Information About Danbury Connecticut
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, Danbury has a total area of 44.3 square miles (115 km2), of which 42.1 square miles (109 km2) is land and 2.2 square miles (5.7 km2), or 4.94%, is water. The city is located in the foothills of the Berkshire Mountains on low-lying land just south of Candlewood Lake (the City includes the southern parts of the lake). It developed along the Still River, which flows generally from west to east through the city before joining the Housatonic River. The city's terrain includes rolling hills and not-very-tall mountains to the west and northwest called the Western Highland. Ground elevations in the city range from 378 feet to 1,050 feet above sea level.[34]
A geologic fault known as Cameron's Line runs through Danbury.
Climate In Danbury, Connecticut
Danbury has a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa), with four distinct seasons, resembling Hartford more than coastal Connecticut or New York City. Summers are hot and humid, while winters are cold with significant snowfall. The monthly daily average temperature ranges from 26.8 °F (−2.9 °C) in January to 73.9 °F (23.3 °C) in July; on average, temperatures reaching 90 or 0 °F (32 or −18 °C) occur on 18 and 3.1 days of the year, respectively. The average annual precipitation is approximately 52.1 inches (1,320 mm), which is distributed fairly evenly throughout the year; snow averages 50 inches (127 cm) per season, although this total may vary considerably from year to year. Extremes in temperature range from 106 °F (41 °C) on July 22, 1926 and July 15, 1995 (the highest temperature recorded in Connecticut[36]) down to −18 °F (−28 °C) on February 9, 1934.
Demographics
Danbury has a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa), with four distinct seasons, resembling Hartford more than coastal Connecticut or New York City. Summers are hot and humid, while winters are cold with significant snowfall. The monthly daily average temperature ranges from 26.8 °F (−2.9 °C) in January to 73.9 °F (23.3 °C) in July; on average, temperatures reaching 90 or 0 °F (32 or −18 °C) occur on 18 and 3.1 days of the year, respectively. The average annual precipitation is approximately 52.1 inches (1,320 mm), which is distributed fairly evenly throughout the year; snow averages 50 inches (127 cm) per season, although this total may vary considerably from year to year. Extremes in temperature range from 106 °F (41 °C) on July 22, 1926 and July 15, 1995 (the highest temperature recorded in Connecticut[36]) down to −18 °F (−28 °C) on February 9, 1934.
Economy
In 2016 Danbury's workforce was approximately 79,400 workers. 12,200 (15.4%) of them worked in goods producing industries. 67,200 (84.6%) of them worked in service providing industries which includes: trade, transportation and utilities (17,300), professional and business services (9,400), leisure and hospitality (7,300), government (10,200) and all other (23,000). In Nov. 2016, the unemployment rate for the Danbury Labor Market Area was 3.0%, compared to 3.7% for the State and 4.6% nationally.[44]
The top employers in the city in 2016 were:[45]
# Employer # of Employees
1 Western Ct Health Network 2,283
2 Boehringer Ingelheim 1,800
3 Danbury Public Schools 1,686
4 Cartus 1,349
5 GE Commercial Finance 688
6 Collins Aerospace 660
7 Pitney Bowes 650
8 Western Connecticut State University 626
9 City of Danbury 551
10 Praxair 406
Government
The chief executive officer of Danbury is the Mayor, who serves a two-year term. The current mayor is Mark D. Boughton (R). The Mayor is the presiding officer of the City Council, which consists of 21 members, two from each of the seven city wards, and seven at-large.[46] The City Council enacts ordinances and resolutions by a simple majority vote. If after five days the Mayor does not approve the ordinance (similar to a veto), the City Council may re-vote on it. If it then passes with a two-thirds majority, it becomes effective without the Mayor's approval. The current City Council consists of 14 Republicans and 7 Democrats.[46] Danbury has six state representatives as of 2019; Raghib Allie-Brennan D-2, Stephen Harding R-107, Richard A. Smith R-108, David Arconti D-109, Bob Godfrey D-110 and Kenneth Gucker D-138.[47] There is one state senator, Julie Kushner D-24. Danbury is represented in the United States Congress by U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes (D).
Public Schools
Danbury has two public high schools: Danbury High School and Henry Abbott Technical High School, each of which are for grades 9 through 12. An alternative school by the name of Alternative Center for Excellence is housed off-campus, and its graduates receive Danbury High School diplomas upon completion of their studies.[50] Danbury also has 3 public middle schools for grades 6 through 8: Broadview Middle School, Rogers Park Middle School and WestSide Middle School Academy.[51] There are 13 elementary schools in Danbury. These schools are Academy for International Studies Magnet School (K-5), Ellsworth Avenue (K-5), Great Plain (K-5), Hayestown (K-5), King Street Primary (K-3) and King Street Intermediate (4–5), Mill Ridge Primary (K-3), Morris Street (K-5), Park Avenue (K-5), Pembroke (K-5), Shelter Rock (K-5), South Street (K-5) and Stadley Rough (K-5).[52]
Parochial schools
Roman Catholic schools in Danbury reside within the administration of the Diocese of Bridgeport and include:
1 high school: Immaculate High School (9–12)
3 elementary schools: St Peter-Sacred Heart School (PK-8),[53] St. Gregory the Great School (PK-8),[54] and St. Joseph School (PK-8)
Other parochial schools in Danbury are:
Colonial Hills Christian Academy[55]
Immanuel Lutheran School[56]
Private schools
Hudson Country Montessori School[57]
New England Country Day School[58]
Wooster School
Post-secondary schools
Danbury is home to Western Connecticut State University and a campus of Naugatuck Valley Community College.[59]
Danbury Federal Correctional Institution
Danbury is the site of a low-security men's and women's prison, the Danbury Federal Correctional Institution, located near the border with New Fairfield.[60] Built in the 1940s to house men, the facility was converted to a women's prison in 1994 to address a shortage of beds for low-security female inmates in other facilities. However, overcrowding at federal facilities for low-security males prompted a reconversion to a male prison, beginning in 2013, and relocation of the female inmates from the low-security Pembroke Road facility to other locations.[61] As of 2016, an adjacent satellite camp houses up to 193 women.[60][62] A new $25 million women's facility was completed and began accepting female inmates in December, 2016[63]
Transportation
Danbury is the terminus of the Danbury branch line of the MTA Metro-North Railroad which begins in Norwalk. The line was first built by the Danbury and Norwalk Railroad which was later bought by the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad Company. Danbury was an important junction between the Danbury Branch and the Maybrook Line. The Maybrook line was the New Haven's main freight line which terminated in Maybrook, New York, where the New Haven exchanged traffic with other railroads. After the ill-fated Penn Central took over the New Haven, the Maybrook line was shut down when a fire on the Poughkeepsie Bridge made the line unusable. Today, the historic station is part of the Danbury Railway Museum. The Providence and Worcester Railroad, along with the Housatonic Railroad provide local rail freight service in Danbury.
Local bus service is provided by Housatonic Area Regional Transit (HART).
The city is also the location of Danbury Municipal Airport (DXR).
Interstate 84 and U.S. Route 7 are the main highways in the city. I-84 runs west to east from the lower Hudson Valley region of New York to Waterbury and Hartford. US 7 runs south to north from Norwalk (connecting to I-95) to the Litchfield Hills region. The two highways overlap in the downtown area. The principal surface roads through the city are Lake Avenue, West Street, White Street, and Federal Road. Other secondary state highways are U.S. Route 6 in the western part of the city, Newtown Road, which connects to US 6 east of the city, Route 53 (Main Street and South Street), Route 37 (North Street, Padaranam Road, and Pembroke Road), and Route 39 (Clapboard Ridge Road and Ball Pond Road). Danbury has 242 miles of streets.[64]
Libraries
The Danbury Public Library was established in 1869.[65]
The Long Ridge Library is a small library occupying an old schoolhouse on Long Ridge Road in Danbury. It was founded in 1916.[66]
Places of Worship
Danbury is home to numerous churches, two synagogues, and two mosques.
Mass Media
The News-Times - a daily newspaper owned by Hearst Communications.
Tribuna Newspaper - a biweekly, bilingual (Portuguese/English) news publication.
HamletHub Danbury - a local news publication.
WFAR-FM, 93.3 MHz, low-power - religious (Christian) and ethnic/Portuguese-language programming.
WLAD-AM, 800 kHz, 1000 watts (daytime), 287 watts (nighttime) - news/talk format, owned by the Berkshire Broadcasting Corporation.
WDAQ-FM 98.3 MHz, 1300 watts - hot adult contemporary format, owned by the Berkshire Broadcasting Corporation.
WDAQ-HD3 FM, 107.3 MHz - new country music, owned by the Berkshire Broadcasting Corporation.[67]
WAXB, 850 kHz AM / 94.5 MHz FM, 2500 watts (daytime only) - classic hits, owned by the Berkshire Broadcasting Corporation.
WDAQ-HD2 FM, 103.7 MHz - alternative rock format, owned by the Berkshire Broadcasting Corporation.[68]
WXCI-FM, 91.7 MHz, 3000 watts - non-profit, college radio station, owned by Western Connecticut State University and operated by past and present students; receives funding from the Western Connecticut State University Student Government Association.
WRKI-FM, 95.1 MHz, 50000 watts - classic rock music, owned by Townsquare Media; debuted on December 24, 1976.
WDBY-FM, 105.5 MHz ("Kicks 105.5") - contemporary country music, owned by Townsquare Media.
WINE-AM, 940 kHz - CBS Sports Radio, owned by Townsquare Media.
Sites of interest
Hiking trails
Bear Mountain Reservation[69]
The Old Quarry Nature Center has two short educational trails on 39 acres (16 ha)[70]
Tarrywile Mansion and Park[71] has 21 miles (34 km) of trails and several ponds on 722 acres (292 ha), as well as a Victorian mansion and gardens. The Ives Trail runs through the park.
The Ives Trail is a 20-mile stretch of trail that runs from Bennett's Pond in Ridgefield through Danbury to Redding. The Charles Ives House and Hearthstone Castle are located along this trail.
Parks
Bear Mountain Park
Blind Brook Park
Candlewood Town Park
Elmwood Park
Farrington Woods
Hatters Park
Highland Playground
Joseph Sauer Memorial Park
Kennedy Park
Lake Kenosia Park
Old Quarry Nature Center
Richter Park
Rogers Park
Rogers Park Playground
Stephen A. Kaplanis Field
Still River Greenway
Tarrywile Park
Tom West Park[72]
Museums
Danbury Museum and Historical Society
Danbury Railway Museum
Other
The Connecticut 9/11 Memorial by sculptor Henry Richardson is located in Danbury in Elmwood Park.[73]
The Danbury Fair Mall was built on the old fairgrounds in 1986.
Danbury is also home to an Army Reserve Special Operations unit, the 411th Civil Affairs Battalion.
Danbury Hospital is a 456-bed[74] hospital, serving patients in Fairfield County, Connecticut and Putnam County, New York.[75] The hospital is the home of the new Praxair Regional Heart and Vascular center,[76] providing state of the art cardiovascular care to this growing region including open heart surgery and coronary angioplasty.
Richter Park Golf Course is Danbury's municipal golf course[77] and hosts numerous tournaments such as the annual Danbury Amateur and American Junior Golf Association majors. It has won a variety of awards, including being a "Top 10 Connecticut Course" and the "#2 Best Public Course in the NY Metropolitan Area".[78]
The Ridge at Danbury is one of the largest office complexes in Connecticut
Danbury Ice Arena