Bristol, Connecticut is a city in Hartford County in the state of Connecticut, United States. The city has a total area of km², of which the land area is km². According to the 2006 United States Census Bureau, the city had a population of 61,353 people. Bristol is a suburban city located in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States 20 miles (32 km) southwest of Hartford. Bristol is primarily known as the home of ESPN, which has its central studio in the city. Bristol is also home to Lake Coumpounce, America's oldest still active theme park. Bristol was also known as a watchmaking city during the 19th century, and is home to American watchmaking and the Watch Museum. Bristol's nicknames include Bell City, because of a historic maker of spring-loaded sliding doors, and Mother's City because it was once a leader in the field of chrysanthemum production and still holds a Bristol. Annual Mother Festival. In 2010, Bristol was ranked 84th best place to live by Money magazine.
New England Carousel Museum, 95 Riverside Avenue, Bristol, CT 06010.
Tel: +1 860-585-5411, Fax: +1 860-314-0483, Email:
manager@thecarouselmuseum.org . Carousel structures and figures are
shown, some of which are more than 100 years old. Open: Wednesday to
Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Sunday from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00
p.m. Price: Children under 14 years US$3.50, children older than 14
years and adults US$6.00.
American Clock & Watch Museum, 100 Maple
Street, Bristol, CT 06010. Tel: +1 860-583-6070, Email:
info@clockmuseum.org . The museum is dedicated to the topic of watches.
Countless examples from different eras are on display. Plus watchmaking
tools and information about the watch industry in New England. Open:
April to November daily from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.; December to March
only Friday to Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Price: Children up to
17 years US$3, adults US$6.
Lake Compounce, 822 Lake Avenue, Bristol,
CT 06010. Tel: +1 860-583-3300, Fax: +1 860-589-7974, Email:
info@lakecompounce.com . Amusement park with roller coasters, carousels
& a water park. Open: The park is not open all year round and has
different opening times. Please inform in advance. Price: Children up to
132 cm tall pay US$34, larger children and adults pay US$44 each.
Spare Time, 177 Farmington Avenue, Bristol, CT 06010. Phone: +1
860-583-1669 . Bowling and laser tag. Open: Monday to Thursday from 9:00
a.m. to midnight, Friday and Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m.,
Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.
1 Lake Compounce, 822 Lake Avenue, Bristol, CT 06010. Tel.: +1
860-583-3300, Fax: +1 860-589-7974, E-Mail: info@lakecompounce.com .
Amusement park with roller coasters, carousels and a water park. Open:
The park is not open all year round and has varying opening times.
Please check in advance. Price: Children up to 132 cm tall pay US$34,
older children and adults each pay US$44.
2 Spare Time, 177
Farmington Avenue, Bristol, CT 06010. Tel.: +1 860-583-1669 . Bowling
and laser tag. Open: Monday to Thursday from 09:00 to midnight, Friday
and Saturday from 09:00 to 02:00, Sunday from 09:00 to 23:00.
By plane
For example via Bradley International Airport (IATA: BDL)
in Hartford. There is the option of flying with Aer Lingus via Dublin or
with a connecting stop in the States with American Airlines, Delta Air
Lines or United Airlines. The subsequent drive to Bristol takes
approximately 45 minutes.
On the street
The Interstate Highway
I84 runs east of the city and the US Highway H60 runs through the city.
1 Chimney Crest Manor, 5 Founders Drive, Bristol, CT 06010. Tel.: +1
860-582-4219, E-Mail: Innkeeper@ChimneyCrestManor.com
2 DoubleTree by
Hilton, 42 Century Drive, Bristol, CT 06010. Tel.: +1 860-589-7766,
E-Mail: bdlcd@hilton.com
1 USPS Post Office, 151 North Main Street, Bristol, CT 06010. Phone:
860-583-1371. Open: Monday to Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.,
Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
2 Bristol Public Library, 5 High
Street, Bristol, CT 06010. Tel: +1 860-584-7787, Email:
bristollibrary@bristolct.gov. Open: Monday to Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to
8:00 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Sunday from
1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
The area now known as Bristol was originally inhabited by the Tunxis
Native American tribe, part of the Eastern Algonquian-speaking peoples
who lived in the lower Connecticut River Valley.
Bristol was
initially part of Farmington, Connecticut, incorporated into the
Connecticut Colony in 1645. This incorporation was reaffirmed by a
subsequent deed in 1650. Daniel Brownson was the first to settle in the
area, building a house near West Street, although he did not stay long.
The first permanent settler was Ebenezer Barnes, who built a home on
King Street in 1728. That same year, Nehemiah Manross arrived from
Lebanon, Connecticut, constructing a house north of Barnes Street on the
west side of King Street. In 1729, East Bristol saw its first settlement
when Nathaniel Messenger of Hartford and Benjamin Buck of Southington
purchased land and built homes along King Street.
Soon,
additional houses were constructed wherever farming land was available,
including the slopes of Fall Mountain, along present-day Wolcott Street,
and on Chippens Hill. By 1742, area families petitioned the Connecticut
Colony General Court to establish their own Congregational Society due
to the challenges of traveling to Farmington during winter. Initially,
the Court granted permission for winter-only services. However, in 1744,
the community was allowed to establish a permanent ecclesiastical
society named New Cambridge. With their own congregation, residents
began forming a local government. A committee from the General Court
determined that the geographic center of the settlement was in what is
now Federal Hill, where the first Congregationalist church was built.
In 1785, New Cambridge was incorporated as the town of Bristol,
named after Bristol, England. By 1790, the town’s hallmark industry was
established by Gideon Roberts, a pioneer in clockmaking. Roberts
produced wooden-movement clocks and sold them by horseback throughout
Connecticut, New York, and Pennsylvania. As his sons joined the
business, production expanded, and Bristol clocks gained national
prominence. By the early 19th century, the town’s economy was heavily
centered on the clock industry, leading to the development of related
industries such as brass, springs, bearings, and hardware. This
industrial growth attracted diverse ethnic groups to the area for work.
Bristol was incorporated as a city in 1911. Today, it is primarily
residential and is best known as the home of ESPN (established in 1979),
the American Clock & Watch Museum (founded in 1952), and Lake Compounce,
the oldest continuously operating theme park in the United States, which
opened in 1846.
In the 1990s, the Blight Committee was established to enforce
property appearance standards and address unsightly or poorly maintained
properties, including demolishing those deemed unfit. The committee's
primary goal was to prevent abandonment and ensure reasonable property
maintenance.
In 2008, the Bristol Blight Committee was replaced
by the Bristol Code Enforcement Committee, which was granted expanded
authority. This new committee addresses not only property appearances
but also issues related to the structural integrity of buildings. Its
purpose is to streamline and enhance the enforcement processes
previously managed by the Blight Committee.
Since 2008, Bristol has undertaken a new wave of downtown renovations. The Bristol Downtown Development Corporation was established to oversee these efforts, which have included a complete transformation of a central park in the heart of the city. The outdated and underutilized Bristol Centre Mall, built in the mid-1960s, was purchased by the city and demolished in 2008, creating a 17-acre site designated as Depot Square for future development. Additionally, improvements to North Main Street were made in 2008, including the addition of landscaped islands, decorative street lighting, and a brick median as part of the road's repaving project.
According to the United States Census Bureau, Bristol covers a total
area of 26.8 square miles (69.5 km²), of which 26.4 square miles (68.4
km²) is land and 0.39 square miles (1.0 km²), or 1.51%, is water. The
city is divided into several distinct sections, including Cedar Lake in
the southwest, Chippens Hill in the northwest, Edgewood in the
northeast, Forestville in the southeast, and the central city area.
While most of Bristol is predominantly residential, there has been a
focus on commercial development since 2008. Bristol is part of the
Naugatuck Valley Regional Planning Organization, following the closure
of the Central Connecticut Regional Planning Agency, which had served as
the metropolitan planning organization for Bristol, New Britain, and
neighboring towns for decades.
Forestville, once the hunting
grounds of the Tunxis tribe, was established as a village in 1833 and
named for its forested surroundings. Over time, it has evolved into a
small suburban hub with neighborhoods and local businesses. Its
boundaries extend from the Plainville town line south to the Southington
town line, west to the industrial areas along Middle Street, crossing
King Street and including properties on Kingswood Drive and Bernside
Drive. It stretches north to Bristol Eastern High School and the
southern edge of properties on Louisiana Avenue, then west to Brook
Street and commercial developments along Farmington Avenue. Within
Forestville, there are two subsections, East Bristol and the Stafford
District.
Forestville is home to various community amenities,
including the Manross Library branch, a post office, a meeting hall, the
Forestville Village Association, a fire station, a cemetery, a funeral
home, and two parks: Quinlan Veterans Park and Clock Tower Park.
Community events such as the Pequabuck Duck Race, Memorial Day Parade,
Summer Concert Night, and Pumpkin Festival are held here. Forestville
also features a historic railroad station (no longer in use). At one
point, the entire area had its own ZIP code.
As of the 2010 Census, Bristol had a population of 60,477 people,
with 25,189 households and 16,175 families. The population density was
2,265.8 inhabitants per square mile (874.8/km²). There were 26,125
housing units, averaging 985.6 units per square mile (380.5 units/km²).
The city's racial composition was 87.74% White, 3.84% African American,
9.64% Hispanic, 0.19% Native American, 1.94% Asian, 0.02% Pacific
Islander, 3.72% from other races, and 2.54% identifying as two or more
races.
In 2000, Bristol had 24,886 households, with 29.6%
including children under 18. Married couples made up 49.6% of
households, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and
35.0% were non-families. Individual households accounted for 28.9%,
while 10.7% were single residents aged 65 or older. The average
household size was 2.38, and the average family size was 2.94.
In
terms of age distribution at the 2000 Census, 23.2% of residents were
under 18, 7.2% were 18 to 24, 32.5% were 25 to 44, 22.2% were 45 to 64,
and 14.9% were 65 or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100
females, there were 93.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and
over, there were 90.6 males.
In 2010, the median household income
in Bristol was $57,610, and the per capita income was $30,573. About
10.5% of the population lived below the poverty line, including 8.7% of
those under 18 and 5.9% of those 65 and older.
The following companies are among the most prominent in Bristol and,
along with Bristol Hospital, serve as the area's largest private
employers:
Associated Spring
Established in 1857 and
headquartered in Bristol, the Barnes Group is a global manufacturer
specializing in precision metal components and assemblies, as well as a
distributor of industrial supplies. Serving diverse markets and
customers, Barnes Group operates three divisions, reporting $1.1 billion
in sales in 2005.
ESPN
ESPN, a major sports broadcasting
network, operates its broadcast studios on Middle Street in Bristol. It
is the city's largest taxpayer and a key contributor to the local
economy.
Otis Elevator Company
While Otis Elevator Company was
originally founded in Yonkers, New York, it maintains the tallest
elevator test tower in the United States in Bristol. Standing 383 feet
(117 meters) tall, the tower is located near ESPN and Lake Compounce and
is a prominent landmark visible from surrounding areas.
Annual Street Festival and Family Farms Weekend
Each September,
Bristol hosts a street festival featuring a car show, alongside a Family
Farms Weekend held at Minors Farm, Shepherd Meadows, and Roberts
Orchard.
Mum Festival and Parade
The Bristol Mum Festival,
first held on July 7, 1962, began as the "Fall Festival" and included a
parade. Organized by the Chamber of Commerce and city officials, the
event was designed to highlight the positive aspects of Bristol and
originally spanned six days. In 1963, the chrysanthemum ("Mum") was
incorporated into the festival's name to reflect the area's historical
association with the flower. Before 1986, Bristol nurseries produced
over 80,000 chrysanthemum plants annually.
In 2014, Bristol
adopted the "All Heart" brand, which city leaders integrated into
various events, including the Mum Festival and parade, incorporating the
new logo into promotional materials.
Other Attractions
Bristol
is home to several notable attractions, including:
American Clock &
Watch Museum
Imagine Nation: A Museum Early Learning Center
Bristol Military Memorial Museum
Bristol Historical Society Museum
Witch's Dungeon Classic Movie Museum
Harry Barnes Memorial Nature
Center, part of the Environmental Learning Centers of Connecticut
Additionally, the city celebrates its Polish heritage each September
with the Polish-American Dożynki Festival, hosted at St. Stanislaus
Church.
Bristol is home to the Bristol Blues, a summer collegiate baseball
team that plays its home games at the historic Muzzy Field.
Muzzy
Field, one of the oldest ballparks in the United States, underwent a
major renovation in 2012 and 2013, funded by the City of Bristol to
preserve its historic significance.
Each August, Bristol also
hosts the Little League New England and Mid-Atlantic Regional playoffs
at the A. Bartlett Giamatti Little League Center.