The many different communities of Connecticut

From the maritime workers of Stonington on the south shore, to the loggers and farmers of northwestern Connecticut and the sauna builders of the northeast, this state is home to interesting and longstanding occupations that carry their own kind of cultural community.

Connecticut also has become the residence of many ethnic groups who have settled here in cities, suburbs, and rural areas. The largest of these—Puerto Rican, West Indian, Italian, German, Irish, Franco-American, Lebanese, Cape Verdean, and Southeast Asian—have been here for a generation or more. We are also welcoming newcomers from Somalia, Bosnia, Albania, Burma, Liberia, Burundi, and Central Asia.

Five native groups are indigenous to Connecticut: the Schaghticoke, Paugussett, Mohegan, Mashantucket Pequot, and Eastern Pequot.

CCHAP meets them all—learning about their artistic expressions and their histories, as well as what they need to maintain these while making a new life in Connecticut.