Middletown, Connecticut

Middletown is a city located in Middlesex County, Connecticut, along the Connecticut River, in the south-central part of the state, 16 miles (26 km) south of Hartford. It was founded in 1650 and incorporated the town of Mattabeseck in 1651. It received its present name in 1653 and was incorporated as a city in 1784. Originally a busy sailing port and then an industrial center, it is now largely a residential city and college town, the home of Wesleyan University. In 1910, 11,851 people were residents of the city. In 1940, 26,495 people lived here. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 43,167.

Well-known Residents

• Thomas Macdonough, hero of the Battle of Lake Champlain in the War of 1812
• Joseph K. Mansfield, hero of the Battle of Antietam in the Civil War
• Joey Jay, major league baseball player and the first Little Leaguer to reach the major leagues.
• Bill Rodgers, five-time Boston Marathon winner and Wesleyan University graduate
• Ambrose Burfoot, former Boston Marathon winner and Wesleyan University graduate
• Jeff Bagwell, Houston Astros first baseman and Xavier High School graduate.
• Willie Pep, pound-for-pound one of the greatest boxers of all-time.
• Major Taylor, world-champion cyclist and second African-American world champion in any sport.
• U.S. President Woodrow Wilson, professor of History at Wesleyan University
• Annie Dillard, Pulitzer Prize winning author and writer in residence at Wesleyan University