Litchfield Hills

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For the planning region and council of governments, see Northwest Hills Planning Region, Connecticut.
"Western Connecticut Highlands" and "Greater Torrington" redirect here. For the Connecticut wine region, see Western Connecticut Highlands AVA. For the town in Devon, England, see Great Torrington.
Map of Connecticut showing the Northwest Connecticut region in green and the Litchfield Hills region in blue

The Litchfield Hills (also known as the Northwest Hills or Northwest Highlands) are a geographic region of the U.S. state of Connecticut located in the northwestern corner of the state. It is roughly coterminous with the boundaries of Litchfield County, for which it is named. The geographic region includes colloquial subregions—rural Northwestern Connecticut and the area associated with the city of Torrington, also known as the Upper Naugatuck River Valley or simply Litchfield Hills—which have also variously corresponded to designated government councils both past and present. Much of the area makes up the lowermost section of the Berkshires and is culturally similar to the rest of western New England.

Towns and cities

Characteristics

The Litchfield hills are known for their distinct rural scenery, which can stand in contrast to central and southern Connecticut, which is largely urbanized or suburbanized. (However, there is some encroachment of development into the region as people from greater Hartford move west and people from

the Berkshires. This region also plays host to a large portion of the state's small vineyard and wine industry. Historically, the region was well known for the limestone, iron, and dairy
industries.

A unique term to the region is the word "raggie". Used as an insult by some and with a sense of local pride by others, the term "raggie" denotes someone with a lower income and approximates the term "white trash". The term probably originated from iron workers from Mount Riga in Salisbury. These workers were often poor immigrants who wore grubby clothes as a result of their work. After the iron works closed down, the workers moved to Norfolk, Winsted, and Torrington, and the name stuck. The term "raggie" is rarely, if ever, heard elsewhere.[2]

Subregions

Northwestern Connecticut

The Hotchkiss School in Salisbury

The towns included in the Northwestern Connecticut region are:

Litchfield County
.

Due to the rural feel of the area, the region is an extremely popular location for second homes, primarily with New York City residents. The hills are rural enough to offer an escape from city life, yet close enough (less than 90 miles) to visit on weekends. Many visitors also arrive in the autumn to witness the fall foliage, and to visit the region's covered bridges or its many waterfalls.

The area has been and continues to be home to many famous or wealthy residents, including Mia Farrow, Meryl Streep, Dustin Hoffman, Denis Leary, Kevin Bacon, and is sometimes referred to as the Hamptons of Connecticut.[citation needed] This region is very similar to portions of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, which lies just to the north.

Northwestern Connecticut is known for its cultural activities, such as chamber performances at Music Mountain in

The Gunnery
.

Litchfield Hills

The Litchfield Hills region is also known as the Upper Naugatuck Valley and consists of the towns of

vineyards, and stone. This region is sometimes included with the Naugatuck River Valley
.

Originally settled in the mid 18th century as agriculturally based towns, the areas with access to flowing water began to develop industries in the 19th century. As the

rust belt, but on a smaller scale. Today, tourism
remains an important industry for the Litchfield Hills.

The eastern towns, including

reservoirs to the city of Hartford
.

Culturally, the Litchfield Hills are politically more

Litchfield County being the only county in the state to vote for George W. Bush in the 2004 election. The region contains its own section in the Waterbury Republican-American, which covers local events and news. The region is also split between allegiance to the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox
, with the southwestern part of the region generally supporting the Yankees and northeastern part of the region generally supporting the Red Sox.

Notable people

See also

References

  1. ISBN 9780881509595
    . Retrieved 24 April 2016.
  2. ^ Taylor, Alex (11 October 2009). "What is a 'raggie'? Nickname's roots run deep in the Northwest Corner". The Register Citizen. Torrington, CT. Retrieved 8 February 2024.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Litchfield_Hills&oldid=1213188898"