The Lower Connecticut River Valley is a region of the state of
Connecticut
Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...
around the juncture where the
Connecticut River
The Connecticut River is the longest river in the New England region of the United States, flowing roughly southward for through four states. It rises 300 yards (270 m) south of the U.S. border with Quebec, Canada, and discharges into Long Isl ...
meets
Long Island Sound
Long Island Sound is a sound (geography), marine sound and tidal estuary of the Atlantic Ocean. It lies predominantly between the U.S. state of Connecticut to the north and Long Island in New York (state), New York to the south. From west to east, ...
. It includes towns in
Middlesex County and the western edge of
New London County. It is located in the southeastern-central part of the state and includes the seventeen towns of Chester, Clinton, Cromwell, Deep River, Durham, East Haddam, East Hampton, Essex, Haddam, Killingworth, Lyme, Middlefield, Middletown, Old Lyme, Old Saybrook, Portland and Westbrook.
Route 154 (formerly Route 9A) runs along the river starting in
Middletown and ending in
Old Saybrook. The road is designated as a scenic highway, popular with motorcycle tourists. State Route 9 runs through Cromwell and Middletown and extends to the shoreline where it connects with Interstate 95 in Old Saybrook.
The region is known for its picturesque riverside scenery, small river and shoreline towns, and tourist attractions such as the
Goodspeed Opera House
Goodspeed Musicals is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and advancement of musical theater and the creation of new works, located in East Haddam, Connecticut. Its landmark Goodspeed Opera House is a distinctive feature of ...
, the
Essex Steam Train, Brownstone Exploration and Discovery Park, Powder Ridge Mountain Park and Resort, the Traveler's Professional Golf Championship at TPC at River Highlands, Lyman Orchards, Lyman Orchards Golf Courses, Fox Hopyard Golf Course and
Gillette Castle. Middletown, the region's largest town, is one of Connecticut's smaller cities and the location of Wesleyan University.
History
The oldest archeological founds in the area have been dated back to circa
8000 BC (as of January 1984).
Towns and cities
The following municipalities are members of the Lower Connecticut River Valley Council of Governments (LCRVCOG):
*
Chester
Chester is a cathedral city in Cheshire, England, on the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, close to the England–Wales border. With a built-up area population of 92,760 in 2021, it is the most populous settlement in the borough of Cheshire West an ...
*
Clinton
*
Cromwell
*
Deep River
*
Durham
*
East Haddam
*
East Hampton
*
Essex
Essex ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England, and one of the home counties. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Kent across the Thames Estuary to the ...
*
Haddam
*
Killingworth
Killingworth is a town in North Tyneside, Tyne and Wear, England, within the historic county of Northumberland.
Killingworth was built as a new town in the 1960s, next to Killingworth Village, which existed for centuries before the new town ...
*
Lyme
*
Middlefield
*
Middletown
*
Old Lyme
*
Old Saybrook
*
Portland
*
Westbrook
References
External links
Lower Connecticut River Valley Council of Governments
River valleys of the United States
Valleys of Connecticut
Regions of Connecticut
Landforms of Middlesex County, Connecticut
Landforms of New London County, Connecticut
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