Connecticut is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America.
Portions of southwestern Connecticut are also considered part of the New York metropolitan area.
Connecticut is the 29th most populous state with 3.4 million residents and ranked 48th in size by area, making it the 4th most densely populated state.
Called the "Constitution State," Connecticut has a long history dating from the early colonial times, and was influential in the development of early American government.
While Connecticut's first European settlers were Dutch, the first major settlements were established in the 1630s by the English. Thomas Hooker led a band of followers overland from the Massachusetts Bay colony and founded what would become the Connecticut Colony; other settlers from Massachusetts founded the Saybrook Colony and the New Haven Colony. Both the Connecticut and New Haven Colonies established documents of Fundamental Orders, considered the first constitutions in North America.
In 1662, the disparate colonies merged under a royal charter, making Connecticut a crown colony. This colony was one of the Thirteen Colonies that revolted against British rule in the American Revolution.
Connecticut enjoys a temperate climate thanks to its long coastline on the Long Island Sound.
This has given the state a strong maritime tradition. Modern Connecticut is also known for its wealth.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, Connecticut had ready access to raw materials which helped to develop a strong manufacturing industry.
In the 19th and 20th centuries, financial organizations flourished: first insurance companies in Hartford, then hedge funds along the Gold Coast. This prosperity has helped give Connecticut the highest per capita income and median household income in the country.
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, New Britain, Norwich, Milford, Norwalk, Stamford, Waterbury, Danbury and Bridgeport.
There are 169 incorporated towns in Connecticut.
Bear Mountain, highest peak in Connecticut
Bear Mountain, highest peak in Connecticut
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.
Further information: List of Connecticut rivers
Despite its size, the state 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
Highest point in Connecticut on slope of Mount Frissell, as seen from Bear Mountain
Highest point in Connecticut on slope of Mount Frissell, as seen from Bear Mountain
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), Litchfield Green, Simsbury Green, New Milford Green (the largest in the state), and Wethersfield Green (the oldest in the state).
Windsor's Town Hall and Fountain on the Town Green
Windsor's Town Hall and Fountain on the Town 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.
Further information: List of Connecticut state forests
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' 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.
The southwestern border of Connecticut, where it abuts New York State, is marked by a panhandle in Fairfield County, containing the towns of Greenwich, Stamford, New Canaan and Darien.
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.
Climate
Connecticut has a Humid Continental Climate, with seasonal extremes tempered by its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean. Winters are cold, with average temperatures ranging from 31 °F (-1 °C) in the southeast to 23 °F (-5 °C) in the northwest in January.
The average yearly snowfall is about 25–100" (64–254 cm) across the state, with higher totals in the northwest.
Spring has variable temperatures with frequent rainfall. Summer is hot and humid throughout the state, with average highs in New London of 81 °F (27 °C) and 87 °F (31 °C) 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. These storms can be severe, though tornadoes are rare.
History
The name "Connecticut" originates from the Mohegan word quinnitukqut, meaning "place of long tidal river."
In fact, the exact spelling "connect I cut", was rendered by Whalley, Goffe, and Dixwell, the three "Regicide Judges" fleeing the persecution by Charles II of England, who came to New Haven in the 17th century.
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 at Dutch Point near present-day Hartford, which they called "House of Hope" (Dutch: Huis van Hoop).
John Winthrop, then of Massachusetts, got permission to create a new colony at Old Saybrook at the mouth of the Connecticut River in 1635.
This was the first of three distinct colonies that later would be combined to make up Connecticut. Saybrook Colony was a direct challenge to Dutch claims.
The colony was not more than a small outpost and never matured. In 1644, the Saybrook Colony merged itself into the Connecticut Colony.
The first English settlers came in 1633 and settled at Windsor and then Wethersfield in 1634. However, the main body of settlers came in one large group in 1636.
The settlers were Puritans from Massachusetts, led by Thomas Hooker. Hooker had been prominent in England, and was a professor of Theology at Cambridge.
He was also an important political writer, and made a significant contribution to Constitutional theory. He broke with the political leadership in Massachusetts, and, just as Roger Williams created a new polity in Rhode Island, Hooker and his cohort did the same and established the Connecticut Colony at Hartford in 1636.
This was the second of the three colonies.
Because the Dutch were outnumbered by the flood of English settlers from Massachusetts, they left their fort in 1654.
The third colony was founded in March of 1638. New Haven Colony, (originally known as the Quinnipiack Colony), was established by John Davenport, Theophilus Eaton and others at New Haven. The New Haven Colony had its own Constitution, 'The Fundamental Agreement of the New Haven Colony' which was signed on 4 June 1639.
Neither the establishment of the Connecticut Colony or the Quinnipiack Colony were done with the sanction of British imperial authorities, and were independent political entities.
They naturally were presumptively English, but in a legal sense, they were only secessionist outposts of Massachusetts Bay. In 1662, Winthrop took advantage of this void in political affairs, and obtained in England the charter by which the colonies of Connecticut and Quinnipiack were united. Although Winthrop's charter favored the Connecticut colony, New Haven remained a seat of government with Hartford, until after the American Revolution.
Winthrop was very politically astute, and secured the charter from the newly restored Charles II; who granted the most liberal political terms.
Historically important colonial settlements included:
Windsor (1633),
Wethersfield (1634),
Saybrook (1635),
Hartford (1636),
New Haven (1638),
Fairfield (1639),
Stratford (1639),
New London (1646),
Middletown (1647)
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 original constitutions influenced the US Constitution as one of the leading authors was Roger Sherman of New Haven.
The western boundaries of Connecticut have been subject to change over time.
According to The Hartford Treaty with the Dutch, signed on 1650-09-19, but never ratified by the British, the western boundary of Connecticut ran north from Greenwich Bay for a distance of 20 Miles ] "provided the said line come not within 10 miles (16 km) of Hudson River.
This agreement was observed by both sides until war erupted between England and The Netherlands in 1652.
No other limits were specified. Conflict over uncertain colonial limits continued until the Duke of York captured New Netherland in 1664.
"… On the other hand, Connecticut's original Charter in 1662 granted it all the land to the "South Sea," i.e. the Pacific Ocean.[18][19] Most colonial royal grants were for long east-west strips.
Connecticut took its grant seriously, and established a ninth county between the Susquehanna and Delaware Rivers, named Westmoreland County.
This resulted in the brief Pennamite Wars with Pennsylvania.
Connecticut's lands also extended across northern Ohio, called the Western Reserve lands. The Western Reserve section was settled largely by people from Connecticut, and they brought Connecticut place names to Ohio. Agreements with Pennsylvania and New York extinguished the land claims by Connecticut within its neighbors, and the Western Reserve lands were relinquished to the federal government, which brought the state to its present boundaries.
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 (The low number may partially be due to the fact that the city, like other cities in the area, has a small footprint relative to a typical American city--only about 18 square miles--and therefore does not have more middle-income areas included in its total to "balance out", statistically, inner areas with older housing stock and a poorer population).
Should Hartford (or similar cities New Haven and Bridgeport) be combined with its immediate suburbs, it would rank as one of the richest cities in the country. Fairfield County has become a bedroom community for higher-paid New York City workers seeking a less urban lifestyle.
This in turn has attracted businesses wishing to remain near New York City to southwestern Connecticut, most notably to Stamford.
New Canaan is the wealthiest town in Connecticut, with a per capita income of $85,459. Darien, Greenwich, Stamford, Weston, Woodbridge, Westport and Wilton also have per capita incomes over $65,000. Hartford is the poorest city in Connecticut, with a per capita income of $13,428 (although see above).
There are other lower-income and blue-collar towns, mostly parts of towns, in the eastern part of the State.
Poor and medium wealth households are particularly affected by a very high cost of living, due to a combination of expensive real estate, expensive heating for the winters, and other factors.
Taxation
Prior to 1991, Connecticut had a highly populist income tax system. Income from employment was untaxed, but income from investments was taxed at the highest rate in the United States: 13%.
And this burden was further increased by the method of calculation: no deductions were allowed for the cost (for example, interest on borrowing) of producing the investment income. Under Governor Lowell P. Weicker, Jr., an Independent, this was reformed to the present system.
This system prior to 1991 made it an attractive haven for high-salaried earners fleeing the heavy taxes of New York State, but highly unattractive for members of Wall Street partnerships.
It put 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, leaving mostly the urban poor in the older, central areas of Connecticut cities.
With Weicker's 1991 tax reform, the tax on employment and investment income was equalized at a then-maximum of 4%. Since then, Greenwich, Connecticut, has become the headquarters of choice for a large number of America's largest hedge funds, and Connecticut income from that industry has soared.
Today 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. During the summer there is one week of duty free buying to spur retail sales.
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.
Another 20% of the value may be taxed by the local government though. The maximum property tax credit is $500 per return and any excess may not be refunded or carried forward.
Connecticut does not levy an intangible personal property tax.
