<P> With a constantly growing immigrant population, these new Franco - Americans settled together in neighborhoods colloquially called Little Canada; after 1960 these faded away . There were few French language institutions other than Catholic churches . There were some French newspapers, but they had a total of only 50,000 subscribers in 1935 . The World War II generation avoided bilingual education for their children, and insisted they speak English . By 1976, nine in ten Franco Americans usually spoke English and scholars generally agreed that "the younger generation of Franco - American youth had rejected their heritage ." </P> <Table> New Haven system <Tr> <Td_colspan="2"> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="2"> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Track gauge </Th> <Td> 4 ft 8 ⁄ in (1,435 mm) standard gauge </Td> </Tr> </Table> <Tr> <Th> Track gauge </Th> <Td> 4 ft 8 ⁄ in (1,435 mm) standard gauge </Td> </Tr> <P> The New Haven railroad was the leading carrier in New England from 1872 to 1968 . New York's leading banker, J.P. Morgan, had grown up in Hartford and had a strong interest in the New England economy . Starting in the 1890s Morgan began financing the major New England railroads, such as the New Haven and the Boston and Maine, dividing territory so they would not compete . In 1903 he brought in Charles Mellen as president of the New Haven (1903 - 1913). The goal, richly supported by Morgan's financing, was to purchase and consolidate the main railway lines of New England, merge their operations, lower their costs, electrify the heavily used routes, and modernize the system . With less competition and lower costs, there supposedly would be higher profits . The New Haven purchased 50 smaller companies, including steetcars, freight steamers, passenger steamships, and a network of light rails (electrified trolleys) that provided inter-urban transportation for all of southern New England . By 1912, the New Haven operated over 2,000 miles (3,200 km) of track, with 120,000 employees, and practically monopolized traffic in a wide swath from Boston to New York City . </P>

The 18th century new england economy could be characterized as