Connecticut

Connecticut
State of Connecticut
Nicknames
  • The Constitution State (official)
  • The Nutmeg State
  • The Provisions State
  • The Land of Steady Habits
Mottoes
Anthem: "Yankee Doodle"
Map of the United States with Connecticut highlighted
Map of the United States with Connecticut highlighted
CountryUnited States
Before statehoodConnecticut Colony
Admitted to the UnionJanuary 9, 1788 (5th)
CapitalHartford[2]
Largest cityBridgeport
Largest county or equivalentCapitol
Largest metro and urban areasNew York (combined)
Greater Hartford (metro and urban)
Government
 • GovernorNed Lamont (D)
 • Lieutenant GovernorSusan Bysiewicz (D)
LegislatureConnecticut General Assembly
 • Upper houseConnecticut Senate
 • Lower houseConnecticut House of Representatives
JudiciaryConnecticut Supreme Court
U.S. senatorsRichard Blumenthal (D)
Chris Murphy (D)
U.S. House delegation5 Democrats (list)
Area
 • Total5,543 sq mi (14,356[3] km2)
 • Land4,849 sq mi (12,559 km2)
 • Water698 sq mi (1,809 km2)  12.6%
 • Rank48th
Dimensions
 • Length70 mi (113 km)
 • Width110 mi (177 km)
Elevation
500 ft (150 m)
Highest elevation
(Massachusetts border on south slope of Mount Frissell[4][a])
2,379 ft (725 m)
Lowest elevation0 ft (0 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total3,605,944[5]
 • Rank29th
 • Density745/sq mi (288/km2)
  • Rank4th
 • Median household income
$79,900[6]
 • Income rank
6th
Demonyms(colloquial)
  • Connecticuter[8]
  • Connecticutian[9]
Language
 • Official languageNone
Time zoneUTC– 05:00 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC– 04:00 (EDT)
USPS abbreviation
CT
ISO 3166 codeUS-CT
Traditional abbreviationConn.
Latitude40°58′ N to 42°03′ N
Longitude71°47′ W to 73°44′ W
Websiteportal.ct.gov

Connecticut (/kəˈnɛtɪkət/ kə-NET-ik-ət)[10] is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to its east, Massachusetts to its north, New York to its west, and Long Island Sound to its south. Its capital is Hartford, and its most populous city is Bridgeport. Historically, the state is part of New England as well as the tri-state area with New York and New Jersey. The state is named for the Connecticut River which approximately bisects the state. The word Connecticut is derived from various anglicized spellings of Quinnetuket, a Mohegan-Pequot word for "long tidal river".[11] As of the 2020 United States census, Connecticut was home to over 3.6 million residents, its highest decennial count ever, growing every decade since 1790.

Connecticut's first European settlers were Dutchmen who established a small, short-lived settlement called House of Hope in Hartford at the confluence of the Park and Connecticut Rivers. Half of Connecticut was initially claimed by the Dutch colony New Netherland, which included much of the land between the Connecticut and Delaware Rivers, although the first major settlements were established in the 1630s by the English. Thomas Hooker led a band of followers from the Massachusetts Bay Colony and founded the Connecticut Colony; other settlers from Massachusetts founded the Saybrook Colony and the New Haven Colony. The Connecticut and New Haven colonies established documents of Fundamental Orders, considered the first constitutions in America. In 1662, the three colonies were merged under a royal charter, making Connecticut a crown colony. Connecticut was one of the Thirteen Colonies which rejected British rule in the American Revolution. It was influential in the development of the federal government of the United States.

Connecticut is the third-smallest state by area,[12] the 29th most populous,[13] and the fourth most densely populated[12] of the fifty states. It is known as the "Constitution State", the "Nutmeg State", the "Provisions State", and the "Land of Steady Habits".[1] The state identifies as creators, makers, innovators, and entrepreneurs who are a powerful force for good in the country.[14] The state logo is the iconic C+T, with the T recognizable sideways making up the negative space in the C. The Connecticut River, Thames River, and ports along Long Island Sound have given Connecticut a strong maritime tradition which continues today. Connecticut is home to the nation's oldest newspaper, The Hartford Courant, founded in 1764.[15] The state also has a long history of hosting the financial services industry, including insurance companies in Hartford County and hedge funds in Fairfield County. As of the 2010 census, it has the highest per-capita income, second-highest level of human development behind Massachusetts, and highest median household income in the United States.[16][17]

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference SOTS was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "General Description and Facts". State of Connecticut. Archived from the original on October 16, 2015. Retrieved June 6, 2016.
  3. ^ "State Area Measurements and Internal Point Coordinates".
  4. ^ a b "Highest and Lowest Elevations". Elevations and Distances in the United States. United States Geological Survey. 2001. Archived from the original on November 9, 2013. Retrieved October 25, 2015.
  5. ^ "US Census Bureau QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 30, 2022.
  6. ^ "Median Annual Household Income". The US Census Bureau. Archived from the original on January 28, 2020. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
  7. ^ "State Resident's Names". eReference Desk. Archived from the original on November 17, 2015. Retrieved October 25, 2015.
  8. ^ "Style Manual". U.S. Government Printing Office. §5.23. 2000. Archived from the original on August 31, 2008.
  9. ^ "Connecticutian". Merriam-Webster Online. Archived from the original on December 31, 2015. Retrieved October 25, 2015.
  10. ^ "Connecticut". Dictionary.com. Archived from the original on November 24, 2010. Retrieved October 25, 2015.
  11. ^ Trumbull, James Hammond (1881). Indian Names of Places, Etc., in and on the Borders of Connecticut: With Interpretations of Some of Them. Hartford, Connecticut: Press of the Case, Lockwood & Brainard Company. p. 60.
  12. ^ a b Table 18, Area Measurements: 2010; and Population and Housing Unit Density: 1990 to 2010 (PDF). United States Summary: 2010, Population and Housing Unit Counts (Report). United States Census Bureau. September 2012. p. 41. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 19, 2012. Retrieved May 16, 2014.
  13. ^ Table 19, Population by Urban and Rural and Type of Urban Area: 2010 (PDF). United States Summary: 2010, Population and Housing Unit Counts (Report). United States Census Bureau. September 2012. p. 42. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 19, 2012. Retrieved May 16, 2014.
  14. ^ "Branding Guidelines". CT.gov - Connecticut's Official State Website. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
  15. ^ "15 Fun Facts About Connecticut". bestthingsct.com. Retrieved January 31, 2024.
  16. ^ Ohlemacher, Stephen (November 29, 2005). "Highest wages in East, lowest in South". USA Today. Archived from the original on May 25, 2010. Retrieved April 30, 2010.
  17. ^ "Median Household Income". American FactFinder. U.S. Census Bureau. 2013. Archived from the original on October 25, 2016. Retrieved October 25, 2015.


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