New Britain, Connecticut
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New Britain is both a city and a town (coextensive) located 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.
New Britain's official nickname is the "Beehive City." New Britain is also known as "Hardware City" because of its history as a manufacturing center and as the headquarters of Stanley Works. In addition, because of its large Polish population, the city is sometimes referred to as "New Britski." The slogan for its high school sports teams, the Hurricanes, is "Hard Hittin' New Britain", sometimes pronounced "Hard Hi'in New Bri'in." This pronunciation is derived from the habit of many residents of New Britain to pronounce the t in its name using a glottal stop.
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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.
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 is water. The total area is 0.52% water.
Many regions of New Britain are swampy, earning the city the nickname of "The Great Swamp". The Great Swamp refers to an area of about 1,800 acres that, today, is mostly located in the adjacent town of Berlin. (Source: New Britain, The City of Invention, by Patrick Thibodeau, Windsor, Chatsworth, Calif. 1989)
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. 16.4% of the population and 13.3% of families were below the poverty line. 24.9% of those under the age of 18 and 8.9% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
