Short Beach
Encyclopedia
Short Beach is a beach neighborhood situated in Branford, Connecticut
and a small part of East Haven, Connecticut
. It is the westernmost of Branford's seven neighborhoods, the others being: The Hill
, The Center
, Pine Orchard, Stony Creek, Indian Neck
, and Brushy Hill. Short Beach's population is approximately 2,500. About two miles long, it is situated in New Haven County and is bordered by East Haven
to the west, Branford to the north and east and Long Island Sound
to the south. It is home to many small islands, the largest being Kelsey's Island which has a few small cabins used as summer homes.
Short Beach was once a thriving shoreline vacation town, however the neighborhood became almost a completely year round neighborhood starting in the late 50s. There are still million dollar summer homes on the waterfront as well as the old vacation homes. Nowadays Short Beach is a fast growing area that still retains a neighborhood feel. It is home to people of every economic background and is a safe and heavily policed area. Most of the old shacks have been fixed up, so much so that the area has a new look than it did even ten years ago. There has been immigration to Short Beach and the New Haven area in general from the former Yugoslavia
as well as from the Caribbean
.
which is also in neighboring East Haven, Connecticut
. Also in Short Beach are the Yale Corinthian Yacht Club
(YCYC), Shore Automotive, a corner store, the Adult Day Care Center, Short Beach Church, a bakery, a restaurant, a fire house and a post office. Short Beach has three parks, the largest being Pardee Park in the center. Short Beach has a 3-day festival at the end of summer called Short Beach Days with a parade, lip-synching contest, races, basketball, and sand castle building.
New Haven CT Transit F3, F5 and F6 buses run through Short Beach connecting the neighborhood to East Haven
, New Haven, downtown Branford
and go as far as Seymour
and Ansonia
.
Short Beach is known for a population of Monk Parakeet
s that live there. It is said that they escaped from captivity and never left the neighborhood. The parrots took up residence in the community's trees and can be heard and seen all year long.
Branford, Connecticut
-Landmarks and attractions:Branford has six historic districts that are listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places . These include buildings in Federal, Arts and Crafts, and Queen Anne styles of architecture...
and a small part of East Haven, Connecticut
East Haven, Connecticut
East Haven is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 28,189. The town is just 3 minutes from downtown New Haven...
. It is the westernmost of Branford's seven neighborhoods, the others being: The Hill
The Hill
The Hill may refer to:* The Hill , a 1905 school novel by Horace Annesley Vachell* The Hill , a 1965 war film starring Sean Connery* The Hill * The Hill , a daily newspaper covering the U.S...
, The Center
The Center
The Center is the fifth tallest skyscraper in Hong Kong, after International Commerce Centre, Two International Finance Centre , Central Plaza and Bank of China Tower. With a height of 346 m , it comprises 73 stories. The Center is one of the few skyscrapers in Hong Kong that is entirely...
, Pine Orchard, Stony Creek, Indian Neck
Indian Neck
Indian Neck is the name of at least two locations in the United States, both of them in New England:*Indian Neck is an area of Wareham and Wellfleet, Massachusetts*Indian Neck is a village in the town of Branford, Connecticut....
, and Brushy Hill. Short Beach's population is approximately 2,500. About two miles long, it is situated in New Haven County and is bordered by East Haven
East Haven, Connecticut
East Haven is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 28,189. The town is just 3 minutes from downtown New Haven...
to the west, Branford to the north and east and Long Island Sound
Long Island Sound
Long Island Sound is an estuary of the Atlantic Ocean, located in the United States between Connecticut to the north and Long Island, New York to the south. The mouth of the Connecticut River at Old Saybrook, Connecticut, empties into the sound. On its western end the sound is bounded by the Bronx...
to the south. It is home to many small islands, the largest being Kelsey's Island which has a few small cabins used as summer homes.
Short Beach was once a thriving shoreline vacation town, however the neighborhood became almost a completely year round neighborhood starting in the late 50s. There are still million dollar summer homes on the waterfront as well as the old vacation homes. Nowadays Short Beach is a fast growing area that still retains a neighborhood feel. It is home to people of every economic background and is a safe and heavily policed area. Most of the old shacks have been fixed up, so much so that the area has a new look than it did even ten years ago. There has been immigration to Short Beach and the New Haven area in general from the former Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
as well as from the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
.
Attractions
Short Beach is home to half of the famous Shore Line Trolley MuseumShore Line Trolley Museum
The Shore Line Trolley Museum, located in East Haven, Connecticut, is the oldest operating trolley museum in the United States. It was founded to preserve the heritage of the trolley car. The museum includes exhibits on trolley history in the visitors' center and offers rides on restored trolleys...
which is also in neighboring East Haven, Connecticut
East Haven, Connecticut
East Haven is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 28,189. The town is just 3 minutes from downtown New Haven...
. Also in Short Beach are the Yale Corinthian Yacht Club
Yale Corinthian Yacht Club
Yale Corinthian Yacht Club is the home yacht club for the Yale University Coed and Women's Sailing Teams. It is located at 179 Clark Avenue in Branford, Connecticut...
(YCYC), Shore Automotive, a corner store, the Adult Day Care Center, Short Beach Church, a bakery, a restaurant, a fire house and a post office. Short Beach has three parks, the largest being Pardee Park in the center. Short Beach has a 3-day festival at the end of summer called Short Beach Days with a parade, lip-synching contest, races, basketball, and sand castle building.
New Haven CT Transit F3, F5 and F6 buses run through Short Beach connecting the neighborhood to East Haven
East Haven, Connecticut
East Haven is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the town population was 28,189. The town is just 3 minutes from downtown New Haven...
, New Haven, downtown Branford
Branford, Connecticut
-Landmarks and attractions:Branford has six historic districts that are listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places . These include buildings in Federal, Arts and Crafts, and Queen Anne styles of architecture...
and go as far as Seymour
Seymour, Connecticut
Seymour is a town located in western New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The town was named for Governor Thomas H. Seymour. The population was 15,454 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
and Ansonia
Ansonia, Connecticut
Ansonia is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, on the Naugatuck River, immediately north of Derby and about northwest of New Haven. The population was 19,249 at the 2010 census. The ZIP code for Ansonia is 06401. The city is serviced by the Metro North railroad...
.
Short Beach is known for a population of Monk Parakeet
Monk Parakeet
The Monk Parakeet, also known as the Quaker Parrot, is a species of parrot, in most treatments the only member of the genus Myiopsitta. It originates from the temperate to subtropical areas of Argentina and the surrounding countries in South America...
s that live there. It is said that they escaped from captivity and never left the neighborhood. The parrots took up residence in the community's trees and can be heard and seen all year long.
History
- Short Beach was occupied by the QuinnipiacQuinnipiacThis article is about the Native American nation. For the university, see Quinnipiac University.The Quinnipiac — rarely spelled Quinnipiack — is the English name for the Eansketambawg a Native American nation of the Algonquian family who inhabited the Wampanoki This article is about the Native...
and possibly the Paugussett tribes in the 17th century but this information is still disputed. - The modern day Short Beach was founded with Branford in 1644 by British colonists.
- 1920s Short Beach becomes a summer town rivaling many of Rhode IslandRhode IslandThe state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
's beach towns in popularity. - From 1891 until she died in 1930, poet Ella Wheeler WilcoxElla Wheeler WilcoxElla Wheeler Wilcox was an American author and poet. Her best-known work was Poems of Passion. Her most enduring work was " Soiltude", which contains the lines: "Laugh, and the world laughs with you; Weep, and you weep alone"...
lived on the Short Beach coast overlooking Granite Bay.
Environment
- Short Beach has a temperate climate and has hot summers and cold winters.
- Many oak trees, apple trees, prickly pearOpuntiaOpuntia, also known as nopales or paddle cactus , is a genus in the cactus family, Cactaceae.Currently, only prickly pears are included in this genus of about 200 species distributed throughout most of the Americas. Chollas are now separated into the genus Cylindropuntia, which some still consider...
, pines and mapleMapleAcer is a genus of trees or shrubs commonly known as maple.Maples are variously classified in a family of their own, the Aceraceae, or together with the Hippocastanaceae included in the family Sapindaceae. Modern classifications, including the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group system, favour inclusion in...
s grow in the area. - Common animals in the area include monk parakeetMonk ParakeetThe Monk Parakeet, also known as the Quaker Parrot, is a species of parrot, in most treatments the only member of the genus Myiopsitta. It originates from the temperate to subtropical areas of Argentina and the surrounding countries in South America...
s, known locally as "Short Beach parrots," racoons, mice, possums, skunks, gulls, pigeons, common ternCommon TernThe Common Tern is a seabird of the tern family Sternidae. This bird has a circumpolar distribution, breeding in temperate and sub-Arctic regions of Europe, Asia and east and central North America. It is strongly migratory, wintering in coastal tropical and subtropical regions. It is sometimes...
s, ducks, deer, coyotes, bobcats, turkeys and chickens. Cornsnakes also live in some Short Beach areas.