Norwalk, Connecticut

Name origin

"Norwalk, settled 1649; incorporated Sept., 1651, Norwaukee shall bee a townee Algonkin noyank, point of land, or more probably from the Indian name, Naramauke."

The city boundaries originally included parts of the current municipalities of New Canaan, Wilton, and Westport. Ancient records describe the boundaries as "from Norwalk river to Sauhatuck river, from sea, Indian one day walk into the country". Thus a disputing source, and common tradition, describes Norwalk's name deriving from the northern boundary extending from the sea covering one day's "north walk" into the countryside. An additional source found this analysis to be improbable, given that the name "Norwalk" was used by natives, who were called the "Norwake Indians". Additionally a nearby river was known as the Norwake River when the area was first colonized. Roger Ludlow's 1640 land purchase was from "the Indians of Norwalke" and the land is described as lying between "the twoe rivers, the one called the Norwalke, the other Soakatuck." The earliest town records list the city name as Norwalke (the "w" likely silent, as in Warwick). Bradley's [Connecticut] Register describes that the early Colony Records call it "Norrwake". Around 1847 the elderly used the ancient pronunciation "Norruck".

Norwalk has a nickname, "Oyster Town", due to its prominent oyster fisheries providing a large source of income to the city since the early 19th century. Norwalk Harbor's islands and proximity to New York City make it profitable for oyster harvesting. Discarded oyster shells along the Connecticut coast help prove the importance oysters had to pre-Columbian inhabitants of the area as well.

21st century

In 2002 Norwalk was the location of the nationally-covered murder trial of Michael Skakel. After a four-week trial, Skakel was convicted on June 7 for the 1975 murder of Martha Moxley.

On Sunday May 25, 2008 the last service at the First United Methodist Church of Norwalk was held prior to a deconsecration ceremony that marked the end of the church use of the distinctive yellow brick building at 39 West Avenue. The Methodist congregation had been formed in 1789 during the visit by Jesse Lee, but is survived by three other Methodist churches in the city.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 36.3 square miles (94 km²), of which, 22.8 square miles (59 km²) of it is land and 13.5 square miles (35 km²) of it (37.24%) is water.

Climate

"Norwalk, Connecticut, gets 45 inches of rain per year. The US average is 37. Snowfall is 24 inches. The average US city gets 25 inches of snow per year. The number of days with any measurable precipitation is 100. On average, there are 179 sunny days per year in Norwalk, Connecticut. The July high is around 83 degrees. The January low is 18."

Topography

Norwalk's topography is dominated by its coastline along Long Island Sound, the Norwalk River and its eastern and western banks, and the Norwalk Islands. The highest elevation is 282 feet above sea level, at the summit of Middle Clapboard Hill in West Norwalk; and the low elevation is sea level on Long Island Sound.

Demographics

According to the office of Connecticut's Secretary of the State 85,603 people resided in Norwalk in 2010. A population estimation indicates 88,485 people resided in Norwalk as of 2015, an approximate population growth of one percent. The estimate indicates a racially diverse population of 42,768 males (49%) and 44,446 females (51%).

The racial makeup of Norwalk was 55.7% White, 13.4% Black, 0.1% Native American, 4.7% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 0.3 from some other race and 1.4% from two or more races. 24.3% were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Voters

Norwalk comprises five councilmanic or voting districts with topographic boundaries designated by the letters A-E of which each is further divided by number varying from two to four. These boundaries are represented by the respective city councilmen elected by voters in each district. Presently, these districts are designated coincidentally by their polling locations:

Not to be confused with Norwalk's Taxing Districts
For details about polling locations listed above please see the Education section below

Municipal

The city of Norwalk exists by authority of a municipal charter, granted by the Connecticut General Assembly, which is the legal document that defines the organization, powers, functions, and essential procedures of the city government. 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. Administration offices are located at 125 East Avenue in Norwalk City Hall.

State representatives

Norwalk is represented in the Connecticut General Assembly by five House Representatives corresponding to five Connecticut legislative districts and one senator from one Connecticut Senate district.

Congressional representatives

Norwalk, which lies within Connecticut's 4th congressional district is represented in the United States Congress by one congressional representative in the United States House of Representatives and, along with the rest of Connecticut, by two Senators in the United States Senate.

Sister cities

Economy

See also External links below—↓

Events

Athletics

Baseball and softball are popular amateur sports with active leagues across many age groups in Norwalk. There are 4 baseball fields and 16 Little League fields in the city. Several of the fields are illuminated for nighttime play. The Norwalk Little League team won the Little League World Series in 1952. The 14-year-old Babe Ruth League team won the championship in 2008. In 2010, the cal Ripken 12-year-old Norwalk all star team made to the Cal Ripken league World Series and placed 3rd 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, CT 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, LA in 1986 and placed 7th in the world.

Being a coastal city Norwalk is home to a great many water sports including competitive swimming, recreational boating and fishing, sailing, windsurfing, and kayaking. The Norwalk River and inner Norwalk Harbor host rowing events and 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 cross town rivalry between the city's two largest high schools' sports teams can be rather fierce, particularly for the football, soccer and field hockey teams in the fall; as well as lacrosse, baseball, and softball teams in the spring. Brien McMahon high school's football team won the FCIAC (Fairfield County InterAthletic Conference) and Class M State Football championship in 1994. McMahon high school's boys lacrosse team went on to win the state division 2 lacrosse championship in 2000.

In professional team sports, Norwalk is represented by the Connecticut Wildcats in the American National Rugby League.

Public buses

Public transport bus service within Norwalk is provided by Norwalk Transit District, also known as "Wheels". 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), Services for the Elderly & People with Disabilities and Commuter Shuttles. Access to regional bus services include Coastal Link (Norwalk-Milford), 7 Link (Norwalk-Danbury) and Rt 41 (Norwalk-Stamford). All fixed route buses meet at the Wheels Hub located on Burnell Boulevard, between Main St and Belden Ave.

Commuter rail

Metro-North's New Haven Line runs through and stops in Norwalk. The Danbury Branch runs from South Norwalk to Danbury, CT. There are four stations in Norwalk, three of them on the main line which is: Rowayton, South Norwalk and East Norwalk. The fourth station, Merritt 7, is on the Danbury Branch. Metro-North provides commuter service for all four stations. A fare to any station on the New Haven line from South Norwalk cost less than $15 USD per adult.

Roads and highways

Interstate 95 in Connecticut and Merritt Parkway lead through Norwalk, and there are several exits within the Norwalk city limits. Both of these roads are designated to be north/south routes, although both lead east/west in Connecticut. The major north-south corridor in Norwalk is U.S. Route 7 in Connecticut which can be accessed via Interstate 95 in Connecticut, both northbound and southbound, via Exit 15. Traveling north on the U.S. Route 7 expressway, exit 3 leads to Merritt Parkway southbound only and access to northbound Merritt Parkway can be made via Route 123 and Norwalk's Main Ave/Street from exit 2. Traveling south, the half-built exit 3 also leads to the Merritt Parkway southbound only. There is no direct northbound access to the Merritt Parkway, traveling south, from this expressway. Northbound the expressway section ends at Grist Mill Road in Norwalk from where Route 7 resumes northbound along Norwalk's Main Avenue. Traveling south, access to Interstate 95, both north and south, can be accomplished via their respective exits. Other state highways in Norwalk are Route 53, Route 123, and Route 136.

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 East Norwalk, 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.

Education

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 (near the former Roger Ludlow Junior High School).

Media

News sources in Norwalk include News 12 Connecticut, 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.

Notable people

Notable people from Norwalk include:

In popular culture

Movies

Television