Stamford, Connecticut

Stamford
Nickname(s): 
The City That Works, Lock City
Motto: 
Innovating Since 1641
Coordinates: 41°03′10″N 73°32′20″W / 41.05278°N 73.53889°W / 41.05278; -73.53889
CountryUnited States
U.S. stateConnecticut
CountyFairfield
RegionWestern CT
Settled (town)1641
Incorporated (city)1893
Consolidated1949
Named afterStamford, Lincolnshire
Government
  TypeMayor-Board of representatives
  MayorCaroline Simmons (D)
Area
  City
52.03 sq mi (134.75 km2)
  Land37.62 sq mi (97.43 km2)
  Water14.41 sq mi (37.33 km2)
  Urban
465 sq mi (1,205 km2)
Elevation
23 ft (7 m)
Population
 (2020)
  City
135,470
  Density3,601.0/sq mi (1,390.4/km2)
Demonym(s)Stamfordian, Stamfordite
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern)
  Summer (DST)UTC−4 (Eastern)
ZIP Codes
06901, 06905, 06906
Area code(s)203/475
FIPS code09-73000
GNIS feature ID0211129
Major highways
Commuter rail
Websitewww.stamfordct.gov

Stamford (/ˈstæmfərd/) is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, 34 miles (55 kilometers) outside of New York City. It is the sixth-most populous city in New England. Stamford is also the largest city in the Western Connecticut Planning Region, and Connecticut's second-most populous city, behind Bridgeport. With a population of 135,470, Stamford passed Hartford and New Haven in population as of the 2020 census. It is in the Bridgeport–Stamford–Danbury metropolitan statistical area, which is part of the New York City metropolitan area (specifically, the New York–Newark, NY–NJ–CT–PA Combined Statistical Area).

As of 2023, Stamford is home to eight Fortune 500 companies and numerous divisions of large corporations. This gives it the largest financial district in the New York metropolitan region outside New York City and one of the nation's largest concentrations of corporations. Dominant sectors of Stamford's economy include financial management and real estate, tourism, information technology, healthcare, telecommunications, transportation, and retail. Its metropolitan division is home to colleges and universities including UConn Stamford and Norwalk Community College.