km2)
- Land	22.8 sq mi (59.1 km2)
- Water	13.5 sq mi (35.0 km2)
Elevation	36 ft (11 m)
Population (2005)[1]
- Total	83,185
- Density	3,703.7/sq mi (1,430/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	Eastern (UTC-4)
ZIP code	06850-06860
Area code(s)	203
FIPS code	09-55990
GNIS feature ID	0209405
Website	http://www.norwalkct.org

Norwalk is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. According to 2008 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 83,185, making it the sixth largest city in Connecticut, and the third largest in Fairfield County.^[1] The city is part of the New York metropolitan area.

The name “Norwalk” itself comes from the Algonquin word “noyank” meaning “point of land”, or its Native American name, “Naramauke” (or Norwauke, Norowake, or Norwaake), a Native American chief.

The farming of oysters has long been important to Norwalk, which was once nicknamed "Oyster Town." Each September, Norwalk holds its annual Oyster Festival, similar to many state fairs.

Residents of Norwalk are often referred to as "Norwalkers".

History

Norwalk was purchased in 1640 by Roger Ludlow. The original purchase included all land between the Norwalk and Saugatuck rivers and a day’s walk north from the sea. Norwalk was chartered as a town on September 11, 1651.

The traditional American song "Yankee Doodle" has Norwalk-related origins. During the French and Indian War, a regiment of Norwalkers arrived at Fort Crailo, NY, the British regulars began to mock and ridicule the rag-tag Connecticut troops who only had chicken feathers for uniform. Dr. Richard Shuckburgh, a British army surgeon, added new words to a popular tune of the time, Lucy Locket (e.g., “stuck a feather in his cap and called it macaroni”, macaroni being the London slang at the time for a foppish dandy).

In 1776, American spy Nathan Hale set out from Norwalk by ship on his ill-fated intelligence-gathering mission.

British forces under General William Tryon arrived on July 10, 1779 and almost completely destroyed Norwalk; only six houses were spared. After the Revolutionary War, many residents were compensated for their losses with free land grants in the Connecticut Western Reserve in what is now Ohio; this later became Norwalk, Ohio.

In 1849 the New York and New Haven Railroad started operating through Norwalk. In 1852 the Danbury and Norwalk Railroad connected Norwalk with Danbury. Both railroads eventually became parts of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad. The first major U.S. railroad bridge disaster occurred in Norwalk in 1853 when a train plunged into the Norwalk River. Forty-six deaths and about 30 injuries resulted.

Oyster farming in Norwalk peaked from the late 1800s to the early part of the 20th century. By 1880, it had the largest fleet of steam-powered oyster boats in the world.

Norwalk was reincorporated as a borough in 1836, then reincorporated as a city in 1893 and was consolidated with the town of Norwalk in 1913. This latter event gave rise to the 1913 year that appears on the seal of the city.

In the mid-1970s, the city government and several local organizations started successful efforts to revitalize the South Norwalk business district ("SoNo"). The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk was founded as part of that effort.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 36.3 square miles (94.1 km²), of which, 22.8 square miles (59.1 km²) of it is land and 13.5 square miles (35.0 km²) of it (37.24%) is water.

Neighborhoods

Norwalk is composed of approximately 24 neighborhoods:

• Broad River
• Brookside
• Central Norwalk/Norwalk Center/Downtown Norwalk/Midtown Norwalk
• East Norwalk
• West Norwalk
• Cranbury
• Silvermine
• Spring Hill
• Wolfpit
• Wall Street
• Winnipauk
• Wilson Point
• Woodward
• Merritt Seven
• Reed-Putnam
• Harborview
• Hospital Hill
• Woods Pond
• The Green
• West Main
• West Rocks
• Main Avenue-refers to the neighborhood surrounding Main Avenue(Route 7).
• Rowayton
• South Norwalk-known locally as "SoNo."

Neighboring towns

Norwalk is bordered on the east by Westport; on the north by Wilton; on the northwest by New Canaan; on the west by Darien and on the south by Long Island Sound.

Climate

Norwalk experiences warm to hot and humid summers and cold snowy winters. The seasonal extremes are tempered by proximity to Long Island Sound, with daily high temperatures several degrees cooler in summer, and nightly lows higher in winter compared to locations further inland.

On average the warmest month is July and the coolest month is January. The highest recorded temperature was 103 °F (39 °C) in July 1966, the lowest temperature was −15 °F (−26 °C) in January 1968. The maximum average precipitation occurs in September, although monthly precipitation variations are only slight (when snowfall is converted to meltwater depths as in the table below).^[2]

Demographics

As of the census^[3] of 2000, there were 82,951 people, 32,711 households, and 20,967 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,637.3 people per square mile (1,404.1/km²). There were 33,753 housing units at an average density of 1,480.0/sq mi (571.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 73.95% White, 15.27% Black or African American, 0.21% Native American, 3.25% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 4.33% from other races, and 2.95% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 15.63% of the population.

The foreign nation in which the most residents of Norwalk were born was Colombia, the birthplace of 2.8% of Norwalk's total population and 14% of its foreign-born population.^[4] There were 32,711 households, of which 28.5% had children under the age of 18, 47.9% were married couples living together, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.9% were non-families. 28.2% of all households were individuals and 8.7% had someone living alone who was 65 or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.10.

In the city the population was 22.1% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 35.5% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 12.8% who were 65 or older. The median age was 37. For every 100 females there were 95.3 males. For every 100 females 18 or older, there were 91.4 males.

According to a 2007 estimate, the median income for a household in the city was $70,672, and the median income for a family was $83,695.[3] Males had a median income of $46,988 versus $38,312 for females. The per capita income for the city was $31,781. About 5.0% of families and 7.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.6% of those under 18 and 6.3% of those 65 or older.

Recent population trends

• 1980 – 77,767
• 1990 – 78,331
• 2000 – 82,951
• 2007 – 90,431 (estimate)

Politics

Norwalk leans slightly Democratic, with 1.3 active registered Democrats per Republican as of October 2005.

Economy

The economy of Norwalk is spread somewhat evenly across at least 12 different NAICS industry groups according to the United States Census Bureau.^[6]

Large and distinctive companies

• ABB Inc. Asea Brown Boveri (ABB) – A technology-based provider of power and automation products, systems, solutions, and services.
• Arch Chemicals Inc. (ARJ)-- headquarters, 501 Merritt Seven; international manufacturer of specialty chemicals for markets including personal care products, wood preservatives and coatings, water purification and building products. Its hydrazine propellants are used in NASA's space shuttle, government and commercial satellites and launch rockets; 2,725 employees companywide; 210 in Connecticut; $1.3 billion in 2005 revenues; CEO Michael E. Campbell
• Affinion Group, Inc. [4] – Global headquarters, 100 Connecticut Avenue; a large marketing company specializing in membership services, loyalty programs, direct marketed insurance and value-added checking programs in North America, Europe, and South Africa
• Applera Corp. Applied Biosystems Group (ABI) – headquarters, 301 Merritt Seven; the successor to Norwalk's old Perkin Elmer Corp. (the actual name of Perkin Elmer went to another company) Appelera Biosystems develops, manufactures, sells and services instrument systems, reagents and software for the life sciences industry. It is a separately traded stock under the holding company Applera Corp., also based in Norwalk. (Applera Corp. also includes Celera Genomics, best known for its work on the human genome project.) Appelera Biosystems has 4,030 employees companywide; $1.8 billion in 2005 revenues; CEO Tony L. White
• Diageo North America—U.S. headquarters of the world's largest liquor maker
• Dooney & Bourke apparel manufacturer
• Emcor Group Inc. (EME) – headquarters, 301 Merritt Seven (not to be confused with "Premcor Inc." of Greenwich); a Fortune 500 company that performs mechanical and electrical construction, energy infrastructure and facilities services for a range of businesses worldwide; 26,000 employees companywide; 506 in Connecticut; $4.7 billion in 2005 revenues; CEO Frank T. MacInnis
• FactSet Research Systems – A leading provider of global financial and economic information, including fundamental financial data on tens of thousands of companies worldwide. Combining hundreds of databases into its own dedicated online service, FactSet also provides the tools to download, combine, and manipulate financial data for investment analysis. FactSet has offices in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific, its headquarters are in Norwalk.
• IMS Health — The world's largest supplier of pharmaceutical market intelligence recently moved its headquarters to Norwalk from Fairfield, Connecticut.
• Kayak.com – headquarters, Connecticut Avenue; a travel search engine Web site founded in January 2005; Steve Hafner, CEO.
• HealthMarkets, Inc. – a life and health insurance company, specializing in self-employed healthcare.
• Hillard Bloom Shellfish - Connecticut's largest oyster producer.
• King Industries – a chemical manufacturer that specializes in lubricant additives, coatings additives, and specialty chemicals, whose headquarters are on Science Drive in Norwalk.
• Knipschildt Chocolatier – a leading gourmet chocolate maker.
• Media Storm LLC (privately held) – headquarters, 99 Washington St., South Norwalk; helps entertainment marketers identify advertising vehicles, and then helps place the ads. The company helped promote the debut of the FX television program The Shield, which broke the record for the number of viewers for a cable television premier. In 2006 the company made Inc. magazine's "Inc. 500" list of fast-growing companies, coming in at No. 106, with 869.7% growth over three years (2002 to 2005). Media Storm had $72.5 million in annual revenues in 2005 and 22 employees. It was founded in November 2001 by managing partners Tim Williams and Craig Woerz, who formerly worked together at AOL Time Warner.
• Northrop Grumman Norden Systems (formerly Norden Systems) – a division of Northrop Grumman.
• Pepperidge Farm – a division of the Campbell Soup Company since 1961.
• priceline.com (PCLN) – headquarters; online service books airline tickets, hotel rooms, rental cars, cruises, vacation packages and mortgages; 532 employees companywide, 280 in Connecticut; $963 million in annual revenues; CEO Jeffrey H. Boyd
• R.T. Vanderbilt Company, 30 Winfield Street; chemical supplier.
• Gus Sclafani Foods – an importer of European foods that was started 1911 in Stamford, relocated to Norwalk,
• Siemens IT Solutions and Services, Inc. – a global provider of IT outsourcing and consulting services.
• SoBe – a division; founded in Norwalk in 1996, it was bought by PepsiCo in 2000.
• Stew Leonard's – headquarters and flagship store on Westport Avenue
• Tauck – An upscale escorted tour and cruise operator, with nearly 100 land tours, river cruises and ocean cruises in over 60 countries.
• Tower Optical - a small, family-owned company making coin-operated viewers at major tourist sites since 1932.
• Trans-Lux – maker of real time displays. Headquarters are in Norwalk, but manufacturing has moved elsewhere.
• Virgin Atlantic Airways – U.S. headquarters at 75 North Water Street
  • In the early to mid 2000s Virgin Atlantic occupied an office in 747 Belden Avenue in Norwalk as its United States headquarters. In 2005 the airline announced that it planned to leave 747 Belden and that it would relocate to another facility, preferably in Fairfield County, Connecticut. Brooke Lawer, an employee of Virgin Atlantic, stated that the 44,000 square feet (4,100 m²) building was, in the words of Chris Bosak of The Hour, "no longer conducive to the atmosphere Virgin is trying to create at its workplace." Bosak stated that Norwalk and Stamford were likely relocation places.^[7] The company planned to relocate by fall 2006. It also planned to reduce its in-house workforce from almost 185 to 75, and many of the 62 full and part time call center workers were to work from their houses.^[8] In 2006 Virgin Atlantic signed a 15 year lease to occupy space in a building in Stamford to use as its new United States headquarters.^[9] Brooke Lawer, a spokesperson for Virgin Atlantic, stated that the previous facility had too much "unusable space" and that the company desired a smaller office space; she added that the company planned to relocate to Stamford as it was closer to train lines and New York City. The mayor of Norwalk, Richard A. Mocchia, expressed disappointment about Virgin Atlantic's planned departure and stated that restaurants and "other support-type businesses" would suffer with the Virgin Atlantic employees gone; Mocchia expressed hope in having a new tenant move into the building.^[10] By October of that year Virgin Atlantic planned to move its headquarters into a new building in the Maritime Yards complex in Norwalk. Virgin Atlantic enlisted Bavier Design, a Stamford-based company, to develop the new complex.^[11] As of 2009 Virgin Atlantic occupies a different office building at 75 North Water Street in Norwalk and uses it as its U.S. headquarters.^[12][13]
• The influential Financial Accounting Standards Board and related Government Accounting Standards Board are headquartered in Norwalk.
• Xerox – World headquarters located at 45 Glover Avenue; global document management company, which manufactures and sells a range of color and black-and-white printers, multifunction systems, photo copiers, digital production printing presses, and related consulting services and supplies.

Landmarks, sites and attractions

1907 postcard showing Green's Ledge (Green's Reef) Lighthouse

• Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum (Website) — 295 West Ave. — 62-room mansion considered one of the oldest and finest surviving Second Empire style country houses ever built in the United States. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1971. Recently, it was used for interior shots in the 2004 remake of The Stepford Wives.
• Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk, a major aquarium that specializes in displaying the marine life and ecology of Long Island Sound.
• The Mill Hill Historic Park and Museum, a collection of historic buildings open to visitors and maintained by the Norwalk Historical Society only one day a week in the spring and summer months.
• The Norwalk Islands are used by powerboaters, fishers, kayakers and canoeists as well as birdwatchers and campers for day trips and sometimes overnight camping stays.
• Norwalk Museum, — 41 North Main St. — in the Colonial Revival -style building that previously served as the South Norwalk City Hall prior to the incorporation of Norwalk and Old Well (South Norwalk) in 1913.
• Norwalk Youth Symphony performs at concerts held in the Norwalk City Hall on East Avenue.
• Sheffield Island Lighthouse is open to the public seasonally.
• SoNo Switchtower Museum
• The Silvermine Tavern, in a historic riverside mill complex of buildings in the Silvermine section of the city, closed its popular restaurant in 2009, though the inn remains open as a bed and breakfast and for special functions.
• Stepping Stones Museum for Children at Mathews Park, near the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum. For children ages 10 and under.

Sports

Baseball and softball are popular amateur sports with active leagues across many age groups in Norwalk. There are 4 baseball fields and 16 Little League fields in the city.^[14] Several of the fields are illuminated for nighttime play.^[15] The Norwalk Little League team won the Little League World Series in 1952.^[16] The 14 year old Babe Ruth League team won the championship in 2008.^[17]

Being a coastal city Norwalk is home to a great many water sports including competitive swimming recreational boating and fishing, sailing, windsurfing, and kayaking. The Norwalk River and inner Norwalk Harbor host rowing events and organizations.^[18] Norwalk resident Daniel Walsh won a bronze medal in Beijing with the U.S. Olympic rowing team in the 2008 Summer Olympics.^[19]

There are three golf courses in the city of Norwalk.^[20]

The cross town rivalry between the city's two largest high schools' sports teams can be rather fierce, particularly for the football and field hockey teams in the fall; as well as lacrosse, baseball, and softball teams in the spring. McMahon high school's boys lacrosse team went on to win the state division 2 lacrosse championship in 2000.

In professional team sports Norwalk is represented by the Connecticut Wildcats in the American National Rugby League.

Education

The interim Superintendent (education) of Norwalk Public Schools is William Papallo.

The public school system has three high schools, each covering Grades 9 through 12: The oldest, Norwalk High School (founded in 1902) is the home of the Norwalk Bears. Brien McMahon High School (founded in 1960) is named for U.S. Senator Brien McMahon. The third is Briggs High School, which was named for Dr. Richard C. Briggs, who was superintendent of schools from 1971 to 1980. Briggs High School was formerly known as the Briggs Center for Vocational Arts and is an alternative to the two traditional high schools.

The city has four public middle schools, for grades 6–8: West Rocks Middle School and Nathan Hale Middle School, which feed into Norwalk High School, as well as Roton Middle School and Ponus Ridge Middle School, which feed into Brien McMahon High School.

There are twelve elementary schools in the Norwalk public school district: Brookside, Columbus Magnet, Cranbury, Fox Run, Jefferson, Kendall, Marvin, Naramake, Rowayton, Silvermine, Tracey, and Wolfpit. One charter school, Side by Side Community School, is located in South Norwalk.

In 2006, three of the city's four middle schools and nine of its twelve elementary schools, along with a "community school" were cited as falling behind in standards for the federal "No Child Left Behind" Act. Three elementary schools had not met the standards for two years in a row, so students in those schools are offered the choice to go to a Norwalk public school that hasn't been designated as needing improvement.

Aside from public schools, there is also the private All Saints Catholic School, which offers preschool through 8th grade education; the Montessori Middle School for grades 5–8; and the Winston Preparatory School for grades 6–12, and starting in the fall of 2009 the Connecticut Friends School will offer classes for K-8.

Post-secondary education

• Norwalk Community College
• Gibbs College, Norwalk campus

Emergency Services

Emergency Medical Services

Norwalk is served 24/7 by Norwalk Hospital and Norwalk Hospital EMS, a progressive 911 paramedic service. The service consists of hospital based paramedics and EMT-Is who serve Norwalk as well as New Canaan, Wilton, Weston, and Westport. The service responded to over 9,500 medical emergencies in 2008 in the city of Norwalk and 6,000 in the neighboring communities. Norwalk Hospital EMS is widely known as one of the top services in the state and region. Typically the ambulances respond out of Norwalk Hospital as the paramedics and EMT-I assist in the Emergency Department while not in the field. NHEMS works closely with other Norwalk first responders (Norwalk Fire and Police Departments).

Fire Department

The city of Norwalk is protected 24/7, 365 by the professional firefighters of the Norwalk Fire Department(NFD). The Norwalk Fire Department operates out of 5 Fire Stations, located throughout the city of Norwalk and also operate a fire apparatus fleet of 5 Engines, 2 Trucks, 1 Rescue, 1 Tactical Rescue, 1 Haz-Mat. Unit, 1 Tanker, 1 Fire Boat, 1 Deputy Chief's Command Vehicle, and numerous special, support, and reserve units. The Norwalk Fire Department responds to over 5,000 emergency calls a year.^[21][22]

Fire Station Locations and Apparatus

• Fire Station # 1 - Broad River - 90 New Canaan Ave.
  • Truck 1
  • Engine 1
  • Engine 9(Reserve)
  • Car 10(Support Unit)
• Fire Headquarters - Fire Station # 2 - Central Norwalk - 121 Connecticut Ave.
  • Truck 2
  • Engine 2
  • Engine 6(Reserve)
  • Rescue 2
  • Tactical Rescue 2
  • Car 2(Deputy Chief)
  • Car 2(Reserve)
  • Car 2(Support)
  • Car 1(Chief of Department)
• Fire Station # 3 - East Norwalk - 56 Van Zant St.
  • Engine 3
• Fire Station # 4 - Cranbury - 180 Westport Ave.
  • Engine 4
• Fire Station # 5 - South Norwalk - 23 Meadow St.
  • Engine 5
• Apparatus Maintenance Facility - Central Norwalk - Fairfield Ave.
  • Ladder 1(Reserve)
  • Truck 3(Reserve)
  • Engine 7(Reserve)
  • Engine 8(Reserve)
  • Engine 10(Reserve)
  • Rescue 1(Reserve)
  • Rescue 3(Reserve)
  • Haz-Mat. 2
  • Tanker 1
  • Car 3(Reserve)
  • Support Vehicles
• Marine Division - South Norwalk - Norwalk Police Department Dock
  • Marine 24

Police Department

Founded in 1913, the Norwalk Police Department (NPD) currently has approximately 180 sworn police officers and 3 police dogs.^[23]

Annual events

• Norwalk Harbor Splash!, held in early June and started in 1995, the festival features arts and crafts booths, food vendors, music, a parade, and dragon boat races.
• St. George Greek Orthodox Festival, held in early June, the festival features Greek delicacies, Pontic Greek dance exhibitions and a large carnival.
• Round Hill Highland Games, a festival of Scottish culture and athletic events, was started in 1923 in Greenwich, CT but interrupted during World War II, then restarted in 1952, and has been held in Norwalk's Cranbury Park on or around July 4 for a number of years. In 2006, the 83rd annual event attracted 4,000 people to hear bagpipes and watch the caber toss, the hammer throw, and other events; with athletes often wearing wool kilts. Games for children are also offered. Food and Scottish items are offered for sale. Organizers say the event is the third-oldest Scottish games festival in the United States.^[24]
• SoNo Arts Celebration, held in mid-summer
• Kayak for a Cause, a fund-raising event held every summer since 2000 at Calf Pasture Beach.
• The Norwalk Oyster Festival, held first weekend after Labor Day
• Norwalk Boat Show, held in late September
• The Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum has hosted an annual antique show since 1978. In 2006 the show was held the last weekend in October and attracted dealers from Ohio and Pennsylvania as well as Connecticut.^[25]

Sites on the National Register of Historic Places

Rock Ledge estate in Rowayton

Norwalk sites and districts on the National Register of Historic Places include the Norwalk Green Historic District (roughly bounded by Smith and Park Streets, Boston Post Road, East and Morgan Avenues). The district contains examples of Federal Style, Greek Revival, and Late Victorian architecture. (added 1987)^[26]

Another local site on the Register is the Former Joseph Loth Company Building (25 Grand St.). The 133,000-square-foot (12,400 m²) building, since renovated as an apartment building and renamed "Clocktower Close" in the mid-1980s, has an 85-foot (26 m)-high Romanesque Revival clocktower^[27](added 1984) These other sites are also on the Register: the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion (added 1970), the former Rock Ledge estate in Rowayton (1977), the Norwalk Museum (1995), and three lighthouses—the Sheffield Island Lighthouse, Peck Ledge Lighthouse, the Onion domed, 1906 Moorish Revival building of Beth Israel of Norwalk/Westport and Greens Ledge Lighthouse.

For additional Norwalk sites on the list, see South Norwalk.

Media

Several publications regularly cover news in Norwalk, including two daily newspapers. The Hour is an independent daily newspaper based in Norwalk and founded in 1871. The Advocate (Stamford), a unit of Hearst Corp. as of 2009, has a Norwalk edition but does not have a Norwalk office. The Norwalk Citizen-News, local weekly owned by the Brooks Community Newspapers chain, now a subsidiary of Media News Group, also covers the city, and Rowayton is also served by a sister publication, the The Darien News-Review.

Rowayton is also covered by New Canaan-Darien & Rowayton magazine, a glossy monthly is owned by Moffly Publications. Canaiden LLC, which publishes Stamford Plus magazine in Stamford, started publishing Norwalk Plus magazine in 2006.

News 12 Connecticut, a 24-hour regional news channel covering events in southwestern Connecticut is based in Norwalk. News 12 Connecticut is owned and operated by Rainbow Media Holdings, Inc. Other broadcast media include three radio stations based in the city: WNLK-AM 1350 (1,000 watts) is owned by Cox Radio Inc.j and shares all its programming with Stamford-ranged WSTC-AM 1400. WFOX-FM 95.9; 3,000 watts; "The Fox", is a classic rock station. WCTZ-FM 96.7, "The Coast", is formerly the oldies station "Kool 96.7".

• Elsolnews.com, a community Spanish Language Weekly Newspaper covering news and events.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Public transportation

Bus

Public transportation within Norwalk is provided primarily by the Norwalk Transit District's "WHEELS" buses. The WHEELS buses offer extensive service in Norwalk and Westport and the Norwalk Transit District operates services throughout southwestern Connecticut. The state run Connecticut Transit Coastal Link buses operate through Norwalk as part of the Stamford Division.

Rail

The Metro-North Railroad's main New Haven and Danbury branch lines both run through Norwalk. Metro-North provides passenger and commuter service to four stations within the city, with direct connections to New York City, Stamford, Bridgeport, and New Haven. The South Norwalk station lies along the main line and is also the southern terminus of the Danbury branch line. The Rowayton and East Norwalk stations are along the New Haven main line. The Merritt 7 station lies along the Danbury branch line. The New Haven line bridge over the Norwalk River is the only four track swing bridge in the nation. The main line comprises a segment along Amtrak's Northeast Corridor though the national passenger railroad does not provide service to Norwalk. The nearest stations that Amtrak does stop at are Stamford and Bridgeport. The Connecticut Department of Transportation's Shore Line East passenger service trains also run through Norwalk, though only a few SLE trains stop at South Norwalk station. Shore Line East trains also stop at nearby Stamford and Bridgeport stations.

Freight service over the rail lines in Norwalk is provided by CSX Transportation and the Providence and Worcester Railroad. During the week, over 200 trains a day pass through Norwalk.

Air

There is no scheduled air service directly into Norwalk, but there are airports nearby such as LaGuardia Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City; Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, New Jersey; Westchester County Airport in Westchester County; Stewart International Airport in Newburgh, New York; and Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks (near Hartford) Connecticut. Nearby general aviation airports include Danbury Municipal Airport in Danbury, Sikorsky Memorial Airport in Stratford, and the Tweed New Haven Regional Airport in New Haven.

Roads and highways

Interstate 95 crosses through Norwalk, and there are several exits within the Norwalk city limits. The Merritt Parkway also crosses through Norwalk. Both of these roads are designated to be north/south routes, but through Norwalk, both of them primarily travel east/west. The major north-south artery is Route 7, which begins at Interstate 95. There is an exit to the Merritt Parkway, but only southbound towards New York City, as environmental activists have successfully blocked a full interchange between the two arteries. In northern Norwalk, Route 7 changes from a limited access, divided highway to an ordinary surface road. Originally, the intent was to build the "Super 7" highway (in a different place than the current Route 7), which would link Interstate 95 with Interstate 84 in Danbury, but environmental groups and slow-growth advocates succeeded in preventing this highway from being built (although the state of Connecticut continues to own the land to build the highway). Other state highways in Norwalk are Route 53, Route 123, and Route 136.

The Route 123 bridge over the Norwalk River, which was undergoing being replaced from August 2007 to August 2008, was one of 12 bridges in the southwestern part of the state (including New Haven) with safety inspection ratings so low they are (or were) considered to be in critical condition.^[28]

Utilities

Electricity in most of Norwalk is provided by the Northeast Utilities's Connecticut Light and Power Company division (CL&P). However, within the second and third taxing districts the taxing districts act as the local electric power utility company. Residents of those districts are billed by the district. The districts in turn purchase wholesale power and arrange for its delivery to, and distribution within, the district. Power lines and meters in East Norwalk, South Norwalk, and parts of Rowayton are maintained by line crews employed by the district and they may be seen driving about in trucks with district logos.^[29][30] Both the second (SNEW) and third (TTD) district electric departments belong to the six member Connecticut Municipal Electric Energy Cooperative which pools their wholesale power purchasing to obtain lower rates for customers.^[31] The history of municipal power in Norwalk extends back to the 1890s when Albert A. Winchester was an early and forceful advocate of it. In 1892 Winchester designed the city of South Norwalk's generating station – remnants of which still lie along Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in South Norwalk in front of the railroad station. The newer power plant on Manressa Island (near the Harbor View neighborhood) does still generate power within the city. The Manressa generation plant was originally a coal fired plant but was converted to burn oil. It was operated up until the early 2000s by CL&P but is now operated under contract by another company. In 2004 the third taxing district installed 3 diesel powered generators at the Norden complex on Norden Place that were initially licensed only for emergency power supply. By summer 2008 the generators, with a combined capacity of 6 Megawatts, had been upgraded to allow licensed operation as regular power providers for the grid (not just emergency power).^[32] In 2007 and 2008 the construction of the Middletown-Norwalk transmission line disrupted traffic along the Boston Post Road, but the completion of the line is hoped to help CL&P to provide additional power to lower Fairfield County. In addition a high-voltage undersea line runs from Manressa Island to Long Island to help provide electric power to Long Island Power Authority customers. In 2008 the city government of Norwalk started initial investigations of whether the city might resume generating power for sale to electricity customers in the city. ^[33]

Natural gas is provided by Northeast Utilities' Yankee Gas subsidiary.^[34]

Water in most of the city is provided by the Aquarion Water Company from reservoirs in Wilton.^[34] In the first and second taxing districts the taxing districts act as the local water utility provider.^{[29] [35]}

Notable people, past and present

Notable residents and others connected to Norwalk include Andy Rooney, commentator on 60 Minutes, who lives in Rowayton, as does author Philip Caputo. A. Scott Berg, an award-winning biographer of celebrities was born in Norwalk. Johnny Gruelle, artist and author, creator of Raggedy Ann, lived in town before he moved to Wilton. Big Band composer Arthur (Artie) Shaw lived in Norwalk in the 1950s. Jazz-piano great Horace Silver was also born in Norwalk.

Multi-Grammy award winner Vince Mendoza was born and raised in Norwalk. NBA Hall of Famer Calvin Murphy, and baseball player Mo Vaughn both hail from Norwalk. The late Bob Miller was born in the city. Two Medal of Honor recipients came from Norwalk: John D. Magrath in World War II and Daniel J. Shea in the Vietnam War.

Movies filmed in Norwalk

Full-length features and documentary movies, partially filmed or completely taking place in Norwalk, listed in reverse chronological order:^[36]

• Best Laid Plans (2009).
• Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009).^[37] — filmed along Washington Street in SoNo.
• Old Dogs (2009).
• Birds of America (film) (2008).^[38]
• College Road Trip (2008). — scenes filmed in town in mid-July 2007; shooting locations were the former Norwalk police headquarters building in Matthews Park, on the Merritt Parkway and along the Route 7 connector.^[39]
• Pistol Whipped (2008).
• Revolutionary Road (2008).^[40]
• Righteous Kill (2008).
• The Six Wives of Henry LeFay (2008). - Filmed in 2007 on Wall Street in Norwalk Center.^[41]
• Wetlands Preserved: The Story of an Activist Nightclub (2008).
• Freezer Burn (2007).
• The Life Before Her Eyes (2007), currently in production. Uma Thurman filmed a scene at Norwalk Community College in August, 2006.^[42]
• Henry May Long (2006) — filmed at the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion.
• Satan's Little Helper (2004).
• The Stepford Wives (2004).^[43]
• The Object of My Affection (1998).
• The Stepford Wives (1975).^[44]

Television

• For One More Day (television movie, ABC, December 2007). — filmed in July 2007 on Broad Street.^[45]
• To All My Friends On Shore (1972, made for TV movie).^[46]
• House of Dark Shadows (1970, TV series). — "Abandoned Monastery" portions filmed at the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion.^[47]

In popular culture

• In J. D. Salinger's novel, The Catcher in the Rye, Holden's parents are attending a party in Norwalk the night he sneaks into his apartment to visit his sister, Phoebe.^[48]

Sister cities

• Nagarote (Nicaragua) since 1986 ^[49]

References

External links

Government

• City of Norwalk official web site
• Norwalk Public Library system web site

Community associations and institutions

• Norwalk Chamber of Commerce
• Norwalk Seaport Association, Sponsors of the annual Oyster festival (a 3-day carnival usually held the 2nd weekend of September) and other local heritage events
• Web page about the Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument at the intersection of Washington Street and Martin Luther King Drive
• Norwalk Connecticut Exchange Club

Other

• Facts about Norwalk
• Fairfield County Business Journal slideshow
• Norwalk Transit District routes, maps, guides, timetables.

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