Trumbull, Connecticut


Trumbull is a town located in Fairfield County, Connecticut. It borders on the cities of Bridgeport and Shelton and the towns of Stratford, Fairfield, Easton and Monroe. The population was 36,018 during the 2010 census. Trumbull was the home of the Golden Hill Paugussett Indian Nation for thousands of years before the English settlement was made in 1639. The town was named after Jonathan Trumbull, a merchant, patriot, and when it was incorporated in 1797. Aviation pioneer Igor Sikorsky lived in Trumbull during his active years when he designed, built, and flew fixed-wing aircraft and put the helicopter into mass production for the first time.

History

The area comprising the town of Trumbull was occupied by the Paugusset Indian nation for thousands of years before English colonists arrived here during the Great Migration from England and established the town of Stratford, Connecticut in 1639.
In 1725, Stratford residents living in the northern part of the town petitioned the Colony of Connecticut to establish their own separate village. They wished to call their new village Nickol's Farms, after the family who lived in its center. However, the Colony named it Unity instead. The village of Unity merged with the village to its west called Long Hill, to form the town of "North Stratford" in 1744.
In the late 1780s, North Stratford began to petition the Connecticut General Assembly seeking independence from Stratford. The Assembly finally granted full town rights in October 1797 and named the new town after Jonathan Trumbull, a merchant, patriot, and. He was a strong supporter of General George Washington and served as Revolutionary War Governor of Connecticut.

Geography

Bodies of water

The Pequonnock River is the only major waterway in Trumbull, beginning northwest of Old Mine Park at the Monroe border and flowing southeasterly through the Pequonnock River Valley State Park, Trumbull Center and Twin Brooks Park. The river leaves Trumbull and continues into Beardsley Park in Bridgeport.
Major bodies of water include Canoe Brook Lake, Pinewood Lake, Tashua Hills Golf Club Pond, and the six Twin Brooks Park ponds. Minor bodies of water include Dogwood Lake, Frog Pond, Kaatz Pond, Kaechele Pond, Porters Pond, Secret Pond, Thrush Wood Lake and Unity Park Pond.

Land

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of, of which is land and, or 0.98%, is water. According to the U.S. Geological Survey in 1986, the lowest point in town is approximately above sea level at Beach Park. The highest point is the top of Monitor Hill at above sea level.
According to the U.S. Geological Society, at 615 ft Monitor Hill in Trumbull is the highest coastal point on the east coast of the United States. It is marked with a plaque on Monitor Hill Road.

Parks

Trumbull has of park facilities. These areas include:
The town of Trumbull, the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection and the Bridgeport Hydraulic Company agreed to make a joint Town and State purchase of land in the Pequonnock River Valley in 1989. The parcel cost $9,275,000 and is maintained by the Department of Environmental Protection.

Neighborhoods

As of the census of 2000, there were 34,243 people, 11,911 households, and 9,707 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,470.6 people per square mile. There were 12,160 housing units at an average density of 522.2 per square mile. The racial makeup of the town was 94.02% White, 1.88% Black or African American, 0.11% Native American, 2.38% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.71% from other races, and 0.88% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.70% of the population.
There were 11,911 households out of which 37.5% had children under the age of 18 living within them, 71.7% were married couples living together, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.5% were non-families. 16.2% 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 2.82 and the average family size was 3.17.
In the town, the population was spread out with 26.0% under the age of 18, 5.0% from 18 to 24, 27.6% from 25 to 44, 24.1% from 45 to 64, and 17.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.9 males.
As of the 2000 census, males had a median income of $62,201 versus $41,384 for females. The per capita income for the town was $34,931. About 1.4% of families and 2.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.4% of those under age 18 and 3.6% of those over age 65.

2008 estimates

According to the American Community Survey 2008 estimate there were 37,134 people, 12,338 households, and 10,021 families residing in the town.
The population density was 1,593.73 people per square mile. There were 12,651 housing units with an average density of 542.9 per square mile.
There were 12,338 households out of which 40.9% had children under the age of 18 living within them, 69% were married couples living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.8% were non-families. 17.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.90 and the average family size was 3.31.
In the town, the population includes 25.5% under the age of 18 and 20.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43.4 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.8 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $103,082, and the median income for a family was $115,686.The per capita income for the town was $46,307. About 1.7% of families and 2.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.6% of those under age 18 and 2.8% of those over age 65.
The racial makeup of the town was 92.0% White, 4.1% Asian, 2.9% Black or African American, 0.5% from other races, and 0.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.70% of the population. The ten largest ethnicities were Italian 11,025, Irish 9,166, German 4,363, English 3,112, Polish 2,762, Russian 1,558, Hungarian 1,447, French 1,087, Portuguese 885, & Slovak 881.

Notable locations

Bicentennial fountain and time capsule

The town's Bicentennial fountain is located at the corner of Quality Street and Church Hill Road, near the main branch of the library and the town hall. It features the Trumbull town seal and a memorial plaque of donors. In 1997 a time capsule was laid at the base of the Bicentennial Fountain with an opening date of October 12, 2097, Trumbull's tricentennial.

On the National Register of Historic Places

The revised town budget for 2009–2010 is $140,054,187.23.
For 2009, Trumbull maintained a AA bond rating on $26.3 million in new general obligation issues. The total of Trumbull GOs is $98.1 million. Trumbull has approximately 1400 businesses.

Commerce

Shopping

The Westfield Trumbull Mall is located on Route 111, or Main Street, on the town boundary with Bridgeport, has over 180 stores including Target, J.C. Penney and Macy's.
The Hawley Lane Mall is located on Hawley Lane south of Route 8 on the town boundary with Stratford, features Best Buy, Kohl's and Target.

Corporate and industrial parks

Located north of the Merritt Parkway and east of Route 8 near the town boundary with Shelton and Stratford, of commercial space is zoned and includes offices for large firms such as Helicopter Support, Sun Products, Unilever, and United Healthcare. It is also home to the Market Integrity office of the NASDAQ OMX Group.

Economic development

Planning and Zoning Regulations

Professional Office Overlay Zones have been established on certain areas along White Plains Road, Church Hill Road and Main Street. A combination Business Commercial Multi-Family Residential Zone, or Mixed-use, has been created around the historic Long Hill Green, to encourage new commercial development.
Adaptive reuse has been adopted to permit the reuse of all antique structures situated on state numbered roads which have been previously occupied by a non-conforming use, or are deemed historic by the town, and for which uses allowed by the existing zones are no longer viable - resulting in structures that may become badly maintained, under-utilized, vacant or demolished by neglect.

Blight Ordinance

The town amended its Municipal Code effective on October 1, 2012 to establish a Blight Prevention Ordinance pursuant to Section 7-148 of the Municipal Powers Act of the State of Connecticut General Statutes. This new ordinance encourages the rehabilitation of blighted premises by prohibiting any owner, or occupant of real property from; allowing, creating, maintaining or causing the creation or maintenance of a blighted premises.

Taxes

The town's grand list assesses the taxable value in Trumbull at $5.114 billion, with a 2017 mill rate of 33.39. The cumulative value of Trumbull real estate is $4.615 billion.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Roads

The Greater Bridgeport Transit Authority provides bus service for Trumbull.

Train

3 train stations are nearby Trumbull:
All three stations are served by Metro-North's New Haven Line. Bridgeport's station is served by Amtrak's Northeast Corridor and the Vermonter. All are easily accessible by bus routes, or driving. The New Haven Railroad used to serve the town.

Education

Public education

Public schools are managed by the Trumbull Public Schools System and include approximately 6,955 students, 450 teachers and 240 staff. The district has been ranked 18th in Connecticut by the National Center for Education Statistics.
The system includes Trumbull High School, which is also home to an Agriscience & Biotechnology program, the Alternative High School, and REACH. Trumbull has two middle schools: Hillcrest Middle School and Madison Middle School. The six elementary schools in town include Booth Hill Elementary, Daniels Farm Elementary, Frenchtown Elementary, Jane Ryan Elementary School, Middlebrook Elementary, and Tashua Elementary. The Trumbull Early Childhood Education Center serves as the town's pre-school.

Private education

Trumbull has several private schools, including the Christian Heritage School and St. Catherine of Siena School, St. Joseph High School, and St. Theresa School. A private pre-school, the Montessori Center for Early Learning, is located in Trumbull.

Continuing education

Trumbull provides adult education in a variety of subjects at Trumbull High School, typically in the early evening.

Emergency services

Emergency Medical Services

Trumbull EMS is an combined volunteer/paid organization founded in 1976. Trumbull EMS Headquarters is at 250 Middlebrooks Avenue. EMT-B and EMT re-certification classes are regularly offered.

Fire departments

in the town of Trumbull is served by three independent and all-volunteer fire departments. Each fire department handles its own tax structure and fund raising, but receives no funding from the town. There are a total of seven fire stations, equipped with and an apparatus fleet of six engines, three ladder trucks, three rescues, two squads, two fireboats, one town-wide command trailer, five utility units, and numerous support units. The current Town Fire Marshal is Megan Murphy.

Police department

The Trumbull Police Department was created in 1941 through an act of the State Legislature. It is under the jurisdiction of a six-member Board of Police Commissioners appointed by the First Selectman. The department currently has eighty officers and ten civilian workers, including the dog warden. The current Chief of Police is Micahel Lombardo. The police department is located at 158 Edison Road. The 2009–2010 revised departmental budget is $6,819,421.00.

Government and politics

Trumbull is a reliably Republican stronghold in presidential elections. Lyndon B. Johnson is the only Democrat to have won the town in recent years during his landslide victory in 1964; since then, Republicans have carried the municipality comfortably.

Notable sport teams

The National Little League of Trumbull defeated the Kang-Tu Little League of Kaohsiung, Taiwan, in the championship game of the 1989 Little League World Series.

Activities and organizations

The Trumbull Library System is the town's main lending library with a staff of fifteen and two locations. The library features online book searches & renewal, statewide inter-library loan, adult & youth sections, and several meeting rooms. Internet terminals and photocopy machines are also available for use. Various groups utilize the library for meetings and workshops. The catalog of the library includes over 148,000 printed materials, 10,000 video materials, 4,500 audio materials and 200 subscriptions available as audio books on CD/tape/MP3, books, DVD's, graphic novels, magazines, music CD's, and VHS tapes. Annual circulation exceeds 373,000 transactions.
There are two branches of the library:

Local outlets

Family Circle magazine has ranked Trumbull 7th in their "10 Best Towns for Families" 2011. U.S. News & World Report magazine has ranked Trumbull one of the best 15 places to retire in Connecticut. RelocateAmerica.com ranked Trumbull in their annual list of America's "Top 100 Places to Live". Money magazine ranked Trumbull #68 in their 100 best places to live rankings of U.S. cities in 2007 and #77 in 2009.

Notable people

, Jiangsu since 2008