Fort Trumbull, originally built on this site in 1777. The present structure was built between 1839 and 1852.New London in 1813The Parade in 1883, with a railroad station built in 1864 at right (replaced byNew London Union Station in 1887) and ferryboats in the river
The area was called Nameaug by thePequotIndians.John Winthrop, Jr. founded the first English settlement here in 1646, making it about the 13th town settled in Connecticut. Inhabitants referred to it informally as Nameaug or as Pequot after the tribe. In the 1650s, the colonists wanted to give the town the official name of London afterLondon, England, but theConnecticut General Assembly wanted to name it Faire Harbour. The citizens protested, declaring that they would prefer it to be called Nameaug if it could not be officially named London.[5][6] The legislature relented, and the town was officially named New London on March 24, 1658.[7]: 119
The harbor was considered to be the best deep water harbor onLong Island Sound,[8] and consequently New London became a base ofAmerican naval operations during theAmerican Revolutionary War and privateers where it has been said no port took more prizes than New London with between 400–800 being credited to New London privateers including the 1781 taking of supply ship Hannah, the largest prize taken during the war. Famous New Londoners during the American Revolution includeNathan Hale, William Coit, Richard Douglass, Thomas andNathaniel Shaw,Gen. Samuel Parsons, printer Timothy Green, and BishopSamuel Seabury.[citation needed]
New London was raided and much of it burned to the ground on September 6, 1781, in theBattle of Groton Heights byNorwich nativeBenedict Arnold in an attempt to destroy the Patriotprivateer fleet and supplies of goods and naval stores within the city. It is often noted that this raid on New London and Groton was intended to divert GeneralGeorge Washington and the French Army underRochambeau from their march onYorktown, Virginia. The main defensive fort for New London wasFort Griswold, located across the Thames River inGroton. It was well known to Arnold, who had already informed the British of this so that they could avoid itsartillery fire. British and Hessian troops subsequently attacked and captured New London'sFort Trumbull, while other forces moved in to attack Fort Griswold across the river, then held by Lieutenant-ColonelWilliam Ledyard. The British suffered great casualties at Fort Griswold before the Americans were finally forced to surrender—whereupon Arnold's men stormed into the fort and slaughtered most of the American troops who defended it, including Ledyard. All told, more than 52 British and 83 American soldiers were killed, and more than 142 British and 39 Americans were wounded, many mortally. New London suffered over 6 defenders killed and 24 wounded, while Arnold's men suffered an equal amount.[9]
Connecticut's independent legislature made New London one of five cities simultaneously brought fromde facto to formalized incorporations in its January session of 1784.[6]: 619
After theWar of 1812 began, theRoyal Navy established a blockade of theEast Coast of the United States, including New London. During the war, American forces unsuccessfully attempted to destroy the British ship of the lineHMSRamillies while it was lying at anchor in New London's harbor withtorpedoes launched from small boats. This prompted the captain ofRamillies,Sir Thomas Hardy, 1st Baronet, to warn the Americans to cease using this "cruel and unheard-of warfare" or he would "order every house near the shore to be destroyed". The fact that Hardy had been previously so lenient and considerate to the Americans caused them to abandon such attempts with immediate effect.[10]
By 1910, the fort's defensive function had been superseded by the new forts of theEndicott Program, primarily located onFishers Island. The fort was given to theRevenue Cutter Service and became the Revenue Cutter Academy. The Revenue Cutter Service was merged into theUnited States Coast Guard in 1915, and the Academy relocated to its current site in 1932.
TheNaval Submarine Base New London is physically located in Groton, but submarines were stationed in New London during World War II and from 1951 to 1991. Thesubmarine tenderFulton andSubmarine Squadron 10 were based at State Pier in New London during this time. Squadron Ten was usually composed of eight to ten submarines and was the first all-nuclear submarine squadron. In the summer of 1960, peace activists from around the country gathered in New London to protest the all-nuclear submarines being based there. Participants held daily vigils and marches, handed out leaflets and talked with workers. Unable to achieve their goals by the end of the summer, some activists stayed in Connecticut and established the New EnglandCommittee for Non-Violent Action.[19]
USSFulton was decommissioned, after 50 years of service, in 1991 and Submarine Squadron 10 was disbanded at the same time. In the 1990s, State Pier was rebuilt as acontainer terminal.[citation needed]
One of the few remaining houses in the Fort Trumbull neighborhood, June 10, 2007
The neighborhood of Fort Trumbull once consisted of nearly two-dozen homes, but they were seized by the City of New London usingeminent domain. This measure was supported in a 5–4 ruling in the 2005 Supreme Court caseKelo v. City of New London, and the homes were ultimately demolished by the city as part of an economic development plan. The site was slated to be redeveloped under this plan, but the chosen developer was not able to get financing and the project failed. The empty landscape of the Fort Trumbull area has been widely characterized as an example of government overreach and inefficiency.[20][21][22][23]
49% of New London's area is water.A statue ofNathan Hale in Williams Park
In terms of land area, New London is one of the smallest cities in Connecticut. Of the whole 10.76 square miles (27.9 km2), nearly half is water; 5.54 square miles (14.3 km2) is land.[24]
The town and city of New London are coextensive. Sections of the originaltown were ceded to form newer towns between 1705 and 1801. The towns ofGroton,Ledyard,Montville, andWaterford, and portions ofSalem andEast Lyme, now occupy what had earlier been the outlying area of New London.[25]
New London is bounded on the west and north by the town of Waterford on the east by theThames River and Groton and on the south byLong Island Sound.
Other minor communities and geographic features includeBates Woods Park, Fort Trumbull, Glenwood Park, Green's Harbor Beach, Mitchell's Woods, Pequot Colony, Riverside Park, Old Town Mill.[citation needed]
Using theKöppen climate classification New London has a warm temperate climate. This zone is defined as having a monthly mean temperature above 26.4 °F (−3 C) but below 64.4 °F (18 C) in the coldest month.
The city experiences long, hot and humid summers, and cool to cold winters with snowfall on occasion. The city averages 2,300 hours of sunshine annually (higher than the USA average). New London lies in the broad transition zone between continental climates to the north in New England and southern Canada, and the humid subtropical climates to the south along the lower East Coast.
From May to late September, the southerly flow from theBermuda High creates hot and humid tropical weather conditions. Daytime heating produces occasional thunderstorms with heavy but brief downpours. Daytime highs in summer are normally near 80 °F, with occasional heat waves bringing high temperatures into the 90's °F. Spring and Fall are mild in New London, with daytime highs in the 55° to 70 °F range and lows in the 40° to 50 °F range. The seaside location of the city creates a long growing season compared to areas inland. The first freeze in the New London area is normally not until early November, almost two weeks later than parts of northern Connecticut.[citation needed] Winters are cool with a mix of rainfall and snowfall, or mixed precipitation. New London normally sees fewer than 25 days annually with snow cover. In mid-winter, there can be large differences in low temperatures between areas along the coastline and areas well inland, sometimes as much as 15 °F.[citation needed]
Tropical cyclones (hurricanes/tropical storms) have struck Connecticut and the New London metropolitan area, although infrequently. Hurricane landfalls have occurred along the Connecticut coast in 1903, 1938, 1944, 1954 (Carol), 1960 (Donna), 1985 (Gloria).Tropical Storm Irene (2011) also caused moderate damage along the Connecticut coast, as didHurricane Sandy (which made landfall in New Jersey) in 2012.
Mature Magnolia grandiflora on the north side of Bank Street (intersection with Montauk Avenue) in New London, Connecticut.
The growing season is quite long in New London. Like much of coastal Connecticut and Long Island, NY, it averages close to 210 frost free days. The new 2023 USDA Garden Zone Map has New London in zone 7a. New London falls into the same garden zone as locations likeWilmington, Delaware, orHarrisburg, Pennsylvania. By the mid-to-late 21st century, the area is expected to fall within USDA zone 8 according to some models.[26][27][28]
Climate data for New London (Groton) 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1957–2021
According to the 2006–2008American Community Survey, non-Hispanicwhites made up 54.6% of New London's population. Non-Hispanicblacks made up 14.0% of the population.Asians of non-Hispanic origin made up 4.6% of the city's population.Multiracial individuals of non-Hispanic origin made up 4.3% of the population; people of mixed black and white ancestry made up 1.7% of the population. In addition, people of mixed black and Native American ancestry made up 1.0% of the population. People of mixed white and Native American ancestry made up 0.7% of the population; those of mixed white and Asian ancestry made up 0.4% of the populace.Hispanics and Latinos made up 21.9% of the population, of which 13.8% werePuerto Rican.[31]
According to the survey, 74.4% of people over the age of 5 spoke only English at home. Approximately 16.0% of the population spoke Spanish at home.[32]
As of the census[33][34] of 2020, there were 27,374 people and 11,125 households. The population density was 4,868.7 per square mile (1,879.8/km2). There were 12,119 housing units at an average density of 2,156.4 per square mile (832.6/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 56.2%White, 29.4%Hispanic orLatino of any race, 17.0%African American, 0.3%Native American, 2.3%Asian, 0.0%Pacific Islander, 16.7% fromother races, and 10.8% from two or more races.
There were 11,125 households, out of which 23.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 27.4% were married couples living together, 34.1% had a female householder with no partner present, and 27.8% had a male householder with no partner present. 14.7% of households had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.12 and the average family size was 2.84.[35]
In the city, the population was spread out, with 16.5% under the age of 18, 19.4% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 14.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35.5 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.8 males.[36]
The median income for a household in the city was $56,237, and the median income for a family was $65,357.[37] About 21.5% of the population was below the poverty line, including 36.4% of those under age 18 and 11.1% of those age 65 or over.[38]
New London was one of the world's three busiestwhaling ports for several decades beginning in the early 19th century, along withNantucket andNew Bedford, Massachusetts. The wealth that whaling brought into the city furnished the capital to fund much of the city's present architecture. The city subsequently became home to other shipping and manufacturing industries, but had gradually lost most of its industrial heart. The State Pier (south of theGold Star Memorial Bridge) is being converted to support some of theoffshore wind power in the United States.[39][40]
Municipal Building on State Street in New London (2013)
In 2010, New London changed their form of government from council-manager to strong mayor-council after a charter revision.[54] Distinct town and city government structures formerly existed and technically continue; however, they now govern exactly the same territory and have elections on the same ballot onElection Day in November.[citation needed]
John McCain (1936–2018), senator andRepublican presidential nominee (lived in New London as a child when his father,John S. McCain, Jr., worked at the naval submarine base)
Lansing McVickar (1895–1945), career officer with the United States Army
Thomas Minor (1608–1690), founder and early New England diarist
James R Newby (born 1844), was a Civil War veteran who served in the first regiment of volunteer African Americans in the United States and a 19th-century African-American missionary to present-day Nigeria, Cameroon, and Liberia[59]
Hannah Ocuish (1774–1786), believed to be the youngest person executed in the United States
James O'Neill (1847–1920), actor, father of Eugene O'Neill
^abcdefghijMarshall, Benjamin Tinkham (1922).A Modern History of New London County, Connecticut, Volume 1. New London, Connecticut: Lewis Historical Publishing Company. p. 238.
^Jacobs, Kenneth Franklin (2005).Leopold Eidlitz: Becoming an American architect.University of Pennsylvania Scholarly Commons (Thesis). University of Pennsylvania. pp. 153–155. RetrievedJune 2, 2024.
^Morrison, Betty Urban (1985).The Church on the Hill: A history of the Second Congregational Church, New London, Connecticut 1835-1985. New London, Connecticut: Second Congregational Church. p. 17.
^McHardie, Allan, Elizabeth, Andrew (1885).The Prodigal Continent and her Prodigal Son. London: Morgan & Scott.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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