Waterbury dates to 1686, and 31% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 97% of U.S. towns · #14 of 155 in Connecticut. What drives it
25 places in town are on the National Register, among them seven historic districts with 1,013 buildings between them. Below: 7 old photos and papers, maps from 1884 on, and the census since 1860.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1802.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Waterbury’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Waterbury is more historic than 97% of U.S. towns, #14 of 155 in Connecticut. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its age ranks highest and its National Register listings lowest.
A+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Waterbury’s overall grade.
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Waterbury ranks #36 on History.
Connecticut towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Connecticut town has 73.3 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Waterbury’s 91.3 sits near the middle of its state (54% of Connecticut towns have fewer) while its 1,049 historic buildings outnumber those of 99% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1686.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A to A+. The pre-1940 share (±2.0 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Waterbury’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
All SaintsBeth El SynagogueBrass City LodgeBucks HillCalvaryEast FarmsHoly LandLithuanianNew Pine GroveNew Saint JosephsOld Saint JosephsPine GroveRiversideSaint Marys Russian Orthodox Greek Catholic
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
The land was originally inhabited by the Algonquin bands. According to Samuel Orcutt's history, some Puritan residents of nearby Farmington "found it expedient to purchase the same lands from different tribes, without attempting to decide between their rival claims." The original settlement of Waterbury in 1674 was in the area now known as the Town Plot section. In 1675, the turbulence of King Philip's War caused the new settlement to be vacated until the resumption of peace in 1677. A new permanent location was found across the river to the east along the Mad River. The original Native American inhabitants called the area "Matetacoke" meaning "the interval lands." Thus, the settlement's name was Anglicized to "Mattatuck" in 1673. When the settlement was admitted as the 28th town in the Connecticut Colony in 1686, the name was changed to Waterbury in reference to the numerous streams th…
Passages that mention Waterbury, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of Waterbury and the Naugatuck Valley, Connecticut1918 · page 214Read the page →
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in the year 1885, he opened an office in Waterbury for the general practice of his profession. In the years 1886-87 he laid out, and had charge of construction of the first street railroad built in Waterbury for the Waterbury Horse Railroad Company, and has been identified with the development of rebuilding and extensions to this parent system since the advent of electric power, including the layout and charge of construction of the suburban and interurban electric railway lines radiating from Waterbury to Ansonia, Woodbury, Watertown, Thomaston and Milldale.
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The history of Waterbury, Connecticut1858 · page 553Read the page →
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church of Wallingford, (now Meriden,) were organized into a distinct body, known for a time as the Second Baptist church in Wallingford. Among tliis number were Zenas Brockett, David Frost and Isaac Terrell, the first Baptists in the town of Waterbury.* For several years it was their custom, and the custom of those afterwards associated with them, to visit the church of their adoption at least once every month, and this journey, a distance of twelve miles, they usually performed on foot. By these brethren, meetings were established and conducted iu the town of Waterbury, and in 1803, November 10th, a church was organized
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The history of Waterbury, Connecticut1858 · page 90Read the page →
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Grist mills in a new settlement are soon followed by saw mills. 1 am unable to say when or Mdiere the first saw mill in Waterbury was erected. Tliere was one existing in 1686, for the " path that leads to the saw mill " is spoken of Jan. 3d, 1686, (1686-Y.) I suspect, but I do not certainly know, that the mill thus referred to stood where the Waterbury Knitting
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The history of Waterbury, Connecticut1858 · page 107Read the page →
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In consideration of the remoteness of the town of Waterbury from the County town and the committee of war appointed there, by reason whereof they cannot have so speedy relief up on the sudden approach of the enemy as is requisite — This Assembly do constitute and appoint John Ailing, Esq., Major Samuel Ells, Jeremiah Osborn, Esq., and Capt John munson or any three of them, to be a committee of war with full power up on the application of the inhabitants of said town of Waterbury, and in case of danger on the approach of the enemy, to raise and send men thither from New Haven County for their relief by scouting or lying
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Timeline
Waterbury, 1674 to 1969
Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Waterbury. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
1893Waterbury sheet · 1:62,500
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Waterbury.
Every building
Waterbury, building by building, 1884–1901
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
In 1686, according to Wikidata. Waterbury’s post office opened in 1802, and the census of 1860 counted 10,004 people here.
How does Waterbury rank for history?
Waterbury is more historic than 97% of U.S. towns, #14 of 155 in Connecticut. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Waterbury?
25 listings: 14 buildings, 7 historic districts with 1,013 contributing buildings, 2 sites, and 2 structures. 1,049 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Waterbury?
31% of Waterbury’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±2.0 points), against a typical 15% for a Connecticut town; the median home was built in 1959.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (7), Wikidata (4), the National Register of Historic Places (25), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System, Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress) and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
1907
c. 1907
1907–1915
1907–1915
1907–1915
