Willimantic is named for the Willimantic River which passes through it. The word was first attested in English writing as Waramanticut in 1684, and later as Wallamanticuk, Wewemantic and Weammantuck … See more

According to the United States Census Bureau, the census-designated place (CDP) has a total area of 4.5 square miles (12 km ). 4.4 square miles (11 km ) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km ) of it (2.23%) is water. The Willimantic River and the See more

Willimantic's first factory was built in 1822 on Main Street by Charles Lee, followed by the first of the Jillson Mills in 1824. The Jillson Mills were bought in 1854 by a group of investors … See more

Willimantic is served by Windham Public Schools, which administers public schools in Willimantic as well as in the rest of Windham. … See more

Immigrants of many national origins populated the city. First, Europeans arrived to work in the mills—Irish, Italians, Poles, Germans and French Canadians. Later, Estonian, Ukrainian, Latvian, Lithuanian, and Puerto Rican immigrants moved to the town in … See more

Willimantic is home to a wealth of Victorian-era architecture. Prospect Hill Historic District is a National Register-listed historic district … See more

Willimantic holds a Boom Box Parade every 4 July where, instead of a marching band performing, residents bring boom boxes tuned to WILI, the local AM radio station. The tradition … See more