Stamford, Connecticut: Typewriters, Shavers, and a Rail Junction

Stamford was settled in 1641 by families from Wethersfield. By the 1700s it was a successful commercial center, its prosperity built on a harbor that shipped and received goods with New York and the West Indies; the town incorporated as a borough in 1830 and became a city in 1893. Stamford also became a hub of American invention: George C. Blickensderfer patented his typewriter on April 12, 1892, and Jacob Schick patented his electric shaving implement on July 23, 1929, while Phillips' Milk of Magnesia was produced in the city as well. The 1699 Hoyt Barnum House, preserved by the Stamford History Center, survives as a visitable relic of that colonial period. Per the 2020 census, Stamford surpassed both Hartford and New Haven to become Connecticut's second-largest city, behind only Bridgeport — a corporate hub and New York suburb whose residents have included Jackie Robinson and football star Andy Robustelli.

Most visitors arrive at the Stamford Transportation Center, one of the busiest rail hubs in the Northeast: Metro-North's New Haven Line runs trains as often as every 3-7 minutes at peak, with connecting New Canaan Branch and Danbury Branch service. Amtrak stops with the Acela, Northeast Regional, and Vermonter, and Shore Line East service to Stamford resumed October 7, 2024. Drivers come in on the I-95 corridor, which passes directly over the transportation center.

The Stamford Museum & Nature Center spans 80-plus acres with the Bendel Mansion's art galleries, the working Heckscher Farm, nature trails, and a new Planetarium & Astronomy Center. The Palace Theatre on Atlantic Street stages live theatre, opera, dance, and concerts. Bartlett Arboretum & Gardens in North Stamford is free and open year-round, dawn to dusk, and downtown's Mill River Park offers a carousel, an ice-skating center, and a fountain. The Stamford History Center preserves the city's story, including stewardship of the Hoyt Barnum House.