Middletown's Best of State

Five Middletown institutions made the annual Best of Connecticut list in Connecticut magazine. Not bad, considering that the magazine had 185 categories, and there are 169 towns and cities in the state!

As if you needed to ask:

• Best Diner: O'Rourke's, Middletown
• Best Italian Ice: Vecchitto Italian Ice, Middletown
• Best Nachos: Coyote Blue, Middletown
• Best Restaurant/Bar Beer Selection: Eli Cannon's, Middletown
• Best Vegan Menu: It's Only Natural, Middletown

Middletown Ranks!

I suppose there must be lots of different ways to rank the towns and cities in Connecticut, each reflecting some part of the culture, history, and attractiveness of living. Connecticut Magazine does its own ranking, separately from the "Best Of" awards, but those rankings are subdivided by population so it is impossible to compare a large city like Bridgeport or New Haven to a medium city like ours. In the interests of directly comparing Middletown to the State's larger cities (and adding to the inanity of rankings), I offer the following.

When adjusted for population, Middletown boasts the 4th highest number of recognitions among the state's 20 largest cities (Middletown is the 20th largest in the State). New Haven ranked highest, with approximately 1 "Best Of" for every 6,000 residents; at 1 "Best Of" per 10,000 Middletown is only slightly less well represented than West Hartford.