Derby, Connecticut

Derby, Connecticut
City of Derby
Annual fireworks display from the Derby-Shelton Bridge in 2007
Annual fireworks display from the Derby-Shelton Bridge in 2007
Flag of Derby, Connecticut
Official seal of Derby, Connecticut
Motto: 
"Connecticut's Smallest City"[1]
Derby's location within New Haven County and Connecticut
Map
Map
Map
Coordinates: 41°19′36″N 73°04′56″W / 41.32667°N 73.08222°W / 41.32667; -73.08222
Country United States
State Connecticut
CountyNew Haven
RegionNaugatuck Valley
Settled1642
Named1675
Incorporated-town1775
Incorporated-city1893
Founded byJohn Wakeman
Named forDerby, England
Government
 • TypeMayor-Board of Aldermen
 • MayorJoseph DiMartino (D)
 • Chief administratorAndrew Baklik
Area
 • City5.41 sq mi (14.00 km2)
 • Land5.06 sq mi (13.09 km2)
 • Water0.35 sq mi (0.91 km2)
Highest elevation
469 ft (142 m)
Lowest elevation
3 ft (1 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • City12,325
 • Rank19th (CT)
 • Density2,435.8/sq mi (941.6/km2)
 • Metro
861,113 (US: 60th)
 • CSA
23,076,664 (US: 1st)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (Eastern)
ZIP code
06418
Area code(s)203/475
FIPS code09-19480
GNIS feature ID0206671
Major highways
Commuter rail
Websitewww.derbyct.gov

Derby /ˈdɜːrbi/ is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, approximately 8 miles (13 km) west-northwest of New Haven. It is located in southwest Connecticut at the confluence of the Housatonic and Naugatuck rivers. It shares borders with the cities of Ansonia to the north and Shelton to the southwest, and the towns of Orange to the south, Seymour to the northwest, and Woodbridge to the east. The city is part of the Naugatuck Valley Planning Region. The population was 12,325 at the 2020 census.[3] It is the smallest city in Connecticut by area, at 5.3 square miles (14 km2).[4]

Derby was settled in 1642 as an Indian trading post under the name Paugasset. It was named after Derby, England, in 1675.[5][6] It included what are now Ansonia, Seymour, Oxford, and parts of Beacon Falls.

Derby is home to the first electric trolley system in New England, only the second in the United States. It is also home to the first electric locomotive in U.S. history to be built and successfully used commercially for hauling freight. The locomotive, built in 1888, is still kept in running condition by the Shore Line Trolley Museum.[7][8]

  1. ^ "City of Derby Connecticut". City of Derby Connecticut. Retrieved September 22, 2012.
  2. ^ "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  3. ^ "Census - Geography Profile: Derby city, Connecticut". Retrieved November 28, 2021.
  4. ^ "History of Derby, city website". Retrieved February 15, 2019.
  5. ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. Govt. Print. Off. pp. 104.
  6. ^ The Connecticut Magazine: An Illustrated Monthly. Connecticut Magazine Company. 1903. p. 331.
  7. ^ "First Trolly Run 1888". Retrieved September 22, 2018.
  8. ^ "Derby Historical Quiz". Retrieved September 22, 2018.