Waterbury, Connecticut

File:PostcardWaterburyCTAGWestOptometristSoMainSt1905.jpg

The land was originally inhabited by the Algonquin bands. According to Samuel Orcutt's history, some Puritan residents of nearby Farmington "found it expedient to purchase the same lands from different tribes, without attempting to decide between their rival claims."{{cite book|last1=Orcutt|first1=Samuel|title=The Indians of the Housatonic and Naugatuck Valleys|date=1882|publisher=Case, Lockwood & Brainard|location=Hartford|page=[https://archive.org/details/indianshousaton00orcugoog/page/n30 16]|url=https://archive.org/details/indianshousaton00orcugoog|access-date=November 10, 2015}} The original settlement of Waterbury in 1674 was in the area now known as the Town Plot section. In 1675, the turbulence of King Philip's War caused the new settlement to be vacated until the resumption of peace in 1677. A new permanent location was found across the river to the east along the Mad River. The original Native American inhabitants called the area "Matetacoke" meaning "the interval lands."{{Cite book|title = The Indians of the Housatonic and Naugatuck Valleys|url = http://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/100343706|publisher = Press of the Case, Lockwood & Brainard Co.|date = January 1, 1882|location = Hartford, Conn.|first = Samuel|last = Orcutt|page = 4|access-date = January 16, 2016|archive-date = February 5, 2016|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160205093342/http://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/100343706|url-status = live}} Thus, the settlement's name was Anglicised to "Mattatuck" in 1673. When the settlement was admitted as the 28th town in the Connecticut Colony in 1686,Bronson, Henry (1858). The History of Waterbury, CT. Bronson Bros. p. 4 the name was changed to Waterbury in reference to the numerous streams that emptied into the Naugatuck River from the hills on either side of the valley. At that time, it included all or parts of what later became the towns of Watertown, Plymouth, Wolcott, Prospect, Naugatuck, Thomaston, and Middlebury.

Growth was slow during Waterbury's first hundred years, the lack of arable land due to the constant flooding of the Naugatuck River in particular, discouraged many potential settlers. Furthermore, the residents suffered through a great flood in 1691Bronson, Henry (1858). The History of Waterbury, CT. Bronson Bros. p. 112 and an outbreak of disease in 1712. After a century, Waterbury's population numbered just 5,000.{{Cite book|title = The town and city of Waterbury, Connecticut|publisher = New Haven|date = January 1, 1896|first = Joseph|last = Anderson|hdl = 2027/hvd.32044025023904}}

Waterbury emerged as an early American industrial power in the early 19th century when the city began to manufacture brass, harnessing the waters of the Mad River and Naugatuck River to power the early factories.{{cite web|title = Copper in the USA: US History|url = http://www.copper.org/education/history/us-history/g_fact_us.html|website = www.copper.org|access-date = January 16, 2016|archive-date = January 26, 2016|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160126150254/http://www.copper.org/education/history/us-history/g_fact_us.html|url-status = live}}{{cite web|last1=Guest|first1=Raechel|title=Brass Beginnings|url=http://www.waterburyobserver.org/node/130|website=The Waterbury Observer|access-date=January 28, 2016|archive-date=February 4, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160204091532/http://www.waterburyobserver.org/node/130|url-status=live}} The new brass industry attracted many immigrant laborers from all over the world, leading to an influx of diverse nationalities.{{cite web|title = Early 19th-Century Immigration in Connecticut {{!}} ConnecticutHistory.org|url = http://connecticuthistory.org/early-19th-century-immigration-in-connecticut/|website = connecticuthistory.org|access-date = January 16, 2016|archive-date = April 5, 2016|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160405050744/http://connecticuthistory.org/early-19th-century-immigration-in-connecticut/|url-status = live}} Waterbury was incorporated as a city in 1853 and, as the "Brass Capital of the World", it gained a reputation for the quality and durability of its goods. Brass and copper supplied by Waterbury were used in Nevada's Boulder Dam among myriad applications across the United States.

A famous Waterbury product of the late-19th century was Robert H. Ingersoll's one-dollar pocket watch, five million of which were sold. After this, the clock industry became as important as Waterbury's brass industry. Evidence of these industries can still be seen in Waterbury, as numerous clocktowers and old brass factories have become landmarks of the city.

Waterbury produced silverware starting in 1858 by Rogers & Brother, and in 1886 by Rogers & Hamilton.Hogan, Edmund P. (1977). An American heritage: A book about the International Silver Company, pp. 162, 168-69. Taylor Publishing Company: Dallas, TX. Retrieved September 1, 2018. In 1893, Rogers & Brother exhibited wares at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago.(July 1893). [https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=nyp.33433060475807;view=2up;seq=34 "News section (with photo of Rogers & Brother display)"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200523114941/https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=nyp.33433060475807;view=2up;seq=34 |date=May 23, 2020 }}. House Furnishing Review, pp. 26-7. Retrieved September 1, 2018. In 1898, both companies became part of the International Silver Company, headquartered in nearby Meriden. Production continued at the R&B site until 1938. Designs of the two companies are in the collections of the Mattatuck Museum in Waterbury, the Brooklyn Museum in New York, the Yale University Art Gallery in New Haven, and in many historical societies and museums across the United States.(March 18, 2016). [https://www.artdesigncafe.com/rogers-and-brother-silver-designs "Rogers & Brother designs in collections, at auction, and in exhibitions"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180901113320/https://www.artdesigncafe.com/rogers-and-brother-silver-designs |date=September 1, 2018 }}. artdesigncafe. Retrieved September 1, 2018.(March 5, 2017). [https://www.artdesigncafe.com/rogers-and-hamilton-flatware "Rogers & Hamilton designs in collections, at auction, design catalogues and historical information"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180901145502/https://www.artdesigncafe.com/rogers-and-hamilton-flatware |date=September 1, 2018 }}. artdesigncafe. Retrieved September 1, 2018.

File:WaterburyEastMain1954.jpg

In June 1920, labor unrest occurred, with striking workers fighting with police on the street. Over 30 were arrested, mostly Lithuanians, Russians, Poles, and Italians. The strikers numbered some 15,000,{{cite web|title = Our History > Waterbury Connecticut Police Department|url = http://wtbypd.org/Media/Newsroom/tabid/59/ID/3/Our-History.aspx|website = wtbypd.org|access-date = January 16, 2016|archive-date = January 16, 2016|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160116140428/http://wtbypd.org/Media/Newsroom/tabid/59/ID/3/Our-History.aspx|url-status = live}} with most being employed at Scovill, Chase Rolling Mill, and Chase Metal Works. One striker was shot to death by police.{{Cite journal|title = Machine Guns out in Waterbury Riot|date = June 20, 1919|journal = New York Times}}

At its peak during World War II, 10,000 people worked at the Scovill Manufacturing Co, later sold to Century Brass. The city's metal manufacturing mills (Scovill Manufacturing, Anaconda American Brass, and Chase Brass & Copper were the largest) occupied more than 2 million square feet (180,000 m²) and more than 90 buildings.

On May 24, 1962, the north side of the city was devastated by a high-end F3 tornado that caused widespread damage, destroyed numerous neighborhoods, and left one dead and 50 injured. Damage from the storm was estimated to be at least $5 million.{{cite web |title=Storm Data Publication {{!}} IPS {{!}} National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) |url=https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/IPS/sd/sd.html |website=www.ncdc.noaa.gov |access-date=August 24, 2020 |archive-date=September 28, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130928062146/http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/IPS/sd/sd.html |url-status=live }}{{cite web |title=Connecticut F3 |url=http://www.tornadohistoryproject.com/tornado/19620524.9.1 |website=Tornado History Project |publisher=Storm Prediction Center |access-date=September 23, 2020 |archive-date=September 27, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200927101250/http://www.tornadohistoryproject.com/tornado/19620524.9.1 |url-status=usurped }}{{cite report |title=Connecticut Event Report: F3 Tornado |url=https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=9986192 |website=National Weather Service |publisher=National Center for Environmental Information |access-date=September 23, 2020 |date= |archive-date=October 1, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201001233833/https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=9986192 |url-status=live }}{{cite report |title=Connecticut Event Report: F3 Tornado |url=https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=9986193 |website=National Weather Service |publisher=National Center for Environmental Information |access-date=September 23, 2020 |date= |archive-date=October 28, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211028221753/https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=9986193 |url-status=live }}{{cite news |work=Republican American |title=The Day of the Tornado|url=https://archives.rep-am.com/2012/05/20/the-day-of-the-tornado/ |access-date=September 23, 2020 |archive-date=October 2, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201002012652/https://archives.rep-am.com/2012/05/20/the-day-of-the-tornado/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web |title= 53 years ago today killer tornado of 1962 did comparatively minor damage in Watertown |date=May 24, 2015 |author1=Watertown History Page by Charlie Crowell |url=https://www.facebook.com/334846928460/posts/53-years-ago-todaykiller-tornado-of-1962-did-comparatively-minor-damage-in-water/10152895756528461/ |website=Facebook |access-date=September 23, 2020 |language=en |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240418232133/https://www.facebook.com/100060847285557/posts/10152895756528461/ |archive-date= April 18, 2024 }}{{cite web |title=News |url=https://web.tapr.org/~wa1lou/whs/news201205.html |website=web.tapr.org |access-date=September 23, 2020 |archive-date=October 2, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201002031947/https://web.tapr.org/~wa1lou/whs/news201205.html |url-status=live }}

• Waterbury Land Company was formed in 1807, for the purpose of settling a Connecticut Western Reserve Township named Columbia in Lorain County, Ohio. The draft allotment was purchased for $21,600.{{Cite web |url=http://files.usgwarchives.net/oh/lorain/history/columbia_twp1.txt |title=History of Lorain County, Columbia Township (Part 1) |access-date=October 17, 2018 |archive-date=February 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224125414/http://files.usgwarchives.net/oh/lorain/history/columbia_twp1.txt |url-status=live }}
• Waterbury's Fr. Michael J. McGivney founded the Knights of Columbus in New Haven, Connecticut, on February 2, 1882.[http://www.kofc.org/un/en/about/history/index.html History] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141021035755/http://www.kofc.org/un/en/about/history/index.html |date=October 21, 2014 }}, Knights of Columbus Supreme Council, url accessed November 9, 2014. Though the first councils were in Connecticut, the Order spread throughout the United States.
• Established in 1894, St. Joseph's Church holds the distinction of being the first Lithuanian worshiping community in Connecticut and second oldest in the country.{{Cite web |url=http://www.archdioceseofhartford.org/cgi-bin/history.pl?textdata=283 |title=Parish History |access-date=October 17, 2018 |archive-date=October 18, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181018043112/http://www.archdioceseofhartford.org/cgi-bin/history.pl?textdata=283 |url-status=live }}
• The first Unico Club was founded in Waterbury in 1922 by Dr. Anthony P. Vastola. It grew to 8,000 members and 150 regional groups. The membership is composed of business and professional people of Italian lineage or those who are married to an Italian-American. The clubs sponsor educational, cultural and civic programs.{{Cite web |url=http://www.unico.org/about.asp |title=UNICO National |access-date=October 17, 2018 |archive-date=October 18, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181018003147/http://www.unico.org/about.asp |url-status=live }}
• Sacred Heart was the first Catholic high school in Connecticut, September 6, 1922.{{Cite web |url=http://www.archdioceseofhartford.org/cgi-bin/history.pl?textdata=280 |title=Parish History |access-date=October 17, 2018 |archive-date=December 23, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161223114253/http://www.archdioceseofhartford.org/cgi-bin/history.pl?textdata=280 |url-status=live }}
• One of the first full-length sound motion pictures was made in the 1920s at the studios of the Bristol Co. at Platts Mills by Professor William Henry Bristol, who experimented for years with sound pictures.
• The Waterbury Clock Company produced the Mickey Mouse watch{{cite web |url=http://www.adamdorman.com/preview.php?TableName=flash_clocks&image=0 |title=Mickey Mouse Clock – Free Flash Clock by Adam Dorman – Digital Artist |publisher=Adamdorman.com |access-date=December 24, 2012 |archive-date=August 11, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130811025532/http://www.adamdorman.com/preview.php?TableName=flash_clocks&image=0 |url-status=live }} in 1933 under the Ingersoll brand. The watch was so popular that over 11,000 were sold the first day, and it saved the company from bankruptcy.
• W1XBS in Waterbury was one of four radio stations in the country that began experimental high fidelity broadcasting in 1934. The station broadcast at 1530 kHz, and joined the CBS Radio Network on December 1, 1938. They moved to 1590 kHz in 1941, in accordance with the North American Regional Broadcasting Agreement. The station's broadcasting license was cancelled in 1998 to allow New York's WWRL to be upgraded after that station purchased it; at the time it had been known as WQQW.
• Victor Zembruski started his Polish Eagles show on Waterbury radio station WATR in 1934. {{as of|2010}} called "The Zembruski Family Polka Hour", it is one of the oldest continuously broadcast shows on American radio.{{Cite web|url=http://archives.rep-am.com/2010/09/28/host-of-polka-radio-program-dies-at-92/|title=Host of polka radio program dies at 92 |work= Republican American Archives|date=September 28, 2010 |access-date=October 17, 2018|archive-date=October 18, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181018043059/http://archives.rep-am.com/2010/09/28/host-of-polka-radio-program-dies-at-92/|url-status=live}}
• The Chase Dispensary, a medical clinic for employees of the Chase Brass & Copper Co., opened one of the first birth control clinics in the country in 1938.{{Cite book|title = Liberty and Sexuality: The Right to Privacy and the Making of Roe v. Wade|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=CiRwCQAAQBAJ|publisher = Open Road Media|date = July 7, 2015|isbn = 9781504015554|language = en|first = David J.|last = Garrow|access-date = January 16, 2016|archive-date = May 23, 2020|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200523115118/https://books.google.com/books?id=CiRwCQAAQBAJ|url-status = live}}

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of {{convert|75.0|sqkm|order=flip}}, of which {{convert|73.9|sqkm|order=flip}} is land and {{convert|1.1|sqkm|order=flip}}, or 1.46%, is water.{{cite web| url=https://www.census.gov| title=Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Waterbury city, Connecticut| publisher=United States Census Bureau| access-date=September 26, 2012| archive-date=December 27, 1996| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19961227012639/https://www.census.gov/| url-status=live}}

Waterbury lies in the humid continental climate zone, and normally sees cold, snowy winters and warm, humid summers.

{{Weather box

|location = Waterbury, Connecticut

|single line = Y

|Jan high F = 35

|Feb high F = 39

|Mar high F = 47

|Apr high F = 59

|May high F = 70

|Jun high F = 78

|Jul high F = 83

|Aug high F = 81

|Sep high F = 74

|Oct high F = 63

|Nov high F = 52

|Dec high F = 41

|Jan low F = 15

|Feb low F = 18

|Mar low F = 26

|Apr low F = 36

|May low F = 46

|Jun low F = 58

|Jul low F = 62

|Aug low F = 60

|Sep low F = 51

|Oct low F = 39

|Nov low F = 31

|Dec low F = 22

|Jan precipitation inch = 3.64

|Feb precipitation inch = 3.61

|Mar precipitation inch = 4.38

|Apr precipitation inch = 4.52

|May precipitation inch = 4.64

|Jun precipitation inch = 4.74

|Jul precipitation inch = 4.59

|Aug precipitation inch = 4.78

|Sep precipitation inch = 4.84

|Oct precipitation inch = 5.18

|Nov precipitation inch = 4.41

|Dec precipitation inch = 4.24

|source 1 ={{cite web |url=http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/06702 |title=Monthly Averages for Waterbury, CT (06702) |access-date=March 30, 2012 |publisher=The Weather Channel |archive-date=February 9, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190209232129/https://weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/06702 |url-status=live }}

|date=March 2012

}}

Waterbury's neighborhoods are shaped by the history and geography of the city.

Ethnic communities distinguish the city's 25 neighborhoods. Clusters of shops at the street corners created villages within the city. For many people, home, work and community life was contained within their neighborhood. Downtown, a short walk away, was "the city", offering live theater, fancy stores, parades and spectacles.{{cite web |url=http://www.brasscitylife.org/ |title=brasscitylife.org |publisher=brasscitylife.org |access-date=December 24, 2012 |archive-date=August 28, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120828112855/http://www.brasscitylife.org/ |url-status=live }}

{{Div col|colwidth=20em}}

• Brooklyn
• Bucks Hill
• Bunker Hill
• Country Club
• Crownbrook
• Downtown
• East End
• East Mountain
• Fair Lawn
• Fairmount
• Gilmartin
• Hillside
• Hopeville
• Long Hill
• North End
• North Square
• Overlook
• Pine Hill
• Robinwood
• South End
• Town Plot
• Washington Hill
• Waterville
• West Side
• WOW / Walnut-Orange-Walsh

{{div col end}}

{{See also|List of Connecticut locations by per capita income}}

{{US Census population

| 1860 = 10004

| 1870 = 10826

| 1880 = 17806

| 1890 = 28646

| 1900 = 45859

| 1910 = 73141

| 1920 = 91715

| 1930 = 99902

| 1940 = 99314

| 1950 = 104477

| 1960 = 107130

| 1970 = 108033

| 1980 = 103266

| 1990 = 108961

| 2000 = 107271

| 2010 = 110366

| 2020 = 114403

| estyear = 2023

| estimate = 114990

| estref =

| footnote = [https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html U.S. Decennial Census]{{failed verification|date=December 2021|reason=No infomrioatnion about Waterbury at the given link}}
2020 Census{{Cite web|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?g=0600000US0900980070title=Census+-+Geography+Profile|title=Explore Census Data|website=data.census.gov|access-date=October 28, 2021|archive-date=October 28, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211028221758/https://data.census.gov/akam/11/pixel_6c19a916|url-status=live}}

}}

As of the census of 2010, there were 110,366 people, 42,761 households, and 26,996 families residing in the city. The population density was {{convert|3,866|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 42,761 housing units at an average density of 1,492.0 per square mile. The racial makeup of the city was 58.8% White, 20.1% Black or African American, 0.6% Native American, 1.8% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 14.2% from other races, and 4.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 31.2% of the population.

Waterbury has a large Italian-American population with 21.46% of its residents claiming Italian heritage.[http://zipatlas.com/us/ct/city-comparison/percentage-italian-population.htm Cities with the Highest Percentage of Italians in Connecticut] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150223234830/http://zipatlas.com/us/ct/city-comparison/percentage-italian-population.htm |date=February 23, 2015 }}. Zip Atlas. Retrieved on October 16, 2016. The Italian influence is especially strong in the Town Plot, Brooklyn, and North End neighborhoods.{{cite web|url=http://zipatlas.com/us/ct/waterbury/zip-code-comparison/percentage-italian-population.htm|title=Percentage of Italians in Waterbury, CT by Zip Code|work=zipatlas.com|access-date=February 25, 2014|archive-date=June 29, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140629143121/http://zipatlas.com/us/ct/waterbury/zip-code-comparison/percentage-italian-population.htm|url-status=live}} Additionally, the city is home to thriving Albanian, Cape Verdean, Brazilian, Portuguese, and Lithuanian communities. Waterbury also has a large Irish community, especially in the Washington Hill section which is home to the city's annual St. Patrick Day's Parade, which, oddly enough, is rarely held on St. Patrick's Day itself. At the beginning of the 21st century, Waterbury had a growing Orthodox Jewish population.Puffer, Michael (July 9, 2006) [https://web.archive.org/web/20060715043556/http://www.rep-am.com/story.php?id=9473 Orthodox Jews look to make Mikvah]. rep-am.com Waterbury had a significant Jewish population beginning in the late 1800s, initially as a result of German immigration. The first synagogue in Waterbury opened in 1872.{{cite web|title = The First Settlement|url = http://www.mattatuckmuseum.org/collections/jewish_history_project/first.htm|website = www.mattatuckmuseum.org|access-date = January 16, 2016|url-status = dead|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160209202535/http://www.mattatuckmuseum.org/collections/jewish_history_project/first.htm|archive-date = February 9, 2016|df = mdy-all}} In the early 20th century, almost 9,000 Jews immigrated from Eastern Europe, with many fleeing persecution. The Orthodox Jewish community has experienced a renaissance since 2000 due to efforts by educators and developers to create an affordable alternative to the high cost of living in established Orthodox communities in New York and New Jersey. This renaissance began with the founding of the Yeshiva K'tana of Waterbury in 2000; as of 2014, this full-service elementary and middle school has nearly 400 students. Other educational institutions are the Yeshiva Gedolah of Waterbury, which includes a mesivta high school and beit medrash (undergraduate) program for approximately 230 students, a Bais Yaakov school for girls, and a kolel. As of the end of 2014, the Waterbury Orthodox community numbers 180 families and includes a mikveh, eruv, and community services such as Hatzalah and Chaverim.Merlis, Mark A. "Waterbury, Connecticut". Ami, December 10, 2014, pp. 43–46.

There were 42,622 households, out of which 31.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.7% were married couples living together, 28.4% had a single householder with no husband present, and 36.9% were non-families. 31.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.11.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.6% under the age of 18, 10.1% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 24.3% from 45 to 64, and 12.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.8 males.

According to the 2014 5-year American Community Survey (conducted 2010–2014, data released December 3, 2015), the median income for a household in the city was $41,136, compared to $69,899 statewide. In Waterbury, 24.2% of the population, or 26,122 residents of the city, lived below the poverty line, compared to 10.5% statewide. In Waterbury, 36.8% of the child population age 0–17, or 9,984 children in the city, lived below the poverty line, compared to 14% statewide.[http://ctdatahaven.org/profiles/waterbury Waterbury | DataHaven] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160113122904/http://ctdatahaven.org/profiles/waterbury |date=January 13, 2016 }}. Ctdatahaven.org. Retrieved on October 16, 2016.

Waterbury's economic decline in the 1970s and 1980s resulted in it being ranked as having the worst quality of life of 300 U.S. metropolitan areas by Money Magazine in 1992. Waterbury was also rated as one of the "Worst Places for Businesses and Careers in America" by Forbes Magazine in April 2008.{{cite news |url=https://www.forbes.com/forbes/2008/0407/103.html |title=Oh, the Brass! |work=Forbes |date=April 7, 2008 |access-date=December 24, 2012 |first=David K. |last=Randall |archive-date=October 19, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121019020225/http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2008/0407/103.html |url-status=live }} Regardless, the city was named on the 100 Best Places to Raise a Family list in the same year.[http://www.today.com/id/24713234/ns/today-today_101/t/best-places-raise-family/#.VNf0GS4SHIU The 100 best places to raise a family] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141008223437/http://www.today.com/id/24713234/ns/today-today_101/t/best-places-raise-family/#.VNf0GS4SHIU |date=October 8, 2014 }}. TODAY.com (May 20, 2008). Retrieved on October 16, 2016.

According to the city's 2022 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,{{cite web|url=https://www.waterburyct.org/filestorage/103431/104698/104700/121555/City_of_Waterbury%2C_Annual_Comprehensive_Financial_Report_-_FYE_6.30.2022.pdf|title=City of Waterbury Comprehensive Annual Financial Report For the Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 2022|publisher=City of Waterbury|access-date=August 14, 2023}} the top employers in the city are:

• Union Station, constructed in 1900.
• Holy Land USA, a park with an illuminated cross on a hill, was one of Connecticut's most popular tourist attractions in the 1960s and 1970s.{{Cite web|url=https://www.holylandwaterbury.org/|title=Holy Land USA | Waterbury, Connecticut | Religious Landmark|website=www.holylandwaterbury.org|access-date=October 28, 2021|archive-date=October 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211021153809/https://www.holylandwaterbury.org/|url-status=live}}
• Municipal Stadium, built in 1930.
• The Apothecary Building, built in 1893.{{cite web|last=Murray|first=John|title=Transformation Of Apothecary Hall Into Luxury Apartments In Downtown Almost Completed|url=http://waterburyobserver.org/node/781|access-date=December 24, 2012|archive-date=August 11, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130811045507/http://waterburyobserver.org/node/781|url-status=live}}
• A statue on the Carrie Welton Fountain.{{cite web|url=http://www.freewebs.com/brasscity/WeltonFountain.jpg|title=Image: WeltonFountain.jpg, (456 × 384 px)|publisher=freewebs.com|access-date=September 1, 2015|archive-date=February 1, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150201131453/http://www.freewebs.com/brasscity/WeltonFountain.jpg|url-status=live}}
• Soldiers' Monument, sculpted by Waterbury resident George Edwin Bissell as a tribute to the American Civil War.{{Cite web|url=http://www.chs.org/ransom/images/127.jpg|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20051201074224/http://www.chs.org/ransom/images/127.jpg|url-status=dead|title=chs.org|archivedate=December 1, 2005}}
• Elton Hotel, built in 1905.
• The Cass Gilbert National Register District, founded after architect Cass Gilbert won a competition to design Waterbury's City Hall or Waterbury Municipal Center Complex.
• The statue of Christopher Columbus, by sculptor Frank Gaylord (1984).{{cite web |url=http://www.vanderkrogt.net/statues/object.php?webpage=CO&record=usct17 |title=Waterbury – Christopher Columbus |publisher=Vanderkrogt.net |access-date=December 24, 2012 |archive-date=August 11, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130811031642/http://www.vanderkrogt.net/statues/object.php?webpage=CO&record=usct17 |url-status=live }}
• The Ben Franklin statue (1921), by sculptor Paul Wayland Bartlett, a Waterbury resident.
• Waterbury Courthouse, the former headquarters of the Anaconda American Brass Company.{{cite web|url=http://www.jud.state.ct.us/imgs/Courts/Waterbury1.jpg|title=Image: Waterbury1.jpg, (563 × 334 px)|publisher=jud.state.ct.us|access-date=September 1, 2015|archive-date=January 14, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160114091259/http://www.jud.state.ct.us/imgs/Courts/Waterbury1.jpg|url-status=live}}
• The Waterbury Clock Company buildings, constructed in 1857. By the end of the 19th century, the company employed 3,000 workers and manufactured 20,000 clocks and watches per day. During World War II, it was the largest producer of fuse timers for precision defense products in the United States.{{Cite book|title= Manufacturing time: global competition in the watch industry, 1795–2000|last= Glasmeier|first= Amy

|year= 2000|publisher= Guilford Press|isbn= 1-57230-589-4|pages= 189–192|chapter= Chapter 9 Only the Young Survive: The U.S. Watch Industry between the World Wars and after World War II|chapter-url= https://books.google.com/books?id=cVUSauNST8EC&q=waterbury+clock+company+World+War&pg=PA189|access-date= November 6, 2009

|archive-date= October 28, 2021|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211028221758/https://books.google.com/books?id=cVUSauNST8EC&q=waterbury+clock+company+World+War&pg=PA189|url-status= live}}

• The Harrub Pilgrim Memorial (1930), by Hermon Atkins MacNeil.{{cite web|url=http://www.greaterwaterbury.com/Pics/town_plot.jpg|title=Image: town_plot.jpg, (200 × 280 px)|publisher=greaterwaterbury.com|access-date=September 1, 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160113062622/http://www.greaterwaterbury.com/Pics/town_plot.jpg|archive-date=January 13, 2016}}
• Chief Two Moon Meridas Laboratory, where Two Moon Meridas manufactured herbal medications.[https://web.archive.org/web/20061202013650/http://members.cox.net/remorin/21ch2moon.jpg JPG image]. cox.net
• Mattatuck Museum Arts and History Center, dedicated to collecting and exhibiting Connecticut artists and sculptors.
• Brass Mill Center, a shopping venue.
• The Palace Theatre (1922).

File:UnionStationClockTower.jpg|Union Station clocktower

File:Elton1940s.jpg|Hotel Elton, 1940s

File:WaterburyClock.jpg|Waterbury Clock Company buildings

File:HarrubMemorial.jpg|Harrub Pilgrim Memorial

File:Waterbury street view.JPG|View of Main Street with Sacred Heart Church in center

Waterbury has about 52,000 registered voters, of whom about 24,000 are Democrats. There are about 7,800 registered Republicans and the balance are largely unaffiliated, with a smattering belonging to minor parties.

John S. Monagan, who was a prolific author in addition to his political responsibilities, served as Waterbury's mayor from 1943 to 1948. He also served as its district's congressional representative from 1959 to 1973. George Harlamon, a member of the Waterbury Hall of Fame, was the city's 40th mayor. He served from 1969 to 1970 during a period of racial tension. The city is known for its hard-nosed political culture compared locally to Cook County, Illinois, close elections, and a number of scandals.

Waterbury's scandalous past dates back to 1940, when Mayor T. Frank Hayes and 22 others were convicted of conspiracy to defraud the City of Waterbury. Hayes received a 10–15 year sentence and served six years. Ironically, the massive corruption scheme was exposed with the help of then comptroller Sherwood Rowland, grandfather of Gov. John G. Rowland, who was convicted on corruption charges in 2004. What appeared to have been a defeat for Hayes was not really a victory for Pape, and the stage was set for further corruption in Waterbury in the second half of the 20th century. Waterbury was in serious financial straits due to years of mismanagement, resulting in the city's finances being taken over by the State of Connecticut. The State Oversight Board oversaw city business for several years and have since left following consecutive years of balanced budgets. In 1992 former Mayor Joseph Santopietro was sentenced to nine years in prison following a public corruption conviction.{{Cite web|date=June 13, 1992|title=Former Connecticut Mayor Gets Prison Term in Corruption Case|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-06-13-mn-164-story.html|access-date=January 12, 2021|website=Los Angeles Times|language=en-US|archive-date=January 13, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210113191741/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-06-13-mn-164-story.html|url-status=live}} The successors to Philip Giordano, former acting mayor Sam Caligiuri (2001) and former mayor Michael Jarjura (2001–2011) managed the city without major controversy since 2001. Democrat Neil O'Leary was elected the 46th Mayor of Waterbury on November 9, 2011.{{cite web |url=http://blog.ctnews.com/connecticutpostings/2012/08/30/finch-mayor-of-biggest-city-doesnt-earn-biggest-salary/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120902052904/http://blog.ctnews.com/connecticutpostings/2012/08/30/finch-mayor-of-biggest-city-doesnt-earn-biggest-salary/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 2, 2012 |title=Finch, mayor of biggest city, doesn't earn biggest salary |publisher=ctnews.com |date=August 30, 2012 |access-date=December 16, 2012 }}

In 1939, Pape backed an attempt to install council-manager government and single-transferable-vote elections. The local Republican Party and Connecticut General Assembly also supported this measure. New York Mayor Fiorello H. La Guardia helped campaign for its passage, having backed similar reforms in his own city in 1936.{{Cite journal|last=Santucci|first=Jack|date=November 10, 2016|title=Party Splits, Not Progressives|journal=American Politics Research|language=en|volume=45|issue=3|pages=494–526|doi=10.1177/1532673x16674774|s2cid=157400899|issn=1532-673X}}

A number of presidential candidates have campaigned in Waterbury due to its pivotal role in statewide elections. The most famous was the election eve visit on the Green by John F. Kennedy in 1960. Forty thousand people waited until 3am on the Green to greet Kennedy on Sunday, November 6, 1960. Sen. Kennedy spoke to them from the balcony of the Roger Smith Hotel (now called the Elton). Pierre Salinger later said it was the greatest night of the campaign. In September 1984 Ronald Reagan held a huge noontime election rally at the same location. In July 2006 former president Bill Clinton made a campaign appearance at the Palace Theatre for Senator Joe Lieberman during his campaign for re-election to the U.S. Senate. Shortly after the Democratic primary, Tom Swan, campaign manager for Lieberman's opponent Ned Lamont, described Waterbury as a place where "the forces of slime meet the forces of evil," after a large majority of the town's voters backed Lieberman. Swan claimed he was referring to former mayor Philip A. Giordano and former governor John G. Rowland.{{Cite web|url=http://www.rep-am.com/story.php?id=10980|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070312192345/http://www.rep-am.com/story.php?id=10980|url-status=dead|title=Waterbury Republican-American article|archivedate=March 12, 2007}}

Governor John G. Rowland served ten months in a federal prison until February 10, 2006. He was released from federal prison with the stipulation that he serve four months house arrest with an electronic ankle bracelet monitor until June 2006.

In January 2008 Waterbury Mayor Michael Jarjura announced that he would hire Rowland as an economic development advisor for the city. Rowland began work in February that year receiving an annual salary of $95,000 as the city's economic development coordinator funded in conjunction with the Greater Waterbury Chamber of Commerce.{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/24/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/24colct.html | work=The New York Times | title=For Rowland, Second Chance of a Lifetime | first=Woody | last=Hochswender | date=February 24, 2008 | access-date=May 27, 2010 | archive-date=April 25, 2009 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090425084207/http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/24/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/24colct.html | url-status=live }}{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1916&dat=20080124&id=MHZIAAAAIBAJ&pg=3454,996896|title=Disgraced ex-governor plans to take job in city with corrupt past|publisher=The Hour|date=January 24, 2008|access-date=December 24, 2012|archive-date=October 28, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211028221756/https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1916&dat=20080124&id=MHZIAAAAIBAJ&pg=3454%2C996896|url-status=live}}

In 2011, the Board of Aldermen voted to eliminate funding the city's portion of his salary and in November 2011 Rowland stated he would give up his position when his contract expired thus ending his quasi-city employment.{{cite web|url=http://www.rep-am.com/articles/2011/11/11/news/local/598649.txt|title=Rowland to give up czar post Republican American|work=rep-am.com|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111115235705/http://www.rep-am.com/articles/2011/11/11/news/local/598649.txt|archive-date=November 15, 2011}}

Later that year, following his victory over then Mayor Jarjura, new mayor Neil O'Leary created the position of Economic Development Director as part of his new administration, removing the duties from the Chamber of Commerce and bringing them directly into City Hall, making Economic Development a cornerstone of his administration. Ron Pugliese was hired as the first director to hold the position.{{cite web|url=http://www.waterburyobserver.org/node/637|title=O'Leary Tabs Ronald Pugliese To Replace John Rowland As Director Of Economic Development In Waterbury|work=waterburyobserver.org|access-date=December 3, 2013|archive-date=July 1, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140701033734/http://www.waterburyobserver.org/node/637|url-status=live}}

Public schools are operated by Waterbury Public Schools, under the leadership of a superintendent and a board of education consisting of ten elected members and the city mayor, who acts as chairman ex-officio. Schools include:{{cite web | title = Our Schools | publisher = Waterbury Public Schools | url = https://www.waterbury.k12.ct.us/schoolslist.aspx | accessdate = February 24, 2022}}

• Crosby High School
• Kennedy High School
• Waterbury Arts Magnet School
• Wilby High School
• Waterbury Career Academy High School

• North End Middle School
• Wallace Middle School
• West Side Middle School
• Waterbury Arts Magnet School

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• B.W. Tinker Elementary School
• Bucks Hill Elementary School
• Bunker Hill Elementary School
• Carrington PreK-8 Elementary School
• Chase Elementary School
• Driggs Elementary School
• Duggan PreK–8 School
• F.J Kingsbury Elementary School
• Generali Elementary School
• Hopeville Elementary School
• John G. Gilmartin PreK-8 Elementary School
• Jonathan Reed PreK–8 School
• Maloney Interdistrict Magnet School
• Regan Elementary School
• Rotella Interdistrict Magnet School
• Sprague Elementary School
• Tinker Elementary School
• Walsh Elementary School
• Washington Elementary School
• Wendell Cross PreK-8 Elementary School
• Woodrow Wilson Elementary School

{{div col end}}

• Alpha and Omega Christian Academy
• Catholic Academy of Waterbury (A merge of the closed Blessed Sacrament & St. Mary's Schools)
• Holy Cross High School
• Our Lady of Mt. Carmel School
• Sacred Heart High School (On February 11, 2021, Sacred Heart announced it would be closing at the end of the 2020–2021 school year)
• Sacred Heart Middle School
• Saint Joseph's School
• Yeshiva Gedolah of Waterbury
• Yeshiva K'tana of Waterbury

• Naugatuck Valley Community College{{cite web|url=http://www.waterburyct.org/content/3991/488/default.aspx|title=Area Colleges|publisher=waterburyct.org|access-date=September 1, 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130218141918/http://www.waterburyct.org/content/3991/488/default.aspx|archive-date=February 18, 2013}}
• Post University
• University of Bridgeport (Regional Campus)
• University of Connecticut (Regional Campus / Downtown Waterbury)
• Western Connecticut State University (Regional Campus)

Two newspapers are operated within Waterbury: the Republican-American, which covers 36 communities throughout Western Connecticut,{{cite web|title=About Us|url=http://www.rep-am.com/about-us/|website=Republican-American|access-date=September 29, 2017|date=May 4, 2015|archive-date=September 29, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170929232330/http://www.rep-am.com/about-us/|url-status=live}} and the Waterbury Observer.{{cite web|title=Mission Statement|url=http://www.waterburyobserver.org/mission|website=Waterbury Observer|access-date=September 29, 2017|language=en|archive-date=September 29, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170929232917/http://www.waterburyobserver.org/mission|url-status=live}} WATR 1320 AM, a radio station under the same family ownership since 1934 and broadcasting on the same frequency since 1939, operates a News/Talk/Classic Hits music format and is the only radio station broadcasting in Waterbury.{{cite web|title=WATR History|url=http://watr.com/History.aspx|website=WATR 1320-AM|access-date=September 29, 2017|archive-date=September 29, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170929232647/http://watr.com/History.aspx|url-status=live}}

Two FM radio stations are also located in Waterbury: WWYZ 92.5, which plays a country music format and WMRQ 104.1, which plays alternative rock. They both transmit from 10 miles away in Meriden and have wide-reaching signals that can be heard clearly as far away as Bridgeport and the Massachusetts state line.{{Cite web|url=https://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=WMRQ&service=FM|title=WMRQ-FM Radio Station Coverage Map|access-date=February 10, 2019|archive-date=February 24, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224152449/https://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=WMRQ&service=FM|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|url=https://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=WWYZ&service=FM|title=WWYZ-FM Radio Station Coverage Map|access-date=February 10, 2019|archive-date=February 25, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210225214258/https://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=WWYZ&service=FM|url-status=live}}

WCCT-TV (channel 20) is licensed to Waterbury and serves as Hartford's affiliate for The CW; it is operated out of the Hartford Courant building with sister Tribune Broadcasting Fox affiliate WTIC-TV (channel 61), and carries mainly syndicated content outside of network hours. Waterbury is considered part of the Hartford/New Haven media market, and can thus receive radio and television signals from Hartford and New Haven clearly.

{{Hartford Radio}}

File:Waterbury, CT, Metro-North station.jpg, located on the Waterbury Branch line]]

Commuting in the Greater Waterbury area consists of multiple public transportation options. CT Transit through Northeast Transportation Company, operates a significant number of city buses running from Waterbury's city center at Exchange Place to various neighborhoods in the city.{{cite web |url=http://www.cttransit.com/routesschedules/display.asp?divid=%7B79203109-8b49-44b8-a1fc-bfb7f4a5f1ff%7D |title=Connecting the Community |publisher=CTTransit |access-date=December 24, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130118060825/http://www.cttransit.com/RoutesSchedules/Display.asp?DivID=%7B79203109-8B49-44B8-A1FC-BFB7F4A5F1FF%7D |archive-date=January 18, 2013 }} In 2014 the Hartford-New Britain Busway was opened, a local bus runs to Waterbury, Cheshire, Southington and New Britain an express bus to run between Waterbury and Hartford.

Metro-North Railroad runs commuter trains multiple times a day between the Waterbury station and Bridgeport, with connections to Grand Central Terminal in New York City. Waterbury's Union Station, built in 1909 for the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad, is now closed for use as a railway station and part of the building is now the headquarters of the Republican-American newspaper.Dahl, John C. [http://www.trainweb.org/rshs/GRS%20-%20Waterbury.htm Great Railroad Stations] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160820123401/http://www.trainweb.org/rshs/GRS%20-%20Waterbury.htm |date=August 20, 2016 }}. Trainweb.org. Retrieved on October 16, 2016. Passengers traveling to and from Waterbury board and alight on a concrete platform adjacent to the old station. There are no ticket agents at Waterbury, which is currently the end of the line for the Waterbury Branch.

The two main highways that run through the heart of the city are I-84 (Yankee Expressway) and Route 8. In the downtown area, I-84 and Route 8 are located on the elevated William W. Deady Bridge,{{cite web |url=http://www.cga.ct.gov/2002/act/Pa/2002PA-00123-R00HB-05527-PA.htm |title=Substitute House Bill No. 5527 |publisher=CTGeneralAssembly |access-date=April 25, 2015 |archive-date=March 8, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160308035934/https://www.cga.ct.gov/2002/act/Pa/2002PA-00123-R00HB-05527-PA.htm |url-status=live }} known locally as the "MixMaster" with eastbound traffic on the upper deck and westbound traffic on the lower deck. The interchange is ranked as one of the most heavily congested traffic areas in the New York/Connecticut region.{{cite news |last1=Maldonado |first1=Zinnia |title=Mixmaster project to close Route 8 lanes |url=https://www.fox61.com/article/news/mixmaster-project-to-close-route-8-lanes/520-1271ae56-23af-4abf-aed3-3e1b1f98b90b |access-date=March 25, 2020 |publisher=Fox61 |date=January 2, 2020 |archive-date=March 25, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200325143453/https://www.fox61.com/article/news/mixmaster-project-to-close-route-8-lanes/520-1271ae56-23af-4abf-aed3-3e1b1f98b90b |url-status=live }} Waterbury–Oxford Airport is the primary airport serving the city. The smaller Waterbury Airport is about {{convert|4|mi|km}} from the city's central business district. Bradley International Airport (BDL) in Windsor Locks and Tweed New Haven Airport (HVN) in East Haven are the closest commercial airports to Waterbury.

The Waterbury Police Department was founded in 1853. The department has a police academy.{{cite web |url=http://wtbypd.org/ |title=wtbypd |publisher=wtbypd |access-date=December 24, 2012 |archive-date=January 7, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130107053633/http://wtbypd.org/ |url-status=live }}

Waterbury Fire Department is a full-time, paid fire department, which operates eight engine companies, three truck companies, one squad company, and one rescue company out of nine fire stations, divided into 2 battalions. One battalion is commanded by a Battalion Chief, and the other a Deputy Chief, who serves as the Tour Commander each shift.{{cite web |url=http://waterburyfiredepartment.com/ |title=Waterburyfiredepartment.Com |publisher=Waterburyfiredepartment. Com |access-date=November 9, 2012 |archive-date=November 20, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121120211418/http://waterburyfiredepartment.com/ |url-status=live }}

{{More citations needed section|date=May 2022}}

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• Fritz Barzilauskas, NFL player
• Michael Bergin, one of first male supermodels, actor on TV's Baywatch
• William F. Bolger, United States Postmaster General 1978–1985
• Darren Brass, tattoo artist, reality show character, from TLC hit show Miami Ink
• William H. Bristol, inventor and manufacturer, born in Waterbury; invented "Bristolphone" to simultaneously record voices and other sounds with motion in moving pictures
• Abraham Bronson, minister
• Nixzmary Brown, murder victim
• John Caneira, former MLB player
• Lucia Chase, dancer, actress, ballet director
• Joe Cipriano, television announcer (also known as Tom Collins on WWCO in Waterbury) for Deal or No Deal and 1 vs. 100
• Deirdre Coleman-Imus, Waterbury-born actress; married radio personality Don Imus in 1995
• Scott Conant, chef, restaurateur, food personality, and cookbook author
• Roger Connor, player in Baseball Hall of Fame{{cite book |editor=Reichler, Joseph L. |title=The Baseball Encyclopedia |orig-year=1969 |edition=4th |year=1979 |publisher=Macmillan Publishing |location=New York |isbn=0-02-578970-8 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/baseballencyclop00reic }}
• Bob Crane, actor, of Hogan's Heroes fame; born in Waterbury and worked at Connecticut radio stations before moving to California
• Justin Credible, professional wrestler
• Patrick DeLeon, former president of American Psychological Association and former chief of staff for Senator Daniel Inouye{{cite web|title=Top Sen. Inouye Aide Elected to Prestigious Honor|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P3-1575929871.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140610220603/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P3-1575929871.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 10, 2014|publisher=US Fed News Service, Including US State News |access-date=July 6, 2013|date=October 14, 2008}}
• Andre "mrDEYO" Deyo, singer-songwriter, best known for writing "Jenny From The Block" for Jennifer Lopez in 2002; graduated from John F. Kennedy High School
• Allie DiMeco, actress, best known for playing Rosalina on The Naked Brothers Band on Nickelodeon{{cite web|url= https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1822801/|title= Allie DiMeco|publisher= IMDb|access-date= October 27, 2012|archive-date= September 11, 2012|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120911065726/http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1822801/|url-status= live}}
• Joe Diorio, jazz guitarist and theorist, author, teacher at University of Southern California
• Red Donahue, pitcher for six different MLB teams
• Damane Duckett, offensive tackle for NFL's San Francisco 49ers; also played for New York Giants and Carolina Panthers{{cite web|url= https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/D/DuckDa20.htm|title= Damane Duckett|publisher= Pro-Football-Reference. Com|access-date= October 27, 2012|archive-date= November 13, 2012|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20121113160525/http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/D/DuckDa20.htm|url-status= live}}
• Feodor Fedorenko, Nazi war criminal (born in Crimea, deported in 1984)
• Kevin Foster, athlete, actor and Guinness World Record holder
• Robert Gallo, biomedical researcher, known for role in identifying Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) as infectious agent responsible for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS)
• Mordechai Gifter, one of America's leading Torah scholars, served as rabbi of Waterbury's Jewish community from 1941 to 1945
• Philip Giordano, former mayor of Waterbury (R), stripped of power in 2001 after investigation revealed alleged sexual acts with a minor and other possible pedophilia charges
• Robert D. Glass (1922–2001), first African American justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court (1987–1992)
• Ralph Goldstein (1913–1997), Olympic épée fencer
• Ryan Gomes, pro basketball player, attended Wilby High School
• Porter Goss, former director of CIA
• Tony Hanson, UConn Husky of Honor attended Holy Cross High School
• George P. Harlamon, Mayor{{cite web |url=http://dan.greaterwaterbury.com/waterbury_mayors.php |title=Waterbury CT Mayors |publisher=Dan.greaterwaterbury.com |access-date=November 9, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120710154509/http://dan.greaterwaterbury.com/waterbury_mayors.php |archive-date=July 10, 2012 }} 1968–1970; elected to Waterbury Hall of Fame 2003
• Jahana Hayes, U.S. Congresswoman, born in Waterbury
• David Hoadley, president of Panama Railway
• Frank Hogan, former district attorney of New York County
• Samuel Hopkins, American Congregationalist and theologian
• Julius Hotchkiss (1810–1878), congressman and mayor of Waterbury{{cite web|url= http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=H000809|title= HOTCHKISS, Julius, (1810–1878)|publisher= Biographical Directory of the United States Congress|access-date= October 27, 2012|archive-date= October 20, 2012|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20121020153726/http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=H000809|url-status= live}}
• Joan Joyce, All-American softball player; also excelled in basketball, bowling, and golf
• Leah Juliett (born 1997), LGBTQ+ activist, spoken word poet, nonprofit leader and philanthropist{{Cite web |last=Grant |first=Keisha |title='Women of Worth' Honoree From Wolcott Fights Cyber Sexual Abuse |url=https://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/women-of-worth-honoree-from-wolcott-fights-cyber-sexual-abuse/2370757/ |access-date=2022-12-30 |website=NBC Connecticut |date=26 November 2020 |language=en-US}}
• Fred Klobedanz, Major League Baseball pitcher[https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/k/klobefr01.shtml "Fred Klobedanz Statistics and History"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170713000043/http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/k/klobefr01.shtml |date=July 13, 2017 }}. baseball-reference.com. Retrieved November 27, 2010.
• Darren LaBonte, CIA Officer and Army Ranger killed in Camp Chapman attack in 2009
• Gerald Lamb (1924–2014), Waterbury alderman; Connecticut State Treasurer (1963–1970) and the first African American elected to that office in the US since the Reconstruction era
• Annie Leibovitz, celebrated portrait photographer, born in Waterbury in 1949
• Clare Leighton, artist and printmaker, buried in Waterbury in 1989
• Baruch Levine, Jewish music singer-songwriter, and rebbi (teacher) in the Yeshiva Ketana of Waterbury
• Michael Mallory, professional basketball player
• Harold Marcuse, professor of German history at University of California Santa Barbara and grandson of Herbert Marcuse
• Mercedes Martinez, professional wrestler
• Richard A. Mastracchio, NASA astronaut
• Ethel Maynard, first black woman to serve in the Arizona legislature{{Cite news |date=February 28, 2019 |title=Life and legacy of Ethel Maynard, first black woman elected to the Arizona Legislature |work=Arizona Central |url=https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/legislature/2019/02/28/ethel-maynard-arizonas-first-black-female-member-legislature/2952224002/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200929234918/https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/legislature/2019/02/28/ethel-maynard-arizonas-first-black-female-member-legislature/2952224002/ |archive-date=September 29, 2020}}{{Cite news |title=Ethel Maynard (1905-1980) |work=Arizona Women's Hall of Fame |url=https://www.azwhf.org/copy-of-helen-mason-1 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20200929235140/https://www.azwhf.org/copy-of-helen-mason-1 |archive-date=September 29, 2020}}
• Dylan McDermott, actor, star of television series The Practice{{cite web|url= https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001518/|title= Dylan McDermott|publisher= IMDb|access-date= October 27, 2012|archive-date= November 1, 2012|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20121101104908/http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001518/|url-status= live}}
• Winifred McDonald, schoolteacher, politician, Secretary of the State of Connecticut (1949–1951)
• Michael J. McGivney, Catholic priest and founder of the Knights of Columbus
• Bill Meek, football head coach, Kansas State, Houston, Utah
• Two Moon Meridas, lived in Waterbury 1914 to 1933, claimed to be full-blooded Pueblo Indian
• George Metesky (1903–1994), "Mad Bomber" who launched reign of terror in New York City in 1940s and 1950s
• John S. Monagan (1911–2005), mayor, congressman, biographer of Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.{{cite web|url= http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=M000847|title= MONAGAN, John Stephen, (1911–2005)|publisher= Biographical Directory of the United States Congress|access-date= October 27, 2012|archive-date= November 2, 2012|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20121102022522/http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=M000847|url-status= live}}
• Johnny Moore (1902–1991), professional baseball player
• David Nolan, author and historian who attended Anderson School
• Neil O'Leary, mayor of Waterbury
• Mario Pavone, jazz bassist, composer and bandleader
• Jimmy Piersall, professional baseball player and broadcaster{{cite web|url= http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=piersji01|title= Jimmy Piersall Stats|publisher= Baseball Almanac|access-date= October 27, 2012|archive-date= November 3, 2012|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20121103234030/http://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=piersji01|url-status= live}}
• Derek Poundstone, professional strongman athlete; won America's Strongest Man contest in 2007
• Peter Pronovost, intensive care specialist at Johns Hopkins Hospital, named by TIME magazine in 2008 as one of the 100 most influential people in the world{{cite news

| last = Kingsbury | first = Kathleen | title = The 2008 TIME 100 |work=TIME Magazine

| publisher=Time Warner | date = May 2008 | url = http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1733748_1733754_1735344,00.html

| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080505053629/http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1733748_1733754_1735344,00.html

| url-status = dead

| archive-date = May 5, 2008

| access-date = May 14, 2008}}

• Sheryl Lee Ralph, Tony Award-nominated Jamaican-American actress and singer best known for her work in Broadway productions such as Dreamgirls{{cite web|url= https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005336/|title= Sheryl Lee Ralph|publisher= IMDb|access-date= October 27, 2012|archive-date= October 26, 2012|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20121026010342/http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005336/|url-status= live}}
• Mark Richards, United States House of Representatives and seventh Lieutenant Governor of Vermont{{cite web|url= http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=R000217|title= RICHARDS, Mark, (1760–1844)|publisher= Biographical Directory of the United States Congress|access-date= October 27, 2012|archive-date= October 12, 2012|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20121012031134/http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=R000217|url-status= live}}
• John G. Rowland, Waterbury native and former governor of Connecticut (R); resigned from office on July 1, 2004, after prolonged investigation for corruption{{cite web|url= http://www.nga.org/cms/home/governors/past-governors-bios/page_connecticut/col2-content/main-content-list/title_rowland_john.html|title= Connecticut Governor John G. Rowland|publisher= National Governors Association|access-date= October 27, 2012|archive-date= December 2, 2012|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20121202012549/http://www.nga.org/cms/home/governors/past-governors-bios/page_connecticut/col2-content/main-content-list/title_rowland_john.html|url-status= live}}{{cite news

|url=https://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F50F17FC3A5B0C718CDDAD0894DD404482&n=Top%2fReference%2fTimes%20Topics%2fPeople%2fR%2fRowland%2c%20John%20G%2e

|work=The New York Times

|title=Rowland Begins Serving a Yearlong Prison Sentence

|date=April 2, 2005

|first=Stacey

|last=Stowe

|access-date=May 27, 2010

|archive-date=October 5, 2012

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121005150545/http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F50F17FC3A5B0C718CDDAD0894DD404482&n=Top%2fReference%2fTimes%20Topics%2fPeople%2fR%2fRowland,%20John%20G.

|url-status=live

}}

• Rosalind Russell, Academy Award nominated and Tony winning actress{{cite web|url= https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0751426/|title= Rosalind Russell|publisher= IMDb|access-date= October 27, 2012|archive-date= October 1, 2012|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20121001171004/http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0751426/|url-status= live}}
• Tarah Lynne Schaeffer, actress, best known for playing Tarah on Sesame Street
• Velvet Sky, wrestler, TNA Knockouts champion
• Caswell Silver, geologist, president of Sundance Oil Company, established Caswell Silver Foundation at University of New Mexico
• Leon Silver, geologist who trained Apollo astronauts in lunar geology
• John Sirica, Watergate judge; Time magazine's Man of the Year in 1973, born in Waterbury in 1904
• Richard V. Spencer, former United States Secretary of Defense (2017–2019)
• Terry Tata, Major League Baseball umpire from 1973 to 1999; officiated four World Series and three All-Star games during his career
• Robert H. Traurig, co-founder of Greenberg Traurig, a law and lobbying firm
• Thomas Tessier, writer of horror novels and short stories, born in Waterbury in 1947
• Gene Tierney, actress; attended St. Margaret's School for Girls in Waterbury, but grew up in Brooklyn borough of New York City
• Fay Vincent, 8th commissioner of Major League Baseball
• Dave Wallace, Major League Baseball pitcher, coach and general manager{{cite web|url= https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/wallada01.shtml|title= Dave Wallace|publisher= NBaseball-Reference.com|access-date= October 27, 2012|archive-date= November 7, 2012|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20121107041626/http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/wallada01.shtml|url-status= live}}
• Krista Watterworth, interior designer, television presenter{{Cite web|url = https://www.newstimes.com/entertainment/article/Krista-Watterworth-cooks-up-design-specialties-5311.php|title = Krista Watterworth cooks up design specialties; whether on TV or online, she's got the right recipe|date = September 2009|access-date = October 5, 2018|archive-date = October 6, 2018|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20181006000533/https://www.newstimes.com/entertainment/article/Krista-Watterworth-cooks-up-design-specialties-5311.php|url-status = live}}

{{div col end}}

• Amanda Boulier (born 1993), American professional ice hockey defenceman for the Montreal Victoire, U18 World Champion (2011), two-time Isobel Cup champion

{{More citations needed section|date=October 2018}}

• "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty", by James Thurber, is set in Waterbury in the 1930s.{{Cite news|url=http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1939/03/18/the-secret-life-of-walter-james-thurber|title=The Secret Life of Walter Mitty|last=Thurber|first=James|date=March 18, 1939|newspaper=The New Yorker|issn=0028-792X|access-date=April 9, 2016|archive-date=April 8, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160408093134/http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1939/03/18/the-secret-life-of-walter-james-thurber|url-status=live}}
• In the 1996 movie Happy Gilmore, the "Waterbury Open" is a golf tournament held in Waterbury.{{Cite web |url=http://ctboom.com/its-all-in-the-hips-connecticuts-most-important-golf-legacy/ |title=It's All in the Hips: Connecticut's Most Important Golf Legacy - CT Boom |access-date=May 17, 2020 |archive-date=May 23, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200523114940/http://ctboom.com/its-all-in-the-hips-connecticuts-most-important-golf-legacy/ |url-status=live }}
• Gladys Taber's romance novel, Give Me the Stars (1945), was set in Waterbury and in the Chase Brass and Copper Company's factory, giving vivid depictions of factory life during World War II.
• The Today Show on NBC was broadcast from the Hotel Elton on August 18, 1955, to cover the festivities for the world premiere of Waterbury native Rosalind Russell's movie The Girl Rush at the State Theater that evening. A major flood on August 19, 1955, caused over 50 million dollars in property damage and the deaths of 29 Waterbury residents; The Today Show provided live coverage of the flood to the country.
• Waterbury appeared in Ken Burns' documentary miniseries The War as one of four American towns whose history and residents' experiences during World War II were examined in depth.{{cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/thewar/the_witnesses_towns_waterbury.htm|title=THE WAR . The Witnesses . Four Towns . Waterbury, Connecticut PBS|website=www.pbs.org|access-date=April 9, 2016|archive-date=April 5, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160405145402/http://www.pbs.org/thewar/the_witnesses_towns_waterbury.htm|url-status=live}}
• Greetings Tour came to Waterbury and painted a large mural of Waterbury's history.{{Cite web|url=https://www.waterburyct.org/news/?FeedID=1876|title=News - City of Waterbury, CT|access-date=May 17, 2020|archive-date=May 23, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200523114953/https://www.waterburyct.org/news/?FeedID=1876|url-status=live}}
• Wanda (1971) has scenes shot in Waterbury, mostly at Holy Land USA.

• {{flagdeco|ITA}} Pontelandolfo, Campania, Italy{{cite web |url=http://www.pontelandolfonews.com/index.php?id=114 |title=Waterbury – Pontelandolfo |publisher=Pontelandolfo Community Club |location=Waterbury, MA, USA |language=it |via=pontelandolfonews.com |access-date=March 12, 2015 |archive-date=April 2, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402143558/http://www.pontelandolfonews.com/index.php?id=114 |url-status=live }}
• {{flagdeco|NMK}} Struga, North Macedonia{{cite web|last1=Murray|first1=John|title=Waterbury and Struga Agree To Become Sister Cities, O'Leary To Visit Macedonia Next Summer|url=http://www.waterburyobserver.org/node/1864|website=The Waterbury Observer|access-date=June 1, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140128130822/http://www.waterburyobserver.org/node/1864|archive-date=January 28, 2014|url-status=dead}}

{{Portal|Connecticut|New England|Cities}}

• National Register of Historic Places listings in New Haven County, Connecticut

{{reflist|30em}}

• William J. Pape, The History of Waterbury and Naugatuck Valley. In Three Volumes. Chicago: S.J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1918. [https://archive.org/details/historyofwaterbu01pape Volume 1] | [https://archive.org/details/historyofwaterbu02pape Volume 2] | [https://archive.org/details/historyofwaterbu03pape Volume 3]

{{Commons category}}

{{wikivoyage|Waterbury}}

• [http://www.waterburyct.org/ Waterbury, Connecticut]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20080506102633/http://www.greaterwaterbury.com/waterbury_history.php Waterbury History & Genealogy]
• [https://www.thewaterbury.com/ Waterbury Economic Development]

{{Waterbury, Connecticut}}

{{Connecticut}}

{{New England}}

{{New Haven County, Connecticut}}

{{Naugatuck Valley Planning Region, Connecticut}}

{{New York metropolitan area}}

{{Northeast Megalopolis}}

{{Northeast US}}

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Category:1677 establishments in Connecticut

Category:Albanian-American history

Category:Cities in Connecticut

Category:Cities in New Haven County, Connecticut

Category:Cities in the New York metropolitan area

Category:Greater Waterbury, Connecticut

Category:Italian-American culture in Connecticut

Category:Little Italys in the United States

Category:Hispanic and Latino American culture in Connecticut

Category:Populated places established in 1674

Category:Populated places established in 1677

Category:Cities in Naugatuck Valley Planning Region, Connecticut