Information About Connecticut and Its History
- Connecticut was declared a state on Jan. 9th, 1788. It was the fifth state. The name Connecticut comes from "Quinnehtukqut," which is Mohegan for "Long River Place" or "Beside the Long Tidal River." Its nickname as "The Constitution State" was adopted later, in 1959. Hartford has been the capital of Connecticut since 1875. Before that, both New Haven and Hartford were capital cities.
- Connecticut is home to more than three million people. The cities with the largest populations are Bridgeport, New Haven, Hartford, Stamford and Waterbury.
- The state flower is the mountain laurel. The state bird is the robin. The state tree is the white oak. The state animal is the sperm whale, and the state insect is the praying mantis. "Yankee Doodle" is the state song.
- Connecticut was first explored by the Dutch, but first settled by English Puritans. They migrated from Massachusetts in 1633 and set down the first permanent housing in Connecticut. Agriculture and trade were the main first activities performed by Connecticut's settlers. They quickly realized they had a lack of land and turned to manufacturing.
George Washington referred to Connecticut as "The Provision State" because of all the supplies that Connecticut provided for Washington's men during the American Revolution. - Connecticut is New England's second smallest state--and its southernmost. Its 5,000 square miles are bordered by New York state, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and the Long Island sound. The state is basically split down the middle by the Connecticut River. The middle, the coastal plain and river valley, is pretty flat and contains most of the larger cities.
