Bridgeport: Recreation

Sightseeing

Visitors can experience Bridgeport's colonial past on a narrated boat tour of historic Black Rock Harbor and Long Island Sound. Captain's Cove Seaport, an amusement and maritime center along the harbor, is home to the HMS Rose, a replica of a Revolutionary War era 24-gun frigate. Captain's Cove also offers shopping along a seaside boardwalk and a 350-slip marina. Connecticut's Beardsley Zoo, the state's only zoo, is open year-round and features to its quarter-million annual visitors more than 300 animals including some that are rare or endangered species from North and South America.

Arts and Culture

Much of Bridgeport's performing arts activity takes place at the 1,400-seat Klein Memorial Auditorium, including performances by the Greater Bridgeport Symphony, a regionally acclaimed professional orchestra, as well as performances by touring troupes and artists. Formed in 1961, the Greater Bridgeport Youth Symphony is made up of four performing ensembles, the Principal, the Symphony, the Concert, and the String Orchestra. As part of these groups, young musicians from the area, led by three conductors and six coaches, present concerts throughout the year. The Arena at Harbor Yard, constructed in 2001, provides a 10,000-seat venue for larger-scale musical concerts, children's shows, and other performances.

The Cabaret Theatre features the resident musical Downtown Cabaret Theatre group and the Cabaret Children's Company since 1983. The Playhouse on the Green (formerly Polka Dot Playhouse) is Bridgeport's oldest theatrical treasure, offering year-round professional theater in a 228-seat state-of-the-art theater located in the heart of Bridgeport's revitalized downtown.

Opened in 1893, the Barnum Museum displays artifacts relating to P.T. Barnum, "General Tom Thumb," Lavinia Warren, Jenny Lind, and a host of clowns. Displays concerning Bridgeport's industrial era, as well as a 2,500-year-old Egyptian mummy, a two-headed calf, and a hand-carved miniature circus complete with 5,000 figures are also featured. The Discovery Museum and Planetarium, an interactive and educational museum of art and physical science, features the duPont Planetarium, the Challenger Learning Center (dedicated to the astronauts who perished in the space shuttle tragedy in 1986) and interactive exhibits that teach the principles of physical science. A gallery of changing art exhibits, films, and children's programs rounds out the offerings, which are visited by 68,000 guests annually.

The Housatonic Museum of Art specializes in nineteenth-and twentieth-century European and American art, as well as contemporary and African and Asian ethnographic art.

Festivals and Holidays

A major regional attraction is the annual Barnum Festival and the Great Street Parade, which is held each summer. The 10-day celebration draws thousands of people for the Grucci Fireworks show "Skyblast," Champions on Parade and other events. The summer also offers water enthusiasts the St. Vincent's "Swim Across the Sound," a multi-event swimming marathon, a sailing regatta, and the WICC Bluefish Tournament, which draws fishermen from across the United States in search of the heaviest Bluefish. The University of Bridgeport's International Festival, held in April, highlights the cuisines and entertainment of more than 30 cultures. Meanwhile, Christmas time is aglow with the "Park City Lights" in Beardsley Park.

Sports for the Spectator

The Shoreline Star Greyhound Park Entertainment Complex features live parimutuel greyhound racing from mid-May through Mid-October, and year-round simulcast wagering on thoroughbred, harness, and greyhound tracks from around the country. The Bridgeport Bluefish Baseball club is an independent minor league team that plays at the Ballpark at Harbor Yard, constructed in 1998, where the games provide area residents with affordable family entertainment. The Arena at Harbor Yard was built in 2001 and seats about 10,000 for the American Hockey League's (AHL) Bridgeport Sound Tigers, who began playing in 2001 as the top affiliate of the National Hockey League's (NHL) New York Islanders. The arena also plays host to the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) Fairfield University Stags' men's basketball team.

Sports for the Participant

Bridgeport, known as the "Park City" for maintaining nearly an acre of park land per 1,000 residents (more than 1,360 acres total), features the historic Seaside Park located on three miles of shoreline and offering fishing, baseball and softball, picnicking, and tennis. The city features 32 public parks, two dozen playgrounds, 40 tennis courts, and an 18-hole golf course. Pleasure Beach, formerly a huge draw in the area, has remained inaccessible since a devastating fire in 1996 destroyed the connecting bridge; city planners have actively been pursuing funding to restore it. The Ocean View Skate Park offers a variety of ramps highlighted by a spectacular coastal view; the Wonderland of Ice offers public skating and hockey leagues and instruction. The Berkshire Rail Spur Trail is a 1.6 mile bicycling trail that follows a defunct rail line.

Shopping and Dining

Unique items are available at Bridgeport's Barnum Museum and Discovery Museum and Planetarium. There are many large malls within 40 miles of the city including Trumbull Shopping Park, Hawley Lane Mall, and the Dock, all located in the greater Bridgeport area. Nearby Fairfield offers a classic shopping area around its green, and antiquing can be enjoyed at the nearby Stratford Antiques Center, and throughout all of picturesque Fairfield County.

The Bridgeport area offers a wide variety of dining experiences, ranging from Bridgeport's "Little Italy," to seafood restaurants both in Bridgeport and in nearby Stratford; many overlook Long Island Sound. The downtown area boasts some excellent lunch spots, and fine cuisine is available throughout the area.

Visitor Information: Coastal Fairfield County Convention & Visitor Bureau, 297 West Ave., Norwalk, CT 06850; telephone (203)853-7770; toll-free (800)866-7925; fax (203)853-7775; email info@coastalct.com. Connecticut Office of Tourism, 505 Hudson St., Hartford, CT 06106-7106; toll-free (800)CTBOUND.

Bridgeport: Education and Research

Elementary and Secondary Schools

Although in the late 1990s, the city announced investments of $250 million for modern buildings, classes for universal preschool, smaller classroom sizes, and broader access to computers and the Internet; by 2005 these initiatives had yet to materialize. The school district has suffered as a result with six buildings that are over a century old and 14 others at more than 50 years old. Further, the Board of Education was forced to trim its annual budget by 10 percent, or about $4.5 million, in the 2004–2005 fiscal year.

Bridgeport's public school system offers special education and handicapped services, as well as an adult education program in the evening. A magnet school program offers special opportunities for above-average students. The system includes two alternative schools and one special education facility.

The following is a summary of data regarding the Bridgeport public school system as of the 2003–2004 school year.

Total enrollment: 22,730

Number of facilities

elementary/middle schools: 30

senior high schools: 3

other: 3

Student/teacher ratio: 14.7 (2003–2004)

Teacher salaries (2003–2004) minimum: $38,604 maximum: $72,440

Funding per pupil: $5,909 (2004–2005)

Many parochial elementary schools and one parochial high school supplement the public school system. Private nursery schools, technical schools, and the college-preparatory University (High) School round out the city's education offerings for children.

Public Schools Information: Bridgeport Public Schools, 45 Lyon Terrace, Rm. 203, Bridgeport, CT 06604; telephone (203)576-7301; fax (203)576-8488

Colleges and Universities

Founded in 1927, the University of Bridgeport—with about 3,200 undergraduate and around 1,500 graduate students—offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in liberal arts and professional fields and includes the only program in chiropractic and naturopathic medicine in the state. Sacred Heart University, a Catholic liberal arts college in Fairfield, enrolls 4,300 undergraduate and 1,800 graduate students and represents New England's second largest Catholic university. Fairfield University, a Jesuit institution, provides its 5,000 students with bachelor's and master's degrees with a concentration on liberal arts, education, and nursing. Bridgeport Engineering Institute in Stamford employs a work-study approach in awarding engineering degrees. Housatonic Community College trains many of the area's semiprofessional and technical workers. St. Vincent's College, a two-year co-ed facility, offers degrees in health care fields and initiated an online distance education program in the fall of 2005.

Libraries and Research Centers

With nearly 450,000 volumes and four locations, Bridge-port's is one of the largest library systems in the state. The library also has about 880 audiotapes, around 16,500 video materials, and 1,000 periodical subscriptions. Special collections include an extensive business and technology section and a collection of local history, with a focus on P.T. Barnum and circus memorabilia. The library's special interests also include art and architecture, and literature. It is a federal depository for U.S. Government publications.

Other local library facilities include the law library of the State of Connecticut (Bridgeport Branch), and two medical libraries. The Magnus Wahlstrom Library at the University of Bridgeport houses approximately 270,000 volumes along with one million microforms, 1,200 serials, and access to about 7,400 electronic books via online subscriptions. Other research and library facilities in Bridgeport include the Center for the Study of Aging at the University of Bridgeport, and the Connecticut Department of Children and Families' Library. The Connecticut Information Technology Institute, also at the university, is a joint venture between industry and education to help inventors and entrepreneurs in high-tech operations.

Public Library Information: Bridgeport Public Library, 925 Broad St., Bridgeport, CT 06604-4871; telephone (203)576-7403

Bridgeport: Population Profile

Metropolitan Area Residents

1990: 441,952

2000: 459,479

Percent change, 1990–2000: 3.5%

U.S. rank in 1990: 1st (CMSA)

U.S. rank in 2000: 1st (CMSA)

City Residents

1980: 142,546

1990: 141,686

2000: 139,529

2003 estimate: 139,664

Percent change, 1990–2000: -1.5%

U.S. rank in 1980: 110th

U.S. rank in 1990: 123rd

U.S. rank in 2000: 172nd (State rank: 1st)

Density: 8,720.9 people per square mile (2000)

Racial and ethnic characteristics (2000)

White: 62,822

Black or African American: 42,925

American Indian and Alaska Native: 664

Asian: 4,536

Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander: 148

Hispanic or Latino (may be of any race): 44,478

Other: 20,659

Percent of residents born in state: 50.4% (2000)

Age characteristics (2000)

Population under 5 years old: 11,397

Population 5 to 9 years old: 11,489

Population 10 to 15 years old: 10,696

Population 15 to 19 years old: 10,445

Population 20 to 24 years old: 11,207

Population 25 to 34 years old: 22,147

Population 35 to 44 years old: 20,463

Population 45 to 54 years old: 15,466

Population 55 to 59 years old: 5,576

Population 60 to 64 years old: 4,621

Population 65 to 74 years old: 7,743

Population 75 to 84 years old: 6,071

Population 85 years and over: 2,198

Median age: 31.4 years (2000)

Births (2001)

Total number: 2,268

Deaths (2001)

Total number: 1,260 (of which, 23 were infants under the age of 1 year)

Money income (1999)

Per capita income: $16,306

Median household income: $34,658

Total households: 50,305

Number of households with income of . . .

less than $10,000: 7,643

$10,000 to $14,999: 3,865

$15,000 to $24,999: 7,202

$25,000 to $34,999: 6,621

$35,000 to $49,999: 8,573

$50,000 to $74,999: 8,764

$75,000 to $99,999: 3,955

$100,000 to $149,999: 2,698

$150,000 to $199,999: 555

$200,000 or more: 429

Percent of families below poverty level: 16.2% (40.5% of which were female householder families with related children under 5 years)

2002 FBI Crime Index Total: 8,551

Bridgeport: Communications

Newspapers and Magazines

Bridgeport's daily, The Connecticut Post, is published every morning. Other newspapers in the city include the monthly Fairfield County Catholic, published by the Diocese of Bridgeport, and the Bridgeport News, which publishes weekly.

Television and Radio

Bridgeport has one public television station, and one cable franchise. However, the city receives New York City stations as well. Two AM and two FM radio stations broadcast from Bridgeport. Connecticut Radio Information Service, headquartered in Wethersfield, broadcasts readings from daily newspapers and magazines for the benefit of state residents who are blind or cannot hold or turn pages.

Media Information: Connecticut Post, 410 State St., Bridgeport, CT 06604; telephone (203)333-0161 or 800-423-8058; fax (203)367-8158

Bridgeport Online

Bridgeport Economic Resource Center. Available www.bridgeport-econ.org

Bridgeport Hospital. Available www.bridgeporthospital.org

Bridgeport Public Library. Available www.bridgeportpubliclibrary.org

Bridgeport Public Schools. Available www.bridgeportedu.com

City of Bridgeport Home Page. Available ci.bridgeport.ct.us

Coastal Fairfield County Convention & Visitors Bureau. Available www.coastalct.com

Connecticut Development Authority. Available www.ctcda.com

Connecticut Office of Tourism. Available www.tourism.state.ct.us

The Connecticut Post. Available www.connpost.com

St. Vincent's Medical Center. Available www.stvincents.org

State of Connecticut Labor Department. Available www.ctdol.state.ct.us

University of Bridgeport. Available www.bridgeport.edu

Selected Bibliography

Grimaldi, Lennie, Only in Bridgeport 2000: An Illustrated History of the Park City (Bridgeport: Harbor Publishing, 2000)

Howard, Maureen, Natural History (New York: Norton) Bridgeport Economic Resource Center

Waldo, George Curtis, Jr., ed., History of Bridgeport and Vicinity (New York, Chicago: S. J. Clarke, 1917)

Bridgeport

The City in Brief

Founded: 1639 (incorporated, 1836)

Head Official: Mayor John Michael Fabrizi (D) (since 2003)

City Population

1980: 142,546

1990: 141,686

2000: 139,529

2003 estimate: 139,664

Percent change, 1990–2000: -1.5%

U.S. rank in 1980: 110th

U.S. rank in 1990: 123rd

U.S. rank in 2000: 172nd (State rank: 1st)

Metropolitan Area Population (PMSA)

1990: 441,952

2000: 459,479

Percent change, 1990–2000: 3.5%

U.S. rank in 1990: 1st (CMSA)

U.S. rank in 2000: 1st (CMSA)

Area: 19.4 square miles (2000)

Elevation: 25 feet above sea level

Average Annual Temperature: 51.7° F

Average Annual Precipitation: 15.5 inches of rain; 26.2 inches of snow

Major Economic Sectors: Manufacturing, trade, government, services

Unemployment Rate: 4.7% (February 2005)

Per Capita Income: $16,306 (1999)

2002 FBI Crime Index Total: 8,551

Major Colleges and Universities: University of Bridgeport; Sacred Heart University; Fairfield University; Bridgeport Engineering Institute

Daily Newspaper: The Connecticut Post

Bridgeport: Transportation

Approaching the City

Bridgeport's city-owned Sikorsky Memorial Airport is 10 minutes from downtown (in Stratford). The airport serves the corporate and general aviation communities. The Tweed New Haven Regional Airport is about 25 miles northeast of Bridgeport and offers daily flights from two major airlines, Delta and U.S. Airways. Extensive domestic and international service is available from the New York City airports, about 60 miles away.

Both Amtrak, with at least 14 daily stops, and Metro-North, with 63 daily stops, offer rail service into Bridgeport, as do major bus lines such as Greyhound and Peter Pan. An automobile ferry runs between Bridgeport and Port Jefferson outside of New York City and carries nearly 900,000 passengers annually.

Major east-west routes include Connecticut 15 (the Merritt Parkway) and I-95 (the Connecticut Turnpike, that carries about 200,000 vehicles per day). North-south arteries include Connecticut Route 8 to the northeast and Connecticut Route 25 to the northwest.

Traveling in the City

Bridgeport's streets fan out to the north from the waterfront. The Greater Bridgeport Transit Authority (GBTA) operates 16 fixed routes in the city and environs on weekdays and includes paratransit services; reduced services are offered on weekends.

Bridgeport: Convention Facilities

Within the greater Bridgeport area about 1,000 hotel rooms are available for a variety of functions. Small conventions can be handled by the new Arena at Harbor Yard with capacity seating of 10,000 guests and 6,000 theater-style along with room for 150 standard-size trade show booths. The Holiday Inn Bridgeport Hotel & Conference Center offers 8,500 square feet of function space, including a 5,000-square-foot ballroom, five breakout rooms, and an executive board room. The Inn, which has 234 sleeping rooms, can accommodate meetings of 16 to 500. The Stratford Ramada Inn has 6,500 square feet of exhibit space, 7 meeting rooms, and 145 sleeping rooms.

Convention Information: Coastal Fairfield County Convention & Visitor Bureau, 297 West Ave., Norwalk, CT 06850; telephone (203)853-7770; toll-free (800)866-7925; fax (203)853-7775; email info@coastalct.com

Bridgeport: Introduction

A smokestack city known for its defense-related manufacturing activities and port facilities, Bridgeport, the largest city in Connecticut, was devastated in the early 1990s by the loss of its manufacturing base as a result of the end of the Cold War between the United States and the former Soviet Union, and actually declared itself bankrupt. Further degradation was handed to residents at the hands of their once-successful mayor, Joseph P. Ganim, who was removed from office in 2003 and convicted of municipal corruption. But at the turn of the twenty-first century, the city's bond rating was upgraded, the population was beginning to grow, jobs were slowly on the increase, a new baseball stadium and hockey arena stood along with other renovations on the city's waterfront which were beginning to draw tourists, and a feeling of optimism could be felt among the citizenry.

Bridgeport city (1990 pop. 141,686), Fairfield co., SW Conn., on Long Island Sound; inc. 1836. Long a chief industrial city in Connecticut, it makes electrical appliances, transportation equipment, clothing, ammunition, metal products, wiring devices, machinery, helicopters, motor vehicles, and building materials. Settled in 1639, Bridgeport first grew as a fishing community. Heavy industry declined rapidly after 1970, and Bridgeport struggled as more affluent residents fled to the suburbs. The Barnum Institute of Science and History commemorates showman P. T. Barnum , who lived in Bridgeport and whose circus wintered there. The Univ. of Bridgeport is in the city.

Bridgeport: Municipal Government

Bridgeport, in Fairfield County, operates under a mayor-council form of government. The mayor and 20 council members are elected to two-year terms of office.

Head Official: Mayor John Michael Fabrizi (D) (since 2003; current term expires 2005)

Total Number of City Employees: 1,493 (2004)

City Information: Mayor's Office, City of Bridgeport, 45 Lyon Terrace, Bridgeport, CT 06604; telephone (203)576-7201; email mayoroffice@ci.bridgeport.ct.us

Bridgeport City on Long Island Sound, sw Connecticut, USA. Settled in 1639 as a fishing community, it is now a port of entry and the chief industrial city in Connecticut. Industries: electrical appliances, transport equipment, helicopters, machine tools. Pop. (2000) 139,529.

Bridgeport, USA Connecticut: the port here, originally named Newfield and then Stratfield, was so‐called for the opening of the first drawbridge over the River Pequonnock.