The One Minute Geographer: Visiting Connecticut — Tourist Paradise?
Connecticut is a tourist paradise. Ok, were not talking Rome or Tahiti, but if we had some measure of density of attractions, such as art museums, environmental sites, quaint historic villages and historic homes per square mile, Connecticut would rank among the top three states. These attractions are crammed into the state all within convenient distances of each other. About the farthest any place can be from anywhere else in Connecticut is about two-and-a-half hours. (OK, I’m cheating a bit here because I’m just talking driving distances and ignoring traffic, LOL.)
A lot of these attractions are made possible by the wealth of the state — its current wealth as well as its historic wealth — and by the wealth and the generosity of the people who live in Connecticut. A liberal state government that is willing to spend taxpayer money for museums, historical preservation, parks and environmental sites makes all this possible too. Given the inequality of wealth in the state, there are a lot of donors who are willing to improve the local environment for themselves and their families while helping pay for a new wing on the local art museum, or a children’s museum, or an environmental site. If a historic home is to be torn down they will whip out their checkbooks to preserve it as a local history site. They may collect art and, when they…
