There is scarcely a city in the United States whose fortunes are not shaped at least partially by industry and manufacturing. This probably stems from the enormous amount of money that the country made producing necessary items like planes, ammunition, and pneumatic conveyors for its allies during the world wars. Stamford, which was established much earlier than World War I, naturally became a part of this industrial movement. Though it's known as a very white collar, corporate-oriented city today, here's some things you may not know about Stamford's past and present connections to industry.

Did you know that Stamford was the birthplace of the electric shaver? It's true! In the early years of the 20th century, Colonel Jacob Schick established a company in the city that manufactured dry shaving machines for men. He employed about 1,000 people in his factory in 1940. Today, the Schick products are used by men and women all over the world who are shaving faces and legs in preparation for driving septic tank pump trucks or going out for a night on the town.

Electric shavers aren't the only products ever produced in Stamford. Research and technological development have had their roles to play as well. While some fiddle around with software creating web collaboration tools and other such applications for home and business computers, other Stamford firms develop microprocessors, chemicals, electrical equipment, electronics, machinery, pharmaceutical products, makeup, metal, aircraft parts, and textiles. These operations require a lot of space for factory floors, so they tend to set up shop in industrial parks and along the Mill River Corridor.

Engaged in a friendly competition with Stamford's manufacturing companies are the commercial shipping workers who are responsible for distributing the products to consumers and retailers across the country. There's no coax cable cutting or anything like that, just a desire at Conrail and truck fleet operations centers to work fast and keep up with the product turnout.

Another industrial enterprise that's booming in Stamford is construction, because the downtown redevelopment project is ongoing as more and more companies choose to move their operations to the city. They require office space for their employees and wire ducts for their networks to be built to accommodate them, and Stamford contractors are only too happy to oblige.

To give you a proper idea of the size of Stamford's industrial undertakings, here are some figures. There are nearly 410,000 people in the workforce in Stamford. Over 14,000 of them are employed in construction, nearly 42,000 in manufacturing, and nearly 75,000 in trades, transport, and utilities.