Bridgeport : Connecticut

Bridgeport is the largest city of Connecticut in Fairfield County. The community was named for the first drawbridge over the river. It is known as the smokestack city for its defense-related manufacturing activities and port facilities. The city lies 150 miles south of Boston and 70 miles north of New York City.
Bridgeport was devastated in the early 1990s by the loss of its manufacturing base because of the Cold War between the United States and the former Soviet Union. However, things brightened up at the turn of the twenty-first century when the city's bond rating was upgraded. Population was on the rise and jobs were slowly increasing. A new baseball stadium and hockey arena along with other additions on the city's waterfront were beginning to draw tourists, and a feeling of optimism could be felt among its citizens.

Bridgeport, sprawls for two and one-half miles along Long Island Sound at the mouth of the Pequonnock River. The city has two harbors - the main Bridgeport Harbor and the Black Rock Harbor.
Closeness to Long Island Sound keeps Bridgeport's summers warm and humid and its winters mild and relatively snow-free. Sea breezes help keep Bridgeport's mean monthly temperatures during the summer months three to five degrees lower than the temperatures posted inland.

Area: 19.4 square miles (2000)

Elevation: 25 feet above sea level

Latitude: 41.19 N,

Longitude: 73.20 W

Average Temperatures: January, 28.9° F; July, 73.7° F; annual average, 51.7° F

Average Annual Precipitation: 15.5 inches of rain; 26.2 inches of snow

Population: 139,008 (as on July 2005)

Festivals

    * Annual Barnum Festival and the Great Street Parade

    * St. Vincent's Swim Across the Sound

    * The University of Bridgeport's International Festival

Bridgeport attractions: Captain's Cove Seaport, Beardsley Zoological Gardens