Welcome to Bridgeport, CT

County: Fairfield
Population: 146,425
Square Miles: 16
Government: Mayor
Distance to Major Cities:
Boston: 139 miles
Hartford: 55 miles
New York City: 65 miles

Founded in 1639, Bridgeport is the state’s largest city and one of its busiest ports. Situated between Fairfield and Stratford, it is the bustling center of the 48th largest urban area in the United States. The city has more designated historic districts than any other Connecticut municipality.

The Bridgeport Real Estate market is diverse, ranging from multi-million dollar mansions in the city’s Black Rock neighborhood to stately homes in Brooklawn, historic homes in the North End, and apartments for rent used for student housing at the University of Bridgeport and Housatonic Community College. There are extraordinary Real Estate opportunities for both homeowners and investors in the newly revitalized city of Bridgeport.

Currently, the city is in the midst of an exciting revitalization. A concentrated effort is under way to improve the city’s image and reclaim its 19th-Century grandeur from the P. T. Barnum days. The historic downtown is being transformed into a retail of-fice and entertainment district, including an “artsy” residential neighborhood. Bridgeport Harbor is undergoing a$50 million transportation center with ferry service, buses, taxis, and trains; the billion-dollar waterfront development plan includes hotels, restaurants, and a high-end outlet mall. The project also includes an arts and entertainment complex, centered on the 1908 Bijou Theater (the oldest movie house in America).

Bridgeport is accessible from Interstate 95, the Merritt Parkway, US 1 (the Post Road), and highway CT 8 from the north. Amtrak and Metro-North transport passengers north and south; Shore Line Express provides weekday commuter service be-tween Bridgeport and Stamford. Bradley International Airport and Tweed-New Haven Regional Airport are nearby. The infamous Bridgeport and Port Jefferson Steamboat Company has been operating the “Port Jeff” ferry since 1883, carrying cars and passengers across the Sound between Bridgeport and Port Jefferson on the North Shore of Long Island.

Bridgeport Public Schools is the second largest school system in Connecticut. Students attend29 elementary and middle schools, including 4 magnet schools; 4 high schools and 1 magnet high school; and 3 alternative schools. Bridgeport’s college students attend St. Vincent’s College, University of Bridgeport, and Housatonic Community College.

The city offers many employment opportunities; St. Vincent’s Medical Center, Bridgeport Hospital, and People’s United Bank are the top employers in the city.
Bridgeport’s beaches and salt marshes form the longest public waterfront in the state, which includes many marinas and yacht clubs offering slips and moorings equal to the best of ports along the coast. Seaside Park, a 325-acre expanse was donated to the city by P.T. Barnum and designed by Frederick Law Olmsted (renowned landscape artist) and Calvert Vaux (architect and land-scape designer). St. Mary’s-by-the-Sea is considered to be one of the prettiest spots along the Connecticut Coast.

Residents and visitors have long been attracted to Bridgeport’s vast culture –The Housatonic Museum of Art’s collection includes works by Picasso, Rodin, Renoir, and Matisse. The Barnum Museum features a complete scale model of Barnum’s world-famous Three-Ring Circus. Klein Memorial Auditorium is the city’s major and newly renovated venue, home to the Greater Bridgeport Symphony. Numerous attractions delight people of all ages, including exotic animals at Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo, the state’s largest and only accredited zoo. The Bluefish Tournament in August is billed as the “Greatest Bluefish Tournament on Earth!”

Sports fans rally round two teams in the city – the Atlantic League’s Bridgeport Bluefish (one of the few professional sports teams left in Connecticut) which has won the most games in the history of the league; and the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, a professional affiliate of the New York Islanders.

Leaders believe Bridgeport is become a city rife with potential. Considering its current growth and development, the city’s residents have a great deal to enjoy and look forward to.