Torrington, Connecticut

Torrington is the largest city in Litchfield County, Connecticut. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 35,202, but a July 1, 2004 estimate put the city's population at 36,248. It is the largest city in Litchfield County and in northwest Connecticut. It is also the core city of the largest of the country's micropolitan areas.

Related Topics:
Litchfield County, Connecticut - 2000 - July 1 - 2004 - Micropolitan area

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Abolitionist John Brown was born in Torrington in 1800.

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The city was settled in 1735. It was incorporated as a town in 1740 and as a city in 1923. In 1955, a flood destroyed much of the downtown area.

Related Topics:
1735 - 1740 - 1923 - 1955 - Downtown

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Today Torrington is an aging former industrial town in need of redevelopment, as are most other towns along the Naugatuck River Valley. Poor planning by the city has devitalized the downtown by allowing the building of strip malls and big-box retailers up East Main Street to the city limits. It is currently competing with the neighboring city of Winsted to recreate a pleasant Main Street environment. Downtown Torringon is home to the Nutmeg Conservatory for the Arts, which trains world-class ballet dancers and whose Company performs in the Warner Theatre, a 1,700 seat auditorium restored in 2002 to its original 1931 glory. The theater, while originally built as a cinema by the Warner Brothers film studio, has been reborn as a performing arts venue and arts instruction organization, and it will be a focal point for any further downtown revitalization.

Related Topics:
Redevelopment - Naugatuck River Valley - Strip malls - Big-box - Winsted - Main Street - Ballet - Cinema - Warner Brothers

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