Everything about Connecticut totally explained
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.
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.
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.
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 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 "
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). Near the green typically stand historical visual symbols of
New England towns, such as a small white
church, a
colonial meeting house, a colonial
tavern or "
inne", several
colonial houses, etc., establishing a scenic
historicity maintained for both
historic preservation and the
tourism trade.
Due to the
climate, degree of urbanization, and economic status of the state, it offers easily accessed
forests,
rivers,
lakes,
waterfalls and a
coastline, all developed for recreation.
The northern boundary of the state with Massachusetts is marked by the distinctive Southwick Jog or Granby Notch, an approximately 2.5 mile (4.0 km) square detour into Connecticut slightly west of the center of the border. The actual origin of this anomaly is uncertain, with stories ranging from the original surveyors having been drunk, having attempted to avoid hostile Native Americans, or having taken a shortcut up the Connecticut River; Massachusetts residents having attempted to avoid Massachusetts' higher taxes for the lower 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 the 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.
Climate
Connecticut has a, 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.
| Monthly Normal High and Low Temperatures For Various Connecticut Cities |
| City |
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
| Bridgeport | 37/23 |
39/25 |
47/32 |
57/41 |
67/51 |
76/60 |
82/66 |
81/65 |
74/58 |
63/46 |
53/38 |
42/28
|
| Hartford | 34/17 |
38/20 |
48/28 |
60/38 |
72/48 |
80/57 |
85/62 |
82/61 |
74/52 |
63/41 |
51/33 |
39/23
|
(External Link ) |
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" who came to New Haven in the 17th century, fleeing persecution by Charles II of England. 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 - " Fresh River" - 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 wasn't 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.
In the 1637-38 bloody
Pequot War the European settlers and allies officially destroyed the
Pequot Indians.
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.
Because the Dutch were outnumbered by the flood of English settlers from Massachusetts, they left their fort in 1654.
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),
Stamford (1640),
» 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 [16km] 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. 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.
Names and symbols
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.
Race, ancestry, and language
As of 2004, 11.4% of the population (400,000) was foreign-born, and 10% of the foreign-born in the state were illegal aliens (about 1.1% of the population). In 1870, native-born Americans had accounted for 75% of the state's population, but that had dropped to 35% by 1918.
As of 2000, 81.69% of Connecticut residents age 5 and older spoke
English at home and 8.42% spoke
Spanish, followed by
Italian at 1.59%,
French at 1.31% and
Polish at 1.20%.
The five largest reported ancestries in the state are:
Italian (18.6%),
Irish (16.6%),
English (10.3%),
German (9.9%), and
French/French Canadian (9.9%).
Connecticut has large
Italian American and
Irish American populations, as well as
German American and
Portuguese American populations, second highest percentage of any state behind Rhode Island (19.3%).
Italian is the largest ancestry group in five of the state's counties, while the
Irish are the largest group in Tolland county,
French Canadians the largest group in Windham county, and old stock
New England Yankees are present throughout.
African Americans and
Hispanics (mostly
Puerto Ricans) are numerous in the urban areas of the state. Like Ohio and New York, Connecticut is also known for its relatively large
Hungarian American population, the majority of which live in and around
Fairfield,
Stamford,
Naugatuck and
Bridgeport. Connecticut also has a sizable
Polish American population, with
New Britain containing the largest Polish American population in the state.
More recent immigrant populations include those from
Laos,
Vietnam,
Thailand,
Indonesia,
Mexico,
Brazil,
Guatemala,
Panama, and former
Soviet countries.
Religion
A 2001 survey of Connecticut residents' religious self-identification showed the following distribution of affiliations:
There is a significant
Jewish population in the state, concentrated in the towns near Long Island Sound between
Greenwich and
New Haven, in
Greater New Haven and in
Greater Hartford, especially the suburb of
West Hartford.
Recent
immigration has brought other non-Christian religions to the state, but the numbers of adherents of other religions are still low.
Connecticut is also home to New England's Largest Protestant Church
The First Cathedral in
Bloomfield, Connecticut located in
Hartford County.
Economy
The total
gross state product for 2006 was $204 billion. The
per capita income for 2007 was $54,117, 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 doesn't 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,
Weston,
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's 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. In 2007, the median price for a house in Connecticut passed $300,000 for the first time, even though most of the country was mired in a real estate slump.
Industries
The agricultural output for the state is
nursery stock,
eggs clams and lobster,
dairy products,
cattle, and
tobacco. Its industrial outputs are
transportation equipment (especially
helicopters,
aircraft parts, and
nuclear submarines), heavy industrial machinery and electrical equipment, military weaponry and fabricated metal products,
chemical and
pharmaceutical products, and
scientific instruments.
Due to the prominence of the aircraft industry in the state, Connecticut has an official state aircraft, the
F4U Corsair, and an official Connecticut Aviation Pioneer,
Igor Sikorsky. The state officially recognizes aircraft designer
Gustav Whitehead as "Father of Connecticut Aviation" for his research into powered flight in
Bridgeport, Connecticut in 1901, two years before the
Wright brothers at
Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Governor John Dempsey also declared August 15 to be "Gustave Whitehead Day."
A report issued by the Connecticut Commission on Culture & Tourism on
December 72006 demonstrated that the economic impact of the arts, film, history and tourism generated more than $14 billion in economic activity and 170,000 jobs annually. This provides $9 billion in personal income for Connecticut residents and $1.7 billion in state and local revenue.
Transportation
Roads
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 highways 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. Route 15 and I-95 were originally
toll roads; they relied on a system of
toll plazas at which all traffic stopped and paid fixed tolls. A series of terrible crashes at these plazas eventually contributed to the decision to remove the tolls in 1988. Other major arteries in the state include
U.S. Route 7 in the west running parallel to the NY border,
State Route 8 farther east near the industrial city of Waterbury and running north-south along the Naugatuck River Valley nearly parallel with U.S. 7, and
State Route 9 in the east. See
List of State Routes in Connecticut for an overview of the state's highway system.
Between New Haven and the New York City, I-95 is one of the most congested highways in the United States. Many people now drive longer distances to work in the New York City area. This strains the three lanes of traffic capacity, resulting in lengthy
rush hour delays. Frequently, the congestion spills over to clog the parallel Merritt Parkway. The state has encouraged traffic reduction schemes, including rail use and
ride-sharing.
Connecticut also has a very active bicycling community, with one of the highest rates of bicycling ownership and use in the United States. New Haven's cycling community, organized in a local advocacy group called
ElmCityCycling, is particularly active. According to the U.S. Census 2006 American Community Survey, New Haven has the highest percentage of commuters who bicycle to work of any major metropolitan center on the East Coast.
Public transportation
Rail
Since many Connecticut residents commute to
New York City, there's an extensive
commuter railway network connecting New York City to
New Haven on
Metro North Railroad (a commuter railroad based in New York and operated by the Metropolitan Transit Authority) with spurs servicing Waterbury, Danbury, and New Canaan. Rail service doesn't end with New Haven, however. Connecticut is in the heart of Amtrak's
Northeast Corridor and the Amtrak Regional line makes stops in New Haven-State Street, Old Saybrook, New London, and Mystic. Smaller town stops between New Haven and New London are served by
Shore Line East, which takes commuters to those stations to catch a main train. These commuter services are heavily utilized during weekday rush hours. Regional rail service is provided by
Amtrak, which makes regular stops in Stamford, Bridgeport, New Haven, and Hartford, as well as in Wallingford, Meriden, Berlin, Windsor, and Windsor Locks. Operation of commuter trains from New Haven to Springfield on Amtrak's
New Haven-Springfield Line is scheduled to begin in 2010.
Bus
Statewide
bus service is supplied by
Connecticut Transit, owned by the
Connecticut Department of Transportation, with smaller municipal authorities providing local service. Bus networks are an important part of the transportation system in Connecticut, especially in urban areas like Hartford, Stamford, Norwalk, Bridgeport and New Haven. A three-year construction project to build a busway from New Britain to Hartford will begin in August 2009.
Air
Bradley International Airport, which became truly 'International' in the summer of 2007 beginning service to Europe, is located in
Windsor Locks, 15 miles (24 km) north of
Hartford. Regional air service is provided at
Tweed-New Haven Airport. Larger civil airports include
Danbury Municipal Airport and
Waterbury-Oxford Airport in western Connecticut. The
Westchester County Airport in
Harrison, New York serves part of southwestern Connecticut.
Law and government
Hartford has been the sole capital of Connecticut since 1875. Before then,
New Haven and Hartford alternated as capitals.
In addition to the Governor and Lieutenant Governor, there are four other executive officers named in the state constitution that are elected directly by voters: Secretary of State, Treasurer, Comptroller and Attorney General. All executive officers are elected to four year terms. The Appellate Court is a lesser state-wide court and the Superior Courts are lower courts that resemble county courts of other states.
Local government
and several lists:
List of municipalities of Connecticut by population,
List of towns in Connecticut,
List of cities in Connecticut,
Borough (Connecticut),
List of counties in Connecticut
Connecticut has 169
towns, which serve as the fundamental local political subdivision of the state; the entire state is divided into towns. One,
Naugatuck, is a consolidated town and borough.
Unlike most other states, Connecticut doesn't have
county government. Connecticut county governments 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 has districts that follow the old county territories. The judicial system is divided, at the trial court level, into judicial districts which largely follow the old county lines. The
eight counties are still widely used for purely geographical and statistical purposes, such as
weather reports, and census reporting.
The state is divided into 15
planning regions defined by the state Office of Planning and Management. The Intragovernmental Policy Division of this Office coordinates regional planning with the administrative bodies of these regions. Each region has an administrative body known as either a regional council of governments, a regional council of elected officials, or a regional planning agency. The regions are established for the purpose of planning "coordination of regional and state planning activities; designation or redesignation of logical planning regions and promotion of the continuation of regional planning organizations within the state; and provision for technical aid and the administration of financial assistance to regional planning organizations."
|- bgcolor=lightgrey
! Year
!
Republican
!
Democratic
|-
|align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|
2004
|align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|43.95%
693,826
|align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|
54.31% 857,488
|-
|align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|
2000
|align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|38.44%
561,094
|align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|
55.91% 816,015
|-
|align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|
1996
|align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|34.69%
483,109
|align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|
52.83% 735,740
|-
|align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|
1992
|align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|35.78%
578,313
|align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|
42.21% 682,318
|-
|align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|
1988
|align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|
51.98% 750,241
|align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|46.87%
676,584
|-
|align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|
1984
|align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|
60.73% 890,877
|align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|38.83%
569,597
|-
|align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|
1980
|align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|
48.16% 677,210
|align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|38.52%
541,732
|-
|align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|
1976
|align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|
52.06% 719,261
|align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|46.90%
647,895
|-
|align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|
1972
|align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|
58.57% 810,763
|align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|40.13%
555,498
|-
|align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|
1968
|align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|44.32%
556,721
|align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|
49.48% 621,561
|-
|align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|
1964
|align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|32.09%
390,996
|align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|
67.81% 826,269
|-
|align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|
1960
|align="center" bgcolor="#fff3f3"|46.27%
565,813
|align="center" bgcolor="#f0f0ff"|
53.73% 657,055
|}
Connecticut leans strongly towards the
Democratic Party. Connecticut has a high number of voters who are not registered with a major party. As of 2004, 33.7% of registered voters were registered Democratic, 22.0% were registered Republican, and 44.0% were unaffiliated with any party, with 0.2% registered with a minor party.
Many Connecticut towns show a marked preference for moderate candidates of either party. Democrats hold a registration edge especially in the cities of
Hartford;
New Haven; and
Bridgeport, where Democratic machines have held power since the great immigration waves of the 1800s. The state's Republican-leaning areas are the rural
Litchfield County and adjoining towns in the west of
Hartford County, the industrial towns of the
Naugatuck River Valley, and some of the affluent
Fairfield County towns near the
New York border. The suburban towns of
New Canaan and
Darien in Fairfield County are considered the most Republican areas in the state, the former being the hometown of conservative activist
Ann Coulter.
Westport, a wealthy town a few miles to the east, is often considered one of the most loyally-Democratic, liberal towns in Fairfield County.
Norwalk and
Stamford, two larger, affluent communities in Fairfield County, have in many elections favored moderate Republicans including former Governor
John G. Rowland and Congressman
Chris Shays, however they've favored Democrats in recent US presidential candidates.
Waterbury has a Democratic registration edge, but usually favors conservative candidates in both parties. In
Danbury unaffiliated voters outnumber voters registered with either major party. Other smaller cities including
Meriden,
New Britain, and
Middletown favor Democratic candidates.
Democrats hold veto-proof majorities in both houses of the
Connecticut General Assembly. In 2006, Republicans were reduced from three out of five to one out of five federal congressional seats. The remaining Republican,
Chris Shays, is the only Republican from
New England in the
U.S. House of Representatives in the
current Congress and is also one of the most liberal Republicans in the House.
Christopher Dodd and
Joseph Lieberman are Connecticut's
U.S. senators. The senior Dodd is a Democrat while the junior Lieberman serves as an
Independent Democrat caucusing with Senate Democrats after his victory on the
Connecticut for Lieberman ballot line in the 2006 general election. Lieberman's predecessor,
Lowell P. Weicker, Jr., was the last Connecticut Republican to serve as Senator. Weicker was known as a liberal Republican. He broke with President
Richard Nixon during
Watergate and successfully ran for governor in 1990 as an independent, creating
A Connecticut Party as his election vehicle. Before Weicker, the last
Republican to represent Connecticut in the Senate was
Prescott Bush, the father of former President
George H.W. Bush and the grandfather of President
George W. Bush. He served from 1953–1963.
Political corruption
Several mayors, state legislators, and government employees have been convicted and imprisoned for crimes ranging from bribery to racketeering. In 2004, Governor
John G. Rowland, a Republican, was forced to resign when it was discovered he helped steer state contracts to firms that offered him gifts and free vacations. Following his resignation, he pled guilty to corruption charges and served ten months in federal prison. Former
Waterbury Mayor and 2000 GOP Senate candidate
Philip Giordano was stripped of power in 2001 after a corruption investigation had to be cut short when phone taps unexpectedly revealed alleged sexual acts with 8- and 10-year-old minor girls and other possible child sex offenses. In 2003, he was convicted and sentenced to 37 years in federal prison. Democrats have been convicted of corruption as well, most notably former Bridgeport Mayor
Joe Ganim. The current Mayor of Bridgeport,
John Fabrizi admitted to using cocaine while in office, but has stayed on while not running for re-election. In August 2007 Hartford Mayor
Eddie Perez announced he'd been investigated for ties to a city contractor.
(External Link) And in December 2007 in Enfield, former Mayor Patrick L. Tallarita (D) has been named in a lawsuit over an alleged threatening confrontation with a man at a grocery store.
(External Link)
Several state agencies, including the
Department of Transportation (DOT),
Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), and
Department of Children and Families (DCF) have been rocked by scandals over the past decade.
A more recent scandal involved a botched construction project on
Interstate 84 near Waterbury. An independent audit of the project in late 2006 revealed that over 300 storm drains installed by the now-defunct L.G. DeFelice Construction Company, were either filled with sand, were improperly installed, or were connected with pipes that led to nowhere. In addition to the faulty storm drains, officials discovered light fixtures with defective mounting brackets when one of the fixtures fell off of its support pole and onto the highway. Inspectors also discovered the structural steel for an overpass wasn't properly installed, raising serious questions about the bridge's structural integrity. Following the uncovering of this scandal, Attorney-General
Richard Blumenthal filed suit against L.G. DeFelice, its bonding company
USF&G, and the consultants (the Maguire Group) hired by CONNDOT to oversee the project, resulting in a $17.5 million settlement to fix the problems. A federal
grand jury and FBI investigation were also launched into the operations of L.G. DeFelice before the company ceased operations in 2004. Several CONNDOT employees were fired after being implicated in the scandal, and are also subjects of state and federal investigations for allegedly taking
bribes in exchange for covering up substandard work on the I-84 project. Finally, the scandal prompted the
Connecticut General Assembly to consider contract reform legislation and Governor
M. Jodi Rell to order a complete reorganization of CONNDOT.
On
June 12007 Connecticut Senate Minority Leader
Louis DeLuca (R-Woodbury) was arrested on conspiracy charges after it was discovered he was dealing with a local Mafia boss who is currently facing federal charges stemming from his trash-hauling operations, and allegations that he tried to use these same ties to intimidate the husband of his granddaughter, whom he claimed was abusing her.
Following Rowland's resignation, the state legislature passed a campaign finance reform bill that bans contributions from lobbyists and state contractors in future campaigns.
Education
Connecticut is well-known as the home of
Yale University, which maintains a consistent ranking as one of the world's most renowned universities, and has one of the most selective undergraduate programs 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.
Connecticut is also the host of many other academic institutions, including
Sacred Heart University (1964),
Quinnipiac University (1929),
Trinity College (1823) and
Wesleyan University (1832). The
University of Connecticut has been the highest ranked public university in New England for eight years running, according to
U.S. News and World Report.
Additionally, the State has many noted
boarding schools, including
Miss Porter's School,
Choate Rosemary Hall,
Hotchkiss,
Westminster School,
Pomfret School,
Avon Old Farms,
Loomis Chaffee,
Salisbury School and
The Taft School which draw students from all over the world. Also Connecticut has many noted private day schools such as
Holy Cross High School located in
Waterbury,
Kingswood-Oxford School located in
West Hartford, the
Hopkins School in
New Haven,
St. Lukes School in
New Canaan and the
Williams School in New London.
for a comprehensive listing.
Sports
From 1979 to 1997, the National Hockey League had a franchise in Hartford, the Hartford Whalers. Their departure to Raleigh, North Carolina, caused great controversy and resentment. The former Whalers are now known as the Carolina Hurricanes.
Connecticut is a battleground between fans of the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, and New York Mets(External Link)
In 1876, Hartford had a franchise in baseball's National League known as the Hartford Dark Blues.
In 1926, Hartford had a franchise in the National Football League known as the Hartford Blues.
From 1975 to 1995, the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association played a number of home games at the Hartford Civic Center.
Since 1952, a PGA Tour golf tournament has been played in the Hartford area. Originally called the "Insurance City Open" and later the "Greater Hartford Open," the event is now know as the Travelers Championship.
The Pilot Pen Tennis Tournament is held annually at the Connecticut Tennis Center at Yale University. It is one of the few dual-sex tournaments in professional tennis and is the warm-up tournament to the US Open, played the following week in Queens, New York. The court speed and weather conditions are identical to those at the US Open.
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), Greenwich High School (Greenwich, CT) 2006 state LL champions, Branford, Daniel Hand (in Madison), Woodland Regional (in Beacon Falls), East Lyme High School (in East Lyme), Hyde Leadership (in Hamden), Southington High School (in Southington).
Famous residents
George Walker Bush, President of the United States, was born in Connecticut. He is a member of the Bush political family, with roots in the state extending three generations. Other notable figures from the state span American political and cultural history, including Ralph Nader, Eli Whitney, Benedict Arnold, Nathan Hale, Harriet Beecher Stowe, John Brown, Eugene O'Neill, Charles Ives, Katharine Hepburn, and Roger Sherman. The state is often associated with American author Mark Twain, who resided there for a short period of time, although he felt more of a connection to his native Missouri, as demonstrated by his frequent mention of Missouri in his writing.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Connecticut'.
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