Ledyard, Connecticut

Ledyard /ˈlɛdʒərd/ is a town in New London County, Connecticut, United States, located along the Thames River. The town is named after Colonel William Ledyard, a Revolutionary War soldier who was killed with his own saber after surrendering to the British at the end of the Battle of Groton Heights. The population was 15,051 at the 2010 census. The Foxwoods Resort Casino, owned and operated by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe, was located in the northeastern section of Ledyard, until the land was annexed by the tribe. Ledyard's zip code is 06339. Within the southwestern area of Ledyard is the district known as Gales Ferry, which has the postal code 06335.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 40.0 square miles (104 km²), of which 38.1 square miles (99 km²) is land and 1.9 square miles (4.9 km²), or 4.62%, is water. Ledyard is situated north of Groton, and borders the east bank of the Thames River in southeastern Connecticut. The northern half of the Naval Submarine Base New London is located in the southwest corner of the town.

Connecticut

Connecticut (ⁱ/kəˈnɛtᵻkət/ kə-NET-i-kət) is the southernmost state in the region of the United States known as New England. Connecticut is also often grouped along with New York and New Jersey as the Tri-State area. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capital city is Hartford, and its most populous city is Bridgeport. The state is named after the Connecticut River, a major U.S. river that approximately bisects the state. The word "Connecticut" is derived from various anglicized spellings of an Algonquian word for "long tidal river."

Connecticut is the third smallest state by area, the 29th most populous, and the fourth most densely populated of the 50 United States. It is known as the "Constitution State", the "Nutmeg State", the "Provisions State", and the "Land of Steady Habits". It was influential in the development of the federal government of the United States. Much of southern and western Connecticut (along with the majority of the state's population) is part of the New York metropolitan area: three of Connecticut's eight counties are statistically included in the New York City combined statistical area, which is widely referred to as the Tri-State area. Connecticut's center of population is in Cheshire, New Haven County, which is also located within the Tri-State area.

Connecticut River

The Connecticut River is the longest river in the New England region of the United States. Flowing roughly southward for 406.12 miles (653.59 km) through four U.S. states, the Connecticut rises at the U.S. border with Quebec, Canada, and discharges at Long Island Sound. Its watershed encompasses five U.S. states and one Canadian province – 11,260 square miles (29,200 km²) – via 148 tributaries, 38 of which are major rivers. Discharging at 19,600 cubic feet (560 m³) per second, the Connecticut produces 70% of Long Island Sound's freshwater.

The Connecticut River Valley is home to some of the northeastern United States' most productive farmland, as well as a metropolitan region of approximately 2 million people surrounding Springfield, Massachusetts, and the state of Connecticut's capital, Hartford.

Etymology

The word "Connecticut" is a French corruption of the Mohegan word quinetucket, which means "beside the long, tidal river". The word "Connecticut" came into existence during the early 1600s, describing the river, which was also called simply "The Great River".

Connecticut (disambiguation)

Connecticut may refer to:

See also