Featured Apartment:
Connecticut- Middletown - 1
bedroom - 1 bath - spacious, clean & sunny unit! - Brick Building - Hardwood
Floors - Modern Kitchen - Spacious Living Room - Large Bedroom w/ Double Sliding
Door Closet - Updated Bathroom - Off Street Parking - access to commuter rail,
bus, shops & restaurants, first and last months rent
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About Middletown
Middletown is a city located in Middlesex County, Connecticut, along the
Connecticut River, in the south-central part of the state, 16 miles (26 km)
south of Hartford. It was founded in 1650 and incorporated the town of
Mattabassett in 1651. It received its present name in 1653 and was incorporated
as a city in 1784. Originally a busy sailing port and then an industrial center,
it is now largely a residential city and college town, home to Wesleyan
University. In 1910, 11,851 people were residents of the city. In 1940, 26,495
people lived here. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of
43,167.
In recent decades, Middletown has focused on balancing the needs and comforts of
its residents with the industrial development required to help fund services.
These efforts date at least from 1931, when the city was one the first in
America to establish a planning board. Progress continued under the leadership
of four term Democratic mayor, Domenique S. Thornton. On November 8, 2005,
Republican Sebastian Giuliano won the mayor's office, replacing Thornton, whom
he criticized for raising taxes and for the awarding of a contract for the
construction of a new high school to Tomasso Brothers, Inc., a firm that has
been the target of a federal corruption probe. Middletown continues to support
manufacturing and small business.
Culturally, Middletown is in the midst of an effort to revitalize its
historically disadvantaged North End, with the building of Wharfside Commons, a
new 96-unit mixed income housing unit on Ferry Street. The Green Street Arts
Center, founded by Wesleyan and a coalition of community groups in 2000, is a
pioneering attempt to attract residents and businesses to the neighborhood by
promoting arts education and outreach. For decades, the famous O'Rourke's Diner
has done much to bring some stability to the North End. However, a fire on
August 31, 2006 gutted much of the historic structure. The Middletown community
has held many fundraising events to raise money for the diner's rebuilding.
Russell Library, the public library of Middletown, continues to be a cultural,
educational and entertainment center that offers a place for the community to
meet. Currently, the library makes available to the general public books,
newspapers, magazines, informational databases of full-text newspaper and
magazine articles (offering news, business, medical, health, biographical,
literary, etc., information), classes, computer training, workshops, concerts,
and meeting spaces, including the Hubbard Room, a large meeting room that can
accommodate 100 people.
Middletown is also the only location of a well-known youth theater group,
Oddfellows Playhouse. It is located on Washington Street and pulls in children
of all ages from all over the state to learn theater skills. Oddfellows also
runs the Children's Circus of Middletown where children learn circus skills and
put on a free show for close to a thousand people.
At present, the Downtown Business District continues to revitalize the downtown
area. Pratt and Whitney, Aetna, Middlesex Hospital, Connecticut Valley Hospital
and Wesleyan University are major employers. Adjacent to the town is Powder
Ridge Ski Area, on Powder Hill.
Located on the western border of the city, in an area known as Westlake, is an
84 house community known as The Farms. This architectural award winning
community was developed in 1969 by George Achenbach, and was one of the first
communities in Connecticut designed for cluster living, with open areas
designated as common land.
There are also many parks and nature trails including the Middletown Nature
Gardens for families to enjoy.