Connecticut

Read this profile of Connecticut to learn about the state's history, points of interest, and government. Also find interesting facts about each state, including the state's motto, symbols, and when it entered the union.
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Connecticut flag

Capital: Hartford

State abbreviation: Conn.

Postal code: CT

Population est.: 3,510,297

Largest City (2005 est.): Bridgeport, 139,008

Land area: 4,844 sq mi. (12,545 sq km)

U.S. Representatives: 5

Entered Union (rank): Jan. 9, 1788 (5)

Motto: Qui transtulit sustinet (He who transplanted still sustains)

Origin of name: From an Indian word (Quinnehtukqut) meaning "beside the long tidal river"

State symbols:

flower: mountain laurel
bird: American robin
song: "Yankee Doodle"
tree: white oak

Nickname: Constitution State (official, 1959); Nutmeg State

Residents: Connecticuter; Nutmegger

Did you know: The first American cookbook, published in Hartford, Connecticut in 1796: American Cookery by Amelia Simmons

Map of Conn.

History

The Dutch navigator, Adriaen Block, was the first European of record to explore the area, sailing up the Connecticut River in 1614. In 1633, Dutch colonists built a fort and trading post near present-day Hartford but soon lost control to English Puritans from the Massachusetts Bay Colony. English settlements established in the 1630s at Windsor, Wethersfield, and Hartford united in 1639 to form the Connecticut Colony under the Fundamental Orders, the first modern constitution.

Connecticut played a prominent role in the Revolutionary War, serving as the Continental Army's major supplier. Sometimes called the "Arsenal of the Nation," the state became one of the most industrialized in the nation.

Today, Connecticut factories produce weapons, sewing machines, jet engines, helicopters, motors, hardware and tools, cutlery, clocks, locks, silverware, and submarines. Hartford has the oldest U.S. newspaper still being published—the Hartford Courant, established 1764—and is the insurance capital of the nation.

Connecticut leads New England in the production of eggs, pears, peaches, and mushrooms, and its oyster crop is the nation's second largest. Poultry and dairy products also account for a large portion of farm income.

Connecticut is a popular resort area with its 250-mile Long Island Sound shoreline and many inland lakes. Among the major points of interest are Yale University's Gallery of Fine Arts and Peabody Museum. Other famous museums include the P. T. Barnum, Winchester Gun, and American Clock and Watch. The town of Mystic features a re-created 19th-century New England seaport and the Mystic Marinelife Aquarium.

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