Connecticut State Guide

Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the United States, located in the northeastern part of the country. It has the highest per capita income in the country, and ranks 1st in median household income. Connecticut is also one of the most densely populated states in the nation and has strong economic connections to New York; part of Connecticut belongs to the New York metropolitan area. Connecticut was one of the Thirteen Colonies that revolted against British rule in the American Revolution. Residents of Connecticut are sometimes referred to as Nutmeggers.

Connecticut State Guide - Geography

Connecticut is bordered on the south by Long Island Sound, on the west by New York State, on the north by Massachusetts, and on the east by Rhode Island. The state capital is Hartford, and the other major cities include New Haven, New London, Norwich, Stamford, Waterbury, Danbury and Bridgeport. In all, there are a total of 169 incorporated towns in Connecticut. There is an ongoing civic pride and economic competition between Hartford and New Haven, which stems back to the days when the two cities shared the state's capital, and even back to the rivalry between New Haven Colony and Connecticut Colony.

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 meet (42° 3' N; 73° 29' W), on the southern slope of Mount Frissell, whose peak lies nearby in Massachusetts.

The Connecticut River cuts through the center of the state, flowing into Long Island Sound, Connecticut's outlet to the Atlantic Ocean.

The state, although small, has regional variations in its landscape and culture from the wealthy estates of Fairfield County's "Gold Coast" to the rolling mountains and horse-farms of the Litchfield Hills of northwestern Connecticut. Connecticut's rural areas and small towns in the northeast and northwest corners of the state contrast sharply with its industrial cities, located along the coastal highways from the New York border to New Haven, then northwards to Hartford, as well as further up the coast near New London. Many towns center around a small park, known as a "green," (such as the New Haven Green). Near the green may stand a small white church, a town meeting hall, a tavern and several colonial houses. Forests, rivers, lakes, waterfalls and a sandy shore add to the state's beauty.

The northern boundary of the state with Massachusetts is marked by the distinctive Southwick Jog/Granby Notch, an approximately 2.5 mile (4.0 km) square detour into Connecticut slightly west of the center of the border. Somewhat surprisingly, the actual origin of this anomaly is not absolutely certain, with stories ranging from surveyors who were drunk, attempting to avoid hostile Native Americans, or taking a shortcut up the Connecticut River; Massachusetts residents attempting to avoid Massachusetts' (even then) high taxes for the low taxes of Connecticut; Massachusetts' interest in the resources represented by the Congamond Lakes which lie on the border of the jog; and the need to compensate Massachusetts for an amount of land given to Connecticut due to inaccurate survey work. Perhaps the only suggested reason which can be safely ruled out is that the jog is necessary to prevent Massachusetts from sliding out into the Atlantic Ocean. In any event, the dispute over the border retarded the development of the region, since neither state would invest in even such basic amenities as schools for the area until the dispute had been settled.

The southwestern border of Connecticut, where it abuts New York State, is marked by a panhandle in Fairfield County, containing Greenwich, Stamford, Fairfield, Westport, Wilton and Darien, housing some of the wealthiest residents in the world. This irregularity in the boundary is the result of territorial disputes in the late 1600s, culminating with New York giving up its claim to this area, whose residents considered themselves part of Connecticut, in exchange for an equivalent area extending northwards from Ridgefield, Connecticut to the Massachusetts border as well as undisputed claim to Rye, New York.

Areas maintained by the National Park Service include: Appalachian National Scenic Trail; Quinebaug & Shetucket Rivers Valley National Heritage Corridor; and Weir Farm National Historic Site.

Connecticut State Guide - Climate

Connecticut lies in a Humid Continental Climate, somewhat tempered by its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean. Winters are Cold, with average temperatures of 31°F (-1° C) in the southeast and 23°F (-5° C) in the northwest in January. Snowfall averages 25-100" (64-254 cm) across the state- higher in the northwest. Spring has variable temperatures with frequent rainfall. Summer is hot and very humid across the state, with average highs in New London of 81°F (27c) and 87°F (31c) in Windsor Locks. Fall months are mild, and bring foliage across the state in October and November. During Hurricane season, Tropical Cyclones occasionally affect the region. Thunderstorms are most frequent during the summer, occurring on average 30 times annually, and can occasionally be very severe. Tornadoes are not unheard of, but are somewhat rare. NOAA National Climatic Data Center. Retrieved on October 24, 2006.

Connecticut State Guide - History

The name "Connecticut" originates from the Mohegan Indian word "Quinnehtukqut" meaning "Long River Place" or "Beside the Long Tidal River." The first European explorer in Connecticut was the Dutch explorer Adriaen Block. After he explored this region in 1614, Dutch fur traders sailed up the Connecticut River (Named Versche Rivier by the Dutch) and built a fort near present-day Hartford, which they called "House of Hope" (Dutch: Huys de Hoop). The first English settlers came in 1633. They were Puritans from Massachusetts, led by the Puritan 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), and New London (1646). Because the Dutch were outnumbered by the English settlers, they left their fort in 1654. Its first constitution, the "Fundamental Orders," was adopted on January 14, 1639, while its current constitution, the third for Connecticut, was adopted in 1965. Connecticut is the fifth of the original thirteen states.

The western boundaries of Connecticut have been subject to change 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," i.e. the Pacific Ocean. This probably added confusion to the early forefathers because the Pacific Ocean is located on the west coast of the United States. Agreements with New York, the "Pennamite Wars" with Pennsylvania over Westmoreland County, followed by Congressional intervention, and the relinquishment and sale of the Western Reserve lands brought the state to its present boundaries.

Connecticut State Guide - Nomenclature

The traditional abbreviation of the state's name is "Conn." Connecticut's official nickname, adopted in 1959, is "The Constitution State."

According to Webster's New International Dictionary, 1993, a person who is a native or resident of Connecticut is a "Connecticuter". There are numerous other terms coined in print, but not in use, such as: "Connecticotian" - Cotton Mather in 1702. "Connecticutensian" - Samuel Peters in 1781. "Nutmegger" is sometimes used. It is derived from the nickname, the Nutmeg State, based on the practice of the Connecticut peddlers who traveled about selling nutmegs, possibly fake ones as a scam. There is not, however, any nickname that has been officially adopted by the State for its residents.

Connecticut State Guide - Demographics

As of 2005, Connecticut has an estimated population of 3,510,297, which is an increase of 11,331, or 0.3%, from the prior year and an increase of 104,695, or 3.1%, since the year 2000. This includes a natural increase since the last census of 67,427 people (that is 222,222 births minus 154,795 deaths) and an increase due to net migration of 41,718 people into the state. Immigration from outside the United States resulted in a net increase of 75,991 people, and migration within the country produced a net loss of 34,273 people. Based on the 2005 estimates, Connecticut moves from the 29th most populous state to 30th.

6.6% of its population was reported as being under 5 years old, 24.7% under 18 years old, and 13.8% were 65 years of age or older. Females made up approximately 51.6% of the population, with 48.4% male.

In 1790, 97% of the population in Connecticut were classified as "rural". The first census in which less than half the population was classified as rural was 1890. In the 2000 census, it was only 12.3%.

The center of population of Connecticut is located in New Haven County, in the town of Cheshire.

Connecticut State Guide - Economy

The total gross state product for 2004 was $187 billion. The per capita income for 2005 was $47,819, ranking first among the states. There is, however, a great disparity in incomes through the state; although New Canaan has one of the highest per capita incomes in America, Hartford is one of the ten cities with the lowest per capita incomes in America. This is due to Fairfield County having become a bedroom community for higher-paid New York City workers seeking a less urban lifestyle, as well as the spread of businesses outwards from New York City having reached into southwestern Connecticut, most notably to Stamford. The state did not have an income tax until 1991, making it an attractive haven for high earners fleeing the heavy taxes of New York State, but putting an enormous burden on Connecticut property tax payers, particularly in the cities with their more extensive municipal services. As a result, the middle class largely fled the urban areas for the suburbs, taking stores and other tax-paying businesses with them, and leaving only the urban poor in the now impoverished Connecticut cities. As evident from the dichotomy in income figures described above, this problem has yet to be successfully solved. Exacerbating this problem, the state has a very high cost of living, due to a combination of expensive real estate, expensive heating for the winters, the need to import much food from warmer states, and the dependence on private automobiles for mobility.

Homes in southwestern Connecticut on the fringes of the New York City metropolitan area are quite expensive, often starting around $500,000. In this region of the state, a three-bedroom home on ¼ acre (1000 m2) might easily run about US$1 million. Although Connecticut has the highest percentage of million-dollar homes in the Northeast (and third in the country), the majority of these homes are located in the western third of the state, in Hartford suburbs including Glastonbury, Avon, Simsbury and West Hartford, and in New Haven suburbs including Orange, Cheshire, Madison, and Clinton.

The agricultural output for the state is nursery stock, eggs, dairy products, cattle, and tobacco. Its industrial outputs are transportation equipment (especially helicopters, aircraft parts, and nuclear submarines), heavy industrial machinery and electrical equipment, fabricated metal products, chemical and pharmaceutical products, and scientific instruments.

The income tax rate on Connecticut individuals is divided into two tax brackets of 3% and 5%. All wages of a Connecticut resident are subject to the state's income tax, even when the resident works outside of the state. However, in those cases, Connecticut income tax must be withheld only to the extent the Connecticut tax exceeds the amount withheld by the other jurisdiction. Since New York state has higher tax rates than Connecticut, this effectively means that Connecticut residents that work in New York state pay no income tax to Connecticut.

Connecticut levies a 6% state sales tax on the retail sale, lease, or rental of most goods. Some items and services in general are not subject to sales and use taxes unless specifically enumerated as taxable by statute. There are no additional sales taxes imposed by local jurisdictions.

All real and personal property located within the state of Connecticut is taxable unless specifically exempted by statute. All assessments are at 70% of fair market value. The maximum property tax credit is $350 per return and any excess may not be refunded or carried forward. The maximum property tax credit will rise to $400 for tax year 2006. Connecticut does not levy an intangible personal property tax.

Connecticut State Guide - Transportation

Transportation in Connecticut is predominantly via highway. Bradley International Airport (BDL) is located in the central part of the state (15 miles (24 km) north of Hartford). Another large airport, mostly used by corporate executives and those who own private aircraft, is the Oxford Airport in western Connecticut. The airport is located 15 miles (24 km) east of Danbury and 12 miles (19 km) southwest of Waterbury. There is railway service along the coastline from New York City to Boston, including commuter rail service between New Haven and New York and a new commuter service along the river north of New Haven, with spur service running northwards to cities such as Hartford. Bus service is supplied by Connecticut Transit, owned by the Connecticut Department of Transportation. In practice, most Connecticut residents find public transportation not fully adequate for all their needs and either own a private vehicle or have access to one.

The glaciers carved valleys in Connecticut running north to south; as a result, many more roadways in the state run north to south than do east to west, mimicking the previous use of the many north-south rivers as transportation. The Interstate highways in the state are I-95 (the Connecticut Turnpike) running southwest to northeast along the coast, I-84 running southwest to northeast in the center of the state, I-91 running north to south in the center of the state, and I-395 running north to south near the eastern border of the state. The other major interstate traffic arteries in Connecticut are the Merritt Parkway and Wilbur Cross Parkway, which together form State Route 15, running from the Hutchinson River Parkway in New York State parallel to I-95 before turning north of New Haven and running parallel to I-91, finally becoming a surface road in Berlin, Connecticut. This road and I-95 were originally toll roads; they relied on a system of toll plazas at which all traffic would stop and pay an incremental fare, rather than the alternative system of providing drivers a ticket where they entered the highway and charging them when they exited. A series of terrible crashes at these plazas eventually led to abandonment of the entire toll system in 1988, although most of the highway bonds had already been paid off by that time. Other major arteries in the state include U.S. Route 7, State Route 8, and State Route 9. See List of State Routes in Connecticut for an overview of the state's highway system.

I-95 from south of New Haven to the New York border is one of the most congested highways in the United States due to increasing population density, increasing business in the New York area, inadequate capacity and a general increase in American driving. Frequently, the congestion spills over to clog the parallel Merritt Parkway. At rush hours, multiple backups tens of miles long are common, and the daily radio broadcasts of where crashes have completely blocked traffic are a fact of life for commuters in this area. As a result, commuter rail is also heavily crowded, along with parking facilities and traffic at the stations. Funds to relieve the situation, either by enhancing commuter rail, increasing highway capacity, or both, are lacking, and the problem is noted as one hindering further economic development for the state.

Unlike most other states, Connecticut does not have county government; government exists at the state and municipal levels. Connecticut counties were mostly eliminated in 1960, with the exception of the sheriff system.

In 2000, the county sheriff was abolished and replaced with the state marshal system, which is still divided by county. The judicial system is divided, at the trial court level, into judicial districts. The eight counties are still widely used for purely geographical purposes, such as weather reports.

There are 169 towns across the state, which serve as the primary source of local government. There are also 21 cities, most of which are coterminous with their namesake towns and have a merged city-town government. There are two exceptions: City of Groton, which is a subsection of the Town of Groton and the City of Winsted in the Town of Winchester. There are also ten incorporated boroughs, nine of which provide additional services to a section of town. One, Naugatuck, is a consolidated town and borough.

Connecticut State Guide - Cities and Large Towns

One in eight incorporated places in Connecticut are cities. Most, however, are small. Connecticut's distincive mix of many small cities with larger and smaller towns helps explain the relatively high population density.

Five of Connecticut's cities have population over 100,000 (as of 2005):

* Bridgeport: 139,008
* New Haven: 124,791
* Hartford: 124,397
* Stamford: 120,045
* Waterbury 107,902

In addition, twelve more cities and large towns have populations over 50,000: Norwalk, Danbury, New Britain, Greenwich, Bristol, West Hartford, Meriden, Hamden, Fairfield, Manchester, Milford, and West Haven.

There are also several more small cities.

Richest and poorest places in Connecticut New Canaan is the wealthiest town in Connecticut, with a per capita income of $85,459. Darien, Greenwich, Stamford, Weston, Westport and Wilton also have per capita incomes over $65,000. Hartford is the poorest town in Connecticut, with a per capita income of $13,428. There are other poor places, mostly parts of towns, in the eastern part of the State. New Haven and Bridgeport also have per capita incomes under $17,000

Connecticut State Guide - Education

Connecticut is well-known as the home of Yale University, which maintains a consistent ranking as one of the world's greatest and richest universities, and has the most selective undergraduate program of any university in the United States (an 8.6% acceptance rate in 2006). Yale is one of the largest employers in the state, and its research activity has recently spun off dozens of growing biotechnology companies, which have brought in billions of dollars to the economy of New Haven and the State in general.

Connecticut is also the host of many other institutions. Additionally, the State is packed with dozens of prestigious boarding schools, such as Choate Rosemary Hall, Hotchkiss, Loomis Chaffee, and The Taft School which draw students from all over the world.

Colleges and Universities

* Asnuntuck Community College
* Albertus Magnus College
* Briarwood College
* Capital Community College
* Central Connecticut State University
* Charter Oak State College
* Connecticut College
* Eastern Connecticut State University
* Fairfield University
* Holy Apostles College and Seminary
* Middlesex Community College
* Manchester Community College
* Mitchell College
* Northwest Connecticut Community College
* Norwalk Community College
* Paier College of Art
* Post University
* Quinnipiac University
* Rensselaer at Hartford
* Sacred Heart University
* Saint Joseph College
* Southern Connecticut State University
* Trinity College
* Tunxis Community College
* United States Coast Guard Academy
* University of Bridgeport
* University of Connecticut
* University of Hartford
* University of New Haven
* Wesleyan University
* Western Connecticut State University
* Yale University

Connecticut State Guide - Sports Teams

* Connecticut Sun of the Women's National Basketball Association
* From 1979 to 1997, the National Hockey League had a franchise in Hartford, the Hartford Whalers. Their departure to North Carolina caused great controversy and resentment.

Minor League Hockey Teams:

* Bridgeport Sound Tigers of the American Hockey League
* Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League

(The Danbury Trashers of the United Hockey League have been dissolved by the league after their owner, James Galante was arrested in June 2006 on accusations that he was running a mob-related scheme to control trash hauling prices and was paying hockey team employees under the table and against league rules.)

Minor League Baseball Teams:

* Connecticut Defenders Double-A Affiliate of the San Francisco Giants
* New Britain Rock Cats Double-A Affiliate of the Minnesota Twins

Both of the Eastern League

Independent League Baseball Teams:

* Bridgeport Bluefish of the Atlantic League
* Manchester Silkworms of the New England Collegiate Baseball League
* New Haven County Cutters of the Canadian-American League
* Stamford Robins of the Atlantic Collegiate Baseball League
* Torrington Twisters of the New England Collegiate Baseball League

Professional Cycling Teams:

* Team Nerac.com presented by OutdoorLights.com

The Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) is the state's sanctioning body for high school sports. Xavier High School (Middletown, CT) claimed the 2005 Class LL football championship. Other state champions in football include Staples (in Westport), Branford, Daniel Hand (in Madison), Woodland Regional (in Beacon Falls), and Hyde Leadership (in Hamden).

Connecticut State Guide - Trivia

* Connecticut is the southernmost state in New England and the wealthiest state in the country per capita as well as the third smallest state in landmass. It was one of the thirteen colonies that revolted against British rule in the American Revolution.
* Due to the prominence of the aircraft industry in Connecticut in the mid-Twentieth Century, Connecticut has an official state aircraft, the F4U Corsair, and an official Connecticut Aviation Pioneer, Igor Sikorsky. In addition, the state legislature officially recognizes the claim of aircraft designer Gustav Whitehead to have had the world's first successful powered aircraft flight in Bridgeport, Connecticut, two years before the Wright brothers at Kitty_Hawk, North_Carolina.
* Connecticut is known officially as the Constitution State based on its colonial constitution of 1638-39. Unofficially (but popularly) Connecticut is also known as the Nutmeg State. The nutmeg connection to Connecticut may come from its sailors returning from voyages with nutmeg (which in the 18th and 19th centuries was a very valuable spice in New England). It is also said to come from Yankee peddlers from Connecticut who would sell small carved nobs of wood shaped to look like nutmeg to unsuspecting customers.
* President George W. Bush was born in New Haven, Connecticut and lived there for a short time before moving to Texas. He later attended and graduated from Yale University located in New Haven, Connecticut.
* Commemorative stamps issued by the United States Postal Service with Connecticut themes include Nathan Hale, Eugene O'Neill, the whaling ship the Charles W. Morgan which is docked in Mystic Seaport, and a decoy of a broadbill duck.
* Connecticut's State song is Yankee Doodle.

Article Source: Wikipedia