Bridgeport is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. Located in and the former county seat of Fairfield County, the city had an estimated population of 137,912 in 2006[1] and is the core of the Greater Bridgeport area. The city is part of the New York metro area.Bridgeport is also the center of the 41st largest urban area in the United States, just behind Austin, Texas (40th).The city is quite marked by its attachment to its famous resident, the circus-promoter and once mayor P.T. Barnum. Barnum built three houses in the city, and housed his circus in town during winters.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 19.4 square miles (50.2 km²), of which, 16.0 square miles (41.4 km²) of it is land and 3.4 square miles (8.8 km²) of it (17.53%) is water. Bridgeport lies within the Humid subtropical climate belt, with warm to occasionally hot and humid summers and cold, snowy winters. Its winters are cold so it can be thought of as borderline Humid subtropical and Humid continental. The seasonal extremes are moderated by Long Island Sound. The adjacent waters result in Bridgeport being several degrees cooler in summer and slightly milder with less snowfall in winter than locations further away from the coast. The city receives 41.7 inches (1,060 mm) of precipitation and around 25.6 inches (65 cm) of snowfall in an average year. The snowiest winter on record is 1996 where Bridgeport received 76.8 inches (195 cm).