New London County, Connecticut

New London County
County of Connecticut
County of New London
Former New London County Courthouse
Location within the U.S. state of Connecticut
Connecticut's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 41°28′N 72°06′W / 41.47°N 72.1°W / 41.47; -72.1
Country	United States
State	Connecticut
Founded	1646 by John Winthrop, Jr.
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  (2010)
• Total	274,055
• Estimate  (2019)	265,206
• Density	350/sq mi (140/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	2nd

New London County is 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 274,055 as of the 2010 census.^[1]

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 w^th

Norridge to y^e west bounds of Homonoscet Plantation^[a] shalbe

for future one County, w^ch 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.^[2]

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 it was incorporated as the town of Killingworth in 1667.^[3] 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.^[4]

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.^[5]

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 (201 m) above sea level, and the lowest point is sea level.

Adjacent counties[]

• Windham County (north)
• Kent County, Rhode Island (northeast)
• Washington County, Rhode Island (east)
• Middlesex County (west)
• Tolland County (northwest)
• Hartford County (northwest)
• Suffolk County, New York (south)

Government and municipal services[]

As of 1960, counties in Connecticut do not have any associated county government structure. All municipal services are provided by the towns. Regional councils of governments were established throughout the state in 1989 in order to address regional issues concerning infrastructure, land use, and economic development. Most of the towns of New London County are part of the Southeastern Connecticut Council of Governments, the exceptions being the towns of Lyme, Old Lyme, and Lebanon. Lyme and Old Lyme are part of the Connecticut River Estuary Regional Planning Agency, while Lebanon is part of the Windham Regional Council of Governments.

Judicial[]

The geographic area of the county is coterminous with the New London judicial district, with the superior courts located in the cities of New London and Norwich.

Law enforcement[]

Law enforcement within the geographic area of the county is provided by the respective town police departments. Prior to 2000, a County Sheriff's Department existed for the purpose of executing judicial warrants, prisoner transport, and court security. These responsibilities have now been taken over by the Connecticut State Marshal System.

Fire protection[]

Fire protection in the county is provided by the towns. Several towns also have fire districts that provide services to a section of the town.

Water service[]

Water service to 12 of the 21 towns of New London County is provided by a regional non-profit public corporation known as the Southeastern Water Authority. The Southeastern Water Authority supplies water to participating towns within New London County and is one of only two such county-wide public water service providers in the state. Seven towns receive water service from one or more private corporations. The city of Norwich and most of the town of Groton provide for their own water service.

Garbage disposal[]

Several towns in New London County have organized the Southeastern Connecticut Regional Resources Recovery Authority. The participating towns are East Lyme, Griswold, Groton, Ledyard, Montville, New London, North Stonington, Norwich, Preston, Sprague, Stonington, and Waterford.

Education[]

Education in the county area is usually provided by the individual town governments. The less populated towns of Lyme and Old Lyme have joined together to form a single, regional school district (Region 18).

Politics[]

Since 1952, New London County has voted for the presidential candidate that won Connecticut.

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%
2019 (est.)	265,206	[7]	−3.2%
U.S. Decennial Census[8] 1790-1960[9] 1900-1990[10] 1990-2000[11] 2010-2018[1]

2000 census[]

As of the census^[12] of 2000, there were 259,088 people, 99,835 households, and 67,188 families residing in the county. The population density was 389 people per square mile (150/km²). There were 110,674 housing units at an average density of 166 per square mile (64/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 87.00% White, 5.29% Black or African American, 0.96% Native American, 1.96% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 2.05% from other races, and 2.68% from two or more races. 5.11% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 13.8% were of Irish, 12.7% Italian, 10.8% English, 7.9% German, 7.1% Polish and 6.4% French ancestry, 90.1% spoke English, 4.5% Spanish and 1.1% French as their first language.

There were 99,835 households, out of which 32.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.50% were married couples living together, 11.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.70% were non-families. 26.40% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.00.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.40% under the age of 18, 8.60% from 18 to 24, 31.20% from 25 to 44, 22.80% from 45 to 64, and 13.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 97.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.50 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $50,646, and the median income for a family was $59,857. Males had a median income of $41,292 versus $30,525 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,678. About 4.50% of families and 6.40% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.80% of those under age 18 and 6.60% of those age 65 or over.

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.^[13] 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).^[14] 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.^[13] 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.^[15]

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.^[13]

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.^[16]

Demographic breakdown by town[]

Income[]

Data is from the 2010 United States Census and the 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates.^[17][18]

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."^[19]

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[]

Cities[]

• New London
• Norwich

Towns[]

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

See also[]

• National Register of Historic Places listings in New London County, Connecticut

References[]

Notes[]

External links[]

• National Register of Historic Places listing for New London Co., Connecticut

Coordinates: 41°28′N 72°06′W / 41.47°N 72.10°W / 41.47; -72.10