Stamford is a city located in Fairfield County, Connecticut, USA. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 117,083. Stamford is ranked 3rd in having the most Fortune 500 companies, following directly after Chicago and New York City.
For the first half of 2004, Stamford was the safest city in the United States with population over 100,000, according to the FBI. Given Stamford's urbanness, and diversity this is an extraordinary accomplishment; however, crime in the nearby New York metropolitan area in general has diminished greatly since the 1990s and is actually lower than many other major U.S. metropolitan areas today.
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 117,083 people, 45,399 households, and 28,964 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,197.5/km2 (3,101.9/mi2). There are 47,317 housing units at an average density of 484.0/km2 (1,253.6/mi2). The racial makeup of the city is 69.79% White, 15.39% Black or African American, 0.21% Native American, 5.00% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 6.50% from other races, and 3.07% from two or more races. 16.77% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 45,399 households out of which 28.7% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.5% are married couples living together, 11.5% have a female householder with no husband present, and 36.2% are non-families. 28.7% of all households are made up of individuals and 9.8% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.54 and the average family size is 3.13.
In the city the population is spread out with 22.1% under the age of 18, 7.4% from 18 to 24, 35.0% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 13.8% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 36 years. For every 100 females there are 93.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 90.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $60,556, and the median income for a family is $69,337. Males have a median income of $48,386 versus $36,958 for females. The per capita income for the city is $34,987. 7.9% of the population and 5.4% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 8.7% of those under the age of 18 and 9.7% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Italians form the largest ethnic group in Stamford. Irish, Polish, Jewish, Puerto Rican, African-American, and Caribbean people also make up a significant portion of the population.
The downtown area of Stamford has a cluster of modern commercial buildings, some of which are corporate headquarters (many of which moved from New York in the 1980s both to lower their tax bill and to be closer to the homes of their top executives). This includes four Fortune 500 Companies, nine Fortune 1000 Companies, and thirteen Courant 100 Companies,as well as numerous divisions of large corporations, such as GE Commercial Finance, a division of General Electric. This gives Stamford one of the largest concentration of corporations in the nation. UBS AG, International Paper, and Purdue Pharma are some of the companies headquartered downtown. Pitney Bowes has its headquarters in South End, World Wrestling Entertainment and Clairol on the East Side, Xerox, Hyperion, and GE Commercial Finance on Long Ridge Road, several miles north of downtown. Royal Bank of Scotland announced in October 2005 that it would consolidate its North American headquarters in downtown Stamford and build the largest trading floor in North America. The current largest trading floor is across the street from the future site of RBS, at the U.S. headquarters of UBS AG.
Stamford was known as Rippowam by the Native American inhabitants to the region, and the very first European settlers to the area also referred to it as such. The name was later changed to Stamford after a town in Lincolnshire, England. The deed to Stamford was signed on 1 July 1640 between Captain Turner of the New Haven Colony and Chief Ponus. The land that now forms the city of Stamford was bought for 12 coats, 12 hoes, 12 hatchets, 12 glasses, 12 knives, four kettles, and four fathoms of white wampum. The deed was renegotiated several times until 1700 when the territory was given up by the Native American inhabitants for a more substantial sum of money.
One of the primary industries of the small colony was merchandising by water, which was possible due to Stamford's proximity to New York.
Stamford incorporated as a city in 1893. Despite its age, Stamford has very few historic buildings. This can be attributed to a massive urban redevelopment campaign during the 1970s that changed the face of the downtown. The few historic buildings include Old Town Hall (1905, currently unoccupied) and Hoyt Barnum House (1699).
Source:
StamfordConnecticut.com
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