Danbury, city in Fairfield County, southwestern Connecticut. Located in a farming area, it is an industrial city with diverse manufactures, including machinery, textiles, chemicals, electronic equipment, plastics, and industrial robots. The headquarters of several major United States corporations are located in Danbury, including the Union Carbide Corporation, which manufactures petrochemicals, and First Brands Corporation, a maker of consumer products. Danbury is the site of Western Connecticut State University (1903) and an arts center named for American composer Charles Ives, who was born in the city.
Danbury was settled by whites in 1685 and was incorporated as a city in 1889. Its consolidation with Danbury town in 1965 extended its borders to the New York state line and to the shores of artificial Candlewood Lake. In 1777, during the American Revolution, the community, which served as a military supply center for the Revolutionary armies, was burned by British troops. From 1780 to 1956, Danbury was known for its hat industry. The noted Danbury Hatters' Case prompted a U.S. Supreme Court decision in 1908 prohibiting boycotts by labor unions. The city is named for Danbury, England. Population 60,470 (1980); 65,585 (1990); 65,829 (1998 estimate).
