STAMFORD — Mayor Dannel P. Malloy did not dwell on the achievements of the past, but rather, painted a picture of a robust and creative Stamford he believes will continue to be a leader in the state.

"The mark of a great city is when it decides to think about today, tomorrow and well into the future," Malloy said at Thursday's State of the City address. "I think this is something Stamford has excelled at for a long period of time."

Malloy said Stamford is the anchor of Fairfeild County, as it continues to grow as an international financial capital, build a strong and more equitable urban school system, offer varried recreation space and develop dormant industrial property thoughout the city.

The event was sponsored by the Stamford Chamber of Commerce and was held at the Stamford Marriott Hotel & Spa.

Malloy did take a few moments to think back at what the city has done during his 13 years as mayor. He said the city was "a little worn, a little beat up, and quite frankly, going in the wrong direction," when he came into office in 1995.

He said since then the city has invested millions into its schools, reduced the crime rate by more than 60 percent, invested into infrastructure and bought and preserved open space park land.

The city continues to develop housing for residents, and is the only community in Connecticut that requires affordable housing to be built as part of those developments, Malloy said.

In looking towards the future of the city, Malloy cited the work of author Richard Florida, whose works have argued that the desirability of a community is vital to its economic strength.

Being inviting to outsides, having a diverse population, having gay men and women feel comfortable in the community and the quality of urban schools are the metrics communities will be measured on in the future, Malloy said.

In Florida's latest book, "Who's Your City?," the author identifies Stamford as one of the best "medium-sized" metropolitan areas in the country in which to live, Malloy said.

"If you look at what he's saying, it isn't so much about what we've done (as a city) over the last 10 years, but about what we want to do in the future," the mayor said.

Malloy gave a 15 minute slide show highlighted current projects he says will continue to help the city excel — projects like the Mill River Corridor, Old Town Hall, the planned light rail system, the Urban Transitway and Antares' Harbor Point development in the South End.

"In America, we tend to focus on the negative. We don't talk about how we're going to spend money, we talk about how we're going to raise money. We don't talk about investments that work, we dwell on the investments that don't. If you do that often enough, you forget about all the progress that was made," Malloy said

He also stressed the city's commitments to the arts, pointing out that Stamford is the only city in the state that offer's tax-supported grants to cultural institutions.

While Malloy did not offer any new plans for the city, he did say, in general terms, that its economy is strong and will continue to be so.

Condlin said the chamber has been keeping a close on Stamford's economy, given the general negative growth that has occurred around the country during the past several months.

"Stamford has been able to weather the storm," he said. "I think that the previous years of substantial growth will enable the city to make it through this hiccup in the economy."