| Derby, Connecticut | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| — City — | |||
| Annual fireworks display from the Derby-Shelton Bridge | |||
|
|||
| Location in New Haven County, Connecticut | |||
| Coordinates: | |||
| Country | United States | ||
| State | Connecticut | ||
| NECTA | Bridgeport-Stamford | ||
| Region | The Valley | ||
| Named | 1675 | ||
| Incorporated (town) | 1775 | ||
| Incorporated (city) | 1893 | ||
| Government | |||
| • Type | Mayor-Board of aldermen | ||
| • Mayor | Anthony Staffieri | ||
| • Chief administrator | Philip Robertson | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 5.4 sq mi (14.0 km2) | ||
| • Land | 5.0 sq mi (12.9 km2) | ||
| • Water | 0.4 sq mi (1.0 km2) | ||
| Elevation | 102 ft (31 m) | ||
| Population (2005) | |||
| • Total | 12,536 | ||
| • Density | 2,507/sq mi (968/km2) | ||
| Time zone | Eastern (UTC-5) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | Eastern (UTC-4) | ||
| ZIP code | 06418 | ||
| Area code(s) | 203 | ||
| FIPS code | 09-19480 | ||
| GNIS feature ID | 0206671 | ||
| Website | www.electronicvalley.org/derby/ | ||
Derby is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 12,391 at the 2000 census. With 5 square miles (13 km2) of land area, Derby is Connecticut's smallest municipality.
The city has a Metro-North railroad station called Derby – Shelton.
Contents |
Derby was settled in 1642 as an Indian trading post under the name Paugasset. It was named after Derby, England in 1675.[1]
In the nineteenth century, both corsets and hoop skirts were manufactured in the city.
Charlton Comics, a comic book publishing company that existed from 1944 to 1986, was based in town.
| Historical population of Derby[5] |
|
| 1756 | 1,000 |
| 1774 | 1,889 |
| 1782 | 2,218 |
| 1790 | 2,994 |
| 1800 | 1,878 |
| 1810 | 2,051 |
| 1820 | 2,088 |
| 1830 | 2,253 |
| 1840 | 2,851 |
| 1850 | 3,824 |
| 1860 | 5,443 |
| 1870 | 8,020 |
| 1880 | 11,650 |
| 1890 | 5,969 |
| 1900 | 7,930 |
| 1910 | 8,991 |
| 1920 | 11,238 |
| 1930 | 10,788 |
| 1940 | 10,287 |
| 1950 | 10,259 |
| 1960 | 12,132 |
| 1970 | 12,599 |
| 1980 | 12,346 |
| 1990 | 12,199 |
| 2000 | 12,391 |
The city has resurrected an "historic trough" – a century-old granite structure with lion-head spigots—as part of a gateway entrance plaza at the Division Street entrance to the Derby Greenway. The fountain was given to the City in 1906 by the National Humane Alliance and erected at the intersection of Seymour and Atwater Avenues. The water was first turned on on June 1, 1906. Years later it was moved to Founders Commons when traffic patterns made its original location a problem. It fell into disrepair and was not used as a fountain while on Founders Commons. When the Derby Greenway was built, the fountain was moved to its new location on June 22, 2006, fully restored with new plumbing and new lions heads and formally dedicated with the surrounding Derby Hall of Fame Plaza on September 1, 2007.[6]
Also Saint Michaels Church and the Derby Hook and Ladder Firehouse.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 5.4 square miles (8.7 km2), of which, 5.0 square miles (13 km2) of it is land and 0.4 square miles (1.0 km2) of it (7.41%) is water. The city is home to the 1.4 square kilometres (350 acres) Osbornedale State Park. Derby is divided into two main sections by the Naugatuck River: East Derby and Derby Center (Birmingham).
As of the census[7] of 2000, there were 12,391 people, 5,252 households, and 3,245 families residing in the town. The population density was 2,487.6 people per square mile (960.7/km2). There were 5,568 housing units at an average density of 1,117.8 per square mile (431.7/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 90.08% White, 3.62% Black or African American, 0.16% Native American, 1.74% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 2.52% from other races, and 1.82% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.67% of the population.
There were 5,252 households out of which 27.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.1% were married couples living together, 13.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.2% were non-families. 32.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.94.
In the town the population was spread out with 21.7% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 33.0% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 16.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 93.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $45,670, and the median income for a family was $54,715. Males had a median income of $42,367 versus $30,458 for females. The per capita income for the town was $23,117. About 6.9% of families and 8.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.1% of those under age 18 and 7.8% of those age 65 or over.
| Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of October 25, 2005[8] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Active Voters | Inactive Voters | Total Voters | Percentage | |
| Democratic | 2,834 | 42 | 2,876 | 42.11% | |
| Republican | 931 | 93 | 1,024 | 14.99% | |
| Unaffiliated | 2,802 | 121 | 2,923 | 42.80% | |
| Minor Parties | 7 | 0 | 7 | 0.10% | |
| Total | 6,574 | 256 | 6,830 | 100% | |
The Howe House "will become home of the Lower Naugatuck Valley Industrial Heritage Center; where the Derby Historical Society's extensive collection of Industrial Era artifacts will be properly displayed. Future educational programs will include student hands-on programs that will introduce the Industrial Revolution and the Valley's active role in this period."[9]
The Valley Independent Sentinel, an online-only, non-profit news site, launched in June 2009. It has an office in Ansonia. Its editor lives in Derby.
The Valley Gazette, a weekly, also covers Derby, as does The Connecticut Post and The New Haven Register.
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||