So, you're thinking about attending a college or university in Connecticut?

Located in the northeastern section of the country, Connecticut lies in the New England region of the U.S. Massachusetts borders Connecticut to the north with Rhode Island to the east, Long Island Sound to the south, and New York to the west. The southwestern area of the state forms the Tri-State Region, or New York metropolitan area, with northern New Jersey and southern New York.

The landscape of Connecticut varies from the beach-front areas around Long Island Sound to rolling mountains in the northwest. The fall months bring the changing of the foliage across the state. Forests, rivers, lakes, waterfalls, and a sandy shore all add to the distinctive feel of this small, but beautiful state.

Winters in Connecticut are usually cold, with average temperatures ranging from 31°F in the southeast to 23°F in the northwest. Yearly snowfall averages about 25-100" across the state. Summer is generally hot and humid throughout the state, with average highs in the 80s.

During hurricane season, tropical cyclones have been known to affect the region. Thunderstorms, which are most frequent during the summer, can be severe, though tornadoes are rare.

In 2005, Connecticut was estimated to have a population of 3,510,297. 6.6% of the population were under 5 years old, 24.7% were under 18 years old, and 13.8% were 65 years or older. Approximately 11.4% of the population, roughly 400,000 people, were foreign-born as of 2004 with 10% of them being illegal aliens, about 1.1% of the total population.

Generally, Connecticut is considered a moderate to liberal state. Voters tend to be supportive of fiscal conservative issues but socially liberal. As for party breakdowns, 34% of registered voters are Democrats, 23% are Republican, and a majority of voters, 43%, are unaffiliated by party registration.

77% of Connecticut residents report that they are Christian, with the majority, 32% overall, belonging to the Roman Catholic faith. Approximately 12% of the population identifies themselves as non-religious.

Income tax in Connecticut is divided into two tax brackets, 3% and 5%, for individuals. While all wages of a Connecticut resident are subject to taxation, even when the resident works outside the state, in those cases, Connecticut income tax is only withheld to the extent that the tax exceeds the amount withheld by the other jurisdiction. This means that, since New York has a higher tax rate than Connecticut, those residents who live in Connecticut but work in New York don't have to pay income tax to Connecticut.

The sales tax for Connecticut is 6%. While this might seem high in comparison to other state's sales tax, the fact that there are no additional sales taxes imposed by local jurisdictions means it will be a 6% flat rate throughout the entirety of the state.

In terms of education, there are several universities and colleges in the state of Connecticut to choose from. They include:

• Connecticut College

• Yale University

• The United States Coast Guard Academy

To find more information about universities and colleges in this area, visit the Online College Degree page on this website.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Connecticut".

Free College Planning Resources