Located in Hartford County in central Connecticut, the city of Bristol sits on the Pequabuck River, about 15 miles (25 kilometers) southwest of Hartford. Bristol is famous for clock making, an industry begun there in 1790 by Gideon Roberts; the American Clock and Watch Museum is located in the city. Bristol is also the home of the New England Carousel Museum and the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network (ESPN). Industries produce precision springs, ball bearings, and electronic products. Bristol includes Forestville, a manufacturing village.
The area that is now Bristol, once part of Farmington or Tunxis Plantation, was settled in 1727 and became known as New Cambridge. Renamed for Bristol, England, it was organized as a town in 1785. During the American Revolution Bristol was the center of considerable Tory activity, and a cave on Chippens Hill was called the “Tory’s Den.” Bristol borough (incorporated 1893) was chartered as a city and consolidated with the town in 1911. Population (2010 census), 60,477.
