New Britain, Connecticut
| New Britain, Connecticut | ||
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| — City — | ||
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| Nickname(s): New Britski, Hardware City | ||
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| Coordinates: 41°40′30″N 72°47′14″W / 41.67500°N 72.78722°WCoordinates: 41°40′30″N 72°47′14″W / 41.67500°N 72.78722°W | ||
| Country | United States | |
| State | Connecticut | |
| Region | Central Connecticut | |
| Incorporated (town) | 1850 | |
| Incorporated (city) | 1870 | |
| Consolidated | 1905 | |
| Government | ||
| • Type | Mayor-council | |
| • Mayor | Tim O'Brien | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 13.4 sq mi (34.7 km2) | |
| • Land | 13.3 sq mi (34.4 km2) | |
| • Water | 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km2) | |
| Elevation | 167 ft (51 m) | |
| Population (2010)[1] | ||
| • Total | 73,206 | |
| • Density | 5,360/sq mi (2,069/km2) | |
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) | |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) | |
| ZIP code | 06050, 06051, 06052, 06053 | |
| Area code(s) | 860 | |
| FIPS code | 09-50370 | |
| GNIS feature ID | 0209217 | |
| Website | http://www.newbritainct.gov/ | |
New Britain is a city in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. It is located approximately 9 miles (14 km) southwest of Hartford. According to 2010 Census, the population of the city is 73,206.[1]
The city's official nickname is the "Hardware City" because of its history as a manufacturing center and as the headquarters of Stanley Black & Decker. Because of its large Polish population, the city is often playfully referred to as "New Britski."[2]
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History [edit]
New Britain was settled in 1687 and then was incorporated as a new parish under the name New Britain Society in 1754. Chartered in 1850 as a township and in 1871 as a city, New Britain was separated from the nearby town of Berlin, Connecticut. A consolidation charter was adopted in 1905.
New Britain's motto, "Industria implet alveare et melle fruitur" translated from latin, "Industry fills the hive and enjoys the honey," is a phrase coined by Elihu Burritt, a prominent New Britain resident, diplomat, philanthropist and social activist.
During the early part of the 20th century, New Britain was known as the "Hardware Capital of the World", as well as "Hardware City". Major manufacturers, such as The Stanley Works, the P&F Corbin Company (later Corbin Locks), and North & Judd, were headquartered in the city.
In 1843 Frederick Trent Stanley established Stanley's Bolt Manufactory in New Britain to make door bolts and other wrought-iron hardware. In 1857 his cousin Henry Stanley founded The Stanley Rule and Level Company in the city. Planes invented by Leonard Bailey and manufactured by the Stanley Rule and Level Company, known as "Stanley/Bailey" planes, were prized by woodworkers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries and remain popular among wood craftsmen today. The two companies merged in 1920, and the Stanley Rule and Level Company became the Hand Tools Division of Stanley Works.
The wire coat hanger was invented in 1869 by O. A. North of New Britain, Connecticut.
In 1895, the basketball technique of dribbling was developed at the New Britain YMCA. In 1938, New Britain High School competed in the high school football national championship game in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. 1954 saw the development of racquetball, also at the YMCA.[3]
Geography and topography [edit]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 13.4 square miles (34.7 km²), of which, 13.3 square miles (34.6 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km²) of it (0.52%) is water.
New Britain's terrain is mostly made up of soft, rolling hills and young Connecticut forest. The many parks are populated with trees, and in small, undeveloped areas, there is also brushy woods. New Britain's streets also have many trees lining the sides of the roads. Many front yards in the northern half of the city have at least one tree. One or two streams flow through New Britain, undisturbed by the development.
Demographics [edit]
As of the census[4] of 2000, there were 71,538 people, 28,558 households, and 16,934 families residing in the city. The population density was 5,364.0 people per square mile (2,070.5/km²). There were 31,164 housing units at an average density of 2,336.7 per square mile (902.0/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 69.38% White, 10.89% African American, 0.37% Native American, 2.36% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 13.12% from other races, and 3.81% from two or more races. 26.75% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 28,558 households out of which 28.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.6% were married couples living together, 17.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.7% were non-families. 33.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 3.08.
In the city the population was spread out with 24.2% under the age of 18, 12.5% from 18 to 24, 28.9% from 25 to 44, 18.6% from 45 to 64, and 15.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 91.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $34,185, and the median income for a family was $41,056. Males had a median income of $34,848 versus $26,873 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,404. About 13.3% of families and 16.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.9% of those under age 18 and 8.9% of those age 65 or over.
Ancestries: Polish (19.9%), Italian (12.9%), Irish (7.8%), French (5.6%), German (4.3%), English (3.7%).
| Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of October 25, 2005[5] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Active Voters | Inactive Voters | Total Voters | Percentage | |
| Democratic | 16,116 | 1,176 | 17,292 | 54.50% | |
| Unaffiliated | 10,200 | 27 | 10,227 | 32.23% | |
| Republican | 3,862 | 324 | 4,186 | 13.19% | |
| Minor Parties | 19 | 4 | 23 | 0.07% | |
| Total | 30,197 | 1,531 | 31,728 | 100% | |
Polish community [edit]
New Britain has the largest Polish population of any city in Connecticut, and by 1930 a quarter of the city was ethnically Polish.[6] Also referred to as "Little Poland", the city's Broad Street neighborhood has been home to a considerable number of Polish businesses and families since 1890. On September 23, 2008, through the urging of the Polonia Business Association, the New Britain City Council unanimously passed a resolution officially designating New Britain's Broad Street area as "Little Poland."[citation needed] In recent years, the Polish community has been credited with revitalizing the area both culturally and economically. Media is served by three Polish language newspapers and a television station, and many businesses and civil agencies are bi-lingual.
Notable visitors to the Polish district have included Presidents Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan on July 8, 1987.[7] In 1969, as then-Cardinal Karol Wojtyla, the future Pope John Paul II gave a mass at Sacred Heart Church.[8] A statue was erected in his honor in 2007.[citation needed]
Accent [edit]
The Polish influence could be in part responsible for some vowel qualities of the distinctive New Britain accent,[9] such as nasalization of reduced vowels before /n/, though a more characteristic feature of the central Connecticut dialect is distinguished by systematic substitution of the glottal stop in place of [t] for an unreleased /t/ word-finally and before syllabic consonants (e.g. "eight" is pronounced [ɛɪʔ] instead of [eɪt]). Thus the shibboleth pronunciation of New Britain, [nuˈbɹɪʔɨː̃n] instead of [nuˈbɹɪtn̩].[10]
Economy [edit]
Top employers [edit]
According to the City's 2009 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,[11] the top employers in the city are:
| # | Employer | # of Employees |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Hospital of Central Connecticut | 3,600 |
| 2 | State of Connecticut | 2,811 |
| 3 | City of New Britain | 2,226 |
| 4 | Hospital for Special Care | 1,396 |
| 5 | Stanley Black & Decker | 780 |
| 6 | Tilcon Connecticut | 735 |
| 7 | Grove Hill Medical Center | 430 |
| 8 | DATTCO | 409 |
| 9 | Celebration Foods | 400 |
| 10 | Moore Medical | 350 |
Sites of interest [edit]
- Central Connecticut State University
- New Britain Little League
- New Britain Museum of American Art — the oldest art museum in the United States devoted to American Art. It contains a famous and comprehensive art collection from the 18th century to the present.
- Mountain Laurel Sudbury School - an independent alternative school
- New Britain Industrial Museum A museum of New Britain's industrial past and present
- The Hospital of Central Connecticut is the city's largest employer.
- Walnut Hill Park - Designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, who also designed Central Park in New York City.
- Walnut Hill Rose Garden, the recently restored landmark with over 800 roses
- Hole in the Wall Theater
- New Britain Youth Museum has children's artifacts and exhibits on regional culture.
- Capitol Lunch—a hot dog institution in New England. The "Cappie Dog" is well known to New Britain visitors for its unique and secret chili sauce.
- Stag Arms, a firearms manufacturer is located in New Britain.
- The Polish District or "Little Poland": Located primarily in the vicinity of Broad Street, visitors can find unique amber jewelry, handcrafted items, blown glass, Christmas ornaments carved chess sets, as well as eat their fill of Polish food.
Sports [edit]
- New Britain Rock Cats, minor league professional baseball team playing in New Britain Stadium. Currently the Double-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins.
- New Britain Fagan Cal Ripken Baseball League, a youth baseball program that serves children from the City of New Britain between the ages of 4 & 12.
- New Britain Little League (NBLL, previously known as Walicki - A.W. Stanley Little League), a youth baseball and softball organization that serves the children of New Britain who are between the ages of 4 and 16.
Education [edit]
Colleges and universities [edit]
The city is home to Central Connecticut State University and Charter Oak State College.
Primary and secondary schools [edit]
New Britain Public Schools operates public schools. The local high school is New Britain High School. New Britain is also home to the Mountain Laurel Sudbury School.
Transportation [edit]
Connecticut Route 9 is the city's main expressway connecting traffic between Hartford (via I-84 and I-91) and Old Saybrook and Middletown. I-84 itself clips the northwestern corner of the city. Public transportation is provided by Connecticut Transit.
New Britain may also serve as the terminus of the proposed Hartford–New Britain busway.
A nine mile long dedicated BRT system with 11 stations starting from downtown New Britain is under construction, terminating at Union Station in Hartford. This is being constructed along an existing/abandoned Right of Way which links the two cities.
New Britain has a nearby Amtrak station in adjacent Berlin. The Vermonter (once daily) and Shuttle (multiple daily arrivals/departures) provide service to destinations throughout the northeastern United States. There are also plans underway for a Springfield - Hartford - New Haven commuter rail, which would have Berlin as one of its stations.
Notable people [edit]
- Robert S. Barton (1925-2009), born in New Britain, computer designer and system architect famous for the invention of the stack architecture
- John T. Downey, CIA agent who was held captive in China for twenty years
- April Forrest, member of the band Jada, born and raised in New Britain
- Willie Hall—Pulaski High School, USC, linebacker for the Super Bowl XI champion Oakland Raiders[12]
- Charles K. Hamilton, early American aviator born in New Britain
- Jon Olsen, won four Olympic gold medals
- Carl Pavano, Major League Baseball pitcher born in New Britain
- Velvet Sky, ring name of professional wrestler Jamie Szantyr with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
- Tom Thibodeau, head coach of the Chicago Bulls. 1998 inductee of the New Britain Sports Hall of Fame
Sister cities [edit]
New Britain has five sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International:
References [edit]
- ^ a b "Annual Estimates of the Population for All Incorporated Places in Connecticut" (CSV). 2005 Population Estimates. U.S. Census Bureau, Population Division. June 21, 2006. Retrieved November 17, 2006.
- ^ "A city's Polish heart". The Boston Globe.
- ^ "Mission". Website. New Britain-Berlin YMCA. Retrieved 2008-02-01.
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "Registration and Party Enrollment Statistics as of October 25, 2005" (PDF). Connecticut Secretary of State. Archived from the original on 2006-09-23. Retrieved 2006-10-02.
- ^ http://www.ctheritage.org/encyclopedia/topicalsurveys/immigration.htm
- ^ http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=34527#axzz1SraSOOn0
- ^ http://www.library.ccsu.edu/cpaaead/cpaa8602.xml
- ^ http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/05/nyregion/05CONN.html
- ^ Gary Santaniello, "Accent? What Accent?", The New York Times, September 5, 2004.
- ^ City of New Britain CAFR
- ^ "Raiders Capture First Super Bowl with 32-14 Drubbing of Vikings". Official website of the Oakland Raiers—History—Greatest moments. The Oakland Raiders. Archived from the original on 2006-12-06. Retrieved 2007-01-31.
Further reading [edit]
- History of New Britain by Camp, (New Britain, 1889)
- A Walk Around Walnut Hill, 1975, by Kenneth Larson
- New Britain, by Alfred Andrews, 1867
- A History of New Britain, by Herbert E. Fowler, 1960
- The Story of New Britain, by Lillian Hart Tryon, 1925
- Images of America, New Britain, by Arlene Palmer, 1995
- New Britain, The City of Invention, by Patrick Thibodeau and Arlene Palmer
External links [edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: New Britain, Connecticut |
- City of New Britain
- Greater New Britain Arts Alliance
- New Britain Police Department
- New Britain Downtown District
- East Side Community Action/ Neighborhood Revitalization Zone
- CT Transit Rapid Transit Planning Commission
- BBC Special on Polish Community in New Britain
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