, image_map = Fairfield County Connecticut incorporated and unincorporated areas Norwalk highlighted.svg , mapsize = 230px , map_caption = Location in

Fairfield County Fairfield County is the name of three counties in the United States: * Fairfield County, Connecticut * Fairfield County, Ohio Fairfield County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 158,921. ...

and

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...

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U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

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County A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

, subdivision_name2 = Fairfield , subdivision_type3 =

Region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...

, subdivision_name3 = Western CT , established_title = Settled , established_date = February 26, 1640 , established_title2 = Incorporated , established_date2 = September 11, 1651 , established_title3 = Consolidated , established_date3 = June 6, 1913 , founder =

Roger Ludlow Roger Ludlow (1590–1664) was an English lawyer, magistrate, military officer, and colonist. He was active in the founding of the Colony of Connecticut, and helped draft laws for it and the nearby Massachusetts Bay Colony. Under his and John Ma ...

and Daniel Patrick , government_type = Weak-mayor-City Council , leader_party = D , leader_title = Mayor , leader_name = Harry Rilling , unit_pref = Imperial , area_total_sq_mi = 36.37 , area_land_sq_mi = 22.89 , area_water_sq_mi = 13.49 , elevation_ft = 43 , population_total = 91,184 , population_as_of =

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global social and economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, worldwide lockdowns and the largest economic recession since the Great Depression in t ...

, population_density_sq_mi = 3983.574 , population_footnotes = , population_est = , pop_est_as_of = , pop_est_footnotes = , postal_code_type = ZIP Codes , postal_code = 06850–06860 , area_code = 203/475 , area_code_type = Area codes , website = , etymology =

Mohegan-Pequot language Mohegan-Pequot (also known as Mohegan-Pequot-Montauk, Secatogue, and Shinnecock-Poosepatuck; dialects in New England included Mohegan, Pequot, and Niantic; and on Long Island, Montaukett and Shinnecock) is an Algonquian language formerly spok ...

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Eastern Standard Time The Eastern Time Zone (ET) is a time zone encompassing part or all of 23 U.S. states, states in the eastern part of the United States, parts of eastern Canada, the state of Quintana Roo in Mexico, Panama, Colombia, mainland Ecuador, Peru, and ...

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Eastern Daylight Time The Eastern Time Zone (ET) is a time zone encompassing part or all of 23 states in the eastern part of the United States, parts of eastern Canada, the state of Quintana Roo in Mexico, Panama, Colombia, mainland Ecuador, Peru, and a small p ...

( EDT) , utc_offset_DST = −4 , blank1_name =

FIPS code The Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) of the United States are a set of publicly announced standards that the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has developed for use in computer systems of non-military, American ...

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GNIS The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) is a database of name and locative information about more than two million physical and cultural features throughout the United States and its territories, Antarctica, and the associated states of ...

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Commuter Rail Commuter rail, or suburban rail, is a passenger rail transport service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting Commuting, commuters to a Downtown, central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter towns. Generally commuter r ...

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, area_footnotes = , area_total_km2 = 94.20 , area_land_km2 = 59.28 , area_water_km2 = 34.93 , population_density_km2 = 1538.192 Norwalk is a city located in southwestern Connecticut, United States, in southern

, on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. Norwalk lies within both the

New York metropolitan area The New York metropolitan area, also commonly referred to as the Tri-State area, is the largest metropolitan area in the world by urban landmass, at , and one of the most populous urban agglomerations in the world. The vast metropolitan area ...

and the Bridgeport metropolitan area. Norwalk was originally settled in 1649, and is the sixth most populous city in

. According to the

2020 United States Census The United States census of 2020 was the twenty-fourth decennial United States census. Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2020. Other than a pilot study during the 2000 census, this was the first U.S. census to of ...

, it has a population of 91,184.

History

Roger Ludlow purchased the areas east of the Norwalk river from Chief

Mahackemo Mahackemo (or Mahackamo) was chief of the Norwalke Indians, a small tribe of the Siwanoy, who sold land to Roger Ludlow in 1640 (Old Style or 1641 New Style) which later became Norwalk, Connecticut. See also *History of Norwalk, Connecticut ...

of the Norwaake (or Naramauke) Indians in 1640. Norwalk was settled in 1649, incorporated September 1651, and named after the

Algonquin Algonquin or Algonquian—and the variation Algonki(a)n—may refer to: Languages and peoples *Algonquian languages, a large subfamily of Native American languages in a wide swath of eastern North America from Canada to Virginia **Algonquin la ...

word , meaning "point of land", or more probably from the native American name "Naramauke". The

Battle of Norwalk The Battle of Norwalk (also known as the Battle of West Rocks or Battle of the Rocks) was a series of skirmishes between the Thirteen Colonies and Great Britain during the American Revolutionary War. The attack was one part of a series of raids on ...

took place during the Revolutionary War, and led to the burning of most of the town. In 1836, the borough of Norwalk was created, covering the central area of the town. In 1853, the first ever train disaster in the United States happened over the

Norwalk River The Norwalk River is a river in southwestern Connecticut, United States, approximately long.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 1, 2011 The word "Norwalk" comes from t ...

. During the 19th and early 20th century, Norwalk was a major railroad stop for the

New York, New Haven, and Hartford Railroad The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad , commonly known as The Consolidated, or simply as the New Haven, was a railroad that operated in the New England region of the United States from 1872 to December 31, 1968. Founded by the merger of ...

. The city of South Norwalk and the remaining parts of the town of Norwalk were both combined in 1910 to form the current city.Deborah Wing Ray, Gloria P. Stewart (1979) pp. 170-173. The Ku Klux Klan had a brief presence in Norwalk during the 1920s, but quickly fell apart due to internal issues. In 1955, multiple hurricanes hit the city, causing flooding in

Norwalk Harbor Norwalk Harbor is a recreational and commercial harbor and seaport at the estuary of the Norwalk River where it flows into Long Island Sound in Norwalk, Connecticut, United States. The last portion of the Norwalk River from the head of navigati ...

. During the 1970s, efforts were taken to historically preserve South Norwalk, resulting in the creation of the Washington Street Historic District. and

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...

, the city has a total area of , of which, is land and (37.24%) is water.

Climate

Topography

Norwalk's topography is dominated by its coastline along Long Island Sound, the

and its eastern and western banks, and the

Norwalk Islands The Norwalk Islands are a chain of more than 25 islands amid partly submerged boulders, reefs and mudflats along a six-mile (10 km) stretch and mostly about a mile off the coast of Norwalk, Connecticut, and southwest Westport, Connecticut, i ...

. The highest elevation is above sea level on the fairway of the 16th hole of the Silvermine Golf Course, and the low elevation is sea level on Long Island Sound.

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2010, there were 85,603 people, 35,415 households, and 21,630 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 35,415 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 68.7%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 14.2%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.4% Native American, 4.8%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.1%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 9.0% from other races, and 2.8% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

people of any race were 24.3% of the population. There were 35,415 households, out of which 27.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.1% were married couples living together, 11.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.4% were non-families. 33.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size in the city was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.16. The population's spread gave 22% under the age of 18, with 7.3% from 18 to 24, 31.7% from 25 to 44, 31.2% from 45 to 64, and 12.8% aged 65 years or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.2 males. The median income for a household in the city was $76,161, and the median income for a family was $103,032. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $43,303. About 5.7% of families and 8.4% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 10.2% of those under age 18 and 8.2% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Pepperidge Farm Pepperidge Farm is an American commercial bakery founded in 1937 by Margaret Rudkin, who named the brand after her family's 123-acre farm property in Fairfield, Connecticut, which had been named for the pepperidge tree. A subsidiary of the Camp ...

Xerox Xerox Holdings Corporation (; also known simply as Xerox) is an American corporation that sells print and electronic document, digital document products and services in more than 160 countries. Xerox is headquartered in Norwalk, Connecticut (ha ...

Frontier Communications Frontier Communications Parent, Inc. (known as Citizens Utilities Company until May 2000 and Citizens Communications Company until July 31, 2008) is an American telecommunications company. The company previously served primarily rural areas and s ...

, and

Booking Holdings Booking Holdings Inc. is an American travel technology company incorporated under Delaware General Corporation Law and based in Norwalk, Connecticut, that owns and operates several travel fare aggregators and travel fare metasearch engines inclu ...

have headquarters in Norwalk.

Arts and culture

Events

* St. George

Greek Orthodox The term Greek Orthodox Church ( Greek: Ἑλληνορθόδοξη Ἐκκλησία, ''Ellinorthódoxi Ekklisía'', ) has two meanings. The broader meaning designates "the entire body of Orthodox (Chalcedonian) Christianity, sometimes also cal ...

Festival, held in late August, features

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

delicacies, Pontic Greek dance exhibitions and a large carnival. * Round Hill Highland Games, a festival of Scottish culture and athletic events, was started in 1923 in

Greenwich Greenwich ( , ,) is a town in south-east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is situated east-southeast of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich ...

but was interrupted during World War II, then restarted in 1952. It has been held in Norwalk's

Cranbury Park Cranbury Park is a stately home and country estate situated in the parish of Hursley, Winchester, England. It was formerly the home to Sir Isaac Newton and later to the Chamberlayne family, whose descendants now own and occupy the house and su ...

on or around July 4 for a number of years. In 2006, the 83rd annual event attracted 4,000 people to hear bagpipes and watch the

caber toss The caber toss is a traditional Scottish athletic event in which competitors toss a large tapered pole called a "caber" (/ˈkeɪbər/). It is normally practised at the Scottish Highland Games. In Scotland, the caber is usually made from a l ...

, the

hammer throw The hammer throw is one of the four throwing events in regular track and field competitions, along with the discus throw, shot put and javelin. The "hammer" used in this sport is not like any of the tools also called by that name. It consist ...

, and other events, with athletes often wearing wool

kilt A kilt ( gd, fèileadh ; Irish: ''féileadh'') is a garment resembling a wrap-around knee-length skirt, made of twill woven worsted wool with heavy pleats at the sides and back and traditionally a tartan pattern. Originating in the Scottish ...

s. Games for children are offered. Food and Scottish items are available for sale. Organizers say the event is the third-oldest Scottish games festival in the United States.

Places of worship

* Beth Israel Synagogue * Saint Jerome Church * Saint Joseph Church * Saint Ladislaus Church *

Saint Mary Church St. Mary's Church, St. Mary the Virgin's Church, St. Mary Church, Saint Mary Church, or other variations on the name, is a commonly used name for specific churches of various Christian denominations. Notable uses of the term may refer to: Albania ...

* Saint Matthew Church * St. Philip Church * Saint Thomas the Apostle Church * Parkway Assembly of God (Norwalk Connecticut) New Canaan Avenue

Attractions

Norwalk Oyster Festival The Norwalk Oyster Festival is an annual fair in the city of Norwalk, Connecticut, United States, held on the first weekend after Labor Day in Veterans Park, near Long Island Sound. Funds raised by the festival help the Norwalk Seaport Associa ...

* Norwalk Boat Show * Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum *

Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk The Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk (formerly Maritime Center) is an aquarium located in the South Norwalk (or "SoNo") section of Norwalk, Connecticut. The aquarium features harbor seals, river otters, sharks, jellyfish, loggerhead turtles, and hu ...

* The Mill Hill Historic Park and Museum * Norwalk Film Festival * Norwalk Historical Society Museum *

* Norwalk Symphony Orchestra *

Norwalk Youth Symphony The Norwalk Youth Symphony (NYS) is an American symphony orchestra for high school aged and younger students. The symphony is based in Norwalk, Connecticut. Established in 1956, the symphony includes students from Connecticut and some parts of N ...

* Sheffield Island Light (house) * SoNo Switchtower Museum * Stepping Stones Museum for Children

Notable places on the National Register of Historic Places

* Norwalk Green Historic District *

Joseph Loth Company Building The Joseph Loth Company Building is a historic industrial building at 25 Grand Street in Norwalk, Connecticut. It is a two-story brick Romanesque Revival structure with a four-story clock tower. The rear of the building has been altered by the ...

* Lockwood-Mathews Mansion * Rock Ledge * Norwalk's Former City Hall * Sheffield Island Light * Peck Ledge Lighthouse *

Greens Ledge Light Greens Ledge Lighthouse (also known as Greens Ledge Light, or Rowayton Lighthouse) is a historic offshore lighthouse in the western Long Island Sound near Norwalk, Connecticut and Darien, Connecticut. It is one of 33 sparkplug lighthouses stil ...

* Beth Israel Synagogue * Village Creek *

White Barn Theatre The White Barn Theatre was a theater founded in 1947 by actress and producer Lucille Lortel on her property in Norwalk, Connecticut. The theater premiered numerous plays by established playwrights that often continued to successful Broadway and ...

Government

Politics

Norwalk has voted Democratic for president since 1992, when the city voted for

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...

. However, between 1928 and 1992, the city only voted Democratic twice:

1936 Events January–February * January 20 – George V of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India, dies at his Sandringham Estate. The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King E ...

and

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarc ...

Districts

The City of Norwalk currently has six taxing districts. The First, Second, Third and Sixth taxing districts are political entities with their respective voters electing officers, holding annual business meetings, approving budgets and to consider other matters, as specified in each of their charters. Election of Taxing District Commissioners and Treasurers by voters from the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 6th districts take place in odd numbered years. The Fourth and Fifth districts are not counted as separate governments as they constitute the city proper. Each taxing district has its own

property tax A property tax or millage rate is an ad valorem tax on the value of a property.In the OECD classification scheme, tax on property includes "taxes on immovable property or net wealth, taxes on the change of ownership of property through inhe ...

rate reflecting the mix of services each receives from the city. Secondly, municipal elections of Mayor, Common Council, Board of Education and other positions are also held in odd numbered years at thirteen polling places within five voting districts around the city. Voting districts are not the same for state and federal elections which are held on even numbered years at twelve polling locations.

Municipal

Norwalk's municipal government is a weak-mayor form of a mayor-council government with the mayor of Norwalk elected by its voters. The city's charter gives certain administrative powers exclusively to the council and others jointly to the Council and Mayor. The Common Council is the law-writing body of the City of Norwalk. Norwalk's common council consists of fifteen council members, five elected at-large and ten elected by district, two from each district.

Representatives

Norwalk is represented in the

Connecticut General Assembly The Connecticut General Assembly (CGA) is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is a bicameral body composed of the 151-member House of Representatives and the 36-member Senate. It meets in the state capital, Hartford. Th ...

by five House Representatives corresponding to five Connecticut legislative districts and one senator from one Connecticut Senate district. Norwalk, which lies within

Connecticut's 4th congressional district Connecticut's 4th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Connecticut. Located in the southwestern part of the state, the district is largely suburban and extends from Bridgeport, the largest city in the state, to ...

, is represented in the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...

by one congressional representative (Democrat

Jim Himes James Andrew Himes (born July 5, 1966) is an American businessman and politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 2009. A member of the Democratic Party, he chaired the New Democrat Coalition in the 115th Congress (2017–2019). H ...

) in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...

and, along with the rest of Connecticut, by two U.S. Senators (Democrats

Richard Blumenthal Richard Blumenthal (; born February 13, 1946) is an American lawyer and politician who is the senior United States senator from Connecticut, a seat he has held since 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he is one of the wealthiest members of ...

and

Chris Murphy Christopher Scott Murphy (born August 3, 1973) is an American lawyer, author, and politician serving as the junior United States senator from Connecticut since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served in the United States H ...

) in the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

Education

Norwalk Public Schools operates public schools, while the community also has various private schools. Norwalk was granted a town charter by the Connecticut General Court in 1651. On May 29, 1678, town records mention the establishment of community-supported teaching activities with a passage that reads: "'At a town meeting... voted and agreed to hier a scole master to teach all the children in ye town to lerne to Rede and write; and that Mr. Cornish shall be hierd for that service and the townsmen are to hier him upon as reasonable terms as they can." The school that was established in the 1670s was located near the Ludlow Square area of

East Norwalk East Norwalk is a neighborhood of Norwalk, Connecticut, located mostly in Norwalk's third taxing district with segments of its northernmost area within the first and fifth taxing districts. As one of the earliest settlements of Norwalk, it was ...

(near the former Roger Ludlow Junior High School).

Sports

Baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

and

softball Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...

are popular amateur sports with active leagues across many age groups in Norwalk. There are four baseball fields and 16

Little League Little League Baseball and Softball (officially, Little League Baseball Inc) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizationCalf Pasture Beach are illuminated for nighttime play. The fields at The Norwalk Little League team won the

Little League World Series The Little League World Series is an annual baseball tournament for children—typically boys—aged 10 to 12 years old, held in the Eastern United States. Originally called the National Little League Tournament, it was later renamed for the Wor ...

1952 Events January–February * January 26 – Black Saturday in Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses. * February 6 ** Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh, becomes m ...

. The 14-year-old Babe Ruth League team won the championship in 2008. In 2010, the 12-year-old Norwalk all-star team made it to the Cal Ripken league World Series and placed third in the country. In 2011, the Norwalk American Senior Legion baseball team won the Connecticut State Championship. This had not been accomplished by any other Norwalk Legion team in the storied 83-year history. The team defeated Branford, Connecticut in the championship game. The girls' Norwalk Pride fast pitch softball team won the Connecticut State Championship in 2005, 2006, and 2007. The Norwalk Biddy Basketball All-Star team Won the State and Regional titles and then went on to the World Championships in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1986 and placed 7th in the world. Being a coastal city Norwalk is home to a great many water sports including

competitive swimming Swimming is an individual or team racing sport that requires the use of one's entire body to move through water. The sport takes place in pools or open water (e.g., in a sea or lake). Competitive swimming is one of the most popular Olympic ...

, recreational boating and

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...

sailing Sailing employs the wind—acting on sails, wingsails or kites—to propel a craft on the surface of the ''water'' (sailing ship, sailboat, raft, windsurfer, or kitesurfer), on ''ice'' (iceboat) or on ''land'' (land yacht) over a chosen cou ...

windsurfing Windsurfing is a wind propelled water sport that is a combination of sailing and surfing. It is also referred to as "sailboarding" and "boardsailing", and emerged in the late 1960s from the aerospace and surf culture of California. Windsurfing ga ...

, and kayaking. The

and inner

host

rowing Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically ...

events and organizations. and the are two such rowing organizations. Norwalk resident Daniel Walsh won a bronze medal in Beijing with the U.S. Olympic rowing team in the 2008 Summer Olympics. There are three golf courses in the city of Norwalk: the Shorehaven Golf Club is a private club in East Norwalk, the Silvermine Golf Club is a private club in Silvermine (part of the course lies in the town of Wilton), and the Oak Hills Park golf course is a public course in West Norwalk. The cross-town rivalry between the city's two largest high schools, Norwalk High School and Brien McMahon High School, is fierce, particularly for the football, basketball, soccer and

field hockey Field hockey is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with ten outfield players and a goalkeeper. Teams must drive a round hockey ball by hitting it with a hockey stick towards the rival team's shooting ...

teams in the fall; as well as

lacrosse Lacrosse is a team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game was extensiv ...

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

, and

teams in the spring. Brien McMahon High School's football team won the FCIAC (Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference) and Class M State Football championship in 1994. McMahon High School's boys' lacrosse team won the state division 2 lacrosse championship in 2000. Norwalk used to be the home of the

Connecticut Wildcats Rugby league has been played in the United States by club teams since the 1970s. In that time a number of amateur and semi-professional clubs have been established and ended up going defunct. American National Rugby League * Aston Bulls (1998– ...

, part of the

American National Rugby League The American National Rugby League (AMNRL) was a rugby league organization in the United States that operated from 1997 to 2014. The country's first domestic rugby league competition, it hosted an annual league from 1998 through 2013. Throughout it ...

, from 2003 to 2015.

Media

News sources in Norwalk include

News 12 Connecticut The News 12 Networks are a group of regional cable news television channels in the New York metropolitan area that are owned by Altice USA. All channels provide rolling news coverage 24 hours a day, focusing primarily on regions of the metr ...

, a regional news channel for southwestern Connecticut and based in Norwalk. '' The Hour'' was an independent daily newspaper based in Norwalk and founded in 1871, which was purchased by Hearst Communications on April 12, 2016. NancyonNorwalk.com is a self-published, nonprofit news site founded in 2010 that covers local issues.

Transportation

Highways

Interstate 95 and the

Merritt Parkway The Merritt Parkway (also known locally as "The Merritt") is a limited-access parkway in Fairfield County, Connecticut, with a small section at the northern end in New Haven County. Designed for Connecticut's Gold Coast, the parkway is known ...

lead through Norwalk, and there are several exits within the Norwalk city limits, and are the major thoroughfare through the city.

U.S. Route 1 U.S. Route 1 or U.S. Highway 1 (US 1) is a major north–south United States Numbered Highway that serves the East Coast of the United States. It runs from Key West, Florida, north to Fort Kent, Maine, at the Canadian border, making ...

goes through the center of the city, mostly following local streets. The major north–south corridor in Norwalk is

U.S. Route 7 U.S. Route 7 (US 7) is a north–south United States highway in western New England that runs for through the states of Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Vermont. The highway's southern terminus is at Interstate 95 (I-95) exit 15 ...

, which is an expressway throughout most of the route in the city. The expressway section ends at Grist Mill Road in Norwalk from where Route 7 resumes northbound along Main Ave. Other state routes include Route 53, Route 123, and Route 136.

Buses

Public transport bus service Public transport bus services are generally based on regular operation of transit buses along a route calling at agreed bus stops according to a published public transport timetable. History of buses Origins While there are indications ...

within Norwalk is provided by

Norwalk Transit District The Norwalk Transit District is the primary provider of public transportation services in Norwalk, Connecticut, United States, and surrounding communities. The local Norwalk fixed-route bus transit system, known as WHEELS, is the primary servic ...

. Norwalk Transit District operates fixed route public bus service in Norwalk and Westport with evening and Sunday shuttles (serving South Norwalk, Main Avenue and Connecticut Avenue) and commuter shuttles. Access to other cities through bus services Milford,

Danbury Danbury is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, located approximately northeast of New York City. Danbury's population as of 2022 was 87,642. It is the seventh largest city in Connecticut. Danbury is nicknamed the "Hat City ...

, and Stamford. All fixed route buses meet at the Transportation Hub.

Railroad

The Metro-North Railroad's

New Haven Line The Metro-North Railroad New Haven Line is a commuter rail line running from New Haven, Connecticut to New York City. It joins the Harlem Line at Mount Vernon, New York and continues south to Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan. The New Haven ...

runs through and stops in Norwalk. The train goes West and East with Grand Central Terminal and New Haven Union Station being the final stops. The

Danbury Branch The Danbury Branch is a diesel branch of the Metro-North Railroad New Haven Line from downtown Norwalk, Connecticut north to Danbury, mostly single-tracked. It opened in 1852 as the Danbury and Norwalk Railroad. Until the early 1970s, passenger ...

runs from South Norwalk to

Danbury, CT Danbury is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, located approximately northeast of New York City. Danbury's population as of 2022 was 87,642. It is the seventh largest city in Connecticut. Danbury is nicknamed the "Hat City ...

. There are four stations in Norwalk, three of them on the main line which is:

Rowayton Rowayton is an affluent coastal village in the city of Norwalk, Connecticut, roughly from New York City. The community is governed by the Sixth Taxing District of Norwalk and has a number of active local associations, including the Civic Assoc ...

South Norwalk South Norwalk is a neighborhood in Norwalk, Connecticut which corresponds to the city's Second Taxing District. Often referred to as SoNo, the neighborhood was originally settled as Old Well, then chartered as the city of South Norwalk on August ...

and East Norwalk (Metro-North station), East Norwalk. The fourth station, Merritt 7 (Metro-North station), Merritt 7, is on the Danbury Branch. Metro-North provides Commuter rail, commuter service for all four stations. The structure at 47 Wall Street was formerly the Wall Street station of the Danbury Branch, which operated from 1896 to 1936. The city's Tram, trolley system barn also operated on Wall Street.

Airports

Norwalk is within reasonable distance of 11 airports: four general aviation, two regional, five international.

Infrastructure

Utilities

Electric power and natural gas in most of Norwalk is provided by Eversource Energy. * The First Taxing District provides water to the Third, Fourth and Fifth Taxing Districts. * The Second Taxing District serves sections of South Norwalk, East Norwalk, West Norwalk, Rowayton and Silvermine. and also owns and operates South Norwalk Electric and Water. * The Third Taxing District provides electric power for East Norwalk. The districts purchase wholesale power and arrange for its delivery to, and distribution within, their respective districts. Power lines and meters in

, South Norwalk, and parts of Rowayton are maintained by the districts. Both the second (SNEW) and third (TTD) district electric departments belong to the six member Connecticut Municipal Electric Energy Cooperative which pools their wholesale power purchasing to obtain lower rates for their customers. Connecticut Light and Power (now Eversource Energy) operated a power plant, Norwalk Harbor Station on Manresa Island, from 1960 to 1999 when it was acquired by NRG Energy, which then began its deactivation in 2013. In 2004 the Third Taxing District installed 3 diesel powered generators at the Norden complex on Norden Place that were initially licensed only for emergency power supply. By summer 2008 the generators, with a combined capacity of 6 Megawatts, had been upgraded to allow licensed operation as regular power providers for the grid (not just emergency power). In 2007 and 2008 the construction of the Middletown-Norwalk transmission line disrupted traffic along the Boston Post Road, but the completion of the line is hoped to help provide additional power to lower Fairfield County. In addition a high-voltage undersea line runs from Manressa Island to Long Island to help provide electric power to Long Island Power Authority customers. In 2008 the city government of Norwalk started initial investigations of whether the city might resume generating power for sale to electricity customers in the city.

Emergency services

Norwalk Police Department serves as the city's police department, and Norwalk Fire Department serves Norwalk's fire protection district. Norwalk is served 24/7 by Norwalk Hospital and Norwalk Hospital EMS, a 911 paramedic service. The service consists of hospital-based paramedics and EMT-Is who serve Norwalk as well as New Canaan, Wilton, Weston, and Westport.

Notable people

In popular culture

* In J. D. Salinger's novel ''The Catcher in the Rye'', Holden Caulfield's parents are attending a party in Norwalk the night he sneaks into his apartment to visit his sister, Phoebe. * In Jonathan Franzen's novel ''The Corrections'', Chip Lambert holds a "twelve-hour vigil" at a Dunkin' Donuts in Norwalk (stalking Melissa Paquette in neighboring Westport).

Films

Full-length features and documentary films, filmed or set in Norwalk: * ''Hope Springs (2012 film), Hope Springs'' (2012) * ''Confessions of a Shopaholic (film), Confessions of a Shopaholic'' (2009) — filmed along Washington Street in SoNo * ''Birds of America (film), Birds of America'' (2008) * ''College Road Trip'' (2008) — scenes filmed in town in mid-July 2007; shooting locations were the former Norwalk police headquarters building in Matthews Park, on the Merritt Parkway and along the Route 7 connector. * ''Revolutionary Road (film), Revolutionary Road'' (2008) * ''The Six Wives of Henry LeFay'' (2008) — filmed in 2007 on Wall Street in Norwalk Center * ''The Life Before Her Eyes (film), The Life Before Her Eyes'' (2007) — Uma Thurman filmed a scene at Norwalk Community College in August 2006. * ''Satan's Little Helper'' (2004) * ''The Stepford Wives (2004 film), The Stepford Wives'' (2004) * ''The Object of My Affection'' (1998) * ''The Stepford Wives (1975 film), The Stepford Wives'' (1975)

Television

Partially or entirely recorded in Norwalk: * ''Oprah Winfrey Presents: Mitch Albom's For One More Day'' *''House of Dark Shadows'' (1970 series) — "Abandoned Monastery" portions filmed at the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion

Sister cities

*Nagarote, Nicaragua (1986) (see Norwalk/Nagarote Sister City Project) *Riobamba, Ecuador (2018)

References

External links

* {{authority control Norwalk, Connecticut, Cities in Connecticut Neighborhoods in Connecticut Connecticut placenames of Native American origin Populated places established in 1651 Cities in the New York metropolitan area Cities in Fairfield County, Connecticut Populated coastal places in Connecticut 1651 establishments in Connecticut