Middletown is one of Connecticut's largest municipalities in terms of its area, natural resources, and publicly accessible open space areas. Its 42.32 square miles include a range of development from a highly urbanized CBD through suburban settlements to rural prime farmland and completely undeveloped open spaces. Natural resources range from an eight-mile frontage on the Connecticut river on the east, along several smaller rivers and streams to the trap-rock ridges on the west. A portion of Connecticut's blue-blazed trails traverse Middletown and the City has proactively purchased over 3,500 acres to preserve as public open space in the past seven years at a cost of nearly six million dollars. The recreational opportunities offered by the rivers, the ridges, the farmlands, and trails are a major component of Middletown's fine quality of life.