Stamford Harbor is located in Fairfield County in southwestern Connecticut at the mouth of the Pippowam River on Long Island Sound. It is about 35 nautical miles southwest of the Port of New Haven and about 65 kilometers northeast of the Port of New York. Until the 1970s, Stamford Harbor was a residential suburb of New York with limited industry and research laboratories. In 2000, Stamford Harbor was home to over 117 thousand people, and more than 353 thousand lived in the Stamford-Norwalk metropolitan area.

In the latter 20th Century, several corporations moved their headquarters to Stamford Harbor's downtown area, bringing new life to the city. Today, Stamford Harbor boasts one of the largest concentrations of corporate headquarters in the United States. Some of the larger companies headquartered in Stamford Harbor today include Time Warner Cable, Pitney Bowes, Thomson Corporation, Tasty Bite, and World Wrestling Entertainment. In 2009, the Royal Bank of Scotland moved its operations in North America to Stamford Harbor. In addition, many large corporations -- including Xerox, NBC, GE Capital, International Paper, and Clairol -- have offices outside the city

The indigenous peoples of the region called the Stamford Harbor area Rippowam, and the first European settlers adopted that name. Later, the name was changed to honor a town in Lincolnshire County, England. The deed to Stamford Harbor was purchased from Chief Ponus in 1640 by Puritan Captain Turner from the New Haven Colony.

The Puritans chose the Stamford Harbor site due to its abundant oyster beds and fisheries. The salt marshes there also provided ample cordgrass and salt hay for their livestock, and the forests sheltered plentiful game and timber. By the end of the 17th Century, the rivers banks were dotted with grist mills, sawmills, and wool production factories.

Commerce along the Rippowam River continued to grow, and traffic to New York City naturally shifted from difficult overland routes to waterborne routes on Long Island Sound. When trade with the West Indies began to prosper, vessels from Stamford Harbor carried exports of grain, horses, lumber, and salt beef and port and imported sugar, salt, molasses, and rum.

Stamford Harbor was important during the American Revolution not only for maritime trade but for British raids on towns in western Connecticut. The Stamford Harbor whaleboat fleet was used for counter attacks on British ships and shoreside installations. After the end of the revolution, Stamford Harbor continued to evolve as an important transportation hub for the region.

With unwieldy and rocky roads and no railroad, water transportation continued to be the mode of choice for regular travelers from New York to Boston during the early 1800s. Stamford Harbor was designated an official port of entry by the United States' federal government. In 1833, work began on a ship canal from the river to the city center. By the 1840s, Stamford Harbor was active in coastal trade as well as in trade with the Caribbean Islands.

In the later 1800s, the federal government authorized improvements for Stamford Harbor, recognizing its importance to maritime commerce to the Nation. The lighthouse was built in 1881, and a channel was dredged from Long Island Sound to Stamford Harbor's wharves in 1886.

In addition to commerce, passenger traffic flourished in Stamford Harbor during the 1800s. The Stamford Steamboat Company operated three trips a week between Stamford and New York City, and several competitors were established during the middle 19th Century. Even after rail service between Stamford Harbor and New York began in 1848, the steamboats continued to operate.

The Industrial Revolution arrived in Stamford Harbor in the second half of the 19th Century. In 1868, the Yale Lock Company came to Stamford Harborfrom Massachusetts to take advantage of the town's rail, canal, harbor, and large pool of craftsmen. By 1892, the company employed about one thousand of the city's 16 thousand residents, making Stamford Harbor the "Lock City."

Expanding rail services during the early 20th Century reinforced Stamford Harbor's position as a suburb to New York. The number of affluent residents increased in Stamford Harbor, and many New Yorkers built summer homes there.

In the early 20th Century, Stamford Harbor grew as an attractive recreational resource on Long Island Sound. The Stamford Yacht Club had been created in 1890, and city leaders promoted Stamford Harbor has the place to sail, sunbathe, and enjoy outdoor recreation. Sailing excursions became popular for the affluent, and the city's beaches were crowded on weekends and during the summer.

By 1930, Stamford Harbor boasted over one hundred industrial facilities that employed some ten thousand people. The Great Depression slowed the local industrial economy for several decades.

Remaining a small commuter suburb for much of its history, Stamford Harbor undertook an ambitions urban redevelopment effort in the 1960s and 1970s. Many new tall buildings replaced the former downtown skyline, and many major corporations moved their headquarters from New York to Stamford Harbor. This development has continued into the 21st Century.

The City of Stamford Harbor Commission regulates and monitors Stamford Harbor waterfront development and encourages the retention of waterfront industries as well as recreational uses in all parts of Stamford Harbor. The Stamford Harbor Commission lists among its goals as maximizing public interest, support, and participation; encouraging and promoting viable water-dependent facilities and uses; promoting beneficial recreational uses; maintaining vital port facilities; conserving and enhancing natural resource conservation and development; and effectively planning and regulating waterfront land use.

The Stamford Harbor shoreline has a variety of industrial, commercial, residential, and recreational uses. Most of the city's waterfront industrial and commercial development is focused in the inner harbor.

Stamford Harbor is the fourth biggest commercial harbor in Connecticut after Bridgeport, New Haven, and New London. Tugs, scows, and barges are instrumental in moving products and materials in and out of Stamford Harbor. Today, there are six port facilities located in the inner Stamford Harbor and Stamford waterfront.

Stamford Harbor is also an important center for recreational boating in western Long Island Sound, and many facilities supporting recreational boating are located on the waterfront. These include docks, slips, moorings, and launch ramps as well as boat sales, repair, and storage facilities.

The City of Stamford operates facilities for public use that include marinas at Czescik, Cummings, and Cove Island parks. Privately-owned facilities include the city's remaining commercial boatyard, Brewer Yacht Haven West, one of the biggest marina facilities for pleasure craft in the northeastern United States. Other marinas have been developed as part of waterfront residential and commercial develops. There are also three private clubs that provide recreational boating service and facilities for their members and guests.

The Stamford Harbor inner harbor includes the west branch and east branch sub-management areas. They contain the highest concentration of water-dependent uses in the metropolitan area and are the most intensively-developed portion of the city's coastal area. The inner harbor is near the city's central business district at the hub of three major transportation modes (highway, rail, and water).

Stamford Harbor port facilities in the inner harbor provide most of the concrete and asphalt products used in southwestern Connecticut, and they include a major fuel oil distribution terminal. Since the inner harbor channels are also used by a variety of recreational vessels, there is a significant mix of water-dependent activity in that area.

Historically, the Stamford Harbor west branch was a center for the distribution of coal in the city and for shipbuilding. It was also the terminus for steamship services to New York. Today, O&G Industries receives shipments of sand and gravel there in barges for its concrete and asphalt plants. O&G also permits commercial fishermen to use their docking facilities. O&G Industries also operates two port facilities on the east branch of the inner Stamford Harbor. Also on the west branch of the inner Stamford Harbor, the Sprague Energy Terminal receives fuel oil that is pumped into storage tanks for distribution throughout the region.

Stamford Harbor port facilities include O&G Industries' masonry supply yard and the city's waste transfer station, incinerator, and wastewater treatment plant. Other port facilities include Rubino Brothers' scrap metal facility, the Stamford Iron and Metal facility, and O&G Industries' primary Stamford Harbor asphalt plant.

The Stamford Harbor outer harbor is bisected by the entrance channel that connects Long Island Sound and the inner harbor. About one-and-a-half kilometers long, the channel extends from the open waters of the outer harbor to the point where it splits into the west and east branch channels. The entrance channel is marked by navigation aids that the US Coast Guard maintains.

The entrance channel is about 61 meters wide over its length and has a depth of about 5.5 meters from its beginning in the Sound to the northern edge of the outer harbor anchorage basin. Depth to the junction of the east and west branch channels is about 4.6 meters. Covering about 7.7 hectares, the anchorage basin is about 183 meters wide and has a depth of about 5.5 meters.

Breakwaters protect the outer harbor from waves in the Sound. The west breakwater extends for about 884 meters, and the east breakwater is about 366 meters long. Lighted navigation aids mark the entrance to the outer harbor. The 1881 Stamford lighthouse is just south of the west breakwater and also marks the outer harbor entrance.

The smallest and westernmost harbor management sub-area is Dolphin Cove. Its primary uses are recreational boating and swimming from private beaches. There are also many private docks and waterfront homes. There are no commercial or industrial water uses in Stamford Harbor's Dolphin Cove.

The City of Stamford is proud to call itself "The City that Works!" Stamford Harbor works hard to attract and keep companies and corporations that sustain its dynamic local economy. Stamford Harbor is a multi-faceted city with both urban and suburban elements and a gleaming corporate downtown area. Parks and beaches line the Stamford Harbor shoreline.

Stamford Harbor enjoys a humid subtropical climate that is moderated by Long Island Sound. Heaviest rain occurs in May. During the winter, snow falls in the northern areas of the city, while downtown and the coastal areas get rain. Temperatures range from a warm and humid average high of 29°C (85°) in July to an average low of -7°C (19°F) in January.

Visitors to Stamford Harbor will want to see the Bartlett Arboretum and Gardens, a 36-hectare living museum of natural habitats ranging from woodlands to wetlands, meadows, and formal gardens. The arboretum features ten easy-to-high trails and boardwalk paths. The Bartlett Arboretum and Gardens strives to create and interpret a collection of rare plants from around the world and to educate the public about horticulture and the environment.

The Stamford Museum and Nature Center is a working farm with live animals and many activities designed for children. It also has an observatory, a museum, and many events. Dedicated to the interpretation and preservation of art, natural and agricultural sciences, and history, the Museum is an important community cultural and educational resource and a focal point for family fun. Exhibits, educational programs, and special events continue throughout the ear to inspire creativity, foster self-discovery, and nurture a love of learning for all ages. Visitors can enjoy a picnic on the Meadow, walk more than 32 hectares of nature trails, or visit the Hecksher Farm to say hello to the animals.