Situated in the southwestern point of Connecticut, Stamford was originally known by early European settlers as Rippowarm. As the colony became more established, new settlers arriving from Lincolnshire, England chose to rename Rippowarm to match that of their old town back in the Lincolnshire community.
By the late 1700s Stamford was established as both a market and agricultural community. Its 4,051 residents were primarily farmers who raised crops such as wheat and corn along with livestock. They would keep what they needed and sell the rest to the marketplace in New York.
During 1848 the expansion of the railroad gave outsiders easier access to town and new residents began flooding the area. Irish immigrants tended to prefer living in homes situated near the railroad tracks with easy access to this convenient transportation. While many took jobs in the local mills, others found work as gardeners, coachmen and laborers.
By 1850 the population had grown to 5,000. As political and economic tensions grew across Europe more immigrants moved to the States. German immigrants soon arrived and like the Irish before them, took whatever jobs they could find. By 1880 the population swelled to 11,000. The town was starting to evolve and in 1893 Stamford was incorporated into a city.
Although the early 1900s were a prosperous time for the city, outside influences from the rest of the world began to take its toll. The stock market crash of 1929 followed by the Depression of the 1930s affected the prosperity of the city. Although times were bleak, Stamford’s landscape was about to change again. In 1934, construction began on the Merritt Parkway as a way to ease congestion on the historic Boston Post Road.
Demographics
Stamford has a daytime population of over 175,000 residents, which includes approximately 50,000 people who commute from the tri-state area, making it the third largest city in the state. Approximately 30 miles from Manhattan, Stamford is in the Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk Metro area which is a part of the Greater New York metropolitan area.
Nearly 45 percent of adult residents in Stamford have a bachelor’s degree or higher, and the city houses the headquarters of nine Fortune 1000 companies. Community officials are proud of their downtown district that features several restaurants, entertainment venues and housing choices, and Stamford has university campuses, a large arts community and a good parks system led by Jackie Robinson Park, named for the baseball legend who lived in the city.
Noteworthy And Interesting Facts About Stamford
One of the most interesting facts about Stamford, Connecticut is one of safety. It is consistently rated as one of the safest cities in all of the United States with its population of greater than 100,000 people. This makes the city a great place to visit or reside.
A double government was in establishment for 56 years in Stamford. At its start in 1642, Stamford was a town not a city. Many years later in 1893, a city charter was adopted making parts of original Stamford part of the city. This overlapping portion had both a city council and a town mayor. Those residing there had to pay taxes to both of those governments until 1949, when the new city charter went into effect.
