NORWALK: PORTRAIT OF DIVERSITY   PHOTOGRAPHS BY TONY VELEZ

HOME
ABOUT TONY VELEZ
THE PHOTOS
WHO LIVES HERE?

WHO LIVES IN NORWALK?

PEOPLE OF EUROPEAN DESCENT


69%
OF NORWALK’S POPULATION*
 
The first settlers in Norwalk were of English descent, along with a small number of African slaves; by 1848, slavery was abolished in Connecticut. With the advent of industrialization in the 19th century, large waves of immigrants from Northern Europe changed Norwalk’s ethnic make-up. Hungarians, Italians, Greeks, Germans and Poles came to work in the factories. Strong communities of these people still proudly celebrate their heritage. The St. Ann’s Feast is one of the highlights of Norwalk Italian American life, and the Greek Festival is held every August at the St. George Greek Orthodox Church in West Rocks. These are just a few of the many cultural and social activities shared by the people of Norwalk.

PEOPLE OF LATIN AMERICAN DESCENT


27.9%
OF NORWALK’S POPULATION*


From 1950-1960 the Latino population of Norwalk increased by 35%. About four thousand Costa Ricans and Colombians immigrated to Norwalk, with the Costa Rican community considered to be the largest outside of that country.

Recently, many people from Colombia, Guatemala and Honduras have made Norwalk their home. Landscaping, restaurant work and day labor are common vocations. The many churches attended by this diverse community, including St. Joseph’s in South Norwalk, strengthen ties to our city.
 

PEOPLE OF AFRICAN DESCENT


13.4%
OF NORWALK’S POPULATION*

During the Great Migration (1920-1960), over six million African Americans moved to the north from the south and points west, seeking economic, social, and political freedom. The Great Migration’s imprint is everywhere. In the configuration of cities, the social geography of neighborhoods, the rise of the black middle class along with waves of white flight and suburbanization, the Great Migration shaped our country. In Norwalk, businesses and institutions such as the Carver Center, and many churches, large and small, serve as the backbone of a vibrant and active community. 
 

PEOPLE OF ASIAN DESCENT


5.4%
OF NORWALK’S POPULATION*

Starting in the mid 1960’s, people hailing from Pakistan, Bangladesh and India have made Norwalk their home. Often highly educated with technical skills, many are recruited by U.S. companies. A socially and religiously conservative group, with tight family bonds, their children sometimes enter equally highly skilled professions. After life in large cities surrounded by family and community, and despite the isolation that can accompany life in the suburbs, many succeed in making the permanent social and economic commitment to American life. They do this by bringing their extended families here and frequently traveling back to their home countries.

HOME