Connecticut is one of the smallest of the states in America and resists precise categorisation in terms of character; it is essentially an authentic slice of suburban America, defined more by the larger and more prosperous states which lie on its borders than by its own idiosyncrasies.

Connecticut does retain a strong colonial history, with many remnants of early settlements still in existence and a fervent maritime tradition. This is still in evidence along Connecticut’s coast and in the traffic of fishermen and cargo ships which move between the state and the neighbouring Long Island Sound.

The rich colonial history of Connecticut is recorded by Mark Twain, one of Connecticut’s most famous resident authors, in The Gilded Age. A representation of 1920s Connecticut can be found in Eugene O’Neill’s play A Moon for the Misbegotten.

Richard Yates’s Revolutionary Road explores the disintegration of the American Dream through a portrayal of the breakdown of family life in suburban Connecticut. The Stepford Wives offers a more satirical perspective on the boredom of Connecticut housewives.

John Mayer is Connecticut's most famous recording artist and he has won a Grammy award for his album Room for Squares.