Naugatuck, borough, New Haven County, southwestern Connecticut, on the Naugatuck River, just south of Waterbury; incorporated as a borough 1893. A rubber-manufacturing industry is located here. It was established in 1843 by Henry Goodyear, brother of Charles Goodyear, inventor of the rubber vulcanization process. Chemicals, iron castings, and candy are also produced. Settled about 1703, it grew as a farm and industrial center. Its name is from an Algonquian term for “one tree.” Population 26,456 (1980); 30,625 (1990); 30,989 (2000).
