diff --git a/conn.go b/conn.go
index 7c6f261e..0330ddcc 100644
--- a/conn.go
+++ b/conn.go
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ import (
 	"io/ioutil"
 	"net"
 	"net/url"
+	"os"
 	"os/user"
 	"path/filepath"
 	"strconv"
@@ -34,8 +35,7 @@ const (
 
 // ConnConfig contains all the options used to establish a connection.
 type ConnConfig struct {
-	Socket     string // path to unix domain socket directory (e.g. /private/tmp)
-	Host       string // url (e.g. localhost)
+	Host       string // host (e.g. localhost) or path to unix domain socket directory (e.g. /private/tmp)
 	Port       uint16 // default: 5432
 	Database   string
 	User       string // default: OS user name
@@ -118,9 +118,9 @@ func (e ProtocolError) Error() string {
 var NotificationTimeoutError = errors.New("Notification Timeout")
 var DeadConnError = errors.New("Connection is dead")
 
-// Connect establishes a connection with a PostgreSQL server using config. One
-// of config.Socket or config.Host must be specified. config.User
-// will default to the OS user name. Other config fields are optional.
+// Connect establishes a connection with a PostgreSQL server using config.
+// config.Host must be specified. config.User will default to the OS user name.
+// Other config fields are optional.
 func Connect(config ConnConfig) (c *Conn, err error) {
 	c = new(Conn)
 
@@ -150,9 +150,11 @@ func Connect(config ConnConfig) (c *Conn, err error) {
 		c.logger.Debug("Using default connection config", "MsgBufSize", c.config.MsgBufSize)
 	}
 
-	if c.config.Socket != "" {
+	// See if host is a valid path, if yes connect with a socket
+	_, err = os.Stat(c.config.Host)
+	if err == nil {
 		// For backward compatibility accept socket file paths -- but directories are now preferred
-		socket := c.config.Socket
+		socket := c.config.Host
 		if !strings.Contains(socket, "/.s.PGSQL.") {
 			socket = filepath.Join(socket, ".s.PGSQL.") + strconv.FormatInt(int64(c.config.Port), 10)
 		}
@@ -163,7 +165,7 @@ func Connect(config ConnConfig) (c *Conn, err error) {
 			c.logger.Error(fmt.Sprintf("Connection failed: %v", err))
 			return nil, err
 		}
-	} else if c.config.Host != "" {
+	} else {
 		c.logger.Info(fmt.Sprintf("Dialing PostgreSQL server at host: %s:%d", c.config.Host, c.config.Port))
 		c.conn, err = net.Dial("tcp", fmt.Sprintf("%s:%d", c.config.Host, c.config.Port))
 		if err != nil {
diff --git a/conn_config_test.go.example b/conn_config_test.go.example
index e94c5111..802eabb3 100644
--- a/conn_config_test.go.example
+++ b/conn_config_test.go.example
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ var noPasswordConnConfig *pgx.ConnConfig = nil
 var invalidUserConnConfig *pgx.ConnConfig = nil
 
 // var tcpConnConfig *pgx.ConnConfig = &pgx.ConnConfig{Host: "127.0.0.1", User: "pgx_md5", Password: "secret", Database: "pgx_test"}
-// var unixSocketConnConfig *pgx.ConnConfig = &pgx.ConnConfig{Socket: "/private/tmp", User: "pgx_none", Database: "pgx_test"}
+// var unixSocketConnConfig *pgx.ConnConfig = &pgx.ConnConfig{Host: "/private/tmp", User: "pgx_none", Database: "pgx_test"}
 // var md5ConnConfig *pgx.ConnConfig = &pgx.ConnConfig{Host: "127.0.0.1", User: "pgx_md5", Password: "secret", Database: "pgx_test"}
 // var plainPasswordConnConfig *pgx.ConnConfig = &pgx.ConnConfig{Host: "127.0.0.1", User: "pgx_pw", Password: "secret", Database: "pgx_test"}
 // var noPasswordConnConfig *pgx.ConnConfig = &pgx.ConnConfig{Host: "127.0.0.1", User: "pgx_none", Database: "pgx_test"}
diff --git a/conn_test.go b/conn_test.go
index 7e753b5e..66156710 100644
--- a/conn_test.go
+++ b/conn_test.go
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ func TestConnectWithUnixSocketFile(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 
 	connParams := *unixSocketConnConfig
-	connParams.Socket = connParams.Socket + "/.s.PGSQL.5432"
+	connParams.Host = connParams.Host + "/.s.PGSQL.5432"
 	conn, err := pgx.Connect(connParams)
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("Unable to establish connection: %v", err)