Fall impressions II

New England - this is the name for the north-eastern states of the US. They were the first English colonies at the beginning of the 16th century, and naturally they were very much English where architecture, mentality and religion are concerned, but they mean even more than that. Their tendency toward self-government and independence laid the cornerstone for the separation from England, the mother country.

Even today you sometimes have the impression of being back in old England when you are driving through the small villages, look at the small fishing ports or just have a look around the scenery. The latter is beautiful in all seasons. Nevertheless, nothing is better than Indian summer and the wonderful fall atmosphere. From a tourism point of view as well this is the most important season for the New England states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont. For these states, Indian summer is an important source of income. Otherwise the states economies are mostly based on industry - the history of this goes back to the first settlement days of the Pilgrims. Agriculture exists, but only to a limited extent, mostly there are too many hills. However, New England is known for its maple syrup, chicken and dairy products.

CONNECTICUT - state, overview, general facts The name comes from the Algonquian Indians and means something close to ‘on the long river of the tides.' Algonquian is a generic term for a number of Indian tribes, one of them is the Mohegan tribe, the tribe that, with its chief Unca, was the model for James Fenimore Cooper's novel ‘The Last of the Mohicans.' The name of the sate is pronounced . Let's stay with names for a while - the nickname ‘The Constitution State' is due to the fact that the state had something like a constitution even during the colonial period, it was called Fundamental Orders. These articles were one of the models for the later American Constitution. During the constitution convention in 1787, representatives from Connecticut helped reach the Great Compromise, also known as the Connecticut Compromise. This gave the state the name of Constitution State.

Connecticut is a state of industry and insurance. In the capital, Hartford, more than 50 insurance companies have their headquarters. This gave the capital the nickname of Insurance City. In the field of industry it is the US' leading state in the production of helicopters, aircraft engines and submarines. The USS Nautilus was the first nuclear-powered submarine and the first to reach the north pole. However, there is much more still - for example electronic conductor plates, optical instruments, ball bearings and a lot more.

Apart from these economic factors Connecticut is the typical New England state, as soon as you leave the cities - small churches with white towers, small towns with historical buildings from the Colonial period and green parks, woods and green meadows, rivers and lakes. In almost every small town you will find at least one house from the Colonial period, several of them you can visit, and the large number of historical buildings makes the state a paradise for hobby historians.

Recreational activities: The coast invites visitors to swim, boat or relax, in the inner country those interested in nature will find many places to go hiking or biking. The many rivers and nearly 1,000 lakes are perfect for those who like to camp and fish. In the winter season, the state has enough snow and mountains to go skiing. In the northwest the snow can be up to 200 cm high.

Climate/temperatures: The climate varies a lot within the state. In the northern mountains there may be a lot of snow in winter, while it is only raining a little 80 kilometers south at the coast. The temperatures are rarely ever extreme, i.e. the summers are not too hot and the winters not too cold.

MASSACHUSETTS Massachusetts is one of the six New England states. The name is from an Indian dialect, mass adchu ut and means near the great mountains or hills. Massachusetts is home to one of the biggest cities on the East Coast, Boston. Harvard University in the small town of Cambridge is one of the best universities in the world.

NEW HAMPSHIRE New Hampshire was the first of the 13 New England colonies that started to separate from England. Without really causing a serious disruption, the citizens of the colony wrote their first own, if temporary constitution for their state on January 5, 1776. On July 21, 1788 they were the ninth colony to sign the Constitution of the US and thus were the ninth state in the US.

The nickname "The Granite" comes from the large granite deposits in the state. It is not a state for year-round tourism with many recreational activities. In the summer the state is good for hiking, with its many lakes and even sandy beaches. In the winter skiers are drawn to the White Mountains in the north and in the fall people come to see Indian summer.

Climate/temperatures: Generally summers are a little cooler and there is usually a lot of snow in winter, up to 250 cm in the northern and western hills. Approx. 105 cm of rain are falling during a year. Skiing season is from mid-December to the beginning of April. Indian summer peak season is between the end of September and beginning of October.

Until recently New Hampshire was also still important for the green card lottery. In Portsmouth, New Hampshire was (and is) the National Visa Center where applications had to sent until 1999. However, last year the US government moved this task to the Kentucky Consular Center, ever since then the winners are being drawn in Kentucky.

More about New England: www.magazinusa.com/states/vt/default.asp