Stamford is one of Connecticut’s fastest-growing cities, and there’s data to back that up.
From 2010 to 2020, Stamford saw its population increase by 10.5% to 135,470 residents, becoming the second-largest city in Connecticut behind Bridgeport. By comparison, Connecticut’s population as a whole grew only 1% during that 10-year period.
Stamford benefits from its Fairfield County location and relatively easy access to Manhattan via train. It’s a base for financial services and fintech companies.
Leading Stamford is Mayor Caroline Simmons, an emerging power player in Connecticut’s Democratic Party. Simmons was elected mayor in 2021, defeating former New York Mets manager Bobby Valentine in what became a hotly contested and watched race.
Before that, Simmons served as a state representative, where she became known for supporting pro-business legislation as co-chair of the Commerce Committee and bipartisan Manufacturing Caucus.
She also previously worked at a mental health policy lab at the Yale School of Medicine and the Women’s Business Development Council.
Simmons made national headlines in 2017 when she married her now husband, Art Linares. Linares was a Republican state Senator. Simmons was a Democrat still serving in the House. Their bipartisan union, at a polarizing time in U.S. politics, was profiled on an episode of CNN’s “LoveStory.”
According to her biography, Simmons’ top priorities as mayor include investing in the city’s “infrastructure, advancing economic prosperity, and making government more responsive to enhance quality of life for residents.”