- Norwalk
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/nawr"wawk/, n.1. a city in SW California. 85,232.2. a city in SW Connecticut. 77,767.3. a city in N Ohio. 14,358.
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city, Los Angeles county, southwestern California, U.S. Located 17 miles (27 km) southeast of Los Angeles, the city was originally inhabited by Chumash Indians. The area was once a part of the Rancho Los Coyotes, a subdivision (1834) of the 1784 Spanish land grant known as Rancho Los Nietos. In 1869 Gilbert and Atwood Sproul purchased the land, and in 1873, after the railroad crossed the “North-walk” area, the Sprouls founded the city as Corvallis; the following year it was renamed Norwalk. The city developed as a service point for logging, dairying, and ranching. Norwalk was also known as a centre for some of southern California's largest sugar beet farms. It experienced rapid industrial development in the second half of the 20th century. The house built in 1870 by Gilbert Sproul was moved to Norwalk City Park and is now a museum. Cerritos (community) College was founded in Norwalk in 1955. Inc. 1957. Pop. (1990) 94,279; (2000) 103,298.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 (Hale, Nathan) 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; (2000) city, 82,951; Stamford-Norwalk PMSA, 353,556.city, seat (1818) of Huron county, northern Ohio, U.S., about 60 miles (100 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 American Revolution. The settlement was founded by Platt Benedict in 1817 and named for Norwalk, Conn. Many Classic Revival-style houses, built in the early 19th century by 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 Norwalk Seminary, a widely known institution, in the 1830s. After World War II both population and industry grew steadily. Manufactures include paint, electronic components, insulation, truck cabs, and furniture. Baseball administrator Ban Johnson, the founder of the American League, was a Norwalk native. Inc. village, 1828; city, 1881. Pop. (2000) 16,238; (2005 est.) 16,505.* * *
Universalium. 2010.
