Willimantic, Connecticut

Willimantic, Connecticut
Census-designated place / Former City
From top to bottom, left to right: The view of the center of Willimantic from Route 66, the Willimantic Footbridge, a well known bridge, a railroad yard, the Willimantic Armory, the Windham Town Hall, and the American Thread Company's former mill
Seal
Nickname(s): Thread City, Frog City
Coordinates: 41°43′N 72°13′W / 41.717°N 72.217°W / 41.717; -72.217Coordinates: 41°43′N 72°13′W / 41.717°N 72.217°W / 41.717; -72.217
County	Windham County
Government
• Mayor	Ernest S. Eldridge (Independent)
Area
• Census-designated place / Former City	11.6 km2 (4.5 sq mi)
• Land	11.4 km2 (4.4 sq mi)
• Water	0.3 km2 (0.1 sq mi)
Population (2010)
• Census-designated place / Former City	17,737
• Density	1,391/km2 (3,600/sq mi)
• Urban	29,669
Time zone	Eastern (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	Eastern (UTC-4)
Website	Town of Windham, Connecticut

Willimantic is a census-designated place, former city and borough, and special-services district. It's located in the town of Windham in Windham County, Connecticut, United States. The population was at 17,737 at the 2010 census. It is home to Eastern Connecticut State University, as well as the Windham Textile and History Museum. Willimantic was incorporated as a city in 1893; the city was superseded in 1983 by the Willimantic Special Services District/Willimantic CDP. It is also the birthplace of former U.S Senator Christopher Dodd of Connecticut.

Willimantic is an Algonquian term for "land of the swift running water".

Prior to 1821, the village was known as Willimantic Falls, home to about twenty families and a single school district. In 1822, Charles Lee erected a factory on Main Street made of stone quarried from the Willimantic River. Although small shops and manufacturers had been built on the banks of the Willimantic before, this was the beginning of industrialized Willimantic. In 1825, the three Jillson brothers built a factory along the Willimantic River, and in 1827, they built a second building. By 1828, there were six cotton factories in Willimantic, all built within a seven-year span. Willimantic became known as "Thread City" because American Thread Company had a mill on the banks of the Willimantic River, and was at one time the largest employer in the state as well as one of the largest producers of thread in the world. Its factory was the first in the world to use electric lighting. In 1833, Willimantic was a borough of Windham; in 1893, it would become a city.