Shelton, Connecticut Article Index for
Shelton
Limousines in
Shelton
Website Links For
Shelton
 

Information About

Shelton, Connecticut




  map Caption Location in Connecticut
  established Title Incorporated (town)
  established Date 1789
  established Title2 Incorporated (city)
  established Date2 1915
  government Type Mayor-board Of Aldermen
  subdivision Type NECTA
  subdivision Name Bridgeport-Stamford
  subdivision Type1 Region
  subdivision Name1 Lower Naugatuck River Valley
  leader Title Mayor
  leader Name Mark A Lauretti (Republican)
  area Total Km2 826
  area Total Sq Mi 319
  population As Of 2005
  population Total 40,142
  population Density Km2 498
  population Density Sq Mi 1290
  timezone Eastern
  utc Offset -5
  timezone DST Eastern
  utc Offset DST -4
  latd 41 latm=18 lats=15 latNS=N
  longd 73 longm=08 longs=17 longEW=W
  postal Code Type ZIP code
  postal Code 06484
  website http://cityofsheltonorg/


Shelton is a city in Fairfield County , Connecticut , United States .

Efforts are underway to restore nineteenth century industrial buildings in the downtown area; those that were beyond repair were demolished in the late 1990s and early 2000s and replaced with the Veteran's Memorial, a farmers' market, and a 10-acre park known as the Riverwalk.


GEOGRAPHY

According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 82.7 Km&2 (31.9 Mi&2 ). 79.2 km&2 (30.6 mi&2) of it is land and 3.5 km&2 (1.4 mi&2) of it (4.26%) is water.


DEMOGRAPHICS

As of the was 481.2/km&2 (1,246.4/mi&2). There were 14,707 housing units at an average density of 185.8/km&2 (481.1/mi&2). The racial makeup of the city was 94.44% White , 1.12% Black or African American , 0.15% Native American , 2.08% Asian , 0.89% from Other Races , and 1.31% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.48% of the population.

There were 14,190 households out of which 32.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.9% were Married Couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.7% were non-families. 21.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.11.

In the city the population was spread out with 23.5% under the age of 18, 5.8% from 18 to 24, 30.0% from 25 to 44, 25.7% from 45 to 64, and 14.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 93.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $67,292, and the median income for a family was $75,523. Males had a median income of $50,210 versus $36,815 for females. The Per Capita Income for the city was $29,893. About 2.5% of families and 3.2% of the population were below the Poverty Line , including 3.2% of those under age 18 and 5.5% of those age 65 or over.


POLITICS

Mark Lauretti is serving his eighth term as mayor.

The Republican Party controls the city government. The Board of Aldermen consists of 5 Republican members, 2 Citizens' United members and one Democrat member. Shelton Board of Aldermen

Political affiliations in Shelton have developed predominantly along demographic lines, with both representatives from the 2nd Ward (Jason Perillo and Stanley Kudej) and 4th Ward (John Papa and Kenneth Olin) being Republicans. The more affluent 1st Ward is represented by Jack Finn, the lone Democrat on the Board, and Citizens' United Alderman Christopher Panek. The 3rd Ward is split between Republican John Anglace, and Citizens' United Alderman Randy York. Anglace (R-3) is the Board's President. Papa (R-4) is its Vice-president.


PROMINENT COMPANIES

  • Perkin Elmer houses their Life and Analyitical sciences division on Bridgeport Avenue. Perkin Elmer is best known for building the optical components of the Hubble Space Telescope .

  • Shelton is home to Wiffle Ball, Inc., manufacturers of the original Wiffle Ball .

  • Home to Swiss Army Brands U.S. regional office, with about 175 employees,"State to aid Shelton firm's move," by Maya Rao, ''The Hartford Courant,'' June 15 , 2006 ; Rao cites James Ryan, head of the Shelton Economic Development Commission. is planning a move to Monroe .

  • TranSwitch Corp. headquarters, 3 Enterprise Drive

  • Pitney Bowes employs 1,460 in the city.

  • Health Net Inc. has 1,500 employees in the city.

  • Computershare (formerly Transcentive Inc.), 2 Enterprise Drive

  • NEC Unified Solutions (formerly Nitsuko America), manufacturer of business telephone systems, 4 Forest Parkway

  • Panolam is headquartered in Shelton.



BACKGROUND


The Shelton Gaels high school football team won the state championship in 1988 , 1995 , 2000 , and 2003 . The Gaels have been a mainstay in statewide newspaper polls and rankings for the past ten years, usually being ranked one of the best teams in the state by sports columnists and reporters.


The Shelton Gaels high school men's volleyball team won the state championship back-to-back in 2004 and 2005, running an impressive 46-0 straight record.

Had one of the largest arson fires in the United States history. It happened in 1975 when the Sponge Rubber Products plant (formerly owned by B.F. Goodrich) was set on fire. Charles Moeller, president of parent company Grand Sheet Metal Products, was acquitted on arson charges, but in a civil lawsuit, a jury in 1988 ruled the insurer did not have to pay claims on the fire because a preponderance of evidence showed the company's top officials arranged the fire to claim insurance money. Eight others were convicted or pleaded guilty.Greenwald, Judy. "Jury rules no cover for bombed building." Business Insurance, April 4, 1988.


NOTABLE RESIDENTS, PAST AND PRESENT



ON THE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES

  • Commodore Hull School — 130 Oak Ave. (added July 30 , 1983 )

  • Huntington Center Historic District — Roughly along Church and Huntington Sts., from Ripton Rd. to the Farmill River (added April , 2000 )

  • Plumb Memorial Library — 47 Wooster St. (added December 7 , 1978 )



EXTERNAL LINKS