New Britain, Connecticut
Encyclopedia : N : NE : NEW : New Britain, Connecticut
New Britain is a city in Hartford County, Connecticut, 9 miles (14 km) southwest of Hartford. In 1900, 25,998 people lived in New Britain, Connecticut; in 1910, 43,916; in 1915, 52,203; in 1920, 59,316; and in 1940, 68,685. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 71,538. While it was considered a city of its own, New Britain is now considered a suburb of Hartford, which is only nine miles away.
New Britain has the largest Polish population of any city in Connecticut. The city is home to Central Connecticut State University and Charter Oak State College. It also hosts a Double A minor league baseball team known as the New Britain Rock Cats.
The New Britain Museum of American Art, located at 56 Lexington Street adjacent to Walnut Hill Park, is the oldest art museum in the United States devoted to American Art and contains a famous and comprehensive art collection from the 18th century to the present.
New Britain's official nickname is the "Beehive City." New Britain-ites are well-known for their unique pronunciation of their town, a fast "Newbrituhhn." New Britain is also known as "Hardware City" because of its history as a manufacturing center and as the headquarters of Stanley Works. New Britain is known as a tough city to be from, but in reality, the city is more tightly knit than what one might assume.
In addition, because of its large Polish population, the city is sometimes playfully referred to as "New Britski." Broad Street in Downtown New Britain is home to Crakovia, Kasia's Bakery, Roly Poly, and a host of butcher shops, nightclubs for the fashionable Polish youth in the evening, and markets with Polish teas, Wedel chocolate, and pickled foods like red cabbage, saurkraut, and beets. In the summertime, many Poles flock to "Polanka" (in back of Pulaski Middle School) for Dozjinki (a festival), where one can find buttermilk, yellow, and brown amber jewelry from the Baltic, as well as pretty wooden boxes with traditional Polish carving. Pierogi and Golumbki are served as local New England Polish bands play until late Sunday evenings. Poles throughout the city may also be conversing over coffee and pastry at home with newsbroadcasts from Poland, updating them on what is going on in The Fatherland (another great New Britain restaurant). The Polish community is known for fruitious gardens, immaculate flowers, and (most likely) a Catholic figure in the front yard (not unlike Mexican-Americans and Mary de Guadalupe). Many New Britain Poles cherish Our Lady of Czestochowa and preserve their Eastern European heritage and pride by honoring the mysterious and difficult Polish language. New Britain High School even offers Polish as a 4-year language to study and master! Some backyards also have wooden stoves to smoke kielbasa for a few hours. Halerpost, also on Broad Street, is home to many of New Britain's settled families. Just ask a Polish-American where their parents met. There's a good chance they met at Halerpost! Broad Street is home to Sacred Heart, a K-8 private school. Most students are Polish or first generation American. They, too, teach Polish and have a beautiful Polish church under the big, English language church.
The slogan for its high school sports teams, the Golden Hurricanes, (as well as the city's high level of violent crime) is "Hard Hittin' New Britain". The New Britain Golden Hurricanes is well known in the state of Connecticut, with many state championships under their belt including several Football State Championships, and the most recent, the Girls' Basketbll State Championship. New Britain High School's marching band is considered the best among surrounding public high schools, featuring Majorettes, Cane-ettes, the Color Guard, and musicians playing clarinets, trombones, trumpets, flutes, and a very powerful drumming section, known for their strong cadence, heard for miles around "The High School"'s neighborhood. New Britain High's JROTC program has also had great success, winning countless drill team and color guard competitions, including the New England Championship in regulation drill. They have also earned the Honor Unit with Distinction Award several times consecutively.
New Britain is also home to Capitol Lunch, where they have the best hot dogs, located on Main Street. They have a secret sauce there, similar to chili, but better. Capitol Lunch hasn't changed, and that's why the city's inhabitants love it. There are many other New Britain restaurants that deserve recognition, including Meadowlands and Roma, two neighborhood restaurants that have operated for decades and have loyal patrons.
History
New Britain was settled in 1687 and was incorporated as a parish under the name New Britain Society in 1754. Chartered in 1850 as a township and in 1871 as a city, New Britain was separated from the nearby town of Berlin, Connecticut. A consolidation charter was adopted in 1905.During the early part of the 20th century, New Britain was known as the "Hardware Capital of the World," as well as "Hardware City." Major manufacturers, such as The Stanley Works and Corbin Locks, were headquartered in the city.
This is the birthplace and home of Elihu Burritt. History of New Britain by Camp, (New Britain, 1889) is a valuable source of information.
Here are some other sources of information about New Britain:
A Walk Around Walnut Hill, 1975, written by the late Kenneth Larson, an artist and historian and vocal opponent of the city's redevelopment program. This illustrated book was part of an effort to make the city aware of its rich architectural history.
New Britain by Alfred Andrews, 1867. The Andrews history predates Camp's work and has an especially strong focus on the city's early religious and family histories.
A History of New Britain by Herbert E. Fowler, 1960. This work was commissioned by the New Britain Historical Society. It's a comprehensive study. Dr. Fowler, a professor at Central Connecticut State University, passed away in 1963 at the age of 80.
The Story of New Britain by Lillian Hart Tryon, 1925, and published by the Esther Stanley Chapter of the DAR. It includes richly detailed sketches by Mortimer Warren of old New Britain scenes.
Images of America, New Britain by Arlene Palmer, 1995. A former curator of the New Britain Public Library's Local History Room, Ms. Palmer prepared a series of books that document, in photographs, the city.
New Britain, The City of Invention by Patrick Thibodeau and Arlene Palmer. Thibodeau is a former reporter and editor at The Herald.
Notable Athletes
Tebucky Jones- Miami Dolphins, Free Safety, Class of NBHS, 1993Carl Pavano- New York Yankees, Pitcher
John Plefka- Texas Tech, Basketball
Eric Pierce- Tennessee, Track&field
Justice Hairston- Rutgers, Running Back
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 34.7 km² (13.4 mi²). 34.6 km² (13.3 mi²) of it is land and 0.2 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (0.52%) is water.Demographics
As of the census² of 2000, there were 71,538 people, 28,558 households, and 16,934 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,070.5/km² (5,364.0/mi²). There were 31,164 housing units at an average density of 902.0/km² (2,336.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 69.38% White, 10.89% African American, 0.37% Native American, 2.36% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 13.12% from other races, and 3.81% from two or more races. 26.75% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.There were 28,558 households out of which 28.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.6% were married couples living together, 17.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.7% were non-families. 33.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.40 and the average family size was 3.08.
In the city the population was spread out with 24.2% under the age of 18, 12.5% from 18 to 24, 28.9% from 25 to 44, 18.6% from 45 to 64, and 15.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 91.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $34,185, and the median income for a family was $41,056. Males had a median income of $34,848 versus $26,873 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,404. About 13.3% of families and 16.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.9% of those under age 18 and 8.9% of those age 65 or over.
Sister Cities
New Britain has five sister cities, as designated by [Sister Cities International, Inc. (SCI)]:
See also
External links
| The State of Connecticut | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital | Hartford | ||||
| Regions | Coastal Connecticut · Greater New Haven · Greater Hartford · Inland Connecticut · Litchfield Hills · Lower Connecticut River Valley · Naugatuck River Valley · New York metropolitan area/Gold Coast · Quiet Corner · Southeastern Connecticut · Southwestern Connecticut | ||||
| Counties | Fairfield · Hartford · Litchfield · Middlesex · New Haven · New London · Tolland · Windham | ||||
| Cities | Ansonia · Bridgeport · Bristol · Danbury · Derby · Groton · Hartford · Manchester · Meriden · Middletown · Milford · New Britain · New Haven · New London · Norwalk · Norwich · Shelton · Stamford · Torrington · Waterbury · West Haven | ||||
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| Geography | Government | History | |||
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