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Show The divides between the Connecticut Valley and adjacent drainages in the northern two-thirds of the basin are mountain ridges. These include the rugged Presidential Range of the White Moun- tains on the east, rising to heights of over 5,000 feet, and the more gently rolling ridges of the Green Mountains on the west. Toward the south, the latter gradually give way to the Berkshires of Mas- sachusetts and the Litchfield Hills of Connecticut. The New Hampshire mountain chains gradually descend into a series of low hills in Massachusetts and dwindle away into gentle hills to the south. Glaciers once ground their way over the entire area, scouring mountain tops and leaving behind deposits ranging from gravel to fine lake clays. Numerous depressions were hollowed out to be- come the lakes that dot the landscape. From its source as far south as northern Massachusetts the river flows in a rough crystalline upland. Here the valley is narrow with few terrace bottoms. To the souths the valley widens out, the soils are deeper and more fertile, and the valley bottom is much broader. These sandy lands are easily cultivated and are intensively used, in contrast to the rockier soils of the uplands, many of which were once cul- tivated but have now grown back to woods. The climate of the basin is best characterized as having short, cool, pleasant summers and long, cold, sno-wy winters. The temperature decreases rapidly from south to north with increased latitude and altitude. The basin has abundant rainfall; precipitation is greatest in the south (43 inches) and slightly less in the north (39 inches), although highland areas receive more. Winter snowfall is heavy. Annual snowfall of between 30 and 40 inches may be expected in the south and from 80 to 100 inches in the north. Forests cover about two-thirds of the basin, with major changes in forest composition from north to south. The trend is from spruce, fir, and north- ern hardwoods like beech and birch in the higher elevations of New Hampshire and Vermont, through mixtures of various species such as white pine, oak, and maple, to oak and hickory in Con- necticut. The forests have been cut over at least once in all parts of the basin and in most parts twice or xnore. Many sections of the basin are covered with a growth of naturally seeded and sprout trees of poor quality, the result of clear-cut- ting and fire. Altogether, the mountains, the lakes, the rivers, the forests, and the climate provide a base for the 468 recreation which both summer and winter attracts throngs of visitors from the densely settled urban areas. To all these natural resources must be added the charm of old New England which at- tends the many towns with their great shade trees, towering church steeples, rambling colonial homes, peaceful lanes, quiet ponds, and distinctive sur- rounding countryside. Population: Distribution and Growth Total population of the Connecticut River Basin is estimated to exceed 1.35 million. The average density is 122 per square mile, much higher than the average density for the Nation. But the popu- lation is not evenly distributed. The southern half of the basin in Massachusetts and Connecticut contains 80 percent of the people, who are concen- trated further in several cities. The northern sec- tion of the basin is relatively sparsely inhabited, with a density of only 30 per square mile. There most of the people live in small towns or rural areas, largely in the narrow valleys. The moun- tainous areas have only a scattered population. Population growth during the last decade has been very unevenly distributed geographically. The densely settled Massachusetts and Connecti- cut sections have increased their population over 9 and 16 percent respectively, while the New Hampshire and Vermont sections gained slightly. Long-term growth for New England as a whole is less than that for the United States. Nature of the Regional Economy Three centuries of occupancy and settlement have left their mark on the basin. Lumber produc- tion, once a dominant industry, is today only lo- cally significant. Some pulpwood is cut. Mineral production is small. Agriculture, once extensive, now is limited largely to valley bottoms. Dairying has replaced crop production in many areas. The lower sections of the basin are overwhelm- ingly dependent upon manufacturing. In New England, factory payrolls account directly for nearly one-third of all income, the highest propor- tion in the country. The Connecticut Basin has an even greater concentration on manufacturing than New England as a whole, and the ratio of manu- facturing employment to all employment is increas- ing more rapidly than the rest of New England, |