Stamford, a town and borough of Fairfield co., Connecticut, on Long Island sound and the New York and New Haven and New Canaan and Stamford railroads, 34 m. N. E. of New York; pop. in 1870, 9,714. The town extends from the sound N. W. to the New York state line, a distance of 10 m., in which there is a series of elevations running N. E. and S. W., affording sites for four villages, High Ridge, Long Ridge, Hunting Ridge, and North Stamford. The greater part of the population resides in the borough of Stamford, which has a small harbor, made accessible to steamboats by a canal. The borough is supplied with water brought 10 m., is lighted with gas, and has paved sidewalks. The nearness to New York, attractive scenery, and wholesome air have made the town the residence of many business men from that city. The chief factories are the Stamford manufacturing company, producing extract of logwood, liquorice, etc.; a lock factory, a billiard table factory, a woollen mill, a stove foundery, a carriage factory, rolling mills, camphor refineries, and manufactories of shoes, fire brick, edge tools, wire, etc.

The town contains two national banks, two savings ' banks, 16 public schools, including a high school, two weekly newspapers, and 14 churches.