Southeastern Connecticut

Southeastern Connecticut has historically been an area heavily dependent on traditional New England economic activities such as fishing, whaling, oystering, and the defense industry.

In the present day, the area remains the primary home of the state's fishing and shellfish activity but has since diversified its economic base to include tourism, gambling, and other services.

The area is home to the United States Coast Guard Academy in New London, a United States Navy base in Groton (also home to Electric Boat where the first U.S. nuclear submarine, USS Nautilus, was launched, on January 21, 1954), a Pfizer research facility, and the Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods casinos.

Southeastern Connecticut's largest ethnic group is composed of Irish-Americans, followed by Italian-Americans, Polish-Americans, and colonial British descent Americans historically referenced as “Swamp Yankees.” There is also a large Latino population mainly from Puerto Rico, followed by the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, and Ecuador.

The Pequot and Mohegan tribes both have their own reservations and casinos, along with a strong identity to their culture, though most tribal members only have partial Native American ancestry.