Waterbury, Connecticut

Waterbury, Connecticut
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Western_approach_to_Waterbury_CT.jpg
Author: Daniel Case, Grossus


Waterbury is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut. Located at an average elevation of 270 ft (82 m), it covers 28.9 sq mi (75 sq km) and has a population of 110,000 (2011 estimate). The city is on the Naugatuck River, about 33 mi (53 km) from Hartford and 77 mi (124 km) from New York City.

Waterbury is the second largest city in New Haven County and the fifth largest in Connecticut. It is often called the Brass City due to its brassware manufacturing industry. The city is in the Eastern Time Zone, which is five hours behind Coordinated Universal Time (UTC-5) and four hours behind during Daylight Saving Time in summer. The phone area code for Waterbury is 203.

Downtown Waterbury
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Downtown_Waterbury,_CT.jpg
Author: Daniel Case


The initial settlement at Waterbury was made in 1674 at a site known as Mattatock. This is an anglicised spelling for the pronunciation for Matetacoke, a name from the native Algonquin language meaning "place without trees". In 1675, King Philip's War which erupted between the indigenous tribes and the colonists forced the settlers to evacuate. The town was resettled in 1677. In 1686, Mattatock was renamed Waterbury.

Waterbusy was incorporated as a city in 1853. Its brass industry dates back to this period. It came to be used for many things in the country, including the construction of the Boulder Dam in Colorado and the minting disks of nickels. Another famous Waterbury product are the one-dollar pocket watches made by Robert H. Ingersoll. The watch and brass industries of Waterbury are evident today by the numerous clocktowers and brass factories in the city.

Visiting Waterbury, Connecticut

Interstate 84 is the main highway connecting Waterbury to the rest of the country. You can also take Connecticut State Route 8 which runs north-south through Waterbury.

Chase Building, Municipal Center Complex, Waterbury
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chase_Building,_Waterbury,_CT.jpg
Author: Daniel Case

Places of Interest in Waterbury, Connecticut

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