Car Rental Willimantic, Connecticut, United States of America.

Car Rental Willimantic

For Car Hire in Willimantic and the surrounding area, we can help you here at Find Me a Rental Car.

Willimantic is a census-designated place and former city in the town of Windham, Windham County, in the state of Connecticut. It is located in the central east part of the state between Norwich and Manchester. Willimantic is an Algonquin term for “land of the swift running water”.

In 1822, Charles Lee erected a factory on Main Street made of stone quarried from the Willimantic River marking the beginning of industrialized Willimantic. The American Thread Company had a mill on the banks of the Willimantic River, and was at one time the largest employer in the state as well as one of the largest producers of thread in the world. It was the first factory in the world to use electric lighting. By 1828, there were six cotton factories and Willimantic became known as “Thread City". Willimantic was a borough of Windham in 1833and then became a city in1893. The area prospered in the late 1800’s and more than 800 ornate Victorian homes rose in the town's Prospect Hill section. These homes are now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. When the American Thread Company moved to North Carolina in 1985 the town's economy foundered and in 1983, the city and the town consolidated and became one town again.

In 1986 a local parade fan named Kathleen Clark offered her collection of vintage marching music records to the local radio station with the idea of a people’s parade. Parade goers were encouraged to bring their Boom Box radios and tune in to 1400 AM. The parade was a hit, received national and international attention and the annual "Willimantic Boom Box Parade" began. Other cities from Madison and Lubbock to Newfane Bullhead City have had Boom Box Parades, but none have endured or been as large as Willimantic's.

Today Willimantic benefits from easy access and close proximity to nearby cities and towns. Several current town projects aim to revitalize the town including plans to reclaim the town's riverfront by developing a white-water park and research facility. Residential and small business spaces have been created from old abandoned factory buildings with the aim of attracting both new businesses and residents.

The Thread City Crossing Bridge was officially opened in September 2000 and immediately became one of the most notable features of downtown Willimantic. Today the bridge is affectionately referred to as Frog Bridge. The four eleven foot frogs sitting atop giant spools of thread recall two separate aspects of Windham’s folklore. The frogs, sculptured by the noted sculptor Leo Jensen, refer to the Great Swamp Fight of 1754, in which Windham residents supposedly fired on a pond because they mistook frog calls for Indian war signals. The spools symbolize Willimantic's long history of manufacturing spooled cotton thread for sewing machines.

Other Willimantic attractions include the Windham Textile and History Museum, Willimantic Public Library, Ebenezer Lutheran Church, Bridge Street Plaza Shopping Center, Jillson House Museum and the Windham Textile and History Museum.

Places of interest:

• Windham Textile and History Museum
• Willimantic Boom Box Parade
• The Thread City Crossing Bridge

Let Find Me A Rental Car do the work for you in the search for the perfect car hire, our easy to use booking service enable you to enjoy the holiday not the hassle.