Be Happy. CT is ranked ninteenth in National Survey

For the third year in a row, the Aloha State gets is the happiest U.S. state, with Hawaii residents scoring highest in the 2012 Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index.  Runners-up? North Dakota and Minnesota. Down towards the middle of the pack was Connecticut, at #19, sandwiched between Washington State and Oregon.  West Virginia's residents showed the lowest well-being scores. To understand state well-being, Gallup relied on six measures: life evaluation (self-evaluation about your present life situation and anticipated one in five years); emotional health; work environment (such as job satisfaction); physical health; healthy behavior; and basic access (access to health care, a doctor, a safe place to exercise and walk, and community satisfaction).

The telephone survey was carried out in 2011 and included a random sample of 353,492 adults, ages 18 and older, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.  The top ten:

•  Hawaii: 70.2
• North Dakota: 70.0
• Minnesota: 69.2
• Utah: 69.0
• Alaska: 69.0
• Colorado: 68.4
• Kansas: 68.4
• Nebraska: 68.3
• New Hampshire: 68.2
• Montana: 68.0

Building a New American Dream to Keep Young Professionals in Connecticut

Connecticut  is close to the bottom in retaining skilled, educated young workers.  The state's 28% drop in that demographic group between 1990 and 2010 ranks third in the nation.  Only Maine and New Hampshire lost more young adults during those two decades.  While the loss of population in the 25-34 year-old cohort is in part a national phenomenon (that age group tends to move around) being close to the top of that list - in the past decade alone, Connecticut still ranked 7th in the nation in population loss in that age group - is not good news for the state's future growth and vitality. A series of proposals to slow and ultimately reverse that trend, which together are described as "A New American Dream," have been crafted by 135 adults in their 20's and 30's convened by the Partnership for Strong Communities, a state organization working to develop healthy neighborhoods and to create more affordable housing opportunities for workers, young professionals and families.  (More signatories are welcome.)

Among the elements included in the four page document, which highlights interest in becoming more involved in civic and community life, and "more densely populated settings where everything we need is nearby, allowing us to drive less and spend more time working or living,"  is that "what young adults want is compatible with what most people want - a decent place to live that we can afford, aesthetically-pleasing surroundings, interesting things to do and a sense of community."  Said the 135 signatories to the document, "we want the American Dream, too - we just see a different one."

CT is Among Last Down the Aisle in Wedding Business

Spring wedding season is upon us, and Connecticut is just warming up.  Where do we stand among the states?  According to the National Center for Health Statistics and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (as reported by the AARP) , Connecticut has 5.6 weddings per 1,000 residents (2010 statistics).  That ranks us in the bottom 10. Leading the way, not surprisingly, is Nevada, with an over-the-top 38.3 weddings per 1,000 residents (visitors, even those getting married, are not considered "residents").  Behind Nevada are Hawaii (17.6), Arkansas (10.8) Vermont (9.3), Idaho and Tennessee (8.8) and Utah (8.5).  Mississippi, with 4.9 weddings per 1,000 residents, is the last state down the aisle.  Sharing space among the bottom ten:  Delaware, New Jersey, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts, along with the Nutmeg State.   Keep a look-out for low flying bouquets.

Bozrah is #13; Mashantucket #170: Towns by the Numbers

Every town in Connecticut has a tax code number, issued by the state and used in a variety of official reports across state agencies.  How are the numbers determined?  The towns are listed alphabetically, and given their appropriate number, in order.   Which means that:

• Bozrah is lucky #13
• Andover is #1
• Woodstock is #169
• Middletown may be at the state’s center geographically, but Monroe is half-way down the list at #85
• Towns that begin with “New” start with New Britain at #89 and run through Newtown at #97
• The first double digit town is Bethlehem at #10; the first triple digit town is North Canaan at #100
• The final locale on the list hasn’t been considered a town through the years:  at #170 in a state with 169 towns is “Mashantucket”

If you’d like to know your town’s number, take a look at the full list.

CT Better Than Average (in some stats)

According to the most recent U.S. Census, Connecticut has a larger percentage of women (51.3% in CT vs. 50.8% in the U.S.), senior citizens (14.2% vs. 13%), and white people (77.6% vs. 72.4%) than the nationwide percentage. The state’s home ownership number is also higher than the national average (69.2% vs. 66.6%) as is the percentage of the population living in the same home for more than a year (87.4% vs. 84.2%) and the percentage of foreign born residents (13.2% vs. 12.7%).

Keeping Young Professionals in CT is Forum Focus

The Partnership for Strong Communities is planning a forum on April 13 focusing on the challenge to attract and retain young professionals in Connecticut.  Highlighting the challenge facing the state, the organization points out that Connecticut is the 7th oldest state in the nation, and the state has lost a higher percentage of our 25-34-year-old population since 1990 than any states but Maine and New Hampshire. The demographic crunch as baby-boomers retire will affect the entire country – but Connecticut is poised for the most hardship, unless actions are taken to respond to the challenge.  The program will be held at The Lyceum in Hartford and will include  young professionals, municipal and state policymakers, business leaders, planners and other experts discussing the needed physical and social infrastructure that will make Connecticut an attractive place for a new generation to settle.

Growing Latino Population Surveyed Nationally

Connecticut’s Hispanic and Latino population grew nearly 50 percent to about 479,000 between 2000 and 2010, according to the U.S. Census, in data released a year ago.  Now, a national survey by the Pew Hispanic Center delves into the views of the nation's fastest growing population. By a ratio of more than two-to-one (69% versus 29%), survey respondents say that the more than 50 million Latinos in the U.S. have many different cultures rather than a common culture. Respondents express a strong, shared connection to the Spanish language. More than eight-in-ten (82%) Latino adults say they speak Spanish, and nearly all (95%) say it is important for future generations to continue to do so. Also, nearly nine-in-ten (87%) say it is important for immigrant Hispanics to learn English in order to succeed in the U.S.

The survey finds that, regardless of where they were born, large majorities of Latinos say that life in the U.S. is better than in their family’s country of origin.

More Devices In Need of Numbers Means More Area Codes

Connecticut is in the midst of its transition from two area codes to four, as the number combinations  in 203 and 860 are nearly all used, less than 20 years after the 860 area code was introduced into the state. In the 203 area code, which covers the southern portion of the state, area code 475 has been designated as the overlay for that region, to be used for new service.  For the northern part of the state, now utilizing area code 860, the overlay area code to be used as new phone numbers are assigned will be 959 (start date to be determined).

In 1947, U.S. states and Canadian provinces were assigned three digit codes with 0 as the middle number, such as 203 for Connecticut and 305 for Florida . The 860 area code was created on August 28, 1995 as a split from area code 203 when the latter was cut back to Fairfield County (except for the Town of Sherman) and New Haven County, plus the towns of Bethlehem, Woodbury, and a small part of Roxbury in Litchfield County.

Use of 860 began almost 50 years after the assignment of 203 - on October 4, 1996.  The ever-increasing number of devices requiring phone numbers in the 21st century has accelerated the need for additional area codes.  While it took nearly 50 years to move from one area code to two, it is expected to take less than 20 years to move from two to four.

Back in 1947, there were 86 area codes in North America.  States and provinces that had more than one area code distributed to them were given three digit codes with 1 as the middle number, such as 916 and 213 for various sections of California , and 212 and 516 for various sections of New York .  The first and third digits were allotted according to population density in the city or region the area code was going to, with the most populated areas getting the lowest numbers. The New York City area, for example, was assigned 212, while the surrounding suburbs were assigned 914.

The rationale for the original “low number/high population” scheme was based on the fact that phones had rotary dials in those days. Lower numbers resulted in shorter “dial pulls” so it was reasoned that the regions with the most people in them should require the least “work” to call.

State Workforce Will Shrink Unless Wage Gap Closes

A report by Connecticut Voices for Children finds that closing Connecticut's “opportunity gaps,” as evidenced in the state’s changing demographics, will be necessary for the future economic health and quality of life in the state as a whole. The report, “Connecticut's Changing Demographics Foreshadow Declining Workforce Income,” noted that Connecticut, with the 7^th oldest population in the nation in 2010, is projected to have a declining working-age population after 2015.  On the national level, the working-age population is predicted to increase.  In 2010, 14 percent of Connecticut’s population was age 65+, which is expected to increase to 22 percent (1 in 5) by 2030.

The report found that if racial and ethnic income gaps continue to grow at recent rates in Connecticut, the average per capita income for the state’s working age population will decline by 8.6% between 2010 and 2030.  However, if racial income gaps are closed by 2015 and incomes for all workers are raised to the same level as white workers, then per capita income for the working-age population will increase by 12% between 2010 and 2030.

Women Like CT Better Than Men

According to a public opinion survey, 11 percent more women than men have a favorable impression of Connecticut.  In the national survey, conducted over four months, American voters nationally were asked their impressions of each state.  Hawaii came out on top, by far, with California bringing up the rear.  And women had a higher impression than men of the states of New York, Massachusetts, Delaware, California, New Hampshire, Vermont, Illinois and Connecticut.  Overall, 26% of respondents had a favorable impression of Connecticut, 22% had an unfavorable impression, and 52% just didn't know.