Life and Jobs in Shelton CT, Fastest Growing City In the State

It may have been founded by the English as a corner of the north of Stratford CT, far back in time in 1639, but in 2010, Shelton is the fastest growing place in Connecticut. It was named to the list of fast-growing places in America by the Bloomberg publication BusinessWeek in January 2010.

Population in what is now Shelton grew gradually from the start, declined in the 1800s, but began to expand exponentially in 1890 when it practically doubled in size over the 1880 US Census. Each new census has produced another increase and in CENSUS 2000, Shelton's population was numbered at 38,101. The federal estimate was over 40,000 in 2005, over 5% increase in just 5 years.

Shelton began as part of today's Stratford, but became Coram, Ripton, Huntington, and finally the incorporated City of Shelton. It is located in Fairfield County in the southwest corner of Connecticut, with good access to New York City. Fairfield County happens to contain more residents than any other county in the state and transportation quality, proximity to larger cities, and the increase experienced in the 2000s among businesses that results in new jobs creation are all a part of that success.

Further, Fairfield County enjoys being one of the highest-income counties per capita in the nation. Incomes are higher overall in this county and state, and cost of living remains lower than NYC. The county is located in the area of the state called the Gold Coast for its wealth and Shelton is often included in this designation, although some define the Gold Coast as stopping before it reaches such coastal cities. However, the waterfront makes Shelton accessible to passenger and shipping needs and increases its wealth considerably.

Also in Fairfield County is the community of steadily improving and growing Bridgeport CT. The ongoing plans for development and increased annual accomplishments in this town have decreased crime levels, increased quality of life, and attracted new businesses and organizations. Bridgeport is s home to both working class and middle class families and is growing in population and household income.

Since before the American Revolution, Shelton and Fairfield Country have been known for agricultural success. The 1800s brought a period of industrialization with many factories operating, in brick buildings, adding to the local agricultural economy. In 21st Century Shelton, eight of these original factory buildings are preserved for history and the property where another factory (rubber products) had been located is now a popular Senior Center.

The name Shelton came from a local man that helped to update the town and dammed a nearby river in order to build a canal for transporation improvements. At one time soon after, a full mile-long stretch of Downtown Shelton was packed with factories, including the Huntington Piano Company, named after another local man (the town was also known by this name for some years). Shelton was the factory hub for anything from paper boxes to pins to pianos. You could find hoopskirts and Tiffany lamps inproduction, too.

Railroads provided a major shipping and passenger transportation mode beginning in the 1800s. Today, historic buildings and locomotives provide visitor attractions and railroad enthusiast information and fun. Rail line bridges over waterways are particularly interesting features of Fairfield County. Covered bridges have also been featured, the first bridge from Shelton over to nearby Derby being originally a covered bridge.

Downtown, some of the old rail lines can be seen here and there, but most are covered over. A Veterans Memorial Park and a Riverwalk take their place, also nearby the Senior Center and partially overlapping the property of the former rubber plant. The Housatonic River (dammed by Shelton) has been used for hydroelectic power and has formed part of the scenic attraction for the city.

Some of the special events and festivals in town include

• Jones Family Farms - tours and others in a living and working farm group. High school and college youth can find jobs here in season.
• Shelton History Center - Interesting visitor attraction with lots of historic records. Cicil War reenactments are interesting to watch.
• 4th of July Fireworks - Festival on the waterfront.
• Memorial Day - Honoring America's Veterans.
• Shelton Day - A Harvest Festival for the first weekend of each October.
• St Joseph's Carnival - Large spring carnival held yearly by a local Catholic organization.

Local Higher Education

• Valley Regional Adult Education
• Lincoln Technical Institute

1. IBM
2. Yale University
3. Boehringer Ingelheim
4. Genral Electric
5. Mcintyre Group
6. Yale-New Haven Hospital
7. UBS Financial Services
8. Deloitte
9. Excel Partners
10. US Air Force
11. ESPN
12. Medical Connections
13. UBS - Financial Services
14. GE Capital
15. Fogarty Knapp & Associates
16. Hospital of Saint Raphael

1. Physical Therapists
2. Store Managers - Small retail establishments, lunch counters, coffee shops, etc.
3. Dental Assistant
4. Occupational Therapists
5. AT&T Retail Sales Consultants
6. Customer Service Representatives
7. Retail Sales Representatives
8. Project Managers
9. Administrative Assistants
10. Registered Nurses (RNs)
11. Software Developers
12. Financial Advisors
13. Sales Associates
14. Shift Supervisors
15. Retail Sales Consultants

Largest Employers in the City of Shelton

• American Skandia
• Ascom Hasler Mailing Systems
• Auto Swage Products, Inc.
• Baldwin Graphics Products
• Data Switch Corporation

(Information above provided on http://www.8towns.com/shelton_ct.php, retrieved 5/17/12.)

Largest Nearby Employers, from Acinet:

1. Sikorski Aircraft
2. Bridgeport Hospital

The state government estimates that these Top 10 Jobs will become most in demand from 2006 through 2016:

1. Network Systems and Data Communications Analysts
2. Financial Analysts - particularly in the green industry sectors.
3. Personal Financial Advisors - also green industry related.
4. Computer Software Engineers
5. Medical Assistants
6. Pharmacy Technicians
7. Sales Representatives
8. Personal and Home Health Aides
9. Computer System Analysts
10. IT related Administrations

Other jobs expected to expand numbers quickly:

• Registered Nurses (RNs)
• Social and Human Services Jobs