Essex, CT

Essex is a town in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 10,853 at the 2010 census. Essex is located on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River and is bordered by Middletown to the north, New London to the east and south, Groton to the west and Mystic to the northwest.

The town was first settled in 1636 as part of Saybrook Colony. It was later chartered as a separate town in 1714. The area now known as Essex was originally part of an extensive tract granted by King Charles II of England to Sir Ferdinando Gorges (1606-1679), who had served as Governor of New England during King Charles I's reign (1625-1649). Gorges named his estate " Essex" after his home county in England.

In 1675, General John Mason led an attack on Saybrook Colony which resulted in its destruction and eventual abandonment. Many of those who had fled Saybrook relocated to Essex, where they began rebuilding their lives. In 1701, General Thomas Putnam purchased much of what is now Essex from Gorges' son-in-law, Richard Fairchild; this land became known as Putnam's Purchase. In 1714, Essex was chartered as a separate town from Saybrook Colony with a population of about 100 settlers.

During the American Revolution (1775-1783), Essex played an important role because it served as a supply base for British forces operating in New London County and Rhode Island. In addition, General George Washington used Essex as one of his main staging areas for his successful campaign against British forces at Yorktown (1781).

Today, many businesses located in Essex are related to agriculture or manufacturing; however, there has been a recent trend toward health care services and technology companies locating in the town. One example is HealthPoint Solutions Inc., which provides electronic health records software and services to hospitals throughout Connecticut and Massachusetts.

The economy of Essex has traditionally been based on agriculture (particularly dairy farming), manufacturing (particularly textiles), transportation/trucking services (especially trucking within New England) and tourism/recreation facilities such as beaches and ski resorts nearby Groton or Mystic Valley Regional Park near Middletown