Stamford, Connecticut

Stamford is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. According to the 2010 census, the population of the city is 122,643. As of July 1, 2012, according to the Census Bureau, the population of Stamford had risen to 125,109, making it the third largest city in the state and the seventh largest city in New England. Approximately 30 miles from Manhattan, Stamford is in the Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk Metro area which is a part of the Greater New York metropolitan area.

Stamford is home to four Fortune 500 Companies, nine Fortune 1000 Companies, and 13 Courant 100 Companies, as well as numerous divisions of large corporations. This gives Stamford the largest financial district in New York Metro outside New York City itself and one of the largest concentrations of corporations in the nation. Due to the many high-rise office towers in the area, Stamford's financial district is sometimes referred to by locals as "Little Manhattan."

History
Stamford was known as Rippowam by the Native American inhabitants to the region, and the very first European settlers to the area also referred to it as such. The name was later changed to Stamford after a town in Lincolnshire, England. The deed to Stamford was signed on July 1, 1640 between Captain Turner of the New Haven Colony and Chief Ponus. By the 18th century, one of the primary industries of the town was merchandising by water, which was possible due to Stamford's proximity to New York.

In 1692, Stamford was home to a less famous witch trial than the well-known Salem witch trials, which also occurred in 1692. The accusations were less fanatical and smaller-scale but also grew to prominence through gossip and hysterics.

Starting in the late 19th century, New York residents built summer homes on the shoreline, and even back then there were some who moved to Stamford permanently and started commuting to Manhattan by train, although the practice became more popular later. Stamford incorporated as a city in 1893.

In 1950, the Census Bureau reported city's population as 94.6% white and 5.2% black.

In the 1960s and 1970s, Stamford's commercial real estate boomed as corporations relocated from New York City to peripheral areas. A massive urban redevelopment campaign during that time resulted in a downtown with many tall office buildings. The F.D. Rich Co. was the city-designated urban renewal developer of the downtown in an ongoing redevelopment project that was contentious, beginning in the 1960s and continuing through the 1970s. The company put up what was the city's tallest structure, One Landmark Square, at 21 floors high, and the GTE building (now One Stamford Forum), along with the Marriott Hotel, the Stamford Town Center and many of the other downtown office buildings. One Landmark Square has since been dwarfed by the new 35-story Trump Parc condominium tower (topped out), and soon by the 400-foot 39 story Ritz Carlton Hotel and Residences development, another project by the Rich Company in partnership with Cappelli Enterprises. Over the years, other developers have joined in building up the downtown, a process that continued, with breaks during downturns in the economy, through the 1980s, 1990s and into the new century.

Since 2008, an 80-acre mixed-use redevelopment project for the Stamford’s Harbor Point neighborhood has added additional growth south of the city’s Downtown area. Once complete, the redevelopment will include 6,000,000 square feet (560,000 m2) of new residential, retail, office and hotel space, and a marina. As of July 2012, roughly 900 of the projected 4,000 Harbor Point residential units were have been constructed.

Geography
Stamford is situated near the southwestern point of Connecticut. It comprises a number of neighborhoods and villages including Cove-East Side, Downtown, North Stamford, Glenbrook, West Side, Turn Of River, Waterside, Springdale, Belltown, Ridgeway, Newfield, South End, Westover, Shippan, Roxbury and Palmers Hill. There are still a number of references to North Stamford as a separate town, but they legally and functional act as one town. Surrounding towns include Pound Ridge, New York to the north, Greenwich to the west, and both Darien and New Canaan to the east.

Climate
Stamford, like the rest of coastal Connecticut lies in the broad transition zone between the cold continental climate to the north (Köppen climate classification: Dfa) and the more mild temperate/subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa), to the south. Coastal Connecticut, Long Island/NYC, and northern New Jersey are the general dividing line between theses two climate zones.

The warm/hot season in Stamford is from May through late October. Average highs from April through early June are in the 60's and 70's F...while average highs are in the 80's F from mid June through early September. Late day thundershowers are common in the hottest months (June, July, August), despite the mostly sunny skies. The cool/cold season is from late November though mid March, with highs near 40 F and lows in the upper 20's F. Winter weather is far more variable than summer weather along the Connecticut coast, ranging from sunny days with high temperatures in the low 50's F...to cold and blustery conditions with occasional snow. Like much of the Connecticut coast and nearby Long Island, NY, some of the winter precipitation is rain or a mix and rain and wet snow in Stamford. Stamford averages about 30 inches of snow annually - while inland areas like Hartford and Albany average 45 to 60 inches of snow annually.

Although infrequent, tropical cyclones (hurricanes/tropical storms) have struck Connecticut and the Stamford metropolitan area. Hurricane landfalls have occurred along the Connecticut coast in 1903, 1938, 1944, 1954 (Carol), 1960 (Donna), 1985 (Gloria). Tropical Storm Irene (2011) also caused moderate damage along the Connecticut coast, as did Hurricane Sandy (which made landfall in New Jersey) in 2012.

Coastal Connecticut is the broad transition zone where so-called "subtropical indicator" plants and other broadleaf evergreens can successfully be cultivated. Stamford averages about 90 days annually with freeze - about the same as Baltimore, Maryland. As such, Southern Magnolias, Needle Palms, Windmill palm, Loblolly Pines, and Crape Myrtles are grown in private and public gardens. Like much of coastal Connecticut, Long Island, and coastal New Jersey, the growing season is rather long in Stamford - averaging 210 days from April 8 to November 5 according to the National Weather Service in Bridgeport.

Neighborhoods
Stamford is made up of approximately 45 distinct neighborhoods, including 2 historic districts and 1 large neighborhood/redevelopment project, Harbor Point, that has yet to be completed:

Belltown

 * Barrett (Belltown) Park
 * Newfield Green (Shopping Center)

Primary streets: Belltown Road, Upland Road, Newfield Avenue, Oaklawn Avenue

Downtown

 * Atlantic Square
 * Downtown Stamford Historic District
 * Landmark Square
 * Mill River Park

Includes lower Bedford St, Prospect St, Spring St, Atlantic St, parts of Forest St, Tresser Blvd.

East Side

 * Shippan
 * Shippan Point
 * The Cove

Glenbrook
Includes Glenbrook Rd, part of Hope St, Tom's Road, Colonial Rd.

North Stamford

 * High Ridge
 * Hunting Ridge
 * Long Ridge
 * Roxbury
 * Scofieldtown

Mid-Ridges
(Refers to most of area south of Merritt Parkway down to Bulls Head, between Long Ridge and High Ridge Roads.)

Ridgeway

 * Bull's Head
 * Woodside
 * Revonah
 * Revonah Woods

South End

 * Harbor Point
 * Clearwater
 * Coastal Gardens
 * Commons Park
 * Gateway
 * Metro Center
 * Yale & Towne
 * South End Historic District

Springdale

 * Newfield

Includes most of Hope St (north of Tom's Rd), Weed Hill Ave, Haig Ave, Woodway Rd, Eden Rd.

West Side

 * Connecticut Avenue
 * Hubbard Heights
 * Richmond Hill
 * Southwood Square
 * Spruce Street
 * Westwood drive
 * Fairveiw
 * Waterside



Islands
Stamford possesses four islands in Long Island Sound: Grass Island, Greenway Island, Jack Island and Vincent Island.

ZIP codes
The commonly known neighborhoods throughout Stamford (with ZIP Codes that roughly cover the same areas) are as follows:


 * 06901 - Downtown.
 * 06902 - Cove, East Side, Roxbury, Shippan, Shippan Point, South End, Waterside, West Side, and Westover.
 * 06903 - Long Ridge and North Stamford.
 * 06905 - Belltown, Hubbard Heights, Newfield, Ridgeway, Revonah Woods, Mid-Ridges, and Turn of River.
 * 06906 - Glenbrook.
 * 06907 - Springdale.

Demographics
The population density is 3,101.9 people per square mile (1,197.5/km²).

Age and gender
The proportion of the population under the age of 18 was 22.1%, from 18 to 24 was 7.4%, from 25 to 44 was 35.0%, from 45 to 64 was 21.7%, and 65 years of age or older were 13.8%. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 93.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.9 males.

Education
Stamford has one of the highest educated populations in the US. Nine out of ten are high school graduates. Those possessing a bachelor's degree or higher is estimated at 45.9% of the population. Stamford is tied with Iowa City, Iowa for the US metropolitan area with the highest percentage of the adult population holding a bachelor's degree or higher; 44 percent of adults hold a degree.

Ethnicity and race
The 2009 Census Population estimate for Stamford is 118,787. A 2009 Census survey estimated 48,676 housing units to be in existence. The median age of 36.6 is only slightly higher than the US median age of 36.4. Stamford's population characteristics are as follows (Source:U.S. Census Bureau, 2005-2009 American Community Survey):


 * White - 64.9%
 * Black - 13.2%
 * Asian - 7.2%
 * All Other Races - 13.3%
 * Two or More Races - 1.4%
 * Hispanic - 22.1%

One out of three residents are foreign born. A language other than English is spoken at home by 42% of the population. The main ancestries of the population (Source: 2000 US Census Bureau) are: Italian (16.9%), Irish (10.5%), German (6.6%), Polish (5.6%), and Russian (3.1%). The top ten countries of origin for the foreign-born population (Source: 2000 US Census Bureau) are:


 * Haiti - 3,524
 * Guatemala - 3,067
 * India - 2,577
 * Jamaica - 2,289
 * Greece - 2,100
 * Colombia - 1,937
 * China - 1,495
 * Mexico - 1,414
 * Peru - 1,268

Housing
There are 47,317 housing units at an average density of 1,253.6 per square mile (484.0/km²). There are 45,399 households out of which 28.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.5% were married couples living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.2% were non-families. 28.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.13.

Income
According to a 2007 estimate, the median income for a household in the city was $72,315, and the median income for a family was $88,205. Males had a median income of $48,386 versus $36,958 for females. The per capita income for the city was $34,987. About 5.4% of families and 7.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.7% of those under age 18 and 9.7% of those age 65 or over.

Politics
Stamford is mostly Democratic, home to about 21,500 active registered Democrats and 14,000 Republicans in October 2005. The partisan ratio was 1.5 Democrats per Republican. 100 individuals were registered with minor parties, while roughly 20,000 did not have any party affiliation. The Mayor of Stamford is David Martin. Martin, a Democrat, was elected to a four year term in 2013, replacing Michael Pavia, a Republican who did not seek re-election to a second term. Prior to Pavia, the mayor was Dannel Malloy, the four-term Mayor who became Governor of Connecticut in 2011.

Mass transit


Stamford is located on the main branch of the New Haven Line on the Metro-North Railroad, the commuter rail system for northern metropolitan New York City. Stamford is the third busiest station on the Metro-North system and serves as a major transfer point for local trains. Stamford Station is also the terminus of a Metro-North branch that ends in New Canaan, 8 mi away, and a part-time terminal of Shore Line East trains. Two smaller train stations in Stamford are Glenbrook and Springdale, both a part of the New Canaan branch. With a recent spike in development in the East Side neighborhood, the city is considering putting in a proposal to construct a new stop to service the East Main Street area close to the New Canaan branch overpass.

Commuter trains come into Stamford from all points between New London to the east and New York (Grand Central Terminal) to the south. Several express (non-stop) trains leave Stamford each morning and evening for Grand Central. The average non-stop commute is forty-five minutes. Stamford has seen a significant increase in ridership. Much of this increase is a result of reverse commuting, individuals commuting from New York City to Stamford for work. Trains operate from the Stamford station between 4:43 AM (first departure to Grand Central) until 12:25 AM (last departure to Grand Central). On the weekends the first departure for Grand Central occurs at 5:03 AM. Fares during rush hour (on peak) are higher than during non-rush hour (off peak). On peak fares are charged between 4:43 AM – 9:10 AM for trains originating to Grand Central. Trains in transit to Stamford are charged on peak fares from 5:35 AM – 8:37 AM and from 4:02 PM – 7:40 PM. On peak fares do not apply on weekends and/or holidays. Tickets can be bought on board, yet the surcharge can make the price steep.

Stamford also serves as a station along the Amtrak route. Acela, the high speed train service between Boston and Washington, makes several daily stops in Stamford. Amtrak's Regional (Springfield, Massachusetts to Washington, D.C.) and Vermonter (Saint Albans, Vermont to Washington, D.C.) also make daily stops in Stamford. Amtrak tickets can be purchased on the upper level of the Stamford station.

Late in 2007 the city contracted a private San Francisco company to conduct a 6 month feasibility study to look at the possibility of creating an inner-city light rail line. With the proposed Harbor Point development set to break ground in the South End neighborhood sometime in 2008, the idea is to create a line that would connect the new developments to points north, such as the transportation center, Landmark Square in downtown and other various points up to the Bulls Head area.

Airports
Stamford is within 90 minutes drive of six airports: two regional, four international. Regional: Westchester County Airport (often referred to as White Plains Airport) which borders the town of Greenwich and Tweed-New Haven Regional Airport, in New Haven, Connecticut. International: Bradley International Airport, located in Windsor Locks, Connecticut, LaGuardia Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport both in Queens, N.Y., and Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark & Elizabeth, New Jersey.

Buses
City bus transportation is provided by CT Transit, which is run and financed by the Connecticut Department of Transportation. The main terminal is adjacent to the train station on State Street, under the I-95 highway. Bus service runs along major arterial roads through the towns of Darien, Norwalk, Greenwich and Port Chester, New York. A non-stop direct route is also offered to White Plains, New York. Commuters can connect in Norwalk to points as far east as Milford and as far north as Danbury. Additional connections can be made in Port Chester and White Plains to all points covered by the Bee-Line bus system in Westchester County.

Greyhound provides some bus service from the lower level of the Stamford train station. Same bus service is provided to New Haven (Union Station), Boston (South Station), and New York (Port Authority).

Highways
Two limited-access highways run through the city. Interstate 95 serves as the main route through downtown Stamford with four exits (6-9). The Merritt Parkway runs through the northern part of the city. This road is designated for passenger vehicles only. Any congestion on the Merritt Parkway is mostly likely to occur on the southbound lane in the morning and the northbound in the evening (route to and from New York). At night, due to the absence of lighting, visibility on the Merritt Parkway is relatively poor. Stamford exits on the Merritt Parkway are 33-35, and exit 36 is just over the border in New Canaan.

Stamford is also served by four other state highways. Route 1, also known as Main Street in Stamford, is also used as a major artery during the morning and evening commute. Most traffic via Route 1 is short distance or fairly local, yet vehicles have utilized Route 1 during times of heavy congestion on I-95 as a re-route. Route 137 (Washington Boulevard and High Ridge Road) is the main north-south road of the city and runs from the Stamford Transportation Center and serves the Turn of River, North Stamford, and High Ridge sections of the city. Route 104 (Long Ridge Road) branches off from Route 137 to serve the Long Ridge section. Route 106 (Courtland Avenue) serves the Glenbrook neighborhood and continues towards the town of Darien.

Economy


Stamford's cluster of corporate headquarters includes a number of Fortune 500, Fortune 1000 and Courant 100 companies.

Among the larger companies with headquarters in Stamford are WWE, Tasty Bite, Pitney Bowes, Gen Re, Frontier Communications, Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, Crane Co. and Charter Communications. UBS also has its North American headquarters here and its trading floor holds the Guinness World Record as the largest column-less trading floor in the world. The Royal Bank of Scotland moved its North American operations into Stamford in 2009, including its RBS Greenwich Capital subsidiary.

In recent years, many large corporations have moved offices outside of the city due to the high rental cost, including Xerox, MeadWestvaco, International Paper, GE Capital, NBC and Clairol. The Harbor Point development, located in the South End, is one of the largest private-sector development projects in the United States. Many large retail stores, such as Design within Reach and Fairway Market have moved in, along with multiple hedge funds.

Crime
Stamford was the ninth-safest city in the United States in 2006 (among cities with populations of 100,000 or more), up from the 11th safest in 2005, according to the FBI. The 2006 ranking represented the sixth consecutive year the city ranked in the top 11. FBI crime statistics for the city showed crime went down 1.7 percent in 2006 because of a plunge in property crimes. But the rate of violent crime went up by a total of 29 percent in the two years 2005 and 2006 combined. The increase was due in part due to violent gang battles, often on the West Side.

The violent crime rate climbed five years in a row up through 2006, and the 2005 increase was also in the double digits. The city's 300-officer police force responded to 393 reports of violent crimes in 2006, up from 353 in 2005 and 305 in 2004. The total number of serious assaults dropped from 183 in 2005 to 172 in 2006, according to city records. Robberies rose from 150 to 197 in 2006. Serious assaults dropped 6 percent.

There were three homicides and 23 rapes in 2006, up from two homicides and 18 rapes in 2005. The city reported 2,697 total crimes. With populations close to that of Stamford, Bridgeport (ranked 25th) reported 8,496, Hartford (ranked 26th) reported 10,955 and Waterbury reported 6,447 (New Haven hasn't reported statistics to the F.B.I. in years.)

Stamford Emergency Medical Services
A not-for-profit agency, Stamford Emergency Medical Services (SEMS) provides pre-hospital emergency care in Stamford, Connecticut. SEMS also provides contracted paramedic intercept response to Darien Emergency Medical Services, located in Darien, Connecticut. SEMS is the only Connecticut EMS service accredited by the Commission on the Accreditation of Ambulance Services (CAAS). All SEMS units are staffed by at least one Connecticut-licensed paramedic. Stamford EMS responds to 13,000 calls annually.

In Stamford, medical facilities include;


 * Stamford Hospital
 * Tully Health Center
 * Franklin Street Community Health Center

Fire department
Fire protection in the city of Stamford is provided by the paid Stamford Fire Rescue Department(SFRD) and 5 all-volunteer Fire Departments: Glenbrook-New Hope, Belltown, Springdale, Turn of River, and Long Ridge. The Stamford Fire Rescue Department operates out of 7 Fire Stations(including 2 Substations) and share quarters with 2 volunteer fire departments(Glenbrook-New Hope and Springdale). The SFRD's primary response district includes the southern, more urban sections of the city, including Downtown, East Side, West Side, Woodside, and South End areas of the city. The 5 all-volunteer fire departments' primary response districts include the Northern, more residential sections of the city, from Downtown to the New York State border. The SFRD's 290 paid members staff a total of 9 Engines(including 2 Quints), 3 Trucks, 1 Heavy Rescue, and a Deputy Chief's Command Vehicle. The Stamford Fire Rescue Department responds to over 11,000 emergency calls annually. The 5 all-volunteer fire departments each operate 1 to 2 Fire Stations in their own tax districts. The volunteers mann a combined apparatus fleet of 14 Engines, 3 Trucks, 5 Rescues, and their own Command Vehicles, as many other special units and respond to all calls in their respected districts in conjunction with the paid fire department.

Budgeting and districting of the various fire departments throughout the city has been unstable since 2007, due to an extended legal conflict between the volunteer departments and the Malloy administration. As of May 16, 2012, a decision was reached by the city's charter revision committee to combine the paid and volunteer fire departments into one combination fire department, known as the Stamford Fire Department. The new department would be headed by a paid Chief of Department, appointed by the mayor, and 2 paid Assistant Chiefs, 1 appointed by the mayor to oversee the operations of the paid wing of the new department, and 1 appointed by the volunteer fire companies to oversee the operations of the volunteer wing of the new department. The joining of the paid and 5 all-volunteer fire departments would promote better public safety for the city, a smoother incident command system, and a better incident response system.

Police department
The Stamford Police Department(SPD) is Stamford's only police force and has lost four officers in the line of service since 1938. The 2008 force was composed of 1 chief, 2 assistant chiefs, 7 captains, 11 lieutenants, 52 sergeants, 215 officers and 67 civilian employees. Aside from Police Headquarters, located at 805 Bedford St. in Downtown Stamford, SPD also operates substations in Stamford's West Side at Wilson St. and W. Main St. and at 1137 High Ridge Rd and Hope Street. The current Chief of Police is Jonathan Fontneau.

Education
Stamford has branches of the University of Connecticut, University of Bridgeport and Sacred Heart University. The University of Connecticut's campus is located in a large modern building in downtown that opened in 1998 after extensive renovations to an abandoned former Bloomingdale's store that closed in 1990. The branches of the University of Bridgeport and Sacred Heart University are located in the River Bend Executive Center, Fairfield County's premier communication and information high tech park. All are commuter campuses.

As no study has been conducted to assess the cost of education in Stamford, it is difficult to tell whether or not Stamford has a well-funded public education system. Although providing a public education is a state responsibility, Connecticut ranks near the bottom in state share of public education expenditures. Thus, the majority of education funding must come from local governments like that of Stamford. According to the State Department of Education, in the 2004-05 academic year, 42.7% of Stamford's public school students were economically disadvantaged, 34.8% did not have English as a home language and 11.6% were students with disabilities. Research has shown that these populations need additional resources to meet state academic standards. Owing to the state school finance system, the burden of these extra necessary costs of education falls primarily on Stamford's local government. The public school system is an integrated district with racial balance requirements exceeding those of the state of Connecticut. State standards require that a school's racial makeup be within 25% of the community's racial makeup. Stamford's standard is a more strict 10%. Over the years, schools have become unbalanced.

Stamford has several public high schools, Westhill High School, Stamford High School, and the Academy of Information Technology and Engineering. The city also has several private schools, including King Low Heywood Thomas, The Long Ridge School, Trinity Catholic High School, Villa Maria School, and Bi-Cultural Jewish Day School as well as two state charter schools: Trailblazers Academy Charter Middle School and Stamford Academy Charter High School, both operated by human services nonprofit Domus.

Libraries
Stamford's public library, the Ferguson Library, is one of the largest in Connecticut. The main library downtown is the second in the country to rent space to a Starbucks (since September 1999). The store has its own doors to the street and to the library, and is open earlier and later than the library. The library also shows movies and has a used-book store run by Friends of Ferguson Library.

The library has branches in South End, Springdale, and the Turn of River sections of the city, it also has a bookmobile that runs daily to different neighborhoods. The Turn of River branch, officially called the Harry Bennett Branch, is the largest library branch in the state. That branch also has a used book store run by Friends of Ferguson Library.

Sport
The New England Force, a professional soccer team, will make its debut in the American Soccer League in August 2014. Their existence is part of a large European soccer movement occurring in Southern New England.

Parks and recreation sites

 * Cummings Park, a public beach, was once a popular spot for shellfishing. The park, developed in 1906, previously was known as Halloween Park because Mayor Homer Cummings cast the deciding vote to create it on Halloween Night.
 * The 83 acre Cove Island Park, once a farm and then an enormous factory site (Stamford Manufacturing Company), offers visitors a choice of beaches as well as picnic grounds and bluffs. It has a small wildlife sanctuary in the southwest corner that might be interesting for bird watchers. SoundWaters Community Center for Environmental Education is located at the northeast part of the park.
 * Jackie Robinson Park 2.JPG Jackie Robinson Park on the West Side is named after baseball legend [[Jackie Robinson]], who lived in Stamford.
 * Terry Connors Ice Rink shares a parking lot with Cove Island Park. It offers public ice skating for all ages and ability levels, group lessons, and ice hockey. It is the home of the Stamford Youth Hockey Association . Open skating is scheduled regularly, and costs are $6 for children or students and $8 for adults. Skate rentals are also available for $4.
 * Scalzi Park on Bridge Street has a playground, baseball and softball fields, volleyball courts, tennis courts, bocce courts, basketball courts, roller hockey courts, and a baseball stadium named "Cubeta Stadium." Stamford baseball leagues play baseball there. J.M. Wright Technical High School is next to the park. A skate park was opened at Scalzi in July 2007. The city sought input from users in planning the $309,850, concrete skate park and hired Grindline Skateparks Inc. of Seattle, Washington to provide a unique design and build it.
 * Stamford has two municipal golf courses. Sterling Farms Golf Course opened in May 1972 and is the more popular of the two courses. The facility also has a driving range, restaurant, and six tennis courts.  In the fall of 2005, Sterling Farms began Phase 1 of an extensive renovation project which will result in improvements to the entire golf course and adjacent facilities.  Each fall and spring since 2005, 3 to 4 different holes have been renovated resulting in new tees, bunkers and cart paths.  At this point, the entire front 9 has been completed and the back 9 is well underway.  All is expected to be completed in the fall of 2010.  E. Gaynor Brennan Golf Course, referred to locally as Hubbard Heights, opened for play in 1922 as a private course and was purchased by the city in 1949.  A long range Master Plan is currently being designed by Stephen Kay - Doug Smith Golf Course Design and renovation work is scheduled to begin in the fall of 2010.
 * Mill River Park - This park is located in the center of downtown but its ancient grist mill (present when George Washington traveled through Stamford) was modernized in the 1920s. The result was interference with the seasonal changes in the riverflow, chronic backup of silt, a loss of wildlife and an accumulation of debris. Demolition of the dam to re-establish the natural flow of the river and create a park designed by OLIN (the same firm that designed Bryant Park in New York) is complete or nearly complete.
 * Dorothy Heroy Park Is located in North Stamford, just south of Pound Ridge, NY.
 * The Italian Center features tennis courts, swimming pools, fitness centers, a playground and a miniature golf course.
 * The YMCA of Stamford offers swimming lessons and sports which include; basketball and indoor soccer. Programs are also available periodically for physical fitness.
 * The Stamford Yacht Club is a private organization that provides members with access to Boating activities and additional amenities.

Science and nature

 * The Stamford Museum and Nature Center on a 118 acre site in the northern end of town, has a collection of works by Gutzon Borglum, the sculptor of Mount Rushmore, who was a Stamford resident for a decade.
 * The Fairfield County Astronomical Society was started up in 1954 runs the Stamford Observatory, which has a 22 in telescope.
 * Bartlett Arboretum and Gardens is a 91 acre botanical gardens and science education center boasting over 850 specimen trees and plants from around the world. It is also home to several Champion Trees; the largest of their species within Connecticut.
 * SoundWaters Community Center for Environmental Education is located in Cove Island Park.

Theatre and film

 * Stamford Center for the Arts: The Palace Theatre, originally opened as a vaudeville house in 1927, reopened as a nonprofit theater in 1983. It was joined in 1992 by the Rich Forum, another downtown venue. Both have been run by the Stamford Center for the Arts. The Rich Forum is now being rented by NBC Universal as a television studio.
 * Curtain Call Inc. presents plays and other entertainment at the Sterling Farms Theatre Complex, 1349 Newfield Ave.
 * Bow Tie Cinemas has two first-run movie houses in Stamford with a total of 15 movie screens: Landmark 9 and Majestic 6. On February 13, 2004, the Avon Theatre Film Center, a 2 screen nonprofit movie house focusing on first-run independent films, opened in the historic Avon Theatre on Bedford Street. In Springdale, the two-screen State Cinema, run by Garden Homes Cinemas of Stamford, also shows first-run films. The Ferguson Library also shows films.

Music

 * Stamford Symphony Orchestra In a typical season, the SSO gives five pairs of classical concerts and three pops concerts at the 1,586-seat Palace Theatre, as well as a concert for elementary school students and a family concert series.
 * Connecticut Grand Opera, a not-for-profit, professional opera company performs at the Palace Theatre. On its web site, the CGO claims to offer "the most ambitious opera season of any company between New York and Boston."
 * Alive @ Five is an annual summer concert located in Columbus park typically lasting 6 weeks.
 * Treetops CMS, a non-profit chamber music organization, is located in Westover, providing six chamber music concerts annually, as well as art exhibits and installations.

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Fine Art

 * Franklin Street Works maintains an art space in the downtown area.

Media

 * NBC Sports Network airs its studio shows from Stamford.
 * The Yes Network headquarters is in Stamford.
 * WWE has its international headquarters in Stamford.
 * Soap Operas All My Children and One Life to Live have been recorded in Stamford since 2013
 * Stamford, Connecticut served as a location for one of five branches of the fictional Dunder Mifflin paper company from the US television series, The Office.
 * Stamford, Connecticut is featured as the start of events that unfold in the Marvel Comics Civil War crossover series.
 * The 2001-2005 television sitcom My Wife and Kids starring Damon Wayans was set in Stamford.
 * Beginning in 2009, NBCUniversal moved production of three syndicated programs to the Rich Forum Theatre. Maury originally taped in New York City while The Jerry Springer Show and The Steve Wilkos Show came to Stamford from Chicago.
 * The TBS sitcom Are We There Yet was filmed at the Connecticut Film Center located in Stamford.
 * The fictional movie, Take My Hand, from the episode, I Heart Connecticut of the NBC show 30 Rock was set and filmed in Stamford.

Print media

 * Stamford Magazine, published by Moffly Media
 * Stamford Advocate, daily newspaper, owned by the Hearst Corporation.
 * The Stamford Times, weekly newspaper, owned by The Hour Newspapers.
 * Stamford Plus magazine is published by Canaiden LLC.
 * El Sol News, weekly Spanish language newspaper.
 * La Voz, weekly Spanish language newspaper.

Radio stations in the city

 * WSTC-AM 1400; 1,000 watts; shares programming with WNLK-AM 1350
 * WEDW-FM 88.5; 2,000 watts, a National Public Radio station

Sister cities

 * Afula, Israel
 * Minturno, Italy
 * Jajmau, India
 * Settefrati, Italy
 * Sparti, Greece
 * Lima, Peru
 * Jiangdu, China