Middlesex County is located in the south central part of Connecticut. The county was founded in 1785. Middlesex County has a total area of 439 square miles of which approximately 84% is land and 16% water. The terrain trends from mostly level along the Connecticut River and Atlantic coast to gently rolling uplands away from them. As of the census of 2000, there were 155,071 people, 61,341 households, and 40,607 families residing in Middlesex County Connecticut.