View source for Naugatuck, Connecticut

{{short description|Consolidated borough and town in Connecticut, US}}
{{redirect|Naugatuck|the community in West Virginia|Naugatuck, West Virginia|other uses|}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name                     = Naugatuck, Connecticut
| official_name            = Borough of Naugatuck
| settlement_type          = [[Borough (Connecticut)|Borough]]
| image_skyline            = Naugatuck Green, Connecticut.jpg
| image_caption            = Naugatuck Green
| image_seal               = NaugatuckCtTownSeal.png
| nickname                 = "Naugy"
| image_map                = {{switcher|[[File:New Haven County Connecticut Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Naugatuck Highlighted.svg|250px|frameless|alt=Naugatuck's location within New Haven County and Connecticut]]|&nbsp;[[New Haven County, Connecticut|New Haven County]] and Connecticut|[[File:Naugatuck Valley incorporated and unincorporated areas Naugatuck highlighted.svg|250px|frameless|alt=Naugatuck's location within the Naugatuck Valley Planning Region and the state of Connecticut]]|&nbsp;[[Naugatuck Valley Planning Region, Connecticut|Naugatuck Valley Planning Region]] and Connecticut|default=1}}
| image_map1               = {{maplink|frame=yes|plain=yes|frame-align=center|frame-width=280|frame-height=200|frame-coord=SWITCH:{{coord|qid=Q753957}}###{{coord|qid=Q779}}###{{coord|41|29|23|N|73|03|05|W}}|zoom=SWITCH:10;6;3|type=SWITCH:shape-inverse;point;point|marker=city|stroke-width=2|stroke-color=#000000|id2=SWITCH:Q753957;Q779;Q30|type2=shape|fill2=#ffffff|fill-opacity2=SWITCH:0;0.1;0.1|stroke-width2=2|stroke-color2=#808080|stroke-opacity2=SWITCH:0;1;1|switch=Naugatuck;Connecticut;the United States}}
| coordinates              = {{coord|41|29|23|N|73|03|05|W|region:US-CT|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type         = Country
| subdivision_name         = {{flag|United States}}
| subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state]]
| subdivision_name1        = {{flag|Connecticut}}
| subdivision_type2        = [[County (United States)|County]]
| subdivision_name2        = [[New Haven County, Connecticut|New Haven]]
| subdivision_type3        = [[Councils of governments in Connecticut|Region]]
| subdivision_name3        = [[Naugatuck Valley Planning Region, Connecticut|Naugatuck Valley]]
| established_title        = Incorporated
| established_date         = 1844
| established_title2       = Consolidated
| established_date2        = 1895
| government_type          = [[Mayor-council|Mayor-burgesses]]
| leader_title1            = Mayor
| leader_name1             = N. Warren "Pete" Hess
| unit_pref                = Imperial
| area_total_km2           = 42.46
| area_total_sq_mi         = 16.39
| area_land_km2            = 42.21
| area_land_sq_mi          = 16.30
| area_water_km2           = 0.25
| area_water_sq_mi         = 0.10
| elevation_m              = 63
| elevation_ft             = 207
| population_footnotes     = 
| population_total         = 31519
| population_as_of         = [[2020 United States Census|2020]]
| population_density_km2   = 746.7
| timezone                 = Eastern
| utc_offset               = -5
| timezone_DST             = Eastern
| utc_offset_DST           = -4
| postal_code_type         = ZIP code
| postal_code              = 06770
| area_codes               = [[Area codes 203 and 475|203/475]]
| blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info               = 09-49880
| blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info              = 0209191
| website                  = {{URL|www.naugatuck-ct.gov}}
| pop_est_as_of            = 
| pop_est_footnotes        = 
| population_est           = 
| population_density_sq_mi = 1908.58
| area_footnotes           = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2019">{{cite web|title=2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files|url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2019_Gazetteer/2019_gaz_place_09.txt|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=July 2, 2020}}</ref>
}}
'''Naugatuck''' is a consolidated [[borough (Connecticut)|borough]] and town in [[New Haven County, Connecticut]], United States. The town spans both sides of the [[Naugatuck River]] just south of [[Waterbury, Connecticut|Waterbury]] and includes the communities of Union City on the east side of the river, which has its own post office, Straitsville on the southeast (along [[Connecticut Route 63|Route 63]]), and Millville on the west (along Rubber Avenue). The town is part of the [[Naugatuck Valley Planning Region, Connecticut|Naugatuck Valley Planning Region]]. As of the [[2020 United States Census|2020 census]], Naugatuck had a population of 31,519.<ref name="Census 2020">{{Cite web| url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?g=1600000US0949880| title=Census - Geography Profile: Naugatuck borough, Connecticut| publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]| access-date=December 18, 2021}}</ref>

== History ==

Naugatuck was settled in 1701 as a farming community in rural western Connecticut. As the [[Industrial Revolution]] commenced, Naugatuck was transformed into a mill town like its neighbors in the [[Naugatuck River Valley]].{{citation needed|date=August 2022}}
{{Multiple image
| header = Naugatuck
| align = left
| direction = 
| total_width = 250
| perrow = 1/1
| image1= Goodyear-1-.jpg
| caption1 = Goodyear Metallic Rubber Shoe Company in Downtown Naugatuck ({{circa|1890}})
| image2= Whittemore Library, Naugatuck, Connecticut.jpg
| caption2 = Whittemore Library, designed by [[McKim, Mead & White]]
}}
Rubber was the chief manufactured product. [[Charles Goodyear]] worked at his brother's rubber company, the Goodyear Metallic Rubber Shoe Company & Downtown Naugatuck, until the company was consolidated into the [[United States Rubber Company]]. The United States Rubber Company (renamed Uniroyal Inc. in 1961) was founded in Naugatuck in 1892 as a consolidation of nine rubber companies, and maintained their corporate headquarters there until the 1980s. Their footwear division manufactured [[Keds (shoes)|Keds]] sneakers in Naugatuck from 1917 until the 1980s. U.S. Rubber also produced [[Naugahyde]] in a Naugatuck factory, but it is no longer produced there.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}}

The United States Rubber Co. formed the Naugatuck Chemical Company on June 1, 1904, due to an increase in the price of [[sulfuric acid]], which was needed for the process then used for reclaiming old rubber. The company was soon in the forefront of the chemical industry in the United States. Naugatuck Chemical remained a subsidiary of the U.S. Rubber Co. until it gained independence as Uniroyal Chemical Co. They moved their operations to [[Middlebury, Connecticut]] in the 1970s.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}}

The Risdon Manufacturing Company was established in Naugatuck around 1910 producing safety pins. Risdon became the manufacturer of packaging for cosmetics and sewing items such as pins, needles, snaps, and other accessories. It is now the Crown Risdon Co., headquartered in [[Watertown, Connecticut]].{{citation needed|date=August 2022}}

In the 1960s, Harold Barber founded [[H. Barber and Sons]] in the community. The company builds beach rakes for picking up debris and grooming beaches and claims to be the largest such business in the world.<ref>[http://www.hbarber.com/AboutUs/History.aspx Barber Company History] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080603033134/http://www.hbarber.com/AboutUs/History.aspx |date=June 3, 2008 }}</ref>

Naugatuck was the home to [[Peter Paul Candy Manufacturing Company]], the [[Hershey Foods Corporation|Hershey Foods]] division that produces [[Almond Joy]] and [[Mounds (candy)|Mounds]] candy bars, until the Hershey Co. closed it in November 2007.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}}

The normally peaceful Naugatuck River that flows through Naugatuck [[Flood of 1955 (Connecticut)|overflowed its banks]] on August 19, 1955,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.naugct.com/Flood.htm |title=1955 Flood |access-date=2011-02-02}}</ref> fed by over {{convert|10|in}} of rain from [[Hurricane Diane]]. The river cut a path of destruction that forever changed the face of Naugatuck.

[[File:Naugatuck town history sign 1.jpg|thumb|right|Town history sign found on the Naugatuck Green]]

[[File:NaugatuckHighSchool.jpg|thumb|left|Naugatuck High School ({{circa|1910}}), a McKim, Mead, and White design. The building is now Hillside Intermediate School, following erection of a new high school on Rubber Avenue in the late 1950s.]]
[[Naugatuck High School]] has a [[List of high school football rivalries more than 100 years old|storied football rivalry]] with the high school in [[Ansonia, Connecticut|Ansonia]] that is one of the longest in America. The two teams meet the morning of Thanksgiving Day, and the first meeting was in 1900. Ansonia is the long-term winner in the series.  Naugatuck High School's mascot is the greyhound, and its colors are garnet and grey.

== Education ==

Naugatuck has a total of 5 public elementary schools (which include grades K–4), 2 public intermediate schools (grades 5–6), 1 public middle school (grades 7–8), and 1 public high school (grades 9–12). The high school has an overall enrollment of 1,267 students and a graduation rate of 82%.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/connecticut/districts/naugatuck-school-district/naugatuck-high-school-4489|title=How Does Naugatuck High School Rank Among America's Best High Schools?|website=www.usnews.com|access-date=2016-10-19}}</ref>

In 2013, an $81 million renovation for the high school took place and was completed by the fall of 2015 that brought the school up to date and back to mint condition.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.mycitizensnews.com/news/2013/07/nhs-renovations-moving-ahead-full-steam/|title=NHS renovations moving ahead full steam {{!}} Citizen's News|website=www.mycitizensnews.com|date=23 July 2013 |access-date=2016-10-19}}</ref>

[[Naugatuck High School]] was ranked 149th best in Connecticut.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://patch.com/connecticut/naugatuck/naugatuck-high-school-ranked-149th-best-connecticut-1|title=Naugatuck High School Ranked 149th Best in Connecticut|newspaper=Naugatuck, CT Patch|language=en-US|access-date=2016-10-19}}</ref>  This is near the bottom of all public high schools in Connecticut.   Although well funded, many years of mismanagement by the elected Board of Education, has led to this poor rating.  In recent years, a mostly new Board of Education and a new Superintendent has helped improve the quality of education in the school district.

==Geography==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the borough has a total area of 16.5&nbsp;square miles (42.6&nbsp;km{{sup|2}}), of which 16.4&nbsp;square miles (42.4&nbsp;km{{sup|2}}) is land and 0.1&nbsp;square miles (0.2&nbsp;km{{sup|2}}), or 0.36%, is water.

== Government ==
Naugatuck is unique in [[Connecticut]] government for being the only consolidated town and borough. Every other borough in Connecticut is a special services district located within another [[New England town|town]], the unit of Connecticut local government. Naugatuck has both a town clerk and a borough clerk managing official records, the same as Connecticut cities having two clerks: a town clerk and a city clerk.

As with most other Connecticut towns and cities, Naugatuck elect its officials in November of odd-numbered years.

==Transportation==
[[File:Naugatuck Station.jpg|thumb|[[Naugatuck station|Naugatuck Metro-North Railroad station]], located on the [[Waterbury Branch]] line]]
The town has a [[Metro-North Railroad]] station ([[Naugatuck (Metro-North station)|Naugatuck]]) along the [[Waterbury Branch]] of the [[New Haven Line]]. The principal highways through the town are [[Connecticut Route 63]] (connecting to [[New Haven, Connecticut|New Haven]]), [[Connecticut Route 68|Route 68]] (leading to [[Durham, Connecticut|Durham]]), and the [[Connecticut Route 8|Route 8]] expressway (for [[Waterbury, Connecticut|Waterbury]], [[Derby, Connecticut|Derby]], [[Torrington, Connecticut|Torrington]], and [[Bridgeport, Connecticut|Bridgeport]]).

==Demographics==

{{US Census population
|1850= 1720
|1860= 2590
|1870= 2830
|1880= 4274
|1890= 6218
|1900= 10541
|1910= 12722
|1920= 15051
|1930= 14315
|1940= 15388
|1950= 17455
|1960= 19511
|1970= 23034
|1980= 26456
|1990= 30625
|2000= 30989
|2010= 31862
|2020= 31519
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref>
}}
{{See also|List of Connecticut locations by per capita income}}
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2008-01-31|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref> of 2000, there were 30,989 people, 11,829 households, and 8,292 families residing in the borough.  The population density was {{convert|1,890.9|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}.  There were 12,341 housing units at an average density of {{convert|753.0|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}.  The racial makeup of the borough was 91.76% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 2.85% [[African American (U.S. Census)|Black]] or [[Race (United States Census)|African American]], 0.26% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 1.68% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.02% [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 1.58% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 1.85% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 4.47% of the population.

Of the 11,829 households, 36.3% of them had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.3% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 12.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.9% were non-families. 24.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.  The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.13.

In the borough, the population was spread out, with 26.9% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 33.1% from 25 to 44, 21.0% from 45 to 64, and 11.7% who were 65 years of age or older.  The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.7 males.  For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.5 males.

The median income for a household in the borough was $51,247, and the median income for a family was $59,286. Males had a median income of $42,103 versus $29,971 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the borough was $22,757.  About 0.9% of families and 1.4% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 1.4% of those under age 18 and 6.0% of those age 65 or over.

{| class=wikitable
! colspan = 6 | Voter registration and party enrollment as of November 5, 2016<ref>{{cite web | title = Registration and Party Enrollment Statistics as of November 1, 2016 | publisher = Connecticut Secretary of State | format = PDF | access-date = 2019-05-28 | url = https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/SOTS/ElectionServices/Registration_and_Enrollment_Stats/Copy-of-Nov18RE.pdf?la=en | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170205183747/http://www.sots.ct.gov/sots/lib/sots/electionservices/registration_and_enrollment_stats/nov16r%26e.pdf | archive-date = February 5, 2017 | url-status = dead }}</ref>
|-
! colspan = 2 | Party
! Active voters
! Inactive voters
! Total voters
! Percentage
|-
| {{party color cell|Democratic Party (United States)}}
| [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
| style="text-align:center;"| 6,068
| style="text-align:center;"| 389
| style="text-align:center;"| 6,457
| style="text-align:center;"| 31.66%
|-
| {{party color cell|Republican Party (United States)}}
| [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
| style="text-align:center;"| 4,159
| style="text-align:center;"| 200
| style="text-align:center;"| 4,359
| style="text-align:center;"| 21.37%
|-
| {{party color cell|Independent Party (United States)}}
| [[Independent voter|Unaffiliated]]
| style="text-align:center;"| 8,551
| style="text-align:center;"| 710
| style="text-align:center;"| 9,261
| style="text-align:center;"| 45.41%
|-
| {{party color cell|Independent Party (United States)}}
| Minor parties
| style="text-align:center;"| 294
| style="text-align:center;"| 23
| style="text-align:center;"| 317
| style="text-align:center;"| 1.55%
|-
! colspan = 2 | Total
! style="text-align:center;"| 19,072
! style="text-align:center;"| 1,322
! style="text-align:center;"| 20,394
! style="text-align:center;"| 100%
|}

==On the National Register of Historic Places==
[[File:PostcardSalemSchoolNaugatuckCT1915.jpg|thumb|Salem School, from a 1905 postcard]]

* [[Bronson B. Tuttle House]]: 380 Church St., now headquarters of the Naugatuck Historical Society
* [[Naugatuck Center Historic District]]: Roughly bounded by Fairview Avenue, Hillside Avenue, Terrace Avenue, Water Street and Pleasant View Street (added August 30, 1999)
* [[Salem School (Naugatuck, Connecticut)|Salem School]]: 124 Meadow St. (added December 3, 1983). Before construction of the first Naugatuck High School (now Hillside Intermediate School), high-school classes were held on the top floor of this building.
* [[United States Post Office–Naugatuck Main]]: Church and Cedar streets (added February 21, 1986)

<ref></ref>==Notable people==

* [[Adrian (costume designer)|Adrian]], costume designer for Hollywood films such as ''The Wizard of Oz'' and the Broadway musical ''Camelot'', for which he won a posthumous [[Tony Award]]<ref>[http://www.ibdb.com/person.php?id=24600 IBDB]</ref>
* [[Michael Bergin]], former Calvin Klein model and ''Baywatch'' actor; attended Naugatuck High School where he played baseball and basketball
* [[Seth Bingham]], organist and prolific composer
*[[Emily Sophie Brown]], one of the first women to serve in the [[Connecticut House of Representatives]]; resident of Naugatuck from 1910 to 1985
* [[Billy Burke (golfer)|Billy Burke]], professional golfer, winner of the [[1931 U.S. Open (golf)|1931 U.S. Open]]
* [[Ray Foley (baseball)|Ray Foley]], baseball player who appeared in two games for the [[1928 New York Giants (MLB) season|1928 New York Giants]]
* [[Charles Goodyear]], first American to [[Vulcanization|vulcanize]] rubber, lived in Naugatuck as a young man; his brother, Henry Goodyear, founded the Goodyear Metallic Rubber Shoe Company in Naugatuck that became part of the United States Rubber Company in 1892<ref>C. Slack, ''Noble Obsession'', (Hyperion, 2003)</ref><ref>Federal Writers' Project, ''Connecticut: A Guide to Its Roads, Lore, and People'' (US History Publishers, 1938)</ref>
* [[Shirley Grey]], stage and movie actress during the 1920s and 1930s
* [[Robert Harper (computer scientist)|Robert Harper]], computer scientist
* [[Mohamed Hrezi]], runner who competed in the [[Athletics at the 2016 Summer Olympics – Men's marathon|2016 Summer Olympics in the marathon]]
* [[Spec Shea|Frank "Spec" Shea]], professional baseball player who pitched in [[1947 World Series]], nicknamed "The Naugatuck Nugget"<ref>{{cite web|url=https://baseballbiography.com/spec-shea-1920|title=Spec Shea|publisher=Baseballbiography.com|access-date=2008-07-30}}</ref>
* Jack Fortin, Current Seton Hall student studying criminal Justice

==See also==
* [[Gunntown Cemetery]]
* [[Hop Brook Lake]]
* [[Laurel Park Incorporated]]
* [[Naugatuck State Forest]]
* [[St. Hedwig Parish, Union City]]

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Naugatuck, Connecticut}}
{{NSRW Poster|Naugatuck, Conn.}}
* [http://www.naugatuck-ct.gov Borough of Naugatuck official website]
* [http://www.naugatuckedc.com Naugatuck Economic Development Commission]
* [http://naugatuckhistory.org Naugatuck Historical Society]
* [http://www.whittemorelibrary.org Howard Whittemore Memorial Library]

{{Connecticut}}
{{New Haven County, Connecticut}}
{{Naugatuck Valley Planning Region, Connecticut}}
{{New York metropolitan area}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Naugatuck, Connecticut| ]]
[[Category:Boroughs in Connecticut]]
[[Category:Boroughs in New Haven County, Connecticut]]
[[Category:Connecticut placenames of Native American origin]]
[[Category:Towns in New Haven County, Connecticut]]
[[Category:Greater Waterbury, Connecticut]]
[[Category:Naugatuck River Valley]]
[[Category:Towns in the New York metropolitan area]]
[[Category:Towns in Connecticut]]
[[Category:Towns in Naugatuck Valley Planning Region, Connecticut]]