South of Hartford [1], the river is anchored by the former industrial town of Middletown, an all-American city reinvented as an academic hub in the 19th century with the founding of Wesleyan University [2]. Farther downriver, the Connecticut [3] does a dogleg to the east before flowing out in a broad estuary into Long Island Sound.
Along the way, the modern era seems to have left behind Chatam, Haddam, and Essex, which are a mix of old Victorian homes and family farms and orchards.
Links:
[1] http://www.moon.com/destinations/new-england/connecticut/eastern-connecticut/connecticut-river-valley/hartford
[2] http://www.moon.com/destinations/new-england/connecticut/eastern-connecticut/connecticut-river-valley/lower-connecticut-valley/wesleyan-university
[3] http://www.moon.com/destinations/new-england/connecticut