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Central Naugatuck Valley | |
|---|---|
 The Central Naugatuck Valley Region of Connecticut | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Connecticut |
| County | New Haven |
| County | Litchfield |
| Area | |
• Total | 309.0 sq mi (800.3 km2) |
| Highest elevation | 1,133 ft (345 m) |
| Lowest elevation | 20 ft (6.1 m) |
| Population (2023)[1] | |
• Total | 456,128 |
| • Density | 1,476/sq mi (569.9/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (Eastern) |
TheCentral Naugatuck Valley is a region ofConnecticut inNew Haven andLitchfield counties located approximately 70 miles (110 km) northeast ofNew York City and 110 miles (180 km) southwest ofBoston, United States. The region comprises 13 towns:Beacon Falls,Bethlehem,Cheshire,Middlebury,Naugatuck,Oxford,Prospect,Southbury,Thomaston,Waterbury,Watertown,Wolcott, andWoodbury.
TheNaugatuck River, which acts as the region's namesake, flows through the center of the region from Thomaston to Beacon Falls. The river begins at the confluence of Jakes Brook, Hart Brook, and Hall Meadow Brook in the western part ofTorrington and flows 40 miles (64 km) before entering theHousatonic River inDerby. The Central Naugatuck Valley is one of three regions that comprises theNaugatuck River Valley, the others being theLower Naugatuck Valley, also known as "The Valley", and theUpper Naugatuck Valley, which is part of the larger Litchfield Hills region.
In 2010, the total population of the Central Naugatuck Valley Region was 287,768, an increase of 15,174, or 5.6%, from 2000.[1] The fastest growth occurred in the suburban towns ofOxford,Middlebury, andBeacon Falls, which each experienced a population growth of over 15%.Waterbury, with a population of 110,336, is the largest city in the region and fifth largest city in Connecticut.[1]Naugatuck (31,862) andCheshire (29,261), are the second and third largest municipalities in the region.[1] Similar to state and nationaltrends, the population of the Central Naugatuck Valley is becoming increasingly diverse. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the racial makeup of the region was 79.4%White (72.4% non-Hispanic White), 9.2%Black or African American, 0.3%Native American, 2.2%Asian, 6.1% fromother races, and 2.7% from two or more races.Hispanics orLatinos of any race were 14.8% of the region's population. Racial and ethnic minorities represented 20.6% of the region's population, a 34% increase from 2000. A vast majority (77%) of the region's minority population lives in Waterbury.[1]
In 2010, there were 109,735 households in the region. 49.4% of households were made up of married couples living together, 26.4% were single-person households, 19.0% were headed by a single parent with no spouse present, and 5.2% were non-family households.[1]
The median age for the region was 40.4 years old. 23.9% of the population was under the age of 18, 8.2% was 18 to 24 years old, 11.0% was 25 to 34 years old, 13.7% was 35 to 44 years old, 28.7% was 45 to 64 years old, and 14.5% who were 65 years of age or older.[1]
Per capita income for the region was $30,779, which is below the state average of $36,755. Median household and median family income vary significantly from town to town.Waterbury, the poorest municipality in the region, had a median household income of $40,254 and a median family income of $47,077. On the contrary,Cheshire was the wealthiest municipality in the region with a median household income of $107,936 and a median family income of $123,539. About 10.6% of the population was below thepoverty line.[1]
The top 10 largest ancestry groups in the region are:[1]
Historically, the economy of the Central Naugatuck Valley was dominated by the manufacturing sector. Large corporations such asChase Brass and Copper Company, theAmerican Brass Company, theUnited States Rubber Company (later renamed Uniroyal), andTimex all have their roots in the Central Naugatuck Valley. Like other manufacturing centers in New England, the Central Naugatuck Valley has been plagued bydeindustrialization since the 1960s, as many manufacturers moved to theSouth andMidwest or abroad, where production was cheaper. Similar to national trends, the regional economy is becoming increasingly dominated by theservice sector.[1]
Interstate 84 andRoute 8 serve as the primary highways in the region. Interstate 84 links the region withHartford, andBoston to the east andDanbury, andNew York State to the west.Route 8 is the major north-south highway in the region and connects withTorrington, and theLitchfield Hills to the north, and to theLower Naugatuck Valley andBridgeport to the south. A small segment ofInterstate 691 is located in the town of Cheshire, and connects Interstate 84 toInterstate 91 andConnecticut Route 15.
Local bus service is provided byCT Transit throughNortheast Transportation Company. Service is found primarily inWaterbury, and also extends into the neighboring towns ofCheshire,Middlebury,Naugatuck,Watertown,Wolcott.[2] With the completion of theHartford-New Britain Busway in 2014, a new express bus will run between Waterbury andHartford.[3]Peter Pan Bus Lines operates intercity buses out of Waterbury.
TheWaterbury Branch of theMetro-North Railroad contains stations atWaterbury,Naugatuck, andBeacon Falls.[4] TheRailroad Museum of New England runs seasonal excursion trains on theNaugatuck Railroad from Thomaston to Waterbury andTorrington.[5]
Waterbury-Oxford Airport, located in the town of Oxford, offers facilities for corporate, freight and recreational flights. As of 2010, the airport handled 137 aircraft operations per day.[6]
Like all Connecticuttowns, the towns in the Central Naugatuck Valley have stronghome rule tradition. Although Connecticut is divided up into eight counties, these counties do not have a formal governments and lack administrative power over member towns. In its place, Connecticut is divided up into 9planning regions who are responsible for regional transportation and land-use planning. The Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments (NVCOG) is themetropolitan planning organization for the region and acts as a forum where chief elected officials can discuss issues of common concern and to develop programs to address them on a regional level, such as transportation infrastructure, housing, and regional sustainability.[7][8]
