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is the largest city in Litchfield County, Connecticut and the northwestern Connecticut region. It is also the core city of the largest micropolitan area in the United States. The population was 36,248 at the 2000 census.
Torrington is a former mill town, as are most other towns along the Naugatuck River Valley. It is currently competing with the neighboring city of Winsted to recreate a pleasant Main Street environment. Downtown Torrington is home to the Nutmeg Conservatory for the Arts, which trains world-class ballet dancers and whose Company performs in the Warner Theatre, a 1,700 seat auditorium restored in 2002 to its original 1931 glory. The theater, while originally built as a cinema by the Warner Brothers film studio, has been reborn as a performing arts venue and arts instruction organization, and will serve as a cornerstone of the city's downtown revitalization project. Downtown Torrington also hosts the largest Lodge of Elks in New England. Elks Lodge #372 supports many community activities and events.
, a Journal Register Company publication that serves Torrington and Winsted, in addition to most of the Northwest Corner.
Torrington, originally Wolcottville, was first settled in 1735 by Ebenezer Lyman Jr. of Durham, Connecticut. Its early settlers resided on the hills west of the Naugatuck River where the first school, church, store, and tavern were constructed. Later, the eastern hill known as Torringford was settled as it provided the best farmland for agricultural work. Torrington was given permission to organize a government and incorporate as a town in October of 1740.
The fast moving waters of the Naugatuck River were utilized as waterpower for early 19th century industries. Industrial growth skyrocketed in 1813 when Frederick Wolcott constructed a woolen mill. The mill attracted a large workforce and created a demand for goods, services, and housing.
Israel Coe and Erastus Hodges began the construction of two brass mills on the Naugatuck River in 1834. This event sparked the beginning of the brass industry in Torrington, which would later spread throughout the entire Naugatuck Valley. In 1849, the Naugatuck Valley railroad was completed which connected Torrington with other population centers, ending its isolation and stimulating further industrial growth. Soon, Torrington was producing a variety of metal products including needles, brass, hardware, bicycles, and tacks. Torrington's growing industrial plants attracted English, Irish, and German immigrants throughout the 19th and early 20th century. Between 1880 and 1920, Torrington's population exploded from 3,000 to 22,000 as immigration from southern and eastern Europe increased. During this period, immigrants included the Poles, Czechs, Slovaks, Italians and Lebanese. Torrington was chartered as a city in 1923.
In 1955, a massive flood destroyed much of the downtown area and property in the region when Hurricane Connie and Hurricane Diane caused local rivers to overflow.