[MDude25]

Originally Posted by G1..

There are people in Maine that don't think anyone else is New England!

In that case, Maine is a part of southern Canada

[in_newengland]

Originally Posted by Gemini44

LOL...no I hope it didn't seem like I was asking for it. I hope you are one who like to see/read different perspectives though


<snip for brevity>

My point about conservative, this is more subjective I’m sure…but most of New England to me seems much more conservative and provincial than Connecticut in general. This goes beyond just politics, most true New Englanders are typically homebodies to a large degree (have seen little of the US and world outside of New England), have little interest in travel, arts, contemporary film,fashion…etc. Even Boston to some degree (though not Provicence) seems more provincial (Boston is the center of the universe) than do most parts of CT. Most people in CT seem to travel much more, and have a greater interest in what's going on OUTSIDE New England than inside it. Perhaps this is more to do with New England’s isolation to the rest of the East Coast, or the much more severe winter climate north of Connecticut, or maybe we are so small we can get to another state in 90 mins (The George Washington Bridge or Tap seems like it's in CT sometimes - lol). IDK.


The line I stole from author Stephen Birdsall years ago still seems to best say it....the concept of New England as a unified region is a historical carryover. He adds…many parts of far southern New England (Connecticut) could not be more different than parts of northern New England (Maine, VT for example) culturally, socially, climatically, politically….etc.

You're lucky, lol. I do love seeing other people's point of view and I have a pretty good sense of humor.

You live along the CT coast and that probably influences your views. People in that area, especially the farther west you get, relate more to NYC than to CT. But there's a whole lot more to CT than that one area. People in FF County do practically live in NYC.

I've lived in places like Glastonbury, Manchester, Hebron--and I have extended family in the Farmington area and a few in Southington. I've been to NYC only about 5 times in my long life. My relatives seldom go to NYC. If they leave the state it's to take a vacation at the Cape or Florida.

I think maybe you're comparing the part of CT that's near NYC to remote areas of northern Maine or the mountains of Vermont--not really a fair comparison. Remote northern Maine is forest. South eastern (Down East) Maine is sophisticated and monied--GW Bush Sr lives there, and so on and so forth. Mountainous VT is hard to live in due to climate and difficulty in getting around due to the mountains. The climates and geography limit the development and lifestyle.

The climate and geography also limit the ability to make a lot of money. If you live in some remote part of Maine or Vermont, you'll have a hard time finding a job --and just hope you inherited money. No money=lack of ability to travel or attend events, dress fashionably, etc. I think it's the topography of northern New England that sets it apart. It's always been that way. Historically, the far northern parts of New England have always been relatively undeveloped while the rest of New England has been more densely populated and prosperous. I do agree that FF Country and probably much of the coast is more oriented to NYC but that doesn't mean that CT is not New England.

[MDude25]

Originally Posted by Gemini44

Delaware has early American style homes, narrow roads, old churches, stonewalls and a charming coastline (lol) ...are they part of New England?


I think you missed the real question the OP was asking. Is CT "culturally" like New England? The obvious answer is NO. Connecticut is FAR less rural than any of the New England states...has a more (much more) diverse population, is less socially conservative, dresses differently, and is far more tied to NYC.


Climatically, CT is even more different than the rest of New England (see map):


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_of_New_England





Calling CT part of New England is nothing more than a historical carryover....

Thanks. I don't think people are actually reading the first post. I said that I agree geographically CT is a part of New England, but I think there is a valid question whether the state as a whole or even parts of the state can be considered truly New England any more, culturally and politically or identity-wise.

My understanding is a lot of people from NY have moved to southwest Connecticut, and considering much of the population of CT lives there this is sure to have an impact on Connecticut's culture. I've also visited Connecticut several times, so have some interest in this subject. Plus I'm from Maryland, another border state.

[nep321]

Originally Posted by MDude25

Thanks. I don't think people are actually reading the first post. I said that I agree geographically CT is a part of New England, but I think there is a valid question whether the state as a whole or even parts of the state can be considered truly New England any more, culturally and politically or identity-wise.

My understanding is a lot of people from NY have moved to southwest Connecticut, and considering much of the population of CT lives there this is sure to have an impact on Connecticut's culture. I've also visited Connecticut several times, so have some interest in this subject. Plus I'm from Maryland, another border state.

CT has no culture. Anyone who says otherwise is fooling themselves. I certainly am not aware of any CT distinct culture and I have traveled to 48 states.

[fluffydelusions]

Originally Posted by nep321

CT has no culture. Anyone who says otherwise is fooling themselves. I certainly am not aware of any CT distinct culture and I have traveled to 48 states.

Steamed Cheeseburger culture

[LINative]

I cannot fathom why people think New England is just rural. Even in the colonial era, New England had a higher population density then other areas. Indeed, New England was always more known for its towns (in contrast to say the South and Midwest which were more known for the farmland).

I usually see it in arguments about Connecticut, especially SW Connecticut, is too crowded, expensive, busy, etc. But if southwest Connecticut is too built up to be in New England, how on Earth is the Boston area part of New England at all? Indeed both Rhode Island and Massachusetts have population densities greater then Connecticut.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...lation_density

I guess a lot of that has too do with the small town New England stereotypes of white churches and village greens. But you do find that in Connecticut, even in the middle of the suburbs. You even see it even in nearby suburban parts of New York (like the Hudson Valley and Long Island). In Suffolk County (an offshoot of Connecticut) you can still dozens of historic white churches and even a few village greens. If Suffolk County, NY is like that then Connecticut must be covered with them. Indeed she is, plus add in stone walls!

[MisterStereoman]

Originally Posted by ABQConvict

New York was even named after the Dutch village of Nieuw Jork.

Haha!!

The Duke of York just rolled over in his "Dutch" grave!

[MisterStereoman]

Someone said they thought all the NE states eliminated county government. I don't believe so. I don't believe any state in the union has done so, with the exception of the Nutmeg State. Alaska never had counties, but they do have some sort of regional divisions, the same I believe for Hawaii. And Louisiana calls their counties "parishes," but that's just nomenclature. And, to add another two cents, in my opinion, CT should bring back county government. The biggest cities in CT have been impoverished through this misguided policy of eliminating counties.

[MisterStereoman]

Growing up in the 60s-70's, I don't recall ever hearing New Haven called The Gateway to New England. But perhaps that is what led to the name of Gateway Community College. In my day, the city's community college was called South Central CC, if I remember correctly.

[MisterStereoman]

And the forms of local goverment in the six New England states aren't dramatically different from other northeastern states. The English influence was certainly in affect historically in New York and New Jersey. But I must say the political subdividing of the latter two states is awfully confusing. Connecticut has stuck to it's being divided up into one hundred and sixty-something "towns," though some of those towns are now considered cities. It doesn't seem to work that nicely in NY-NJ. Look at Long Island, for example. Nassau and Suffolk counties are politically divided into only a handful of "towns." One of those town, Hempstead, has over half a million population. But 95% of those half-million will tell you they live in places like: Valley Stream, Elmont, Lyndhusrt, Freeport.