6 Things I learned in Connecticut

1. The state's official nickname is "The Constitution State," but unofficially, it's also called the Nutmeg State, Provision State, and The Land of Steady Habits. (The state song is "Yankee Doodle Dandy," which seems to me to be far more frivolous than its nicknames.)

2. The source of Mystic's name (the river and the village) isn't particularly mysterious. It's derived from a Pequot term, missi tuk, which describes a large river whose waters are driven into waves by tides or wind.

3. The Congregational church dominated religious life in Connecticut during the colonial period, and two of the oldest churches in the state, in Windsor (established in 1633) and in Wethersfield (established in 1634), grew out of that tradition.

4. Most of the small arms cartridges used in World War I were made in Connecticut, primarily by Remington Arms in Bridgeport, and also Winchester in New Haven and Colt in Hartford.

5. The first telephone exchange in the world was established in New Haven in 1875.

6. Connecticut is the 48th state in area, 4th in density, and 29th in population. It may have the highest per capita median income of any state ($60,847.00), but the capital, Hartford, has the lowest per capita income in the state ($13,428.00 in 2000).