Danbury has always been known as a vibrant, forward-thinking, cultural-minded city. Now, it’s also being recognized for its cultural diversity. According to a new study released by WalletHub, the City of Danbury is ranked the 7th most diverse city in the U.S.
“Danbury is proud to be recognized as one of the most diverse cities in the United States of America,” said Mayor Roberto L. Alves. “We know that our city is stronger economically and culturally because of our diversity. Each year that I’ve been in office, we’ve worked with local organizations to add more cultural celebrations to our calendar at Danbury’s Heritage Plaza.”
Heritage Plaza is a prominent space located on the Deer Hill side of Danbury City Hall. This space is the site where cultural communities come together to celebrate Independence Day or other moments of important cultural significance.
Annually, Danbury partners with community groups to raise flags from Portugal, Italy, Mexico, Greece, Lebanon, the Dominican Republic, Ireland, Ecuador, Haiti, Brazil, and India. More recently, Mayor Alves invited communities to raise the Filipino, Jamaican, PRIDE, and the Pan-African flag for Danbury’s first-ever Black History Month Celebration at the plaza. Recently, Mayor Alves joined the Dominican Community Center to raise that country’s flag and on St. Patrick’s Day will raise the flag of Ireland with the Ancient Order of the Hibernians.
As the Trump administration continues to push executive orders that focus on the elimination of diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, cities and towns are responding by advancing equal opportunities and highlighting diversity within their communities. The City of Danbury remains focused on ways to recognize its diversity and bring the community together to celebrate its vibrant union of cultures.
“These celebrations remind us how fortunate we are to live in a country that allows us to raise another’s flag. As long as I am Mayor, Danbury’s diversity will be celebrated,” Alves said.
Danbury is continuously ranked among the most diverse cities in America, standing just behind New York City and Houston. WalletHub analyzes more than 500 of America’s largest cities in the categories of economic, socioeconomic, cultural, religious, and household diversity. Wallethub’s Top Ten include Silver Spring, Md.; Gaithersburg, Md.; Arlington, Texas; Germantown, Md.; Houston, Texas; New York, NY; Danbury; Charlotte, NC; Los Angeles; and Orlando and Jersey City, NJ, in a tie for No. 10.
According to the Wallethub website, to identify the most diverse cities in the U.S. WalletHub compared 501 of the largest cities across 13 metrics in five major diversity categories for. It combines household diversity and religious diversity with its previous reports on socioeconomic diversity, cultural diversity and economic diversity. WalletHub is a personal finance website.
“The most diverse cities demonstrate diversity in many dimensions – not just in race and gender but also everything from residents’ languages and birthplaces to their job types and household sizes,” said Chip Lupo, Wallethub analyst. “These cities blend together a multitude of different perspectives, helping people to better understand the world around them and become more empathetic. This exchange of ideas also tends to increase the economic success of diverse cities.”
