SUBSTANCE ABUSE TREATMENT PROGRAM IN Meriden

Meriden

Meriden is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, located halfway between the regional cities of New Haven and Hartford. The city is part of the South Central Connecticut Planning Region. In 2020, the population of the city was 60,850. The city includes 24 square miles with well-preserved geological features, over 3,000 acres of municipally owned park space, and 74 different recreational areas. It is located at the “Crossroads of Connecticut” and is conveniently situated just two hours from both New York City and Boston.

In the 1600s and 1700s, Meriden was a rural sector of the town of Wallingford. Situated halfway between the Connecticut Colony on the north and the New Haven Colony on the south, it became a stopping place for colonists who traveled by horse or by foot. Meriden was granted a separate meetinghouse in 1727, became a town in 1806 with over 1,000 residents, and was incorporated as a city in 1867 with just under 9,000 residents. It was once proposed as the Connecticut state capital. It was named for the village of Meriden, West Midlands, England, near Birmingham.

The 1800s saw the beginning of a flood of manufacturing in the city. Silver, the product that would lend its luster as Meriden became the “Silver City,” was among many goods manufactured here, along with pewter, guns, cutlery, buttons, lamps, and organs. Wilcox and White produced the first mechanical piano in Meriden. From 1937 until 1947, the International Silver Company sponsored the Silver Theater, a national radio program broadcast via CBS in Hollywood, featuring many prominent actors and actresses of the time such as Jimmy Stewart and Rosalind Russell.

Meriden sits at the intersection of Interstate highways 91, the I-691 connector to I-84, and the Wilbur Cross Highway, with connections to Amtrak rail service, CT bus transit, and the Meriden Markham Airport. Meriden’s location along major transportation routes, including Interstate 91 and the Hartford Line commuter rail, makes it a prime spot for commuters and businesses alike.

Meriden’s economy is diverse, with a mix of industries including healthcare, education, manufacturing, and retail. The city has transitioned from its industrial roots in silver manufacturing to a more diversified economic base. Today, major employers include MidState Medical Center and the Meriden Public Schools. The most common employment sectors for Meriden residents are Health Care and Social Assistance, Manufacturing, and Retail Trade.

The largest racial and ethnic groups in Meriden are White at 49.2%, followed by Hispanic at 37.7% and Black at 7.4%. The median household income is $68,617, and the median age is 38.6 years. The average commute time for residents is 23.4 minutes.

Meriden has a City Manager/City Council form of government with a popularly elected Mayor, an elected Board of Education, and 25 appointed boards and commissions. Kevin Scarpati took the oath of office on December 7, 2015, as Meriden’s 50th Mayor. Starting with Charles Parker as the first mayor in 1867, Meriden’s city government was run by the mayor and city council until 1980, when the city manager-city council form of government was implemented.

Meriden is a showcase for a number of prominent peaks of the Metacomet Ridge, a mountainous trap rock ridgeline that stretches from Long Island Sound to nearly the Vermont border. Notable peaks include the Hanging Hills, Lamentation Mountain, Chauncey Peak, and Besek Mountain. One of its most notable attractions is Hubbard Park, designed with input from the Olmsted Brothers, sons of Frederick Law Olmsted, the same landscape architect behind New York’s Central Park. The park features miles of hiking trails, stunning views from Castle Craig, and a picturesque lake. Castle Craig, a city landmark for over a century, was dedicated in the park in 1900.

Meriden landmarks on the National Register of Historic Places include Hubbard Park, The Andrews Moses Homestead, The Curtis Memorial Building, The Charter Oak Firehouse, The West Main Historic District, The Solomon Goffe House, and the U.S. Post Office on Colony Street. The Miller Company addition on Center Street features a black-and-white Modernist facade designed by influential American architect Philip Johnson in 1965. A parlor room from the former Jedediah Wilcox mansion is exhibited in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Meriden is also home to the first steamed cheeseburger, a culinary invention that continues to be a point of local pride. Daffodils, long planted at Hubbard Park, became the city’s official flower with the inaugural Daffodil Festival celebrated in April 1978. The 1989 Robert De Niro–starring film Jacknife was shot in Meriden, with several town sites seen throughout the film, including Castle Craig at Hubbard Park.

City of Meriden