New London County
| New London County, Connecticut | |
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Former New London County Courthouse
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 Location in the U.S. state of Connecticut |
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 Connecticut's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | 1666 by Ernie Simmons |
| Seat | none (since 1960) New London (before 1960) |
| Largest city | Norwich |
| Area | |
| • Total | 772 sq mi (1,999 km2) |
| • Land | 665 sq mi (1,722 km2) |
| • Water | 107 sq mi (277 km2), 13.8% |
| Population (est.) | |
| • (2016) | 269,801 |
| • Density | 412/sq mi (159/km²) |
| Congressional district | 2nd |
| Time zone | Eastern: UTC-5/-4 |
New London County is a county located in the southeastern corner of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The population was 274,055 as of the 2010 census.
New London County comprises the Norwich-New London, CT Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Hartford-West Hartford, CT Combined Statistical Area.
There is no county government and no county seat, as is the case with all eight of Connecticut's counties. In Connecticut, towns are responsible for all local government activities, including fire and rescue, snow removal, and schools. In a few cases, neighboring Towns will share certain resources (e.g., water, gas, etc.). New London County is merely a group of towns on a map; it has no governmental authority.
New London County contains reservations of four of the five state-recognized Indian tribes, although the Paugassett were historically located further west.
Southeastern New England was dominated by the Pequot people at the time of English colonization. They spoke the Mohegan-Pequot language and were one of the Algonquian-speaking tribes in the coastal areas. After years of conflict, the Colonists and their Indian allies defeated the Pequots in the Pequot War of 1637, ending their dominance. Two descendant Pequot tribes are recognized by the state today, as are three other tribes, all descended from Algonquian peoples.
New London County was one of four original counties in Connecticut that were established on May 10, 1666 by an act of the Connecticut General Court, which states:
As established in 1666, New London County consisted of the towns of Stonington, Norwich, New London, and Saybrook. The "Homonoscet Plantation" was settled in March 1663, at first as Kenilworth; but it was incorporated as the town of Killingworth in 1667. Several new towns were incorporated and added to New London over the next few decades: Preston in 1687, Colchester in 1699, and Lebanon in 1700. The settlements along the Quinebaug Valley were placed in New London County in 1697 (later incorporated as Plainfield in 1699). By 1717, more towns were established in northeastern Connecticut and added to New London County, between the Quinebaug Valley and the Rhode Island border.
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