Greater Bridgeport Planning Region, Connecticut

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Greater Bridgeport Planning Region
Connecticut Metropolitan Council of Governments (MetroCOG)
Admission, Beardsley Zoo, 2009-11-06.jpg
Fairfield County Courthouse, Bridgeport, Connecticut.jpg
Stratford Point Lighthouse 2016.jpg
Southport Harbour, Connecticut.JPG
Mechanics & Farmers Savings Bank, Bridgeport, Connecticut.jpg
MetroCOG Logo.png
Map of Connecticut highlighting Greater Bridgeport Planning Region.svg
Location within the U.S. state of Connecticut
Connecticut in United States.svg
Connecticut's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 41°11′N73°11′W / 41.18°N 73.19°W / 41.18; -73.19
CountryFlag of the United States.svg United States
StateFlag of Connecticut.svg  Connecticut
Founded2013
Largest city Bridgeport
Government
  Executive DirectorMatthew Fulda
Area
  Total140.2 sq mi (363 km2)
Population
 (2020)
  Total325,778
Time zone UTC−5 (Eastern)
  Summer (DST) UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional districts 3rd, 4th
Website ctmetro.org
Greater Bridgeport Planning Region, Connecticut
Interactive map of the Greater Bridgeport Planning Region

The Greater Bridgeport Planning Region is a planning region and county-equivalent in Connecticut. It is served by the coterminous Connecticut Metropolitan Council of Governments (MetroCOG). In 2022, planning regions were approved to replace Connecticut's counties as county-equivalents for statistical purposes, with full implementation occurring by 2024. [1] [2]

Contents

MetroCOG policies and activities

MetroCOG is a council of governments and a regional planning organization serving Bridgeport, Fairfield, Easton, Monroe, Stratford, and Trumbull. It regulates economic development, transportation, and environmental quality in the region. MetroCOG also serves as a "host agency" for the Greater Bridgeport and Valley Metropolitan Planning Organization. [3] [4] Mike Tetreau, a Fairfield First Selectman, has served as Executive Director since 2018. [5] The headquarters of MetroCOG is located at 1000 Lafayette Blvd. in Bridgeport.

As of 2018, MetroCOG is looking into initiating a bike-sharing system that would service Bridgeport, Fairfield and Stratford and perhaps Trumbull, Monroe and Easton. [6]

Another priority of the council was to gain a "county government equivalence designation" from the United States Census in order to be able to apply for many federal programs as since 1960, Connecticut has no county governments. [7] This change was made official by the U.S. Census Bureau in 2022.

In 2017 the council worked to secure a $2,050,000 state grant to improve the Pequonnock River trail. [8]

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note
2020 325,778
2022 (est.)327,286 [9] 0.5%
U.S. Decennial Census [2]

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 325,778 people living in the Greater Bridgeport Planning Region. [2]

Municipalities

Bridgeport is the largest city within MetroCOG's boundaries Downtown Bridgeport, October 2021.jpg
Bridgeport is the largest city within MetroCOG's boundaries

The following municipalities are members of the Greater Bridgeport Region: [10]

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References

  1. "Governor Lamont Announces U.S. Census Bureau Approves Proposal for Connecticut's Planning Regions To Become County Equivalents". CT.gov. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 "Change to County-Equivalents in the State of Connecticut". Federal Register . June 6, 2022. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  3. http://www.ctmetro.org/ Metropolitan Connecticut website
  4. https://www.ct.gov/opm/cwp/view.asp?q=383046 Regional Councils of Governments (RCOGs) in Connecticut
  5. Guinness, Meredith (January 24, 2018). "Fairfield's Tetreau To Lead Regional Metro Council". Bridgeport Daily Voice. Retrieved October 19, 2018.
  6. Burgeson, John (October 9, 2018). "Area municipalities consider bike-share options". ctpost. Retrieved October 20, 2018.
  7. Reilly, Genevieve (February 15, 2018). "'County-equivalent' designation could mean more federal money for towns". Fairfield Citizen. Retrieved October 20, 2018.
  8. Zimmerman, Kevin (February 6, 2017). "Trumbull to receive $2M grant to connect river trail to commercial centers". Westfair Communications. Retrieved October 20, 2018.
  9. "U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Greater Bridgeport Planning Region, Connecticut; United States". www.census.gov. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
  10. "About Us". MetroCOG. Retrieved March 24, 2023.