|
Welcome to Norwalk
Fairfield County
Connecticut
School Information
Detailed Town Statistics
Summary Town Statistics
Norwalk, Connecticut
Norwalk is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 84,437 making it the sixth largest city in Connecticut. The current mayor of Norwalk is Dick Moccia, a Republican.
The name “Norwalk” itself comes from the Algonquin word “noyank” meaning “point of land”, or its Native American name, “Naramauke” (or Norwauke, Norowake, or Norwaake), a Native American chief.
The farming of oysters has long been important to Norwalk, which was once nicknamed "Oyster Town." Norwalk is Connecticut's largest oyster producer and home to the nation's largest oyster company, Tallmadge Brothers. Each September, Norwalk holds its annual Oyster Festival. The festival is similar to many state fairs.
Residents of Norwalk are referred to as "Norwalkers". They are served by Norwalk Hospital.
History
Norwalk was purchased in 1640 by Roger Ludlow. The original purchase included all land between the Norwalk and Saugatuck rivers and a day’s walk north from the sea. Norwalk was incorporated on September 11, 1651.
The traditional American song "Yankee Doodle" has Norwalk-related origins. During the French and Indian War, a regiment of Norwalkers arrived at Fort Crailo, NY, the British regulars began to mock and ridicule the rag-tag Connecticut troops who only had chicken feathers for uniform. Dr. Richard Shuckburgh, a British army surgeon, added new words to a popular tune of the time, Lucy Locket (e.g., “stuck a feather in his cap and called it macaroni”, macaroni being the London slang at the time for a foppish dandy).
In 1776, American spy Nathan Hale set out from Norwalk by ship on his ill-fated intelligence-gathering mission.
British forces under General William Tryon arrived on July 10, 1779 and almost completely destroyed Norwalk; only six houses were spared. After the Revolutionary War, many residents were compensated for their losses with free land grants in the Connecticut Western Reserve in what is now Ohio; this later became Norwalk, Ohio.
The first major U.S. railroad disaster occurred in Norwalk in 1853 when a train plunged into the Norwalk River. Forty-six deaths and about 30 injuries resulted.
Oyster farming in Norwalk peaked from the late 1800s to the early part of the 20th century. By 1880, the had the largest fleet of steam-powered oyster boats in the world.
In the mid-1970s, the city government and several local organizations started successful efforts to revitalize the South Norwalk business district ("SoNo"). The Maritime Center at Norwalk was founded as part of that effort.
Annual events
• Norwalk Harbor Splash!, held in early June and started in 1995, the festival features arts and crafts booths, food vendors, music, a parade, and dragon boat races.
• St. George Greek Orthodox Festival, held in early June, the festival features Greek 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, CT but interrupted during World War II, then restarted in 1952, and has been held in Norwalk's Cranbury Park 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 hammer throw and other events, with athletes often wearing wool kilts. Games for children are also offered. Food and Scottish items are offered for sale. Organizers say the event is the third-oldest Scottish games festival in the United States.
• SoNo Arts Celebration, held in mid-summer
• Kayak for a Cause, a fund-raising event held every summer since 2000 at Calf Pasture Beach
• The Oyster Festival, held first weekend after Labor Day
• Norwalk Boat Show, held in late September
• The Lockwood Mathews Mansion Museum has hosted an annual antique show since 1978. In 2006 the show was held the last weekend in October and attracted dealers from Ohio and Pennsylvania as well as Connecticut.
Notable people, past and present
Notable residents and others connected to Norwalk include Andy Rooney, commentator on 60 Minutes, who lives in Rowayton, as does author Philip Caputo. A. Scott Berg, an award-winning biographer of Katharine Hepburn, and Charles Lindbergh among others, was born in Norwalk, as was Sloan Wilson, author of The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit. Johnny Gruelle, artist and author, creator of Raggedy Ann, lived in town before he moved to Wilton. Historian Stephen W. Sears lives in Norwalk.
Frances Dee (1909-2004), an actress, died in the city, as did actress Eileen Heckart. Big Band composer Arthur (Artie) Shaw lived in Norwalk in the 1950's. Bruce Weitz, an actor best known for playing Sgt. Michael "Mick" Belker on the 1980s television program Hill Street Blues, was born in Norwalk. Actor Treat Williams is from Rowayton. Jazz-piano great Horace Silver was also born in Norwalk, as well as Andrew Wurfel, a decorated member of NASA's Mission Control Center during the first lunar landing.
Randy LaJoie, a NASCAR driver, is from Norwalk, as is Calvin Murphy, a former NBA basketball player, and baseball player Mo Vaughn. The late Bob Miller an NFL player with the Detroit Lions was born in the city. Baltimore Oriole pitcher Erik Bedard attended Norwalk Community College, but was not born in the city. Two Medal of Honor recipients came from Norwalk: John D. Magrath in World War II and Daniel J. Shea in the Vietnam War.
Trivia
• In J. D. Salinger's novel, The Catcher in the Rye, Holden's parents are attending a party in Norwalk the night he sneaks into his apartment to visit his sister, Phoebe.
• Norwalk was paired with Nagarote, Nicaragua as the result of a sister city consortium to pair six U.S. communities with six in Nicaragua for the purposes of fostering community development. The Norwalk-Nagarote Sister City Project nonprofit organization located in Norwalk coordinates the efforts.
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article “Norwalk, Connecticut”.
|
|
