The Department of Economic and Community Development administers programs and policies to promote business, housing and community development. The agency combines housing, tourism, and economic growth. It began in 1939 as the Development Commission; in 1973 became the Connecticut Development Authority in the Department of Commerce; in 1979 a separate agency known as the Department of Economic Development; and in 1995 the agency as it is today. Records include lists of members, 1939-71; minutes and attachments, January 1958-December 1969; a newsletter for members only, March 1941-February 1953; a printed bulletin, February 1940-June 1951; records pertaining to the development of an industrial park for New Britain, 1957-73; scrapbooks covering the peacetime draft in 1940-41; and a report on a "Tourism Product Development Strategy," 1997.
