Bridgeport, city (2020 pop. 148,654),
Fairfield co., SW Conn., on Long Island Sound; inc. 1836. Long a chief
industrial city in Connecticut, it makes electrical appliances,
transportation equipment, clothing, ammunition, metal products, wiring
devices, machinery, helicopters, motor vehicles, and building materials.
Settled in 1639, Bridgeport first grew as a fishing community. Heavy
industry declined rapidly after 1970, and Bridgeport struggled as more
affluent residents fled to the suburbs. The Barnum Institute of Science and
History commemorates showman P. T. Barnum, who lived in Bridgeport and
whose circus wintered there. The Univ. of Bridgeport is in the city.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
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