***Introduction to Bridgeport***

**Bridgeport** is in the southwest corner of Connecticut. It was first settled in 1639. The Pequonnock River flows into Long Island Sound, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. This is where the city is. In 1800, it became a borough. In 1821, it became a town. In 1836, it became a city. Bridgeport has been called Pequonnock, New Fairfield, Stratford, and Fairfield Village, among other things. When a drawbridge was built over the Pequonnock River in 1800, it got its current name. Bridgeport has more people than any other city in the state.

**Bridgeport** is known as "Park City," and it has 27 parks. Seaside Park is 210 acres and is right by the water. Beardsley Park is 234 acres and has a golf course, Beardsley Zoo, and winding roads and paths through woods. Both were made by Frederick Law Olmsted, who was also responsible for New York City's Central Park.

Many people from outside the city may only know it from seeing the factories in the enterprise zone as they drive through on Interstate 95. Its economy is very different from that of nearby cities on the Gold Coast of the state.

Bridgeport is full of history. There are no less than 54 Registered Historic Places in the city. The buildings are interesting and different. Small distances make this city easy to get around on foot. Lincoln and George W. Bush both spoke here after starting their speaking tours at Cooper Union in New York City. P.T. Barnum made this town his home. He spent the winters here with his circus and was the mayor.

In Bridgeport's early years, fishing and farming were the main sources of income. A deep harbour made it possible for people to build ships and hunt whales around the middle of the 1800s. At the end of the 1800s, factories were built. Singer Manufacturing Co., Remington Arms Co., Underwood Elliot Fisher typewriters, Dictaphone Corp., Bridgeport milling machines, and Crane Valves are all well-known companies and products from Bridgeport. Starting in the late 1900s, the city was hit hard by de-industrialization. The Frisbie Pie Company in Bridgeport may have been the first place where a well-known product changed. Students at Yale found that throwing the pie plates was a lot of fun, and so the idea for the Frisbie toy was born.

There are many things to do and see. The Barnum Festival is a series of dozens of events, such as dances, food fairs, galas, concerts, and sports competitions. The most popular place for tourists to go is the Captain's Cove Seaport.

The Greater Bridgeport Symphony, the Downtown Cabaret Theater, the Playhouse on the Green, and the Discovery Museum and Planetarium are all cultural institutions. The Housatonic Museum of Art is free to get into, and it has works by Picasso, Rodin, and Warhol. The University of Bridgeport and Housatonic Community College are both places of higher education.

There are many ways for sports fans to get their fix. The Ballpark at Harbor Yard is where the North Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball's Bridgeport Bluefish play. Note that this team is not part of any of Major League Baseball's minor leagues. The Arena at Harbor Yard is where both the Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the AHL and the Fairfield University basketball team play.

There are a lot of ways to get around the city. [Mapquest Directions](https://mapquestdirections.io) Interstate 95 and Route 1 both run along the coast. The Merritt Parkway (Route 15), which runs parallel to the coast but about 6 miles inland, changes direction and heads northeast. Most of the time, Routes 8 and 25 go northeast. Amtrak or Metro-North trains can also be used to get to New York, Stamford, New Haven, and Waterbury for work. Major cities can be reached by Greyhound and Peter Pan bus lines. The Greater Bridgeport Transit Authority (GBTA) runs buses in the city and in the suburbs close by. A ferry boat takes cars and people to the Long Island town of Port Jefferson.