Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
CONNECTICUT FACTS
Nicknames
Constitution State, Nutmeg State
Population
3.6 million
Area
4845 sq miles
Capital city
Hartford (population 124,890)
Other cities
New Haven (population 129,585)
Sales tax
6.35%
Birthplace of
Abolitionist John Brown (1800-59), circus man PT Barnum
(1810-91), actress Katharine Hepburn (1909-2003)
Home of
The first written constitution in the US; the first lollipop, Frisbee and heli-
copter
Politics
Democrat-leaning
Famous for
Starting the US insurance biz and building the first nuclear submarine
Quirkiest state song lyrics
'Yankee Doodle', which entwines patriotism with
doodles, feathers and macaroni
Driving distances
Hartford to New Haven 40 miles, Hartford to Providence 75
miles
History
A number of Native American tribes (notably the Pequot and the Mohegan, whose name
for the river became the name of the state) were here when the first European explorers,
primarily Dutch, appeared in the early 17th century. The first English settlement was at
Old Saybrook in 1635, followed a year later by the Connecticut Colony, built by Mas-
sachusetts Puritans under Thomas Hooker. A third colony was founded in 1638 in New
Haven. After the Pequot War (1637), the Native Americans were no longer a check to co-
lonial expansion in New England, and Connecticut's English population grew. In 1686,
Connecticut was brought into the Dominion of New England.
The American Revolution swept through Connecticut, leaving scars with major battles
at Stonington (1775), Danbury (1777), New Haven (1779) and Groton (1781). Connecti-
cut became the fifth state in 1788. It embarked on a period of prosperity, propelled by its
whaling, shipbuilding, farming and manufacturing industries (from firearms to bicycles
to household tools), which lasted well into the 19th century.
