Connecticut or Rhode Island? (which state in Southern New England is better?)

[Blue3]

Which state in Southern New England is better?








Rhode Island








Some RI trivia, since it's my home

*smallest state but longest name ("The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations")

*first colony founded on the idea of Religious Liberty and separation of church/state, by Baptist minister Roger Williams after fleeing Puritan-Massachusetts (who also bought the land from the Native Americans)

*have the oldest Baptist church

*have the first Synagogue in North America

*home of the last battles of King Phillip's War / Metacomet's War (the last war to really ravage New England)

*the RI State House is the 4th-largest self-supporting marble dome in the world (behind the Vatican’s St. Peter’s Basilica and the Taj Mahal in India)

*burning of the Great Gaspee, long before the Boston Tea Party... we actually burnt one of their ships, not just spill some tea!

*first colony to declare independence, 2 months before the Declaration of Independence

*13th colony to join the union and ratify the constitution (we were waiting for the Bill of Rights) in 1790

*Slater Mill in Pawtucket is home of the American Industrial Revolution... we brought the Industrial Revolution to the USA!

*home of Hasbro Toys, the largest toymaker in the world

*home of McCoy Stadium, which hosted the longest professional baseball game in world history... 32 innings!

*we are 37 miles by 48 miles... but the 2nd most densely-populated state in the country

*the only state to still celebrate the end of World War II as an official holiday, Victory Day

*we are double the population of Wyoming... but 90 times smaller!

*home to HP Lovecraft, the first automobile race, and the patent for the first "motion picture machine"

*our religious freedom made us attract very diverse immigrants from the start, and our industrial revolution (the Blackstone River was once called the "hardest-working river in America") attracted many more in the early 20th century, and still to this day is an immigrant magnet and safe haven

*Estimated to be:
19% Irish, 16% Italian, 15% Hispanic,
11% English, 11% French, 10% Portuguese,
6% African-American, 4% Polish,
4% Multi-racial or Other, 3% Asian, 1% Native American
(and the most Catholic state in the country... but also some of the most liberal Catholics)

*our state motto is short and sweet: "Hope"

*nicknamed the "Ocean State" for our great beaches, summer beach culture, and very long coastline.











Connecticut





*I don't know as much about Connecticut But maybe someone else does...

[Figueira]

Rhode Island I guess, but both are fine.

[FairBol]

I say CT, but I live there, obviously.  CT bias FTW!!

[FairBol]

Some facts about Connecticut for ya....brought to you by your favorite Connecticut Yankee. 

State Capital: Hartford
Largest City: Bridgeport
2013 Population: About 3.6 million
Nickname: "The Constitution State", "The Nutmeg State" or "The Land Of Steady Habits" (I like Constitution State the best)
Motto: He Who Hath Transplanted Still Sustains (Latin: "Qui Transtulit Sustinet")
State Bird: Robin
State Animal: Sperm Whale
State Song: "Yankee Doodle"
State Flower: Mountain Laurel
State Tree: Charter Oak

Other Fun Facts:

*Connecticut is regarded as the first state to draw up a state Constitution (which gives us the name of "Constitution State").  The "Fundamental Orders of Connecticut" were adopted on January 15th, 1639. 

*The name "Connecticut" is derived from a Mohegan Indian word, "quonehtacut", meaning "long tidal river". 

*Connecticut has eight counties (Fairfield, New Haven, Litchfield, Hartford, Windham, New London, Middlesex, Tolland).  The state borders MA on the north, RI on the east, Long Island Sound on the south, and NY on the west. 

*Some notable people who have lived/worked in CT include: writer Mark Twain, gun manufacturer Samuel Colt, inventor Eli Whitney (invented the cotton gin), Robert Welch (former president of General Electric), George W. Bush (43rd president of the United States), Vince McMahon (owner of WWE), Jeff Bagwell (former Houston Astro, member of the National Baseball HOF), James Blake (former pro tennis player), singer John Mayer, and Matt Morgan (former pro wrestler).  I knew Blake and Morgan in high school....no lie. 

*Notable companies residing in CT include Pez Candy, Pepperidge Farm, Lego Toys, many insurance firms (Hartford has been described as "the insurance capital of the world"), Colt Guns, World Wrestling Entertainment, Sikorsky Aircraft, General Dynamics boat manufacturers, and (formerly) General Electric (left last year for MA....that one hurt)

*Depending on which version of events/who you believe, Connecticut was the home of the very first man to make a powered flight in an airplane, one Gustave Whitehead (in 1901).  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gustave_Whitehead

*The state's largest city, Bridgeport, is a major industrial city on the banks of both Long Island Sound and the Housatonic River.  During WWII, so many guns were made there that the city became known as "the arsenal of democracy". 

[FairBol]

And another one I forgot....Connecticut was once home to the first regional phone network in the US.  "Southern New England Telephone", or SNET for short, operated from 1878 to 1998, and founded the world's first telephone exchange.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_New_England_Telephone

[TDAS04]

Tilt Rhode Island.  Both are fine states, but neither is as good as the more northerly New England states.

[Goldwater]

I guess CT, since it's closer to NYC.

[Grumpier Than Thou]

your favorite Connecticut Yankee. 

[citation needed]

[heatcharger]

Connecticut seems to have more of "my kind" of people and generally more things to do, though Newport, RI is a really nice place based on the one time I was there.  Both are great states.

[Lechasseur]

Connecticut

[Rjjr77]

its really close, cause RI is actually a pretty cool state, but Connecticut has Stew Leonards.

[vanguard96]

Which state in Southern New England is better?

My long-time friend lives in Narragansett just a short drive from that picture - such a well known sight for me there.

Home of Brown University a founding Ivy League member, and also my high school alma mater, Moses Brown School who was named after the Quaker abolitionist. Rhode Island was founded as a colony for religious freedom a sharp contrast from the authoritarian Massachusetts Bay Colony as you mentioned and Anne Hutchinson was also a key figure in the development of RI - she was considered heretical by the leaders of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

Providence has been revitalized in recent years and hosts the Water Fire events on the river downtown.

Block Island is a well-regarded summer resort area accessible generally by ferry. Few people really talk about it and instead focus on Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket, and Long Island when speaking of the region or rather Newport.

Both RI and CT have had a fair share of NHL talent including Keith Carney, Chris Terreri, Brian Boucher, and Bryan Berard for RI and Nick Bonino, Craig Janney, Jonathan Quick, and Chris Drury for CT. Of course Hartford had the Whalers for just under 20 seasons playing in the shopping mall. The sight lines were miles better in the 80's and 90's than the old Boston Garden - the lack of on-ice success hurt in the small market city so it was with sadness that the Whale became the Carolina Hurricanes - a team I can't find myself ever wanting to root for even if they have likeable players. Providence still has the Bruins minor league team though - but for some reason even with the construction issues for many years it was still a lot easier to come and go around the city and state than MA - telling then that the Patriots choose to have PVD as their go-to airport instead of Logan.

I am not a neutral in this case - and the commuter suburbs of CT share more affinity with NYC than New England - but I don't dislike CT in any way, shape or form.

Naturally, RI with its Italian population including Federal Hill and North Providence's strong communities it has had its share of mafia ties as well as a considerable degree of political corruption for such a small state with many political scandals - former Providence Mayor Buddy Cianci went to my school and was invited to speak at our commencement - he definitely had a checkered past. It is definitely interesting that independents can and do win elections there - and you can't discount this come election day on how it will turn out.

Sadly, the current state of affairs seems to continue to confound with the handling of the Paw Sox potential new home - at least that was the talk of the former Apex location just south of the S-curves off I-95. And current Gov Gina Raimondo gets considerable heat for her positions recently from locals aside from the most ardent cheerleaders.

[The Govanah Jake]

Rhode Island no questions

[Oldiesfreak1854]

Connecticut, easily.

[RC (a la Frémont)]

Rhode Island, even with Connecticut bias

[Blue3]

So what's the reasoning for Connecticut?

[Esteemed Jimmy]

Rhode Island

[Lechasseur]

So what's the reasoning for Connecticut?

Right, I've never been to New England so I could well be wrong, but neither state seems to be particularily interesting the way say Massachusetts or Maine seem to be (Massachusetts has Boston and lots of History and Maine seems beautiful), so my logic was at least in Connecticut you could commute to New York City.

[Starry Eyed Jagaloon]

I guess CT, since it's closer to NYC.

[HillGoose]

I guess CT, since it's closer to NYC.

[gottsu]

RI.

[RINO Tom]

Both would be near the bottom of places I would want to live or even visit, but Rhode Island seems a LOT more interesting.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

Rhode Island is more interesting culturally and aesthetically pleasing, but I can't diss my homestate.  CT it is.

[Frozen Sky Ever Why]

Lil Rhody

[courts]

connecticut