Waterbury

Waterbury, in the Naugatuck River valley, was once known as Brass City for its role as the country's top producer of brass products in the 19th and early-20th centuries. Evidence of the prosperity of the city's brass barons can still be seen in the hillside district northwest of downtown, where grand old Queen Anne, Greek and Georgian-revival, and English Tudor homes remain, a few of which have been turned into bed-and-breakfasts. Today Waterbury and its shops and restaurants serve as an urban center for people in the nearby Litchfield Hills.