Connecticut - The Constitution State 2

Connecticut – The Constitution State

Introduction:

Connecticut is the fifth state to ratify the Constitution of the United States and therefore the fifth state to join the United States at the time of the Revolutionary War.  Connecticut also happens to be the southernmost state in the New England region, although because of demographic and transportation related reasons, it is also included in the so-called “Tri-State Area” comprised of New York State and New Jersey.

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Granby

As of 2010, Connecticut was the state with the wealthiest residents, having the highest per-capita income ($60,847) and median household income in the United States ($71,346).  However, there are massive inequities in income states between different parts of the state with New Canaan having a per capita income of $85,459.

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New Canaan

Darien, Greenwich, Weston, Westport and Wilton also have per capita incomes over $65,000.  Hartford is the poorest municipality in Connecticut, with a per capita income of $13,428 in 2000.  Predictably, the wealthiest areas are predominantly white and professional while the poorest areas have the highest concentration of poorly education people of color working in service jobs or receiving public assistance.

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Hartford

Geography:

Geographically, Connecticut is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south.  The long water border has given Connecticut a strong maritime tradition that continues to this day.

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Connecticut in United States

The Connecticut state capital is Hartford, but the most populous city is Bridgeport.

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Bridgeport CT

Connecticut is the third smallest state by area, the 29th most populous, and the fourth most densely populated of the 50 states.  The state is named for the Connecticut River, a major river that approximately bisects the state.  The word “Connecticut” is derived from various anglicized spellings of an Algonquian word for “long tidal river”.

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Connecticut State Capitol Building

The otherwise straight borders of Connecticut have two obvious anomalies.  The first is on the northern border with Massachusetts and is known both as the Southwick Jog and the Granby Notch.  This is the result of a long line of disputes that finally concluded in 1804 when southern Southwick’s residents sought to leave Massachusetts, and the town was split in half.

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, Darien, and parts of Norwalk and Wilton. This irregularity in the boundary is the result of territorial disputes in the late 17th century, culminating with New York giving up its claim to the area, whose residents considered themselves part of Connecticut, in exchange for an equivalent area extending northwards from Ridgefield to the Massachusetts border, as well as undisputed claim to Rye, New York.

History and Economy:

Prior to European settlement the area of modern day Connecticut was inhabited by several Native American tribes including the Mohegans, the Pequots, and the Paugusetts.

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