Connecticut is the most southerly state that is formally part of the New England region. The story of the region we now call Connecticut will require more than a careful search of Connecticut land records to tell, though. The state’s name is derived from a phrase in the Mohegan-Pequot language, which means something like “upon the long tidal river.” The region was ancient even when the Mohegan-Pequot gave it that name, though. Archeologists can confirm human settlement in the region going back more than 10,000 years. 

The oldest cultural evidence we can find suggests that the tribes present at the time of contact with the New England settlers had replaced waves of Algonquian-speaking Nipmuc and Sequin peoples, including tribes like the Quinnipiac, the Hammonasset, the Wangunk, the Podunk, the Schaghticoke, and the Tunxis. Today, native populations of Paugussets, Pequots, and Mohegans still live in the state. 

The Dutch first arrived in the region of Connecticut in 1614. Of course, at the time there was no land for sale – Connecticut peoples didn’t operate that way. The Dutch traded for furs all along the Connecticut River, and built a trading fort in what would become Hartford. 

The first colonists arrived in 1633 at Windsor, and in 1644 at Haven. More followed from Massachusetts in 1635, and a large body of Puritans settled what would become the Connecticut Colony at Hartford in 1636.

Yale College was established in 1701. A lighthouse had been constructed by 1760, and by 1776, Connecticut shipyards had produced roughly 100 vessels, mostly sloops, briggs, and schooners. 

Connecticut was the 5th state to ratify the US constitution following the Revolutionary War, in 1788. Its mills, textile factories, and fisheries thrived, and settlers from Connecticut established colonies as far inland as Ohio. You could say this was the first ‘boom time’ of land for sale in Connecticut, but few paid in cash. All you had to do was make productive use of the land to gain title to it. Alas, things have changed. 

More recently, Connecticut has become committed to a very progressive way of life. Not only does the state support the development of the arts and culture, but it is also proving to be a model for tolerance and inclusivity. Connecticut was the 2nd state in the nation to legalize same-sex marriage, for example, and it is striving to fully integrate the LGBTQ community and other historically excluded groups into the core of the state’s culture. This is no doubt contributing to the spike in interest in land for sale Connecticut is seeing these days. 

Connecticut is beautiful all year around, Summers are warm and sunny, the trees in the fall are absolutely spectacular, the winter snows are both beautiful and a boon to mountain sports, and the spring is a celebration of the return of life.