Brooklyn is a section/neighborhood of the city of
Waterbury, Connecticut
Waterbury is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. Waterbury had a population of 114,403 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 Census. The city is southwest of Hartford, Connecticut, Hartford and northeast of New York City. Waterbury i ...
. Its name is derived from immigrants who moved up the road from
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...
in New York City. The area lies southwest of
I-84
Interstate 84 may refer to:
* Interstate 84 (Oregon–Utah), passing through Idaho, formerly known as Interstate 80N
* Interstate 84 (Pennsylvania–Massachusetts), passing through New York and Connecticut
{{road disambiguation ...
and west of route 8, nestled between the sections of Town Plot and the South End. At its height, Brooklyn contained five grammar schools, three drug stores, three theaters, eight bakeries, two breweries, a library, a firehouse, a YMCA, and 22 taverns.
History
History of the Brooklyn Neighborhood
The Brooklyn section of Waterbury was so-named due to its similarity to New York City's Brooklyn; Viewing the City from Brooklyn proper, one must look over and beyond the City's most major river, the Naugatuck River.
·It is unknown if the naming of Brooklyn was initiated by any of the several Waterbury men who served in the Revolutionary War in 1777 at Brooklyn New York under Colonel Baldwin.
·The earliest known reference to Brooklyn is indicated in 1733.
Demographics
The area contained a mix of immigrants looking for work in one of Waterbury's industrial, manufacturing and business powerhouses before the economic downturn.
Irish,
Polish
Polish may refer to:
* Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe
* Polish language
* Polish people, people from Poland or of Polish descent
* Polish chicken
* Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin ...
,
Russians
Russians ( ) are an East Slavs, East Slavic ethnic group native to Eastern Europe. Their mother tongue is Russian language, Russian, the most spoken Slavic languages, Slavic language. The majority of Russians adhere to Eastern Orthodox Church ...
,
Lithuanians
Lithuanians () are a Balts, Baltic ethnic group. They are native to Lithuania, where they number around 2,378,118 people. Another two million make up the Lithuanian diaspora, largely found in countries such as the Lithuanian Americans, United Sta ...
,
Jews
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
and
Italians
Italians (, ) are a European peoples, European ethnic group native to the Italian geographical region. Italians share a common Italian culture, culture, History of Italy, history, Cultural heritage, ancestry and Italian language, language. ...
lived in the neighborhood, supporting a vibrant mix of grocers, bakeries, and shops catering to distinctive ethnic traditions. The
Lithuanian community flourished, establishing St. Joseph's Church and school, which was the first Lithuanian church in New England in 1894, and organizing over 20 associations to serve Lithuanian interests in the area, including Lithuanian Girl Scouts, political clubs, choirs, bands, sports teams, saloons and a Lithuanian chapter of the Chamber of Commerce. In the Brooklyn neighborhood in Waterbury, CT, residents most commonly identify their ethnicity or ancestry as Puerto Rican (20.8%). There are also a number of people of Jamaican ancestry (14.5%), and residents who report Dominican roots (14.3%), and some of the residents are also of Italian ancestry (11.8%), along with some Irish ancestry residents (4.6%), among others.
Brooklyn Baking Company
8 John Street, in the Brooklyn neighborhood for years was home to the Brooklyn Baking Company, an award winning and nationally renown Bread, Donut and pastry shop.
The store continues to this day although no longer in the neighborhood. It is now the home of Lourdes Creole Restaurant.
References
{{Waterbury, Connecticut
Neighborhoods in Waterbury, Connecticut