Middletown

Sister cities

• Cayey
• Melilli

History

The land on the western bank of the Connecticut River where Middletown now lies was home to a village of the Wangunk, a tribe of Algonquian-speaking Native Americans. The village was named Mattabesset (also spelled Mattabesett, Mattabesec, Mattabeseck, and Mattabesek); the area they inhabited—now Middletown and the surrounding area—was named after it. When the primarily English European settlers arrived in the region the Mattabesset were a part of the Wangunk, a large tribe in the Connecticut Valley, at the time under a sachem named Sowheag. Plans for the colonial settlement were drawn up by the General Court in 1646; the first migrants came from nearby Connecticut colonies in 1650. On September 11, 1651, the General Court of Connecticut established the town of "Mattabesett". A couple of years later in November 1653, the settlement was renamed as Middletown. This name was chosen because the site was approximately halfway between Windsor and Saybrook on the Great River. Life was not easy for these early colonial Puritans; clearing the land and building houses, and tending farms in the rocky soil of New England was a labor-intensive ordeal. They had a strict society; offenses legally punishable by death in the Connecticut colonies included "witchcraft, blasphemy, cursing or smiting of parents, and incorrigible stubbornness of children." During the 18th century, Middletown became the largest and most prosperous settlement in Connecticut. By the time of the American Revolution, Middletown was a thriving port, where one-third of its residents were involved in merchant and maritime activities. Some settlers held enslaved Africans as workers in the early economy of Middletown; they worked as domestic servants, laborers, and in shipping. African slaves were imported by the…

Geography

Middletown sits on the west bank of the Connecticut River, in the south-central portion of the state. Running alongside the river, Route 9 bisects the city. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 42.3 square miles (109.6 km), of which 40.9 square miles (105.9 km) is land and 1.4 square miles (3.7 km) is water. The total area is 3.36% water. Middletown shares borders with the neighboring towns of Cromwell, Portland, East Hampton, Haddam, Durham, Middlefield, Berlin, and Meriden. Of all the neighboring towns, Portland and East Hampton are the only ones that do not have any land boundaries, as they are located on the eastern side of the Connecticut River. The west side of Middletown is flanked by the Metacomet Ridge—a mountainous trap rock ridgeline that stretches from Long Island Sound to nearly the Vermont border. Notable mountains of the Metacomet Ridge in Middletown include Higby Mountain and the north side of Lamentation Mountain. The Mattabesett Trail traverses the ridge. The Nature Conservancy manages the summit and ledges of Higby Mountain. Major bodies of water include the Connecticut River along the towns eastern boundary, the Mattabesset River along its northern boundary, Crystal Lake in the southern end of town, and Pameacha Pond along South Main Street. The Mount Higby and Adder reservoirs also fall along its western boundary with Middlefield. * Highland – The westernmost neighborhood of Middletown. It is the only section of the city that Interstate 91 passes through within its total distance through Middletown. * Westfield – Formerly a village, now a mostly residential neighborhood located in the northwestern corner of the city, lying just south of the border with Cromwell. * Miramichi –…

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• Middletown High School
  High · Middletown · 1,214 students · 11.3:1 ratio
• Beman Middle School
  Middle · Middletown · 968 students · 10.9:1 ratio
• Haddam-Killingworth High School
  High · Higganum · 546 students · 10.7:1 ratio
• Memorial School
  Elementary · East Hampton · 544 students · 14.3:1 ratio
• Cromwell High School
  High · Cromwell · 536 students · 11.4:1 ratio
• Vinal Technical High School
  High · Middletown · 529 students · 10.6:1 ratio
• East Hampton High School
  High · East Hampton · 514 students · 12.5:1 ratio
• Cromwell Middle School
  Middle · Cromwell · 483 students · 11.5:1 ratio