Short Beach facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Short Beach Historic District
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Dawn over Short Beach
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 Location in Connecticut
Location in the United States
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| Location | Roughly bounded by Shore Dr., Beckett & Clarke Aves., Bungalow & Little Bay Lns, Court, Pentecost & Bristol Sts., Branford, Connecticut |
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| Area | 32 acres (13 ha) |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian |
| NRHP reference No. | 100004544 |
| Added to NRHP | October 22, 2017 |
Short Beach is a cool beach neighborhood in Branford, Connecticut. It's the westernmost of Branford's seven neighborhoods. Short Beach is about half a mile long. It is located in New Haven County. To its west is East Haven. To its north and east is Branford itself. To the south is the Long Island Sound.
This area is home to many small islands. The biggest one is Kelsey's Island. It has a few small cabins that people use for summer homes.
Short Beach used to be a busy vacation spot by the shore. But starting in the late 1950s, it became a place where people lived all year round. You can still find fancy summer homes right on the water. There are also older vacation homes. Today, Short Beach is growing fast. It still feels like a friendly neighborhood. People from all walks of life live here. It is a safe area with a good police presence. Many old cottages have been fixed up. This makes the area look newer than it did just ten years ago. People have also moved to Short Beach and the New Haven area from places like the former Yugoslavia and the Caribbean.
In 2017, the main part of the Short Beach neighborhood was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This means it's recognized as the Short Beach Historic District because of its important history.
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Fun Things to Do in Short Beach
Short Beach has some really interesting places to visit!
Shore Line Trolley Museum
Part of the famous Shore Line Trolley Museum is located here. The other part is in nearby East Haven, Connecticut. You can see old trolley cars and learn about their history.
Other Cool Spots
You'll also find the Yale Corinthian Yacht Club (YCYC) in Short Beach. There's Shore Automotive, and the Adult Day Care Center. The Short Beach Church and the local fire house are here too. The fire house is owned by the Short Beach Hose, Hook and Ladder Volunteer Company 4. There is also a U. S. Post Office.
Parks and Festivals
Short Beach has three parks. The biggest one is Pardee Park, right in the center of the neighborhood. At the end of summer, Short Beach hosts a 3-day festival called Short Beach Days. It's a lot of fun! There's a parade, a lip-syncing contest, races, basketball games, and even a sand castle building competition.
Getting Around Short Beach
The New Haven CT Transit F3, F5, and F6 buses travel through Short Beach. These buses connect the neighborhood to East Haven, New Haven, and downtown Branford. They even go as far as Seymour and Ansonia.
The Short Beach Parrots
Short Beach is famous for its population of monk parakeets. People say these colorful birds escaped from being pets and decided to stay in the neighborhood. You can hear and see these parrots all year long living in the community's trees.
Short Beach History
Early Days
In the 1600s, the Quinnipiac and possibly the Paugussett tribes lived in the Short Beach area. This information is still being studied. Short Beach became part of Branford when the town was officially started in 1644. For a long time, the area didn't have many buildings.
Becoming a Resort Town
After the Civil War, Short Beach slowly started to become a summer resort. By the 1890s, there was a hotel and many homes along Beckett Avenue. Some homes were for summer, and some were for year-round living.
From 1891 until she passed away in 1919, a poet named Ella Wheeler Wilcox lived on the Short Beach coast. Her home overlooked Granite Bay. Wilcox helped make the area popular. Its growth was even more certain when the Branford Electric Railway built its line near Short Beach in 1897. Short Beach was most popular as a summer resort in the early 1920s. After that, more and more people started living there all year, making it a suburban area.
Nature and Wildlife in Short Beach
Climate and Plants
Short Beach has a mild climate. This means it has warm summers and cold winters. Many types of trees grow here, like oak trees, apple trees, and maples. You can also find prickly pear cacti and pine trees.
Animals You Might See
Short Beach is home to many animals. You'll often see the famous monk parakeets, also known as "Short Beach parrots." Other common animals include raccoons, mice, possums, and skunks. You might also spot different kinds of birds like gulls, pigeons, common terns, and ducks. Larger animals like deer, coyotes, bobcats, and turkeys also live in the area. Some people even have chickens! In certain parts of Short Beach, you might find cornsnakes.
