NORWALK

city, coextensive with the town (township) of Norwalk, Fairfield county, southwestern Connecticut, U.S., on Long Island Sound at the mouth of the Norwalk River. Roger Ludlow purchased the land from the Norwalk (Norwaake, or Naramauke) Indians in 1640, and the area was settled by colonists from Hartford in 1649. In 1779, during the American Revolution, the settlement was burned by Loyalist forces under Major General William Tryon. It was from Norwalk that Nathan Hale crossed Long Island Sound to Long Island, where he was captured by the British and executed as a spy. The manufacture of hats was long the principal industry; today a diversified industrial economy produces electronic equipment, textiles, machinery, and hardware. Norwalk is known for its oysters, and, even though there were problems with overexploitation and pollution of the waters in the late 1960s and early '70s, today the oyster fisheries are again productive. Norwalk is a summer resort and the location of the Norwalk Community-Technical College, which opened in 1961. The town of Norwalk, incorporated in 1651, contained the cities of Norwalk (incorporated borough, 1836; city, 1893) and South Norwalk (incorporated 1870), as well as some small villages. In 1913 all these divisions were consolidated and incorporated as the city of Norwalk. Several blocks of 19th-century buildings along the Norwalk River, called SoNo (for South Norwalk), have been restored and now house shops and restaurants. Located in the nearby town of New Canaan is the Silvermine Guild Arts Center, with exhibits of mostly New England artists and craftsmen. Pop. (1990) city, 78,331; Stamford-Norwalk PMSA, 329,935; (1996 est.) city, 77,977; Stamford-Norwalk PMSA, 331,767. city, seat (1818) of Huron county, northern Ohio, U.S., 59 miles (95 km) west-southwest of Cleveland. It was originally part of the Western Reserve known as the Sufferers' Lands, or Firelands, set aside in 1792 for Connecticut residents whose homes were burned by Loyalists during the U.S. War of Independence. The settlement was founded by Platt Benedict in 1817 and named for Norwalk, Conn. Many Classic Revival houses, built in the early 19th century by its New England settlers, survive. The Firelands Museum, formerly Preston Wickham House (1836), contains Indian and pioneer relics. Rutherford B. Hayes, later U.S. president, attended the Norwalk Academy, a widely known institution in the 1830s. Since World War II both population and industry have grown steadily. Manufactures include wire products, auto seats, truck cabs, thermostats, furniture, and candy. Inc. village, 1828; city, 1881. Pop. (1990) 14,731; (1994 est.) 15,204. city, Los Angeles county, southwestern California, U.S. Once a part of the Rancho Los Coyotes, a 1784 Spanish land grant, it was founded as Corvallis in 1868 by Gilbert and Atwood Sproul. The city was renamed for Norwalk, Conn. After the arrival of the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1875, it became a service point for logging, dairying, and ranching. Located at the intersection of major freeways, it experienced rapid industrial development after World War II. Since 1964 Norwalk has held an annual Space, Science and Technology Show. Cerritos Community College was founded there in 1955. Inc. 1957. Pop. (1990) 94,279; (1994 est.) 100,744.