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The Connecticut panhandle is the southwestern appendage of
Connecticut's "Panhandle"
{{Connecticut-geo-stub Darien, Connecticut Greenwich, Connecticut Geography of Stamford, Connecticut New Canaan, Connecticut Norwalk, Connecticut Geography of Westchester County, New York Border irregularities of the United States Borders of Connecticut Geography of Fairfield County, Connecticut Geography of Dutchess County, New York Geography of Putnam County, New York
The Connecticut panhandle is the southwestern appendage of Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...
, where it abuts New York State
New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. stat ...
. It is contained entirely in Fairfield County Fairfield County is the name of three counties in the United States:
* Fairfield County, Connecticut
* Fairfield County, Ohio
Fairfield County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 158,921. ...
and includes all of Greenwich
Greenwich ( , ,) is a town in south-east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is situated east-southeast of Charing Cross.
Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich ...
, Stamford, New Canaan
New Canaan () is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 20,622 according to the 2020 census.
About an hour from Manhattan by train, the town is considered part of Connecticut's Gold Coast. The town is bounde ...
, and Darien, as well as parts of Norwalk and Wilton. It has some of the most expensive residential real estate in the United States.
The irregularity in the boundary is the result of territorial disputes in the late 17th century, culminating with New York giving up its claim to this area, whose residents considered themselves part of Connecticut. In exchange, New York received an equivalent area extending northwards from Ridgefield, Connecticut
Ridgefield is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. Situated in the foothills of the Berkshire Mountains, the 300-year-old community had a population of 25,033 at the 2020 census. The town center, which was formerly a borough ...
, to the Massachusetts
Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...
border, as well as undisputed claim to Rye, New York
Rye is a coastal suburb of New York City in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is separate from the Town of Rye, which has more land area than the city. The City of Rye, formerly the Village of Rye, was part of the Town until it r ...
.
The two British colonies negotiated an agreement on November 28, 1683, establishing the New York–Connecticut border as east of the Hudson River
The Hudson River is a river that flows from north to south primarily through eastern New York. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York and flows southward through the Hudson Valley to the New York Harbor between N ...
, north to Massachusetts. The east of the Byram River
The Byram River is a river approximately in length,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 1, 2011 in southeast New York and southwestern Connecticut in the United State ...
making up the Connecticut panhandle were granted to Connecticut, in recognition of the wishes of the residents. In exchange, Rye was granted to New York, along with a strip of land known as the "Oblong" running north from Ridgefield to Massachusetts, alongside the New York counties of Westchester, Putnam, and Dutchess.
See also
*Philipse Patent
The Philipse Patent was a British royal patent for a large tract of land on the east bank of the Hudson River about 50 miles north of New York City. It was purchased in 1697 by Adolphus Philipse, a wealthy landowner of Dutch descent in the Provi ...
* Border disputes between New York and Connecticut § Settling of the boundary
References
External links
Connecticut's "Panhandle"
{{Connecticut-geo-stub Darien, Connecticut Greenwich, Connecticut Geography of Stamford, Connecticut New Canaan, Connecticut Norwalk, Connecticut Geography of Westchester County, New York Border irregularities of the United States Borders of Connecticut Geography of Fairfield County, Connecticut Geography of Dutchess County, New York Geography of Putnam County, New York