Connecticut

Connecticut
State
Flag Seal
Nicknames:  The Constitution State (official) The Nutmeg State The Provisions State The Land of Steady Habits
Mottoes:  Qui transtulit sustinet (Latin) He who transplanted still sustains
Anthem: "Yankee Doodle"
Map of the United States with Connecticut highlighted
Country	United States
Before statehood	Connecticut Colony
Admitted to the Union	January 9, 1788 (5th)
Capital	Hartford
Largest city	Bridgeport
Largest county or equivalent	Fairfield
Largest metro and urban areas	New York (combined) Greater Hartford (metro and urban)
Government
• Governor	Ned Lamont (D)
• Lieutenant Governor	Susan Bysiewicz (D)
Legislature	Connecticut General Assembly
• Upper house	Connecticut Senate
• Lower house	Connecticut House of Representatives
Judiciary	Connecticut Supreme Court
U.S. senators	Richard Blumenthal (D) Chris Murphy (D)
U.S. House delegation	5 Democrats (list)
Area
• Total	5,018 sq mi (13,023 km2)
• Land	4,849 sq mi (12,559 km2)
• Water	698 sq mi (1,809 km2)  12.6%
• Rank	48th
Dimensions
• Length	70 mi (113 km)
• Width	110 mi (177 km)
Elevation	500 ft (150 m)
Highest elevation (Massachusetts border on south slope of Mount Frissell)	2,379 ft (725 m)
Lowest elevation (Long Island Sound)	0 ft (0 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	3,605,944
• Rank	29th
• Density	739/sq mi (285/km2)
• Rank	4th
• Median household income	$79,900
• Income rank	6th
Demonyms	Connecticuter Connecticutian Nutmegger (colloquial)
Language
• Official language	None
Time zone	UTC– 05:00 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC– 04:00 (EDT)
USPS abbreviation	CT
ISO 3166 code	US-CT
Traditional abbreviation	Conn.
Latitude	40°58′ N to 42°03′ N
Longitude	71°47′ W to 73°44′ W
Website	portal.ct.gov

Connecticut state symbols
Flag of Connecticut
Living insignia
Bird	American robin
Fish	American shad
Flower	Mountain laurel
Insect	European mantis
Mammal	Sperm whale
Tree	Charter Oak, a white oak
Inanimate insignia
Dance	Square dance
Fossil	Dinosaur tracks
Mineral	Garnet
Motto	Qui transtulit sustinet Latin "He Who Transplanted Still Sustains"
Tartan	Connecticut State Tartan
State route marker
State quarter
Released in 1999
Lists of United States state symbols

First Congregational Church in Cheshire

Connecticut is a state in the United States. Its capital is Hartford, and its largest city is Bridgeport. It is one of the six states of New England. It borders New York to the west, Massachusetts to the north, Rhode Island to the east, and the Long Island Sound to the south.

Connecticut is called the "Constitution State." In 1639 settlers adopted the "Fundamental Orders," which has been called the first written constitution in history. Its current constitution (Connecticut's third) was adopted in 1965.

Geography

Connecticut has forests, rivers, lakes, waterfalls, and a sandy shore.

The Connecticut River cuts through the center of the state. It flows into Long Island Sound, Connecticut's outlet (connection) to the Atlantic Ocean.

Regional variations

Even though Connecticut is small, different parts of the state have different landscapes and culture.

Some areas are very rural. For example, the Litchfield Hills in northwestern Connecticut have rolling mountains and horse farms. There are many small towns and rural areas in the northeast and northwest corners of the state.

Connecticut also has industrial cities, located along the coastal highways from the New York border to New Haven, then northwards to Hartford, and farther up the coast near New London.

The state has some very wealthy areas. The southwestern corner of Connecticut, where it touches New York State, includes Greenwich, Stamford, Fairfield, Westport, Wilton, and Darien. Some of the wealthiest residents in the world live in these areas.

Many towns center around a small park, known as a "green" (such as the New Haven Green). Near the green there is often a small white church, a town meeting hall, a tavern, and several colonial houses.

Highest locations

The highest peak in Connecticut is Bear Mountain in Salisbury, in the northwest corner of the state.

The highest point is just east of where Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New York State meet (42° 3' N; 73° 29' W), on the southern slope of Mount Frissell, whose peak lies nearby in Massachusetts.

National Parks

The United States National Park Service maintains several areas in Connecticut. These include the:

• Appalachian National Scenic Trail
• Quinebaug & Shetucket Rivers Valley National Heritage Corridor
• Weir Farm National Historic Site

The Appalachian Trail

The Appalachian Trail runs for about 52 miles through Connecticut, passing through hardwood forests.

At its lowest, the Trail in Connecticut is 260 feet above sea level (just under 80 meters). At its highest, its is nearly half a mile high (2316 feet, or 796 meters).

History

The name "Connecticut" comes from the Mohegan Indian word Quinnehtukqut. This word means Long River Place or Beside the Long Tidal River.

Colonial history

In 1614, a Dutch man named Adriaen Block became the first European explorer to arrive in modern-day Connecticut. After that, Dutch fur traders sailed up the Connecticut River (which they called Versche Rivier). They built a fort near present-day Hartford, which they called House of Hope (Huys de Hoop in Dutch).

The first English settlers arrived in 1633. They were Puritans from Massachusetts, led by the Reverend Thomas Hooker. They founded the Connecticut Colony.

Colonies were also established at Old Saybrook and New Haven, which later became part of Connecticut. Historically important colonial settlements included:

• Windsor (1633)
• Wethersfield (1634)
• Saybrook (1635)
• Hartford (1636)
• New Haven (1638)
• New London (1646)

Because the Dutch were outnumbered by the English settlers, they left their fort in 1654.

Connecticut is the fifth of the original thirteen states.

Changing borders

Connecticut's western borders have changed over time.

According to a 1650 agreement with the Dutch, the western boundary of Connecticut ran north from the west side of Greenwich Bay ("provided the said line come not within 10 miles [16 km] of Hudson River").

On the other hand, Connecticut's original Charter in 1662 granted it all the land to the "South Sea" (the Pacific Ocean, which is on the West Coast of the United States).

Connecticut got its current boundaries because:

• Government officials made agreements with New York

• Connecticut fought for control of Westmoreland County during the Pennamite Wars against Pennsylvania
• Congress got involved in setting borders after the Pennamite Wars
• Connecticut had to give up and sell the Western Reserve lands

Related pages

• List of counties in Connecticut
• List of hurricanes in Connecticut
• List of rivers of Connecticut
• Connecticut Colony

Other websites

• www.ct.gov
• www.tourism.state.ct.us