Bridgeport, CT

Built off the harbor where the Pequannock River meets Yellow Mill Pond, Bridgeport, Connecticut is the most populated city in the state. With its proximity to New York City, Bridgeport has become a popular place to settle because of its affordable housing and seaside development. The city is diverse in both its ethnicity and wealth, with both prosperous seaside neighborhoods such as Black Rock and the struggling urban East Bridgeport.

NEIGHBORHOODS AND DISTRICTS

• Downtown: There has been a recent effort to renovate the historic section of the city, and the downtown lays claim to the Barnum Museum and other attractions. However, many blocks of downtown are filled with boarded-up buildings and vacant lots. Housatonic Community College is located downtown.
• East Bridgeport: This area suffered a severe decline after most of the Bridgeport industries shut down in the late 1970s. Once a thriving manufacturing center, East Bridgeport has been plagued by high unemployment and vacancy rates. After the factories closed, unemployment and crime rates rose significantly, while the city developed a serious drug trafficking problem. Although the situation has improved in recent years, the 2000 census reported that 18% of the population of Bridgeport was living under the poverty line.
• Black Rock: While the urban center of Bridgeport faces a number of challenges, the seaside neighborhood of Black Rock is booming. On the southwestern side of the city, Black Rock offers the feel of a costal town while at the same time, plenty of action.
• Brooklawn: Located near Black Rock on the west side, Brooklawn is mostly an upper-middle to upper-class neighborhood that considers itself part of Bridgeport and part of the neighboring town, Fairfield. A large number of its residents commute to New York City on a daily basis for work, as the expensive outlying area has encouraged people to move back into the city to find affordable housing.

ECONOMY AND INDUSTRIES

• Employment: The construction industry is the most common industry that employs males within Bridgeport while the health care industry is the most common employer of females. At 6.5% in 2007, unemployment in Bridgeport in was above the state average of 4.3%.
• Industry: While manufacturing has died out in Bridgeport, the town has become an important retail/trade location because of its seaport, railroad center, and proximity to interstates and highways. While the renovation of the waterfront, the emergence of the Black Rock community, and low real estate prices have lured some home buyers, the high crime rate and lack of major companies has kept others away.
• Employers: The largest employers in Bridgeport are People's Bank, with 3,443 employees; St. Vincent's Hospital with 1,800 employees; Bridgeport Hospital with 1,700 employees; and City of Bridgeport with 1,493 employees. The drop-off in number of employees per company is significant after these operations.

FAMILY FUN

• Captain Cove's Seaport: Located in the neighborhood of Black Rock, the active maritime and amusement center is full of upscale restaurants, shopping, and entertainment.
• Seaside Park: Situated along the Long Island Sound, the park is west of the harbor. The park has memorials to Bridgeport businessman Elias Howe, showman P.T. Barnum, and a monument to U.S. soldiers. Athletic fields, picnic areas, playgrounds, a beach, and a boat launching area are some of the features of Bridgeport's second biggest park.
• Beardsley Zoo: The zoo is located adjacent to Beardsley Park on the north end of Bridgeport and it is the only zoo in Connecticut.
• Barnum Museum: The museum celebrates Bridgeport's famous resident and circus promoter, P.T. Barnum, who was once the mayor of the city. He invested in Bridgeport's development, especially in East Bridgeport and kept his circus in the city during the winter.

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

• Playhouse on the Green: A Non-Profit Community Theater, Playhouse on the Green stages many musicals and plays located downtown on State Street.
• Housatonic Museum of Art: This museum holds the largest collection of art in any two-year university in the country.
• Black Rock Arts Center: The center welcomes performers from all over the world and music from Asia, the Caribbean, South America, and Africa has been enjoyed in the multi-cultural center. The Black Rock Blues Festival and a cabaret show series are put on at the Black Rock Arts Center annually. The center also serves as an art gallery and education center.
• Discovery Museum and Planetarium: The downtown museum focuses on science education and has a Challenger exhibit (the only one of its kind in the State) associated with the national space program.

EDUCATION

• Housatonic Community College
• University of Bridgeport

SPORTS TEAMS

• Bridgeport Bluefish (Minor League Baseball) call the Ballpark at Harbor Yard their home.
• Bridgeport Sound Tigers (AHL Hockey) play at the Arena at Harbor Yard.

LOCAL MEDIA

• WPKN 89.5 Public Radio
• WLVG 96.1 Adult Contemporary
• WRCN 103.9 Classic Rock
• WDRE 105.3 Dance Music
• WEBE 107.9 Mix Music

• WICC 600 News Talk
• WCUM 1450 Spanish Radio
• WFIF 1500 Religious
• WDJZ 1530 Gospel

• Bridgeport News
• Connecticut Post
• Scribe
• Fairfield County Weekly
• Fairfield County Catholic