Waterbury Time Machine

2008-11-09T18:15:00.019-05:00

Exchange Place in downtown Waterbury CT in the early 1950s

Some downtown stores and the State Theater on East Main St. in 1954

These are just two of the hundreds of places my Time Machine visits on the cybertour of Waterbury in vintage images from the late 1800s to the 1970s on my Waterbury Time Machine website.

If you prefer to view vintage images of a particular area of Waterbury rather than take the entire tour, click on the appropriate link below.

Downtown * Around the Green * More Downtown * Uptown

West Side * Out East * North End * South End * 1955 Flood Photos

Waterbury Radio Stations & Personalities * Waterbury Theaters

tourists since 11/9/08
hit counter
__________________________________________________________

Click on COMMENTS below to read some memories of Waterbury in the '50s, '60s, or '70s from the Website. Please post your memories of Waterbury in the Memories of Waterbury or Waterbury Neighborhoods post below.

Memories of Waterbury

2008-11-09T17:30:00.007-05:00

Exchange Place in the early 1930s

The East End of The Green in the early 1940s

The East Main St. "Theater District" in 1946

These and hundreds more vintage views of Waterbury can be seen on my Waterbury Time Machine Cybertour.

Click on COMMENTS below to post your memories of Waterbury in the '50s, '60s, or '70s, and include your e-mail address at the end if you would like to connect with other former Waterburians who may stop by. Select the NAME/URL option to post your comments.

Waterbury Neighborhoods

2008-11-09T17:00:00.021-05:00

Waterbury is a city of neighborhoods. Their distinctive character, shaped by the history and geography of the city, has led residents to form an unusual loyalty to their neighborhood.

Vibrant ethnic communities distinguished the city neighborhoods. Clusters of shops at the street corners offered neighborhood residents everything they could desire, creating villages within the city. For many people, home, work and community life was contained within their neighborhood.

In the 19th century, the city grew with the success of the local brass industry. From a population of 5,000 in 1850, Waterbury grew to more than 100,000 residents in 1920. By the end of the 19th century, the neighborhoods of Waterbury had scaled the hills, with new homes rising higher on the ridgeline each decade.

In an era before the automobile, residents walked to work, church and shopping, so the neighborhoods were compact. The population density in Waterbury was nearly 3,200 people per square mile in 1920, when many families occupied triple deckers and multi-family “blocks”. Many of the new residents were immigrants attracted to jobs in the expanding brass mills. They brought distinctive traditions to the shops, churches and clubs that clustered in the lively neighborhoods of Waterbury.

Some Waterbury neighborhood names: Bucks Hill, Bunker Hill, Gilmartin, Hillside, Hopeville, The North End, Out East, Town Plot, Washington Hill

Photos & Memories of Waterbury Neighborhoods

Click on COMMENTS below to post your memories of your Waterbury neighborhood in the ‘50s, ‘60s, or ‘70s, and include your e-mail address at the end if you would like to connect with other former Waterburians who may stop by. Select the Comment as: Name/URL option to post your comments.