Black Rock was first settled in 1644 by a group of settlers led by Thomas Wheeler.[4] The region was also inhabited by Native Americans, who relinquished their settlement in the area in 1681.[4]
Early Map of Fairfield and Black Rock - Before the settlement of Bridgeport.
During the early days of Black Rock, the area was also the community of Stratfield, which has also been absorbed into modern Bridgeport.[citation needed] Stratfield was originally known as Pequonnock and was located about midway between Black Rock and the original settlement of Bridgeport.[citation needed] The cemetery known as Stratfield Burying Place is located here and has many of Black Rock's early settlers interred there.[citation needed]
Black Rock was incorporated into Bridgeport in 1870.[4]
In the late 19th century and early 20th century, wealthy merchants built homes in Black Rock in an array of different architectural styles, including Mediterranean Revival and Tudor Revival.[5] One of these homes, with 3 acres (12,000m2) of land and 16 rooms ("The Chimneys"), is located on Old Battery Road.[6] The S. S. Norden Club is a private club founded in 1902, the first of a number of private clubs in the neighborhood.[citation needed]
A Carnegie Library was built in the neighborhood in 1932, which would later become the Black Rock Branch Library, a branch of the Bridgeport Public Library system.[7]
Queen Anne-style houses within the Black Rock Historic District
Black Rock maintains a leafy and seaside character which is typically viewed in stark contrast to the more industrial and urban character of Bridgeport as a whole.[8] Despite this, the area is more affordable compared to many of the surrounding towns, partially due to the association of the neighborhood with Bridgeport.[8][9]
The neighborhood maintains a diverse character, with sizable Irish, Mexican, Jamaican, and Indian communities.[9] Many who move to the neighborhood are retirees, but the area is also home to a small but growing art scene.[5][8][9]
In July 2009, the Black Rock Branch Library, the area's library, expanded in size from 6,000 to 11,000 square feet, and was renovated to be outfitted with wi-fi and public computers.[7]
While the neighborhood is overwhelmingly residential, there is a significant commercial presence along Fairfield Avenue, the main thoroughfare, which connects Black Rock to Fairfield and downtown Bridgeport.[1] Fairfield Avenue is in a state of transition with older businesses being replaced by upscale restaurants, cafes, espresso bars, gourmet ice cream shops, and art galleries.[citation needed]
The neighborhood's residential areas lie on either side of Fairfield Avenue, with the area of least density being a section called St. Mary's-by-the-Sea, which consists of Resident AA zoned properties (which require a minimum lot of 11,250 SF).[1] Grovers Hill is the highest elevation in Black Rock and some of the most expensive properties in Black Rock are located on this hill with views of Long Island Sound.[citation needed] There are also direct waterfront properties, including two condominium complexes on the Sound and two on the Ash Creek tidal estuary.[citation needed] St. Mary's-by-the-Sea also has a 9-acre (36,000m2) public park along the Sound with half a mile of sidewalks and an area for bird watching.[citation needed]
Two Greater Bridgeport Transit bus routes run in Black Rock, primarily along Fairfield Avenue. The Coastal Link, a service provided in conjunction with the Norwalk Transit District and the Milford Transit District, runs eastbound to the Connecticut Post Mall in Milford and westbound to the Norwalk Wheels Hub in Central Norwalk. Greater Bridgeport Transit's Route 5 runs south along Brewster Street (the primary north–south artery that links the neighborhood to neighboring Fairfield) and provides additional eastbound service along Fairfield Avenue. Route 5's primary terminus is the intermodal transit center in Downtown Bridgeport, where riders can make connections to several other bus routes and Metro-North. Service along these routes typically run every 30 minutes Monday through Saturday, while Sunday service is hourly.
Business Association
The Black Rock Business Association (BRBA), originated in 2005, is a group of Black Rock business owners who work together to promote Black Rock as a shopping, dining and entertainment district.
The Black Rock Business Association's activities include:
Black Rock Harvest Hootenanny
Managing local website and calendar for www.EnjoyBlackRock.com
Seasonal neighborhood clean-up projects
Business development workshops, open to the community
Sponsorship of neighborhood enhancements, such as trash pick-up
Black Rock has an overall moderate climate, the average January temperature is around 23 degrees (F) and the average high in July is 82 degrees (F).[11] Black Rock has in the past been hit with a number of large winter snow storms. Although the average snowfall is 29", the following is the list of top snow-accumulating winters (October 1 - April 30):[12]
Black Rock: A Bicentennial Picture Book - A Visual History of the Old Seaport of Bridgeport: 1644 to 1976, edited and designed by Dick Jones and published by the Black Rock Civic and Men's Club, Inc. in 1976.
Fairfield County is a county in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is the most populous county in the state and was also its fastest-growing from 2010 to 2020. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 957,419, representing 26.6% of Connecticut's overall population. The closest to the center of the New York metropolitan area, the county contains four of the state's top 7 largest cities—Bridgeport (1st), Stamford (2nd), Norwalk (6th), and Danbury (7th)—whose combined population of 433,368 is nearly half the county's total population.
Fairfield is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It borders the city of Bridgeport and towns of Trumbull, Easton, Weston, and Westport along the Gold Coast of Connecticut. As of 2020, the town had a population of 61,512. The town is part of the Greater Bridgeport Planning Region.
Norwalk is a city located in Western Connecticut, United States, in southern Fairfield County, on the northern shore of the Long Island Sound. Norwalk lies within both the New York metropolitan area and the Bridgeport metropolitan area.
South Norwalk is a neighborhood in Norwalk, Connecticut which corresponds to the city's Second Taxing District. Often referred to as SoNo, the neighborhood was originally settled as Old Well, then chartered as the city of South Norwalk on August 18, 1870. The cities of Norwalk and South Norwalk were incorporated on June 6, 1913. South Norwalk underwent major redevelopment during the early 21st century, with many new apartments being constructed, often in close proximity to South Norwalk station, and generally more expensive than existing housing.
Southport is a census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Fairfield, Connecticut. It is located along Long Island Sound between Mill River and Sasco Brook, where it borders Westport. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 1,710. Settled in 1639, Southport center has been designated a local historic district since 1967. In 1971, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Southport Historic District.
Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running in a general east–west compass direction for 111.57 miles (179.55 km) in Connecticut, from the New York state line to the Rhode Island state line. I-95 from Greenwich to East Lyme is part of the Connecticut Turnpike, during which it passes through the major cities of Stamford, Bridgeport, and New Haven. After leaving the turnpike in East Lyme, I-95 is known as the Jewish War Veterans Memorial Highway and passes through New London, Groton, and Mystic, before exiting the state through North Stonington at the Rhode Island border.
The Norwalk Transit District (NTD) is the primary provider of public transportation services in Norwalk, Connecticut, United States, and surrounding communities. The local Norwalk fixed-route bus transit system, is the primary service of the district linking Norwalk and its immediate suburbs. The agency also operates regional bus services as far north as Danbury and as far east as Bridgeport and commuter shuttles to Metro-North stations. Paratransit door-to-door services are available for residents in the service area unable to use regular transit services. Norwalk Transit contracts with local transportation service providers to perform some of the door-to-door services, and is also the provider of public transit for the Westport Transit District.
Stamford-Bridgeport-Norwalk is a metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Connecticut. The area is located in Southwestern Connecticut. In its most conservative form the area consists of the city of Bridgeport and five surrounding towns—Easton, Fairfield, Monroe, Stratford, and Trumbull. This definition of the Stamford area has a population of more than 305,000 and is within the Stamford -Bridgeport-Norwalk-Danbury metropolitan statistical area, which consists of all of Fairfield County, Connecticut. The estimated 2015 county population was 948,053. The area is numbered as part of the New York-Newark Combined Statistical Area NY-NJ-CT-PA by the United States Census Bureau.
Silvermine is an unincorporated community in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States that extends across three southwestern Connecticut towns: Norwalk, New Canaan and Wilton.
Fairfield–Black Rock, originally named Fairfield Metro, is a commuter rail station on the Metro-North Railroad New Haven Line, located in the town of Fairfield, Connecticut. It opened as an infill station on December 5, 2011.
Route 59 is a north–south state highway in Connecticut, running from Bridgeport to Monroe. Between Bridgeport and Easton, Route 59 used to be the Stratfield and Weston Turnpike, which operated from 1797 to 1886. Modern Route 59 was designated along the turnpike route in 1932 with a northward extension to the Upper Stepney section of Monroe.
The history of Bridgeport, Connecticut was, in the late 17th and most of the 18th century, one of land acquisitions from the native inhabitants, farming and fishing. From the mid-18th century to the mid-19th century, Bridgeport's history was one of shipbuilding, whaling and rapid growth. Bridgeport's growth accelerated even further from the mid-19th century to the mid-20th century with the advent of the railroad, Industrialization, massive immigration, labor movements until, at its peak population in 1950, Bridgeport with some 159,000 people was Connecticut's second most populous city. In the late 20th century, Bridgeport's history was one of deindustrialization and declining population, though it overtook Hartford as the state's most populous city by 1980.
The Black Rock Historic District is a predominantly residential historic district in the Black Rock section of Bridgeport, Connecticut. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. At that time it included 109 contributing buildings. The historic district surrounds at the upper reaches of Black Rock Harbor.
Greater Bridgeport Transit (GBT) is a transit service serving the Greater Bridgeport region of the U.S. state of Connecticut. GBT provides local bus service to the cities/towns of Bridgeport, Trumbull, Stratford, Milford, Fairfield, Westport, Shelton, and Monroe. The fleet is composed of mainly New Flyer Xcelsior and New Flyer Low Floor, as well as Gillig Low Floor and two Proterra Catalyst BE40 models.
Ash Creek is a tidal creek and intertidal wetland in Fairfield County, Connecticut that serves as a border between the city of Bridgeport and the town of Fairfield. It is the last salt water estuary in the area, extending from Long Island Sound and up the Rooster River.
Bridgeport is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Connecticut and the fifth-most populous city in New England, with a population of 148,654 in 2020. Located in eastern Fairfield County at the mouth of the Pequonnock River on Long Island Sound, it is a port city 60 miles (97 km) from Manhattan and 40 miles (64 km) from The Bronx. It borders the towns of Trumbull to the north, Fairfield to the west, and Stratford to the east. Bridgeport and other towns in Fairfield County make up the Greater Bridgeport Planning Region, as well as the Bridgeport–Stamford–Norwalk–Danbury metropolitan statistical area, the second largest metropolitan area in Connecticut. The Bridgeport–Stamford–Norwalk–Danbury metropolis forms part of the New York metropolitan area.
Long Hill is a neighborhood and census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Trumbull in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It is located west of the Pequonnock River. The main thoroughfare is Connecticut Route 111, present-day Main Street. It was listed as a census-designated place prior to the 2020 census.
Connecticut Railway and Lighting Company was a streetcar and bus transit operator serving the region around Bridgeport, Norwalk, Derby, New Britain and Waterbury, Connecticut. It was formed in 1901 by United Gas Improvement Company of Philadelphia to manage the streetcar operations of the Connecticut Light and Power Company, which at the time included Central Railway and Electric Company, Norwalk Street Railway, and the Waterbury Traction Company. The newly formed Connecticut Railway and Lighting acquired Bridgeport Traction Company, Derby Street Railway, Milford Street Railway, Shelton Street Railway, Meriden, Southington and Compounce Tramway Company, and the Cheshire Street Railway. Connecticut Railway and Lighting was leased to the Consolidated Railway and in turn the Connecticut Company between 1906 and 1936. Streetcar operations were discontinued in 1937 when all lines were converted to bus. Transit operations continued until 1972, when all remaining bus operations were suspended and taken over by Connecticut Transit, except in Bridgeport- by the Greater Bridgeport Transit District in 1975.
Bridgeport, Connecticut is a major city of Connecticut located on Long Island Sound at the mouth of the Pequonnock River.
The Stratfield Historic District is a historic residential area on the west side of Bridgeport, Connecticut. In the late 19th and early 20th century, it was one of the highest-status and most fashionable neighborhoods in the city. At more than 100 acres (40 ha) in size, it is one of the largest assemblages of high-status residential architecture in the state. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
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