Like most areas of New England, New London County is (and has been at all times since well before the 20th century) entirely divided into incorporated municipalities. There is no unincorporated territory.
There are three types of municipalities in Connecticut: towns, boroughs and cities. As in the other New England states, towns are the basic unit of municipal government.
Boroughs overlay towns and assume responsibility for some municipal services within their boundaries. Boroughs are not found in any of the other New England states, and are not very common in Connecticut today, although they were somewhat more numerous in the past. A number of boroughs have disincorporated over the years, choosing to revert to full town control.
Cities also overlay towns. This is different from the other New England states, where cities are a different type of municipality equivalent to a town (this difference is related to cities having originally developed in Connecticut from the borough model). Most current cities are coextensive with their parent town, however, such that the entire municipality functions as a city. In practice, these cities are really no different from cities in the other New England states.
It is also possible for a city in Connecticut to overlay part, but not all, of a town. There are currently only one or two examples, but it was a more common arrangement in the past. Many of today’s coextensive cities were non-coextensive at one time. As with boroughs, a number of non-coextensive cities have also disincorporated over the years, choosing to revert to full town control.
The main tables below show municipalities at the town level. For any census, adding up the totals for each town should yield the county total. In cases where a community encompassed a coextensive city, the tables in the New England Historical U.S. Census Totals series mark the community as a city. In cases where a town included a non-coextensive city, the total shown below represents the entire town, including but not limited to the city. A separate section follows with population totals for boroughs and non-coextensive cities.
For more information on the New England municipal system, see New England town.
1952 - Norwich became a coextensive city (Note: before this time, there had long been a city of Norwich within, but not coextensive with, the town of Norwich)
County Total: 82,758
Norwich (*) 24,637
New London (city) 17,548
Stonington 8,540
Groton 5,962
Griswold 3,490
Waterford 2,904
Preston 2,807
Montville 2,395
Colchester 1,991
East Lyme 1,836
Lebanon 1,521
Sprague 1,339
Ledyard 1,236
North Stonington 1,240
Old Lyme 1,180
Voluntown 872
Bozrah 799
Lyme 750
Lisbon 697
Franklin 546
Salem 468
(*) not a city in its entirety, but includes a non-coextensive city that encompasses a significant percentage of the town's overall population.
County Total: 91,253
Norwich (*) 28,219
New London (city) 19,659
Stonington 9,154
Groton 6,495
Griswold 4,233
Waterford 3,097
Montville 2,804
Sprague 2,551
Colchester 2,140
Preston 1,917
East Lyme 1,916
Lebanon 1,528
Old Lyme 1,181
North Stonington 1,100
Ledyard 1,079
Bozrah 861
Lisbon 824
Voluntown 779
Lyme 746
Franklin 527
Salem 443
(*) not a city in its entirety, but includes a non-coextensive city that encompasses a significant percentage of the town's overall population.
County Total: 104,611
Norwich (*) 29,685
New London (city) 25,688
Stonington 10,236
Groton 9,227
Griswold 4,220
Waterford 3,935
Montville 3,411
Preston 2,743
Sprague 2,500
East Lyme 2,291
Colchester 2,050
Lebanon 1,343
Ledyard 1,161
North Stonington 1,144
Old Lyme 946
Lisbon 867
Bozrah 858
Lyme 674
Voluntown 656
Franklin 552
Salem 424
(*) not a city in its entirety, but includes a non-coextensive city that encompasses a significant percentage of the town's overall population.
County Total: 118,966
Norwich (*) 32,438
New London (city) 29,640
Stonington 11,025
Groton 10,770
Griswold 6,010
Waterford 4,742
Montville 3,970
Preston 3,928
East Lyme 2,575
Sprague 2,539
Colchester 2,134
Lebanon 1,436
Old Lyme 1,313
Ledyard 1,144
North Stonington 1,135
Lisbon 1,097
Bozrah 859
Voluntown 651
Franklin 611
Lyme 546
Salem 403
(*) not a city in its entirety, but includes a non-coextensive city that encompasses a significant percentage of the town's overall population.
County Total: 125,224
Norwich (*) 34,140
New London (city) 30,456
Stonington 11,002
Groton 10,910
Waterford 6,594
Griswold 5,343
Montville 4,135
Preston 4,206
East Lyme 3,338
Colchester 2,338
Sprague 2,285
Old Lyme 1,702
Lebanon 1,467
Ledyard 1,426
North Stonington 1,236
Lisbon 1,131
Bozrah 904
Voluntown 723
Lyme 717
Franklin 667
Salem 504
(*) not a city in its entirety, but includes a non-coextensive city that encompasses a significant percentage of the town's overall population.
County Total: 144,821
Norwich (*) 37,633
New London (city) 30,551
Groton 21,896
Stonington 11,801
Waterford 9,100
Griswold 5,728
Montville 4,766
East Lyme 3,870
Colchester 3,007
Sprague 2,320
Old Lyme 2,141
Preston 1,775
Ledyard 1,749
Lebanon 1,654
North Stonington 1,367
Lisbon 1,282
Bozrah 1,154
Lyme 857
Voluntown 825
Franklin 727
Salem 618
(*) not a city in its entirety, but includes a non-coextensive city that encompasses a significant percentage of the town's overall population.
County Total: 185,745
Norwich (city) 38,506
New London (city) 34,182
Groton 29,937
Waterford 15,391
Stonington 13,969
Griswold 6,472
Montville 7,759
East Lyme 6,782
Ledyard 5,395
Preston 4,992
Colchester 4,648
Old Lyme 3,068
Sprague 2,509
Lebanon 2,434
Lisbon 2,019
North Stonington 1,982
Bozrah 1,590
Lyme 1,183
Voluntown 1,028
Franklin 974
Salem 925
County Total: 230,654
Norwich (city) 41,739
Groton 38,244
New London (city) 31,630
Waterford 17,227
Stonington 15,940
Montville 15,662
Ledyard 14,837
East Lyme 11,399
Griswold 7,763
Colchester 6,603
Old Lyme 4,964
Lebanon 3,804
North Stonington 3,748
Preston 3,593
Sprague 2,912
Lisbon 2,808
Bozrah 2,036
Lyme 1,484
Salem 1,453
Voluntown 1,452
Franklin 1,356
County Total: 238,409
Groton 41,062
Norwich (city) 38,074
New London (city) 28,842
Waterford 17,843
Montville 16,455
Stonington 16,220
East Lyme 13,870
Ledyard 13,735
Griswold 8,967
Colchester 7,761
Old Lyme 6,159
Lebanon 4,762
Preston 4,644
North Stonington 4,219
Lisbon 3,279
Sprague 2,996
Salem 2,335
Bozrah 2,135
Lyme 1,822
Voluntown 1,637
Franklin 1,592
County Total: 254,957
Groton 45,144
Norwich (city) 37,391
New London (city) 28,540
Waterford 17,930
Stonington 16,919
Montville 16,673
East Lyme 15,340
Ledyard 14,913
Colchester 10,980
Griswold 10,384
Old Lyme 6,535
Lebanon 6,041
Preston 5,006
North Stonington 4,884
Lisbon 3,790
Salem 3,310
Sprague 3,008
Bozrah 2,297
Voluntown 2,113
Lyme 1,949
Franklin 1,810
County Total: 259,106
Groton 39,925
Norwich (city) 36,117
New London (city) 26,185
Waterford 18,638
Montville 18,546
East Lyme 18,118
Stonington 17,906
Ledyard 14,687
Colchester 14,551
Griswold 10,807
Old Lyme 7,406
Lebanon 6,907
North Stonington 4,991
Preston 4,688
Lisbon 4,069
Salem 3,858
Sprague 2,971
Voluntown 2,528
Bozrah 2,357
Lyme 2,016
Franklin 1,835
Boroughs and Non-coextensive Cities
As of 1900, New London County contained three boroughs and one non-coextensive city:
The borough of Colchester, within the town of the same name
The borough of Jewett City, within the town of Griswold
The borough of Stonington, within the town of the same name
The city of Norwich, within the town of the same name
In addition to the above, there was a second city, New London, which had already been made coextensive with its parent town. A fourth borough, Groton (within the town of the same name), was incorporated in 1903. The following changes have occurred since then:
1952 – The city of Norwich became coextensive with its parent town
1964 – The borough of Groton became a city
1990 – The borough of Colchester disincorporated
1900
Norwich (city) 17,251
Stonington (borough) 2,278
Jewett City (borough) 2,224
Colchester (borough) 858
1910
Norwich (city) 20,367
Jewett City (borough) 3,023
Stonington (borough) 2,083
Groton (borough) 1,895
Colchester (borough) 978
1920
Norwich (city) 22,304
Groton (borough) 4,236
Jewett City (borough) 3,196
Stonington (borough) 2,100
Colchester (borough) 913
1930
Norwich (city) 23,021
Jewett City (borough) 4,436
Groton (borough) 4,122
Stonington (borough) 2,006
Colchester (borough) 937
1940
Norwich (city) 23,652
Groton (borough) 4,719
Jewett City (borough) 3,682
Stonington (borough) 1,826
Colchester (borough) 1,234
1950
Norwich (city) 23,429
Groton (borough) 7,036
Jewett City (borough) 3,702
Stonington (borough) 1,739
Colchester (borough) 1,522
1960
Groton (borough) 10,111
Jewett City (borough) 3,608
Colchester (borough) 2,260
Stonington (borough) 1,622
1970
Groton (city) 8,933
Colchester (borough) 3,529
Jewett City (borough) 3,372
Stonington (borough) 1,413
1980
Groton (city) 10,086
Jewett City (borough) 3,294
Colchester (borough) 3,190
Stonington (borough) 1,228
1990
Groton (city) 9,837
Jewett City (borough) 3,349
Colchester (borough) 3,212
Stonington (borough) 1,100
2000
Groton (city) 9,288
Jewett City (borough) 3,053
Stonington (borough) 1,032
