- Derby, Connecticut
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Derby, Connecticut — City — Annual fireworks display from the Derby-Shelton Bridge
SealLocation in New Haven County, Connecticut
Coordinates: 41°19′36″N 73°04′56″W / 41.32667°N 73.08222°WCoordinates: 41°19′36″N 73°04′56″W / 41.32667°N 73.08222°W Country United States State Connecticut NECTA Bridgeport-Stamford Region The Valley Named 1675 Incorporated (town) 1775 Incorporated (city) 1893 Government – Type Mayor-Board of aldermen – Mayor Anthony Staffieri – Chief administrator Philip Robertson Area – Total 5.4 sq mi (14.0 km2) – Land 5.0 sq mi (12.9 km2) – Water 0.4 sq mi (1.0 km2) Elevation 102 ft (31 m) Population (2005) – Total 12,536 – Density 2,507/sq mi (968/km2) Time zone Eastern (UTC-5) – Summer (DST) Eastern (UTC-4) ZIP code 06418 Area code(s) 203 FIPS code 09-19480 GNIS feature ID 0206671 Website www.electronicvalley.org/derby/ Derby is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 12,391 at the 2000 census. With 5 square miles (13 km2) of land area, Derby is Connecticut's smallest municipality.
The city has a Metro-North railroad station called Derby – Shelton.
Contents
History
Derby was settled in 1642 as an Indian trading post under the name Paugasset. It was named after Derby, England in 1675.[1]
In the nineteenth century, both corsets and hoop skirts were manufactured in the city.
Charlton Comics, a comic book publishing company that existed from 1944 to 1986, was based in town.
Derby sites on the National Register of Historic Places
Historical
population
of Derby[5]1756 1,000 1774 1,889 1782 2,218 1790 2,994 1800 1,878 1810 2,051 1820 2,088 1830 2,253 1840 2,851 1850 3,824 1860 5,443 1870 8,020 1880 11,650 1890 5,969 1900 7,930 1910 8,991 1920 11,238 1930 10,788 1940 10,287 1950 10,259 1960 12,132 1970 12,599 1980 12,346 1990 12,199 2000 12,391 - The Kraus Corset Factory, now the Sterling Rowe Apartment House on the corner of Roosevelt Drive and Third Street.
- Osbornedale, a farm house built in the early Nineteenth century.
- Howe House, built in 1845.
- Sterling Opera House was built in 1889 to seat 1250, and remained in use until 1945. City Hall and a police station occupied the two lower levels until 1965.[2]
- Derby Public Library, built in 1902 with Ansonia marble, the library was originally founded as a free reading room in 1868. The land was provided by the Sarah Riggs Humphreys Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, on the condition that the building would always have a room the chapter could use. The chapter also donated $5,000 for books with the stipulation that people in the town raise an equal amount.[3]
- Birmingham Green Historic District was designated on April 21, 2000, as Derby's sixth site on the National Register of Historic Places.[4]
Notable residents, past and present
- Edward Wooster (1622–1689), "the first permanent settler in Derby"
- Samuel George Andrews, (1796–1863), born in Derby, United States Congressman from New York[5]
- Ebenezer Don Carlos Bassett (1833–1908), the first black American diplomat (appointed in 1869 to Haiti), was raised in Derby.
- Steve Ditko, co-creator of Spider-Man comics hero, once lived in town.
- Isaac Hull (1773–1843), commodore in the U.S. Navy; commanded USS Constitution among other ships, and nephew of William Hull
- William Hull (1753–1825), general in the American Revolutionary War, governor of Michigan Territory, and uncle of Isaac Hull
- Stephen Whitney (1776-1860), merchant and one of New York's first multi-millionaires
- David Humphreys, American Revolutionary War soldier, public official and entrepreneur
- Orson Hyde (1805–1878) a leader in the Latter Day Saint (Mormon) movement, raised in town
- Elizabeth Ann Whitney (1800–1882), early Latter Day Saint (Mormon) leader born in town
- Patrick B. O'Sullivan (1887-1978), Attorney, Derby Corporation Counsel, CT State Senator, US Congressman, Superior Court Judge, and Chief Justice of the CT Supreme Court.
- Brian Dennehy, actor in movies such as First Blood and Cocoon, lived in Derby during his early life and was a Boy Scout in Troop 3, based in Derby.
- Nick Pietrosante, NFL Fullback for the Detroit Lions, Cleveland Browns and Notre Dame Fighting Irish, was born in Derby.
- Alan Schlesinger, former Derby mayor and unsuccessful candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2006.
- Frank P. Witek (1921-1944), recipient of the Medal of Honor, was born in Derby.
Landmark
The city has resurrected an "historic trough" – a century-old granite structure with lion-head spigots—as part of a gateway entrance plaza at the Division Street entrance to the Derby Greenway. The fountain was given to the City in 1906 by the National Humane Alliance and erected at the intersection of Seymour and Atwater Avenues. The water was first turned on on June 1, 1906. Years later it was moved to Founders Commons when traffic patterns made its original location a problem. It fell into disrepair and was not used as a fountain while on Founders Commons. When the Derby Greenway was built, the fountain was moved to its new location on June 22, 2006, fully restored with new plumbing and new lions heads and formally dedicated with the surrounding Derby Hall of Fame Plaza on September 1, 2007.[6]
Also Saint Michaels Church and the Derby Hook and Ladder Firehouse.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 5.4 square miles (8.7 km2), of which, 5.0 square miles (13 km2) of it is land and 0.4 square miles (1.0 km2) of it (7.41%) is water. The city is home to the 1.4 square kilometres (350 acres) Osbornedale State Park. Derby is divided into two main sections by the Naugatuck River: East Derby and Derby Center (Birmingham).
Demographics
As of the census[7] of 2000, there were 12,391 people, 5,252 households, and 3,245 families residing in the town. The population density was 2,487.6 people per square mile (960.7/km2). There were 5,568 housing units at an average density of 1,117.8 per square mile (431.7/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 90.08% White, 3.62% Black or African American, 0.16% Native American, 1.74% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 2.52% from other races, and 1.82% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.67% of the population.
There were 5,252 households out of which 27.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.1% were married couples living together, 13.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.2% were non-families. 32.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.94.
In the town the population was spread out with 21.7% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 33.0% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 16.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 93.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.0 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $45,670, and the median income for a family was $54,715. Males had a median income of $42,367 versus $30,458 for females. The per capita income for the town was $23,117. About 6.9% of families and 8.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.1% of those under age 18 and 7.8% of those age 65 or over.
Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of October 25, 2005[8] Party Active Voters Inactive Voters Total Voters Percentage Democratic 2,834 42 2,876 42.11% Republican 931 93 1,024 14.99% Unaffiliated 2,802 121 2,923 42.80% Minor Parties 7 0 7 0.10% Total 6,574 256 6,830 100% Plans for the future
The Howe House "will become home of the Lower Naugatuck Valley Industrial Heritage Center; where the Derby Historical Society's extensive collection of Industrial Era artifacts will be properly displayed. Future educational programs will include student hands-on programs that will introduce the Industrial Revolution and the Valley's active role in this period."[9]
Media
The Valley Independent Sentinel, an online-only, non-profit news site, launched in June 2009. It has an office in Ansonia. Its editor lives in Derby.
The Valley Gazette, a weekly, also covers Derby, as does The Connecticut Post and The New Haven Register.
Footnotes
Derby High School, about 1909
- ^ Derby, Connecticut - LoveToKnow 1911
- ^ [1] "Sterling Opera House" Web page at the Electronic Valley Web site, accessed July 22, 2006
- ^ [2] "Derby Public Library" Web page on the Electronic Valley Web site, accessed on July 22, 2006.
- ^ [3] "Derby History Quiz" page at the Electronic Valley Web site, accessed on July 22, 2006.
- ^ Who Was Who in America, Historical Volume, 1607-1896. Chicago: Marquis Who's Who. 1963.
- ^ http://www.electronicvalley.org/derby/quiz/pages/wateringtrough.htm
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. 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. http://web.archive.org/web/20060923151511/http://www.sots.ct.gov/ElectionsServices/lists/2005OctRegEnrollStats.pdf. Retrieved 2006-10-02.
- ^ [4] "Howe House" Web page of the Electronic Valley Web site, accessed on July 22, 2006
External links
- Derby Official Web site
- Derby Historical Society Web site The society was "Founded April 18, 1946, to serve the Naugatuck Valley towns of Ansonia, Derby, Oxford, Seymour, & Shelton."
- Griffin Hospital
- Osbornedale State Park Information
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Regions Counties Cities Places Municipalities and communities of New Haven County, Connecticut Cities 
Towns Beacon Falls | Bethany | Branford | Cheshire | East Haven | Guilford | Hamden | Madison | Middlebury | Naugatuck* | North Branford | North Haven | Orange | Oxford | Prospect | Seymour | Southbury | Wallingford | Wolcott | Woodbridge
*Consolidated borough and town
Borough Unincorporated
communitiesDevon | Fair Haven | Heritage Village | Northford | Quaker Farms | Short Beach | South Britain | Stony Creek | Waterville | Westville | Yalesville
Categories:- Derby, Connecticut
- Cities in Connecticut
- Populated places in New Haven County, Connecticut
- Populated places established in 1642
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