Torrington is the most populated municipality and largest city in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States, and the Northwest Hills Planning Region.
[citation needed] Downtown Torrington also hosts KidsPlay, a children's museum which was founded in 2012 and expanded their location in 2015 after purchasing the adjacent building.
The Republican-American, which circulates a Litchfield County edition and has a bureau on Franklin Street, and The Register Citizen, which serves Torrington and Winsted, in addition to most of the Northwest Corner.
In 2008, Torrington was named by Bizjournals as the number one "Dreamtown" (micropolitan statistical area) out of ten in the United States to live in.
[6] Its early settlers resided on the hills west of the Naugatuck River where the first school, church, store, and tavern were constructed.
In 1849, the Naugatuck Valley railroad was completed, connecting Torrington with other population centers, ending its isolation, and stimulating further industrial growth.
Soon, Torrington was producing a variety of metal products, including needles, brass, hardware, bicycles, and tacks.
Torrington's growing industrial plants attracted English, Irish, and German immigrants throughout the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
In 1955, a massive flood destroyed much of the downtown area and other property in the region when Hurricanes Connie and Diane caused local rivers to overflow.
In 1851, Milo Burr placed a dam across the confluence of several mountain streams impounding water for power.
The tannery and three active sawmills erected downstream consumed the finest pines and oaks for miles around to meet the needs of lumber production.
The shore is rocky and there are deep drop-offs in several places, but the pond only has a maximum depth of thirteen feet.
Fish species present include largemouth bass, chain pickerel, black crappie, yellow perch, bluegill, pumpkinseed, and brown bullhead.
[10] Torrington is planning to revitalize its downtown area in an effort to attract residents and visitors to the city's shopping and cultural opportunities.
The grant, which will flow through the state, will be designated for downtown improvements on the east side of Main Street and will include, among other enhancements, new sidewalks.
The following ideas have been discussed: The historic restoration and renovation to downtown Coe Memorial Park were completed in the beginning of 2004.
A potential plan discusses the possibility of a national clothing retailer or bookstore chain constructing a location at the top of Water Street on the site of the Kelley Bus Company.
Because the downtown redevelopment project emphasizes pedestrian access, brick sidewalks lined with trees, benches, and bike racks would be constructed along Main Street.
Due to the lack of suitable highways and bypass routes in an east–west direction, crossing the city requires driving down into the valley and back up the other side.
Main Street Marketplace (MSMP) was created in 2009 by founders Steve Criss, Rose Ponte, Jessica Hodorski and the 2009 ACT Commissioners.
The original idea for MSMP was to create an event to bring families together downtown to support the local merchants.
In March 2013, Torrington received a degree of national notoriety for a statutory rape case involving three teen-aged boys accused of sexually assaulting two 13-year-old girls.
Several dozen Torrington High School students rallied around the accused and allegedly aggressively bullied the victims online.
Despite receiving national criticism, Torrington High School students continued to use social media to support the defendants, posting online photos while diminishing the validity and severity of the victim's claims.
After leading the ACBL in attendance in 2010, the team was sold to the Carminucci Sports Group (CSG), which transferred their affiliation to the Futures League.
The Titans did not return for the 2017 season [26] The Torrington Twisters were a member of the New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) from 1997 to 2008.
Torrington twice played host to the league All-Star Game (1998, 2008) and generally placed high in their division each season.
A professional baseball team once located in the city was known as the Torrington Braves, and were a member of the Colonial League.
Torrington High School typically offers football, soccer, volleyball, cross country, swimming, basketball, track, baseball, softball, tennis, and golf, as well as cheerleading and dance.