Ansonia, Connecticut | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Flag  Seal | |
| Nickname: Copper City | |
 New Haven County and Connecticut Naugatuck Valley Planning Region and Connecticut | |
 Show Ansonia Show Connecticut Show the United States | |
| Coordinates:41°20′36″N73°04′07″W / 41.34333°N 73.06861°W /41.34333; -73.06861 | |
| Country |  United States |
| U.S. state |  Connecticut |
| County | New Haven |
| Region | Naugatuck Valley |
| Incorporated (town) | 1889 |
| Incorporated (city) | 1893 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor-Board of Aldermen |
| • Mayor | Frank Tyszka (D) |
| Area | |
• Total | 6.19 sq mi (16.02 km2) |
| • Land | 6.02 sq mi (15.59 km2) |
| • Water | 0.17 sq mi (0.44 km2) |
| Elevation | 82 ft (25 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 18,918 |
| • Density | 3,143/sq mi (1,213.5/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (Eastern) |
| ZIP Code | 06401 |
| Area codes | 203/475 |
| FIPS code | 09-01150 |
| GNIS ID | 205107 |
| Major highways |  |
| Commuter Rail |  |
| Website | cityofansonia.com |
Ansonia is a city inNew Haven County, Connecticut, United States. Located on theNaugatuck River, it is immediately north ofDerby, and about 12 miles (19 km) northwest ofNew Haven. The city is part of theNaugatuck Valley Planning Region. The population was 18,918 at the time of the2020 census.[2] TheZIP code for Ansonia is 06401. The city is served by theMetro-North Railroad.Ansonia Station is a stop on the railroad passenger commuter service'sWaterbury Branch connecting to New York'sGrand Central Terminal. Ansonia also is served by theConnecticut Transit bus carrier.Connecticut Route 8 serves Ansonia (Northbound, Exit 18; Southbound, Exit 19).
Ansonia was founded in 1844 by merchant and philanthropistAnson Green Phelps. Also referred to as "The Copper City", is recognized for its history of heavy machine manufacturing industry in the lower Naugatuck Valley. Production included copper, brass, rubber and plastics processing, molding and tubing, iron castings, sheet metal, electric, automatic screw machine, textiles, and foundry products. The well-knownAnsonia Clock Company was founded here in 1851.
Ansonia is the birthplace ofDavid Humphreys, a diplomat and colonel in theAmerican Revolutionary War.
The area along the Naugatuck River, comprising the present Elm Street section of Ansonia and Derby Avenue section of Derby, was first settled by English colonists in 1652; it was originally a part of the township ofDerby.[3] Early settlers developed subsistence farming, and used the river for sawmills and gristmills.
In 1844,Anson Green Phelps (1781–1853), a merchant and philanthropist, wanted to expand the old borough of Birmingham (the present downtown of the city of Derby) to the north along the west side of the Naugatuck River to enable industrial development. Unable to purchase the land from its owner, in 1844 Phelps acquired land along the east side of the river; today this is Ansonia's downtown section. A canal was dug for river power to drive the factories and businesses in the new industrial village, which Phelps named "Ansonia". He wanted to name the industrial village as "Phelpsville", but learned there was another village in the region by that name. As suggested by a friend, Phelps used his first name as a root instead, resulting in "Ansonia".
As industry developed, soon Ansonia became the most populous area of Derby, boasting many factories. The state chartered Ansonia as a borough of Derby in 1864 and amended it in 1871, granting full municipal privileges. In 1888, a petition was circulated in the borough of Ansonia for the purpose of becoming a separate township from Derby. In 1889 the State General Assembly granted the separation, constituting the Borough, Hilltop, West Ansonia, and Elm Street areas as a separate town known as Ansonia. This was the 168th township in the state of Connecticut. In 1893, Ansonia was incorporated as a city, consolidating with the coterminous Town and the old borough.
By the end of the 19th century, the city had manufacturers of heavy machinery, electric supplies, brass and copper products, and silk goods. Ansonia,Derby,Shelton,Seymour, andBeacon Falls formed one of the most important industrial communities in the state.[3]
In 1866, while residing in Ansonia, inventorPierre Lallement, a native of Pont-a-Mousson, France, submitted apatent application for the first pedaled (rotary crank mechanism)bicycle.
Ansonia suffered grievous damage in theFlood of 1955 on August 19, when the Naugatuck River flooded due to heavy rain fromHurricane Diane. Submerging the land along the river, the flood destroyed many houses and businesses. The high river waters swept away Maple Street Bridge, one of two bridges linking the east and west sides of Ansonia. After the inundation, the authorities erected aflood wall along the east bank of the river to protect the city's factories and Main Street. On the west bank, federal public housing was built to replace blocks of destroyed homes and businesses on Broad Street, now known as Olson Drive.
In the decades following the flood and suburbanization, Ansonia's Main Street fell into decline as retail shoppers decamped to the Ansonia Mall at its far end. (This was replaced with the Ansonia Shopping Center in the 90's) Later other malls attracted shoppers to nearbyMilford,Trumbull, andWaterbury. Since the late 20th century, Main Street has been enlivened by the opening of several antique stores, a wine bar, a coffee shop, a Polish delicatessen, and other retail businesses.
For years, Ansonia had a daily newspaper, the "Evening Sentinel", that enjoyed a wide readership throughout theNaugatuck Valley. However, the parent company of theConnecticut Post bought theSentinel in the 1980s and quickly closed it, despite their promises not to do so. Allegedly, the "Post" wanted to consolidate their position as the region's main newspaper. To provide an alternative, a non-profit, online-only news site, namedThe Valley Independent Sentinel in honor of the historic paper, has been organized and launched June 22, 2009.
In the early morning hours of November 6, 1960, SenatorJohn F. Kennedy's presidential campaign motorcade stopped on its way to Waterbury for the candidate to make an appearance and brief address in front of City Hall. He drew thousands to downtown, many withtransistor radios tuned to live reports onWADS of Senator Kennedy's progress towards Ansonia. President Kennedy returned to Ansonia on October 17, 1962, while on his way to Waterbury, but did not stop here.[citation needed]
PresidentGeorge H. W. Bush paid a visit to Ansonia by helicopter during the 1992 presidential election campaign. He was running far behind schedule due to severe weather damage to a large area of New Jersey. He arrived late and delivered a truncated speech, causing many residents in this heavily Democratic area to feel he had slighted their city.[citation needed]
In 2000, theLower Naugatuck Valley, which includes Ansonia, was named an "All America City" by theNational Civic League.[4]
In May 2001, a wind-driven fire destroyed the Latex Foam Company building, a very large rubber plant along the Naugatuck River in downtown Ansonia. The fire gutted the 284,000-square-foot (26,400 m2) building, which was the workplace of 250 people. Firefighters from multiple counties fought the fire tirelessly for five days. Lingering clouds of foul-smelling smoke spread over the city and nearby communities, and chemical runoff produced by the fire unbalanced the ecosystem of the nearby river. The aforementionedTarget store was constructed on the empty lot, opening in July 2007.[2] Following the fire, the Latex Foam Company purchased a vacant plant off Route 110 in nearbyShelton and resumed production.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.2 square miles (16.0 km2), of which 6.0 square miles (15.6 km2) is land and 0.15 square miles (0.4 km2), or 2.72%, is water. The city is bisected by theNaugatuck River and spreads out from the river's banks up the hills—some quite steep—of theriver valley. On the west side of the river, the city abutsDerby andSeymour along Silver Hill. On the east side, the city's Hilltop neighborhood meetsWoodbridge.
The land along the river is mostly given over to factory sites (both operational and defunct), with an area of wooded land on the west bank close to the city's northern boundary that belongs to theAmerican Brass Company. In the early 1990s, this site was proposed by Texas company American Ref-Fuel for a solid waste-to-electric energycogeneration plant. The proposal was controversial, and protests by residents resulted in its defeat.
Residential housing occupies most of the land in Ansonia, chiefly one- or two-family houses on plots of a 1/4 acre up to an acre. Larger houses on larger plots are found in the Hilltop neighborhood. The Ansonia Nature Center on Hilltop preserves some open fields and woodlands.
An airport once operated on Hilltop on a grass field, at the eastern edge of the city. During theCold War, the United States military deployedNike missiles in silos at the airport. Since the military released the airport grounds for other uses, developers have built residential housing there. The Nike base is now adapted as a horse farm with riding stables; few reminders of its former operations remain.
Downtown – The original industrial village and later borough of Ansonia. Includes the area stretching between the factories at the north side of down town to the newer shopping plazas on the south side of downtown (Big Y, Target, etc.)
Library District – The neighborhood surrounding theAnsonia Library. Just east of downtown on top of the cliff. Includes the residential neighborhood between State Street and Beaver Street including South Cliff Street, North Cliff Street, Mott Street and Cottage Avenue. Contains mostly single-family historic Queen Anne Victorian homes. While now predominantly middle class, this area was settled early in Ansonia's history and was once home to many of the wealthy industrial families of Ansonia.
North End – The area comprising the North Main Street corridor stretching from Downtown to the Seymour town line.
Reservoir – The area comprises the area of the Beaver, North Prospect, and Prospect Street corridors. It is along the Quillinan Reservoir.
Derby Hill – The area surrounding the Elm Street and Jewett Street area on the east side. Elm Street is also the town's historic district and was part of the original 1654 settlement of Derby. The name of this section of the town is sometimes disputed.
Hilltop – The area of the city that comprises the area of Prindle Avenue, Pulaski Highway and Ford Street corridors. This section was mainly farm land in the early days of the town. After World War II, it was developed as the largest residential area of the city.
West Ansonia – The residential village that comprised the west side of the Naugatuck River across from Ansonia (downtown). The original West Ansonia neighborhood consisted of High, Maple, and Jersey streets (the latter somewhat redirected and now known as 'Olson Drive'), and later its name was synonymous with the entire present west side of the city.
Windy Hill – A section of West Ansonia centered around Murray, May, and Francis street. This area is considered to encompass the territory from the Derby town line to Grove Street.
Silver Hill – The section of West Ansonia along the Silver Hill Road corridor. Parts of this section are shared with Derby.
The climate in this area is characterized by warm to hot, humid summers and generally cool to cold winters. According to theKöppen Climate Classification system, Ansonia has ahumid continental climate, abbreviated "Dfa" on climate maps.[5] Alternatively, it can be classified ashumid subtropical ("Cfa") depending on which temperature isotherm for January is used.
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1870 | 2,749 | — | |
| 1880 | 3,855 | 40.2% | |
| 1890 | 10,342 | 168.3% | |
| 1900 | 12,681 | 22.6% | |
| 1910 | 15,152 | 19.5% | |
| 1920 | 17,643 | 16.4% | |
| 1930 | 19,898 | 12.8% | |
| 1940 | 19,210 | −3.5% | |
| 1950 | 18,706 | −2.6% | |
| 1960 | 19,819 | 5.9% | |
| 1970 | 21,160 | 6.8% | |
| 1980 | 19,039 | −10.0% | |
| 1990 | 18,403 | −3.3% | |
| 2000 | 18,554 | 0.8% | |
| 2010 | 19,249 | 3.7% | |
| 2020 | 18,918 | −1.7% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[6] | |||
As of the 2010 census, the population of Ansonia was 19,249. The racial composition of the population was 77.6% white, 11.6% black or African American, 0.3% Native American, 1.9% Asian, 5.3% reporting some other race and 3.2% from two or more race. 16.7% of the population was Hispanic or Latino of any race.[7]
As of thecensus[8] of 2000, there were 18,554 people, 7,507 households, and 4,977 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,076.3 inhabitants per square mile (1,187.8/km2). There were 7,937 housing units at an average density of 1,316.0 per square mile (508.1/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 85.52%White, 8.42%Black orAfrican American, 0.34%Native American, 1.13%Asian, 0.02%Pacific Islander, 2.22% fromother races, and 2.37% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 7.42% of the population.
There were 7,507 households, out of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.1% were married couples living together, 15.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.7% were non-families. 28.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.03.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.2% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 31.5% from 25 to 44, 20.7% from 45 to 64, and 15.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $43,026, and the median income for a family was $53,718. Males had a median income of $30,747 versus $28,517 for females. Theper capita income for the city was $20,504. About 6.2% of families and 7.6% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 12.3% of those under age 18 and 5.3% of those age 65 or over.
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Pulitzer Prize-winning authorTheodore H. White referred to the Naugatuck Valley "as the seedbed of Yankee ingenuity" in his workThe Making of the President, 1960. The city hosted the world headquarters of theFarrel Corporation, a leading producer of plastics and rubber processing equipment including theBanbury International Mixer. Ansonia Copper & Brass, which supplied metal rod, wire and tube products to manufacturers of finished commercial products, also was located in the city.
TheAnsonia Clock Company started manufacturingAnsonia clocks in the city in 1851. The company moved to Brooklyn, New York in 1878 but retained its home city's name.
Since the late 20th century, much of the heavy industry has moved out, with jobs going overseas. The former factories sat vacant. In the late 1980s, the city began development of the Fountain Lake Commerce Park in the northwest border.
As a result of economic growth and plentiful employment in southwestern Connecticut, driven by corporate relocations from the New York City andFairfield County metropolitan areas to nearby towns, Ansonia's housing market improved in the early 2000s.
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| Number | Name | Term Start | Term End | Term Length | Political Party |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arthur H. Bartholomew | 1893 | 1895 | 2 years | Republican |
| 2 | Erwin Webster | 1895 | 1897 | 2 years | Democrat |
| 3 | Franklin Burton | 1897 | 1899 | 2 years | Democrat |
| 4 | Lockwood Hotchkiss | 1899 | 1901 | 2 years | Republican |
| 5 | Stephen Charters | 1901 | 1905 | 4 years | Democrat |
| 6 | Alton Farrel | 1905 | 1906 | 1 year | Republican |
| 7 | Stephen Charters | 1906 | 1912 | 6 years | Democrat |
| 8 | Franklin Burton | 1912 | 1914 | 2 years | Democrat |
| 9 | John Schumacher | 1914 | 1916 | 2 years | Democrat |
| 10 | John Mead | 1916 | 1926 | 10 years | Democrat |
| 11 | Michael Cook | 1926 | 1932 | 6 years | Democrat |
| 12 | Peter Hart | 1932 | 1936 | 4 years | Republican |
| 13 | Andrew Nolan | 1936 | 1945 | 9 years | Democrat |
| 14 | Thomas Nelligan | 1945 | 1948 | 3 years | Democrat |
| 15 | Frank Fitzpatrick | 1948 | 1952 | 4 years | Democrat |
| 16 | William Sheasby | 1952 | 1956 | 4 years | Republican |
| 17 | Joseph Doyle | 1956 | 1967 | 11 years | Democrat |
| 18 | Lester Hale | 1967 | 1969 | 2 years | Democrat |
| 19 | James Martin | 1969 | 1971 | 2 years | Republican |
| 20 | Sturgis Sobin | 1971 | 1973 | 2 years | Republican |
| 21 | Michael Adanti | 1973 | 1977 | 4 years | Democrat |
| 22 | Richard Krueger | 1977 | 1977 | < 1 year | Democrat |
| 23 | James Finnucan | 1977 | 1983 | 6 years | Democrat |
| 24 | William Menna | 1983 | 1987 | 4 years | Republican |
| 25 | Thomas Clifford | 1987 | 1991 | 4 years | Democrat |
| 26 | Thomas Hallihan | 1991 | 1995 | 4 years | Democrat |
| 27 | Nancy Valentine | 1995 | 1999 | 4 years | Republican |
| 28 | James DellaVolpe | 1999 | 2013 | 14 years | Democrat |
| 29 | David S. Cassetti | 2013 | 2025 | 12 years | Republican |
| 30 | Frank Tyszka | 2025 | Democrat |
Total number of mayors:
Total number of years:
Superlatives:
| Voter registration and party enrollment as of October 31, 2024[9] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Active voters | Inactive voters | Total voters | Percentage | |
| Democratic | 3,720 | 213 | 3,933 | 32.64% | |
| Republican | 2,077 | 148 | 2,225 | 18.46% | |
| Unaffiliated | 5,306 | 405 | 5,711 | 47.39% | |
| Minor parties | 170 | 12 | 182 | 1.51% | |
| Total | 11,273 | 778 | 12,051 | 100% | |
| Presidential Election Results[10][11] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Democratic | Republican | Third parties |
| 2024 | 49.4%3,860 | 49.1%3,838 | 1.4%113 |
| 2020 | 53.7%4,521 | 45.1%3,797 | 1.2%101 |
| 2016 | 47.2%3,532 | 48.4%3,621 | 4.3%325 |
| 2012 | 61.3%4,273 | 37.3%2,596 | 1.4%98 |
| 2008 | 60.3%4,616 | 38.1%2,918 | 1.6%124 |
| 2004 | 54.3%4,065 | 43.7%3,272 | 2.1%156 |
| 2000 | 61.0%4,410 | 33.6%2,431 | 5.4%388 |
| 1996 | 55.5%3,900 | 30.4%2,132 | 14.1%991[a] |
| 1992 | 38.6%3,273 | 38.6%3,277 | 22.8%1,931[b] |
| 1988 | 49.6%3,973 | 49.2%3,942 | 1.2%93 |
| 1984 | 35.1%2,981 | 64.5%5,482 | 0.4%37 |
| 1980 | 43.5%3,696 | 47.8%4,064 | 8.7%738[c] |
| 1976 | 48.3%4,293 | 51.1%4,539 | 0.6%56 |
| 1972 | 39.1%3,797 | 59.3%5,758 | 1.6%158 |
| 1968 | 50.5%4,658 | 41.8%3,854 | 7.7%706[d] |
| 1964 | 66.5%6,376 | 33.5%3,218 | 0.0%0 |
| 1960 | 61.4%6,135 | 38.6%3,863 | 0.0%0 |
| 1956 | 36.4%3,539 | 63.6%6,191 | 0.0%0 |
| 1952 | 50.0%5,155 | 49.6%5,107 | 0.4%45 |
| 1948 | 52.6%5,072 | 44.9%4,328 | 2.5%245 |
| 1944 | 57.5%5,083 | 42.5%3,764 | 0.0%0 |
| 1940 | 61.1%5,548 | 38.9%3,533 | 0.0%0 |
| 1936 | 65.5%5,109 | 34.5%2,687 | 0.0%0 |
| 1932 | 51.2%3,666 | 48.8%3,489 | 0.0%0 |
| 1928 | 50.0%3,269 | 49.1%3,209 | 0.9%64 |
| 1924 | 35.2%2,033 | 54.6%3,149 | 10.2%588[e] |
| 1920 | 39.4%2,150 | 57.1%3,115 | 3.5%194 |
| 1916 | 48.7%1,315 | 47.0%1,269 | 4.2%114 |
| 1912 | 37.7%956 | 40.3%1,022 | 22.0%559[f] |
| 1908 | 40.1%1,029 | 56.6%1,452 | 3.3%85 |
| 1904 | 38.6%993 | 59.1%1,522 | 2.3%58 |
| 1900 | 39.5%991 | 59.4%1,491 | 1.1%29 |
| 1896 | 35.5%865 | 61.8%1,507 | 2.7%65 |
Ansonia is a station stop on theWaterbury Branch of theMetropolitan Transit Authority'sMetro-North Railroad system. Trains on the Waterbury Branch run fromWaterbury in the north toBridgeport in the south, allowing Ansonia residents access to New York City via transfer to the main line at Bridgeport. Travel time from Ansonia toGrand Central Terminal in New York City is approximately two hours.
Ansonia is also served by buses of the 255 route ofConnecticut Transit New Haven, connecting the city to New Haven.
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Ansonia is protected by three municipal public safety agencies. It operates an Office of Emergency Management-based out of City Hall and the A.R.M.S building on West Main Street.
The Ansonia Police Department was founded around 1880 when Ansonia was a borough in the Town of Derby and Daniel Hayes was appointed the first police chief of the department. Chief Hayes died in 1882 after he succumbed to his injuries day after when he was shot while making an arrest.
The Police Department has 42 sworn officers and 12 civilian personnel. The Police Department is split between the patrol and detective divisions. The Police Department headquarters is located in the renovated former headquarters of the Farrel Corporation on Main Street.[12]
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In addition to theFarrel Corporation and Ansonia Copper & Brass facilities along the banks of theNaugatuck River in the center of the city, Ansonia's landmarks include its public library (Ansonia Library), the Anna Sewell Memorial Fountain (honoring the author of "Black Beauty"), in front of the LibraryYMCA,National GuardArmory and manyVictorian andQueen Anne houses. The prominentAnsonia Opera House is the oldest opera house in Connecticut built in 1870.
Ansonia is noted for its many churches and places of worship, including those forming five Catholic parishes, each historically associated with a particular ethnic group: Saint Joseph (Polish), Holy Rosary (Italian), Saint Anthony (Lithuanian; now combined with Holy Rosary),Our Lady of the Assumption (Irish), and Saints Peter and Paul (Ukrainian). There are alsoCongregationalist,Methodist,Episcopal,African Methodist Episcopal,Baptist,Russian Orthodox,Greek Orthodox,Pentecostal and otherChristian denominations, as well as aBuddhist temple.
In the mid-1930s, after its original high school that was located on Prospect Street (now a City park) burned down, a new one was built on Howard Avenue. This is notable in that the building was designed byWilliam Lescaze, one of the pioneers ofmodernism in American architecture. When it opened in 1936, it was one of the first "modern" high school buildings in the country. The former high school became Ansonia Middle School in 1999 when a newAnsonia High School was built at 20 Pulaski Highway in the Hilltop section of the city.
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Ansonia".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 2 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 84.
Municipalities and communities ofNew Haven County, Connecticut,United States | ||
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Municipalities and communities ofNaugatuck Valley Planning Region, Connecticut,United States | ||
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