Stamford, Connecticut

Stamford was known as Rippowam by the Siwanoy Native American inhabitants to the region, and the very first European settlers to the area also referred to it as such. The present name is after the town of Stamford, Lincolnshire, England.[7] The deed to Stamford was signed on July 1, 1640, between Captain Turner of the New Haven Colony and Chief Ponus. By the 18th century, one of the primary industries of the town was merchandising by water, which was possible due to Stamford's proximity to New York.

Downtown and South End neighborhoods of Stamford. Long Island is in the distance.

In 1692, Stamford was home to a less famous witch trial than the well-known Salem witch trials, which also occurred in 1692. The accusations were less fanatical and on a smaller scale, but they also grew to prominence through gossip and hysterics.[8]

New Canaan officially separated from Stamford when it incorporated as a town in 1801, followed by Darien in 1820.

Starting in the late 19th century, New York residents built summer homes on the shoreline, and even back then there were some who moved to Stamford permanently and started commuting to Manhattan by train, although the practice became more popular later. Stamford incorporated as a city in 1893.

In 1950, the Census Bureau reported the city's population as 94.6% white and 5.2% black.[9]

In the 1960s and 1970s, Stamford's commercial real estate boomed as corporations relocated from New York City to peripheral areas.[10] A massive urban redevelopment campaign during that time resulted in a downtown with many tall office buildings. The F.D. Rich Company was the city-designated urban renewal developer of the downtown in an ongoing redevelopment project that was contentious, beginning in the 1960s and continuing through the 1970s. The company put up what was the city's tallest structure, One Landmark Square, at 21 floors high, and the GTE building (now One Stamford Forum), along with the Marriott Hotel, the Stamford Town Center and many of the other downtown office buildings. One Landmark Square has since been dwarfed by the new 34-story Trump Parc Stamford condominium tower, and then again by the Atlantic Station development, another project by the Rich Company in partnership with Cappelli Enterprises.[11] Over the years, other developers have joined in building up the downtown, a process that continued, with breaks during downturns in the economy, through the 1980s and 1990s and into the new century.

Since 2008, an 80-acre mixed-use redevelopment project for the Stamford's Harbor Point neighborhood has added additional growth south of the city's Downtown area. Once complete, the redevelopment will include 6,000,000 square feet (560,000 m²) of new residential, retail, office and hotel space, and a marina. As of July 2012, roughly 900 of the projected 4,000 Harbor Point residential units had been constructed.[12] New restaurants and recreational activities have come up in the Harbor Point area, which is considered as New Stamford.

Stamford at night from the west, with Norwalk, Bridgeport, and New Haven beyond. Long Island Sound is completely dark.

Stamford is situated near the southwestern point of Connecticut, on Long Island Sound. It consists of several neighborhoods and villages including Cove, East Side, Downtown, North Stamford, Glenbrook, West Side, Turn Of River, Waterside, Springdale, Belltown, Ridgeway, Newfield, South End, Westover, Shippan, Roxbury and Palmers Hill. North of the Merritt Parkway is considered the North Stamford section of the city, encompassing its largest land mass though it is the least densely populated. North Stamford functionally and legally acts as one municipality with the City of Stamford. Stamford borders Pound Ridge, New York to the North, the Long Island Sound to the South, Greenwich, Connecticut to the West, Darien to the East, and New Canaan to the Northeast.

The city has an area of 52.09 square miles (134.9 km²), making it the largest city by area in the state.[13]

The population density is 3,101.9 people per square mile (1,197.5/km²).

Ethnicity and race

2017 Census Statistics counted Stamford's population to be 131,000. A 2009 Census survey estimated 48,676 housing units to be in existence. Stamford's population characteristics are as follows (Source: Statistical Atlas, 2019)

• White 49.6%
• Hispanic 25.4%
• Black 15.0%
• Asian 8.2%
• Two or More Races 1.4%
• All Other Races 0.4%

More than one out of three residents (35%) is foreign born. A language other than English is spoken at home by 45% of the population. The main ancestries of the population (Source: 2013 American Community Survey Estimate) are: Italian (12.4%), Irish (5.9%), Polish (4.5%), English (2.9%), German (2.9%), and Russian (2.3%). The top ten countries of origin for the foreign-born population (Source: 2010 US Census Bureau) are:

Stamford Harbor. Stamford Harbor Park (office buildings) is in the background.

• Dominican Republic 8,144
• Guatemala 7,707
• India 5,133
• Haiti 5,071
• Jamaica 2,753
• Colombia 2,679
• Peru 2,560
• Mexico 2,478
• Ecuador 2,313
• China 1,991
• Honduras 1,279

Stamford is predominantly Democratic but not nearly as heavily Democratic as Connecticut's more urban cities like neighboring Bridgeport and New Haven.

Democrat David Martin is the incumbent Mayor of Stamford. Notable Republicans from the city include former U.S. Representative Chris Shays, former Lieutenant Governor Michael Fedele, and former mayor Michael Pavia. Prominent Democrats from Stamford include current Attorney General William Tong, former two-term Governor Dannel Malloy, former Attorney General and incumbent senior U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal, former Attorney General George Jepsen, former U.S. Attorney General and former mayor Homer Stille Cummings, Connecticut Supreme Court Justice Andrew J. McDonald, and Chief Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court Richard A. Robinson. Other notable politicians with Stamford roots include Carrie Clyde Holly, the first woman (along with two colleagues) elected to serve in a State Legislature (Colorado, from Pueblo County in the 1894 election) in United States History, Joe Lieberman, former Attorney General of Connecticut and Independent/Democratic U.S. Senator who was also Al Gore's vice presidential nominee in the 2000 presidential election; William F. Buckley, Jr., conservative commentator; and French Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau.

NBC Sports Group world headquarters at 1 Blachley Road

Stamford's cluster of corporate headquarters includes a number of Fortune 500, Fortune 1000, and Forbes Global 2000 companies. In 2017, Stamford had four Fortune 500, nine Fortune 1000, three Forbes Global 2000,[24] and one Fortune Global 500 company.[25]

Among the larger companies with headquarters in Stamford are Charter Communications, Synchrony Financial, Indeed.com, United Rentals, Conair, Gartner, Henkel North American Consumer Goods, WWE, XFL, Pitney Bowes, Gen Re, NBC Sports Group, Nestle Waters North America, Crane Co. and Vineyard Vines.[26] UBS's Stamford trading floor holds the Guinness World Record as the largest column-less trading floor in the world. The Royal Bank of Scotland moved its North American operations into Stamford in 2009, including its RBS Greenwich Capital subsidiary.[27]

The Harbor Point development, located in the South End, is one of the largest private-sector development projects in the United States.[28] Many large retail stores, such as Design within Reach (which is also headquartered in Stamford) and Fairway Market have moved in, along with multiple companies including ITV America, McKinsey & Company, Bridgewater Associates, and the headquarters of Starwood Hotels (Now Marriott International), and KAYAK.com.

According to FBI statistics in 2014, Stamford is the 16th safest of the 269 cities in the nation and well ahead of any in Connecticut with a population greater than 100,000 that report crime statistics to the FBI.[29] In 2015, Stamford had three murders, 19 rapes, and 92 robberies.[30] Crime in Stamford is much more controlled in comparison to cities with similar population size in Connecticut and nationally. Lower crime rates in Stamford are attributed to the city's robust economic growth in recent decades.

Criminal cases are prosecuted by The State's Attorney's Office and Stamford is home to a State Superior Court which is located on 123 Hoyt Street adjacent to the Stamford Police Headquarters.

Stamford has branches of the University of Connecticut, University of Bridgeport and Sacred Heart University. The University of Connecticut's campus is located in a large modern building downtown which opened in 1998 after extensive renovations to an abandoned former Bloomingdale's store that had closed in 1990.[37] The University of Bridgeport has an branch at the River Bend Executive Center, and Sacred Heart University has an branch at Landmark Square. In 2017, UCONN Stamford opened a 300 student dormitory hall around the corner from the Stamford Campus on Washington Blvd.[38]

As no study has been conducted to assess the cost of education in Stamford, it is difficult to tell whether or not Stamford has a well-funded public education system. Although providing a public education is a state responsibility, Connecticut ranks near the bottom in state share of public education expenditures. Thus, the majority of education funding must come from local governments like that of Stamford. According to the State Department of Education, in the 2004–05 academic year, 42.7% of Stamford's public school students were economically disadvantaged, 34.8% did not have English as a home language and 11.6% were students with disabilities. Research has shown that these populations need additional resources to meet state academic standards. Owing to the state school finance system, the burden of these extra necessary costs of education falls primarily on Stamford's local government. The public school system is an integrated district with racial balance requirements exceeding those of the state of Connecticut. State standards require that a school's racial makeup be within 25% of the community's racial makeup. Stamford's standard is a more strict 10%. Over the years, schools have become unbalanced.

Stamford has three public high schools: Westhill High School, Stamford High School, and the Academy of Information Technology and Engineering. The city also has several private schools, including Trinity Catholic High School, Villa Maria School, and Bi-Cultural Jewish Day School, King Low Heywood Thomas, and The Long Ridge School as well as one state charter school: Stamford Academy Charter High School, which is closing in June 2020 which is operated by Domus [39][40]

Stamford's public library, the Ferguson Library, is one of the largest in Connecticut. The library also shows movies and has a used book store run by Friends of Ferguson Library.

The library has branches in South End, Springdale, and the Turn of River sections of the city, it also has a bookmobile that runs daily to different neighborhoods. The Turn of River branch, officially called the Harry Bennett Branch, is the largest library branch in the state. That branch also has a used book store run by Friends of Ferguson Library.

• The first Marathon race to be held in the United States, on September 19, 1896, had its start line at Stamford Armory. The race, which finished in Williamsbridge, Bronx, was won by John J. McDermott of New York City in a time of 3:25:55.6.
• The New England Force, a professional soccer team based in Stamford, made its debut in the American Soccer League in August 2014.[41]
• NBC Sunday Night Football and the pre-game Football Night in America show has aired from Stamford since 2014.
• The Connecticut Whale (NWHL), one of four charter franchises in the National Women's Hockey League, has competed at the Terry Conners Ice Rink since 2015.

Stamford boasts miles of accessible shoreline for recreation as well as two public beaches.

• Mill River Park is located in the center of downtown but its ancient grist mill (present when George Washington traveled through Stamford) was modernized in the 1920s. There are numerous community activities offered at the park coordinated by the Mill River Park Collaborative.
• Cummings Park, a public beach, was once a popular spot for shell fishing. The park was developed in 1906 and had been known as Halloween Park because Mayor Homer Cummings cast the deciding vote to create it on Halloween Night.[42]
• The 83-acre (340,000 m²) Cove Island Park, once a farm and then an enormous factory site (Stamford Manufacturing Company), offers visitors a choice of beaches as well as picnic grounds and bluffs. It has a small wildlife sanctuary in the southwest corner that might be interesting for bird watchers. SoundWaters Community Center for Environmental Education is located at the northeast part of the park.
• Jackie Robinson Park on the West Side is named after baseball legend Jackie Robinson, who lived in Stamford.
• Terry Connors Ice Rink[43] shares a parking lot with Cove Island Park. It offers public ice skating, group lessons, and ice hockey. It is the home of the Stamford Youth Hockey Association.[44]
• Scalzi Park on Bridge Street has a playground, baseball and softball fields, volleyball courts, tennis courts, bocce courts, basketball courts, roller hockey courts, and a baseball stadium named "Cubeta Stadium". A concrete skate park was opened at Scalzi in July 2007 for $309,850 which was designed and built by Grindline Skateparks Inc. of Seattle, Washington.[45]
• Stamford has two municipal golf courses. Sterling Farms Golf Course[46] opened in May 1972 and is the more popular.[47] The facility also has a driving range, restaurant, and six tennis courts.
• The E. Gaynor Brennan Golf Course,[48] referred to locally as Hubbard Heights, opened for play in 1922 as a private course and was purchased by the city in 1949.
• Dorothy Heroy Park is located in North Stamford.
• Mianus River Park is 187 acres of nature reserve in Stamford, owned by the city.
• The Italian Center[49] features tennis courts, swimming pools, fitness centers, a playground and a miniature golf course.
• The YMCA[50] of Stamford offers swimming lessons and sports which include; basketball and indoor soccer. Programs are also available periodically for physical fitness.
• The Stamford Yacht Club[51] is a private organization that provides members with access to boating activities and additional amenities.

• NBC Sports Group world headquarters is located in Stamford, connected to Chelsea Piers Connecticut. All studios are based in Stamford, including Football Night in America, and all the NBC Olympic coverage.
• Three NBCUniversal syndicated programs relocated to Stamford's Rich Forum: Maury came to Stamford from New York City, while The Jerry Springer Show and The Steve Wilkos Show were previously based in Chicago.
• Television show The People's Court has taped in Stamford since 2012.[53]
• ITV America announced the opening of a major production office in Stamford with 450 employees, along with a digital media incubator program. Televisions shows produced in Stamford include Hell's Kitchen, Pawn Stars, The Real Housewives of New Jersey, Queer Eye on Netflix, and The Four: Battle for Stardom.[54]
• WWE has had its global headquarters in Stamford since 1985, back when it was Titan Sports.[55]
• Fortune 100 company, Charter Communications' world headquarters has been based in Stamford since 2012. Charter distributes services through their Spectrum brand.[56]
• Stamford serves as a major office for YES Network, The Yankee Entertainment and Sports Network.[57]
• A+E Networks has a major production studio based in Stamford.
• Soap operas All My Children and One Life to Live were taped in Stamford in 2013.
• This Old House relocated its headquarters to Stamford from Manhattan in 2016, and has about fifty employees in the city.[58]
• Stephen David Entertainment, a division of Banijay Group, opened a production office in Stamford in 2019.
• Who Wants to Be a Millionaire started taping in 2014 at the Connecticut Film Center.[57]
• Synapse Group, part of Time Inc. now owned by Meredith Corporation, is headquartered in Stamford.[59]
• Chief Executive Group is headquartered in Stamford, and publishes Chief Executive Magazine.[60]
• The fictional movie, Take My Hand, from the episode, "I Heart Connecticut" of the NBC show 30 Rock was set and shot in Stamford.[61]
• Stamford, Connecticut served as a location for one of five branches of the fictional Dunder Mifflin paper company from the US television series, The Office. The branch was shown during several episodes during the 3rd season of the show, and exterior shots were of the Starwood Hotels headquarter building located at 333 Ludlow in Stamford's South End.
• The TBS sitcom Are We There Yet, starring Terry Crews, was shot at the Connecticut Film Center located in Stamford.[62]

Noteworthy past and present residents include:

• Alex Rodriguez (born 1975), MLB player, is said to have a home in Stamford
• Bobby Valentine (born 1950), former baseball player and former manager of the Boston Red Sox, owner of downtown sports bar "Bobby V's".
• Christopher Lloyd (born 1938), actor, born in Stamford
• Cyndi Lauper (born 1953), singer, has a home in North Stamford
• Dana Delany (born 1956), actress, grew up in Stamford
• Dan Malloy (born 1955), former Governor of Connecticut
• Don Morrow (born 1927), actor, announcer, voiceover artist
• Gene Wilder (1933–2016), actor and director, lived and died in the city
• Harry Houdini (1874–1926), escape artist, had a summer home in Stamford
• Jackie Robinson (1919–1972), baseball star, made North Stamford his home later in his life; one of the Stamford little leagues is named after him
• Meat Loaf (Michael Lee Aday) (born 1947), rock singer and songwriter, lived in Stamford 1979–1981, coached Babe Ruth League and Little League baseball
• Mort Walker (1923–2018), cartoonist for Beetle Bailey and Hi and Lois
• Stephen Sondheim (born 1930), composer, lived in North Stamford when he was a boy
• Vince McMahon (born 1945) and Linda McMahon (born 1948), founders of World Wrestling Entertainment
• Vivian Vance (1909–1979), actress who starred as Ethel Mertz in I Love Lucy

• Afula, Israel[63]
• Jiangdu, Jiangsu, China[64]
• Lima, Peru
• Minturno, Lazio, Italy
• Settefrati, Lazio, Italy[65]
• Sparti, Greece[65]

• History of Stamford, Connecticut
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Stamford, Connecticut

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Stamford, Connecticut.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Stamford, Connecticut.

• Official website
• Stamford Historical Society
• Stamford Downtown Special Services District
•  "Stamford, Conn." . The New Students Reference Work . 1914.