Torrington

History

Torrington was first settled in 1735 by Ebenezer Lyman, Jr., of Durham, Connecticut. The downtown section of Torrington was known as Wolcottville, after the Wolcott family of Connecticut, which produced several governors between 1813 and 1881. Its early settlers resided on the hills west of the Naugatuck River where the first school, church, store, and tavern were constructed. Later, the eastern hill known as Torringford was settled, as it provided the best farmland. Torrington was given permission to organize a government and incorporate as a town in October 1740. The town is named after Torrington in Devon, England. The fast moving waters of the Naugatuck River were used to power early nineteenth-century industries. Industrial growth skyrocketed when Frederick Wolcott constructed a woolen mill in 1813. The mill attracted a large workforce and created demands for goods, services, and housing. Israel Coe and Erastus Hodges began the construction of two brass mills on the Naugatuck River in 1834. This event sparked the beginning of the brass industry in Torrington, which later would spread throughout the entire Naugatuck Valley. In 1849, the Naugatuck Valley railroad was completed, connecting Torrington with other population centers, ending its isolation, and stimulating further industrial growth. Soon, Torrington was producing a variety of metal products, including needles, brass, hardware, bicycles, and tacks. Torrington's growing industrial plants attracted English, Irish, and German immigrants throughout the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Between 1880 and 1920, Torrington's population soared from 3,000 to 22,000 as immigration from southern and eastern Europe increased; most immigrants during this period were Poles, Czechs, Slovaks, and Italians.…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 40.4 square miles (104.6 km). Approximately 39.8 square miles (103.1 km) of this area is land and 1.5 km (0.6 sq mi or 1.41%) is water. The eastern and western sides of the city, at its borders, are at the tops of peaks, while the downtown and central sections of the city are in the Naugatuck River Valley. This provides some interesting views from the higher locations, with the city lights as a backdrop below. Due to the lack of suitable highways and bypass routes in an east–west direction, crossing the city requires driving down into the valley and back up the other side. *Burrville *Drakeville *Newfield *Torringford (part of which has been named the Torringford Street Historic District) *Downtown Torrington *West Torrington *Wrightville This climatic region is typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Torrington has a humid continental climate, abbreviated "Dfb" on climate maps. The climate data is taken from a weather station in Bakerville, CT 5 miles east of Torrington.

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• Torrington High School
  High · Torrington · 1,010 students · 11.6:1 ratio
• Torrington Middle School
  Middle · Torrington · 975 students · 11.9:1 ratio
• Har-Bur Middle School
  Middle · Burlington · 653 students · 10.4:1 ratio
• Lewis S. Mills High School
  High · Burlington · 648 students · 11.2:1 ratio
• Oliver Wolcott Technical High School
  High · Torrington · 618 students · 12.1:1 ratio
• Torringford School
  Elementary · Torrington · 612 students · 13.6:1 ratio
• Northwestern Regional High School
  High · Winsted · 564 students · 9.6:1 ratio
• Vogel-Wetmore School
  Elementary · Torrington · 532 students · 11.1:1 ratio