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New London County, Connecticut facts for kids

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New London County
County of Connecticut
Former New London County Courthouse
Former New London County Courthouse
Map of Connecticut highlighting New London County
Location within the U.S. state of Connecticut
Map of the United States highlighting Connecticut
Connecticut's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  Connecticut
Founded 1646 by John Winthrop, Jr.
Named for London, England
Seat none (since 1960)
New London, Connecticut (before 1960)
Largest city Norwich
Area
 • Total 772 sq mi (2,000 km2)
 • Land 665 sq mi (1,720 km2)
 • Water 107 sq mi (280 km2)  13.8%%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 268,555 Decrease
 • Density 403.8/sq mi (155.9/km2)
Time zone UTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district 2nd

New London County is a county in the southeastern corner of Connecticut and comprises the Norwich-New London, Connecticut Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Hartford-East Hartford, Connecticut Combined Statistical Area. There is no county government and no county seat, as is the case with all eight of Connecticut's counties; towns are responsible for all local government activities, including fire and rescue, snow removal, and schools.

New London County contains reservations of four of the five state-recognized Indian tribes, although the Paugassett were historically located farther west. The population was 268,555 as of the 2020 census.

On June 6, 2022, the U.S. Census Bureau formally recognized Connecticut's nine councils of governments as county equivalents instead of the state's eight counties. Connecticut's county governments were disbanded in 1960, and the councils of governments took over some of the local governmental functions. Connecticut's eight historical counties continue to exist in name only, and are no longer considered for statistical purposes.

History

Southeastern New England was dominated by the Pequot people at the time of English colonization. They spoke the Mohegan-Pequot language and were one of the Algonquian-speaking tribes in the coastal areas. After years of conflict, the Colonists and their Indian allies defeated the Pequots in the Pequot War of 1637, ending their dominance. Two descendant Pequot tribes are recognized by the state today, as are three other tribes.

New London County was one of four original counties in Connecticut that were established on May 10, 1666, by an act of the Connecticut General Court, which states:

This Court orders that from the Paukatuck River wth
Norridge to ye west bounds of Homonoscet Plantation shalbe
for future one County, wch County is called the County of
N: London. And it is ordered that the County Court shalbe
held at N. London the first Wednesday in June and the third
Thursday in September yearly.

New London County in 1666 consisted of the towns of Stonington, Norwich, New London, and Saybrook. The "Homonoscet Plantation" was settled in March 1663, at first as Kenilworth, but was incorporated as the town of Killingworth in 1667. Several new towns were incorporated and added to New London over the next few decades: Preston in 1687, Colchester in 1699, and Lebanon in 1700. The settlements along the Quinebaug Valley were placed in New London County in 1697, and incorporated as Plainfield in 1699. By 1717, more towns were established in northeastern Connecticut and added to New London County between the Quinebaug Valley and the Rhode Island border.

Windham County was constituted from Hartford and New London counties on May 12, 1726, consisting of towns in northeastern Connecticut. New London County lost the towns of Voluntown, Pomfret, Killingly, Canterbury, Plainfield, and Lebanon to the newly formed county. In 1785, Middlesex County was constituted, consisting of towns along the lower Connecticut River Valley, taking away the towns of Killingworth and Saybrook from New London County. Several additional boundary adjustments took place in the 19th century: the establishment of the town of Marlborough in 1803, the transfer of the town of Lebanon from Windham County in 1824, and the transfer of the town of Voluntown from Windham County in 1881.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 772 square miles (2,000 km2), of which 665 square miles (1,720 km2) is land and 107 square miles (280 km2) (13.8%) is water.

The terrain of the county is mostly level, becoming more elevated only in its northern extreme. The highest point in the county is Gates Hill in the Town of Lebanon at approximately 660 feet (200 m) above sea level, and the lowest point is sea level.

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
1790 32,918 —
1800 34,888 6.0%
1810 34,707 −0.5%
1820 35,943 3.6%
1830 42,201 17.4%
1840 44,463 5.4%
1850 51,821 16.5%
1860 61,731 19.1%
1870 66,570 7.8%
1880 73,152 9.9%
1890 76,634 4.8%
1900 82,758 8.0%
1910 91,253 10.3%
1920 104,611 14.6%
1930 118,966 13.7%
1940 125,224 5.3%
1950 144,821 15.6%
1960 185,745 28.3%
1970 230,654 24.2%
1980 238,409 3.4%
1990 254,957 6.9%
2000 259,088 1.6%
2010 274,055 5.8%
2020 268,555 −2.0%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010-2018

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 274,055 people, 107,057 households, and 69,862 families residing in the county. The population density was 412.2 inhabitants per square mile (159.2/km2). There were 120,994 housing units at an average density of 182.0 per square mile (70.3/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 82.2% white, 5.8% black or African American, 4.2% Asian, 0.9% American Indian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 3.2% from other races, and 3.7% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 8.5% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 18.9% were Irish, 15.2% were Italian, 14.8% were English, 11.6% were German, 9.6% were Polish, and 3.7% were American.

Of the 107,057 households, 31.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.7% were married couples living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 34.7% were non-families, and 27.6% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.98. The median age was 40.4 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $65,419 and the median income for a family was $80,425. Males had a median income of $54,352 versus $41,721 for females. The per capita income for the county was $32,888. About 5.0% of families and 7.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.7% of those under age 18 and 5.6% of those age 65 or over.

Demographic breakdown by town

Income

See also: List of Connecticut locations by per capita income

Data is from the 2010 United States Census and the 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates.

Rank Town Per capita
income		 Median
household
income		 Median
family
income		 Population Number of
households
1 Lyme Town $64,506 $88,500 $98,500 2,406 1,033
2 Stonington Borough $64,224 $74,583 $96,667 929 531
3 Old Lyme Town $52,037 $92,024 $107,174 7,603 3,172
4 Stonington Town $42,184 $72,445 $86,029 18,545 8,115
5 Salem Town $41,414 $95,000 $106,875 4,151 1,525
6 North Stonington Town $39,588 $88,869 $96,125 5,297 2,052
7 Bozrah Town $38,339 $75,000 $99,625 2,627 1,007
8 Waterford Town $37,690 $69,810 $91,893 19,517 8,005
9 Ledyard Town $37,663 $85,321 $97,152 15,051 5,634
10 East Lyme Town $37,019 $79,815 $102,864 19,159 7,192
11 Colchester Town $35,479 $92,431 $101,860 16,068 5,915
12 Lebanon Town $34,608 $72,431 $80,566 7,308 2,644
13 Lisbon Town $33,685 $77,872 $86,469 4,338 1,659
14 Preston Town $32,956 $77,377 $86,435 4,726 1,869
15 Voluntown Town $32,760 $73,980 $76,197 2,603 1,002
16 Franklin Town $31,518 $74,226 $87,237 1,922 729
17 Sprague Town $31,226 $68,241 $78,438 2,984 1,135
18 Groton Town $31,110 $56,904 $67,465 40,115 15,809
19 Griswold Town $29,421 $59,295 $75,870 11,951 4,646
20 Groton City $28,872 $49,464 $52,366 10,389 4,182
21 Montville Town $28,492 $65,349 $80,156 19,571 6,942
22 Norwich City $26,702 $52,186 $62,616 40,493 16,599
23 Jewett City Borough $23,876 $39,334 $55,781 3,487 1,466
24 New London City $21,110 $43,551 $49,811 27,620 10,373

Race

Data is from the 2007-2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, ACS Demographic and Housing Estimates, "Race alone or in combination with one or more other races."

Rank Town Population White Black Asian American
Indian		 Other Hispanic
1 Groton Town 40,190 83.9% 9.1% 6.1% 2.4% 4.8% 9.4%
2 Norwich City 40,085 79.4% 14.5% 8.3% 2.2% 5.6% 10.0%
3 New London City 27,550 64.5% 20.4% 5.0% 2.5% 13.5% 27.7%
4 Montville Town 19,505 82.8% 6.2% 7.1% 4.0% 3.8% 6.8%
5 Waterford Town 19,451 92.9% 3.7% 3.5% 0.4% 1.7% 4.1%
6 East Lyme Town 19,080 85.9% 5.8% 5.5% 1.1% 4.1% 6.7%
7 Stonington Town 18,482 96.0% 2.2% 2.2% 0.7% 1.3% 2.7%
8 Colchester Town 15,929 97.3% 3.3% 0.6% 0.8% 0.3% 3.8%
9 Ledyard Town 15,016 91.7% 2.3% 5.2% 4.4% 0.9% 4.0%
10 Griswold Town 11,837 94.6% 2.3% 3.3% 0.7% 0.9% 5.2%
11 Groton City 10,305 78.8% 14.9% 6.3% 2.5% 5.2% 11.0%
12 Old Lyme Town 7,583 99.1% 0.5% 0.8% 1.5% 0.3% 1.5%
13 Lebanon Town 7,268 98.5% 1.1% 2.3% 2.1% 0.6% 3.9%
14 North Stonington Town 5,272 96.6% 1.9% 1.1% 0.9% 0.5% 3.5%
15 Preston Town 4,729 89.8% 1.6% 8.5% 3.3% 1.0% 2.5%
16 Lisbon Town 4,322 96.8% 2.3% 1.9% 3.6% 0.0% 0.2%
17 Salem Town 4,118 94.3% 1.0% 6.7% 1.8% 0.5% 4.8%
18 Jewett City Borough 3,445 86.8% 6.6% 8.4% 0.5% 1.2% 8.2%
19 Sprague Town 2,983 90.5% 0.6% 6.1% 0.0% 2.7% 2.7%
20 Bozrah Town 2,603 94.7% 2.9% 1.6% 1.5% 1.0% 2.7%
21 Voluntown Town 2,603 98.4% 2.6% 1.2% 5.1% 0.2% 1.1%
22 Lyme Town 2,327 97.6% 0.0% 0.3% 0.0% 2.8% 1.5%
23 Franklin Town 1,958 98.8% 0.1% 0.2% 3.9% 0.2% 2.1%
24 Stonington Borough 1,069 98.4% 0.8% 0.7% 0.0% 0.1% 3.2%

Communities

Map of New London County Connecticut With Municipal Labels
Map of New London County, Connecticut showing cities, boroughs, towns, CDPs, and Indian Reservations

Cities

Towns

Villages are named localities within towns, but have no separate corporate existence from the towns they are in.

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