City of New London | ||
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City | ||
New London skyline from Fort Griswold in December 2017
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Nickname(s): The Whaling City | ||
Motto(s): Mare Liberum | ||
Location in New London County, Connecticut | ||
Coordinates: 41°21′20″N 72°05′58″W / 41.35556°N 72.09944°WCoordinates: 41°21′20″N 72°05′58″W / 41.35556°N 72.09944°W | ||
Country | United States | |
State | Connecticut | |
Region | Southeastern Connecticut | |
NECTA | Norwich-New London | |
County | New London County | |
Settle | 1646 (Pequot Plantation) | |
Named | 1658 (New London) | |
Incorporated (city) | 1784 | |
Government | ||
• Type | Mayor-council | |
• Mayor |
Michael E. Passero City Council
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Area | ||
• City | 10.76 sq mi (27.9 km2) | |
• Land | 5.54 sq mi (14.3 km2) | |
• Water | 5.23 sq mi (13.5 km2) | |
• Urban | 123.03 sq mi (318.66 km2) | |
Elevation | 56 ft (17 m) | |
Population (2010) | ||
• City | 27,620 | |
• Estimate (2016) | 26,984 | |
• Density | 4,720/sq mi (1,824/km2) | |
• Metro | 274,055 | |
Time zone | EST (UTC−5) | |
• Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC−4) | |
ZIP code | 06320 | |
Area code(s) | 860 | |
FIPS code | 09-52280 | |
GNIS feature ID | 0209237 | |
Website |
Michael E. Passero
New London is a city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States. It is located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, Southeastern Connecticut.
For several decades beginning in the early 19th century, New London was one of the world's three busiest whaling ports, along with Nantucket and New Bedford, Massachusetts. The wealth that whaling brought into the city furnished the capital to fund much of the city's present architecture. New London subsequently became home to other shipping and manufacturing industries, but has gradually lost its commercial and industrial heart.
New London is home to the United States Coast Guard Academy, Connecticut College, Mitchell College, and The Williams School. The Coast Guard Station New London and New London Harbor is home port to the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Chinook and the Coast Guard's tall ship Eagle. The city had a population of 27,620 at the 2010 census. The Norwich-New London metropolitan area (NECTA) includes twenty-one towns and 274,055 people.
The area was called Nameaug by the Pequot Indians. John Winthrop, Jr. founded the first English settlement here in 1646, making it about the 13th town settled in Connecticut. Inhabitants informally referred to it as Nameaug or as Pequot after the tribe. In the 1650s, the colonists wanted to give the town the official name of London after London, England, but the Connecticut General Assembly wanted to name it Faire Harbour. The citizens protested, declaring that they would prefer it to be called Nameaug if it couldn't be officially named London. The legislature relented, and the town was officially named New London on March 10, 1658.