Welcome to Essex ...
Essex is located in Middlesex County<1>.
While we don't have a date for the founding of Essex, you might consider that their post office opened in 1820.
Essex is 50 feet [15 m] above sea level.<2>.
Time Zone: Essex lies in the Eastern Time Zone (EST/EDT) and observes daylight saving time
Area Codes for Essex: 860 & 959<3>
The ZIP code for Essex: 06426<4>
Communities Also Named Essex ...
Using our Gazetteer, we found that there are 32 communities that are also named Essex - they are located in Arkansas, California (3), Georgia, Illinois (3), Iowa, Kansas (2), Maryland, Massachusetts (2), Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina (2), North Dakota, Ohio (3), Ontario, Vermont, Washington and West Virginia.
For more information, see our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Essex.
Websites for Essex ...
Chamber of Commerce: www.middlesexchamber.com/
Although we don't have any websites that are specific to Essex, the following might be of interest:
Communities near Essex ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Essex.
- Middletown
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middletown
- Middletown is located in Middlesex County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 46,013 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Middletown <5>
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to Middletown
- From Essex to Middletown
- Middletown
(18 miles [29 km] to the northwest)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Middletown have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Middletown
- Middletown is located in Middlesex County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 46,013 people
- Groton
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east) - New London
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New London
- New London is located in New London County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 26,870 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for New London <5>
- Google driving directions:
- From your current location to New London
- From Essex to New London
- New London
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for New London have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for New London
- New London is located in New London County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 26,870 people
- Guilford
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west) - Waterford
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the east) - East Lyme
(9 miles [14.5 km] to the east) - Montville
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the northeast) - Madison
(11 miles [17.7 km] to the west)
To Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
We have a couple of sections for those tracing their genealogy.
We created a list of cemeteries that are in the area around Essex. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Essex.
Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Essex. Our list includes information such as whether the 1895 community had a post office or railroad service. See our List of 1890's Communities around Essex.
We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Essex. Our list includes 4 papers. See our Newspapers Page for Essex.
TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Essex ...
Looking for more information about Essex? A wonderful source is the TripAdvisor website. We always start with the TripAdvisor Tourism page, where you can read an overview with links that will help you find lodging, restaurants and attractions.
In addition to the Tourism page for Essex, there are neighboring communities that also have Tourism pages. More information about those communities can be found on our TripAdvisor Page for Essex.
Adding Essex to Our Gazetteer ...
We originally found mention of Essex in both the FIPS-55 and the GNIS. For more information, see the FIPS and GNIS Codes sections on our Miscellaneous Page.
From our notes, the earliest published mention we've found for Essex was in the document titled List of Post Offices from Cameron Blevins and Richard Helbock.<7>
X2X - From that list, the Essex post office opened in 1820.
We also found Essex in the book titled U.S. Post Offices (Oct. 1846).
For more details, see References and Mentions for Essex.
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Essex. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for State of Connecticut: https://portal.ct.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | If you're interested in how the shape of Connecticut's counties, including Middlesex, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. |
| <2> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around Essex - it will be higher in some places and lower in others. |
| <3> | When there's a risk of an area code running out of phone numbers, an 'Overlay Area Code' is created that has the same geographic boundaries as the existing area code. In this case, the 860 code has been Overlayed with the 959 area code. New phone numbers in the Essex area will be assigned with one of these codes: 860 or 959. As a result, placing a call in the Essex area will require 10-digit dialing (where you enter both the area code and then the phone number). |
| <4> | ZIP Codes have been created by the United States Postal Service (USPS) as a way of grouping addresses to make delivery more efficient. The boundaries of the ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned, eliminated or overlapped with other ZIP Codes. So keep in mind that any given ZIP Code is only 'loosely' associated with a community (such as Essex). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether Essex or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS). |
| <5> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <6> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |
| <7> | A copy of their list with background information can be found at: https://cblevins.github.io/us-post-offices/data-biography/ |