Hartford, Connecticut

{{Main|History of Hartford, Connecticut}}

{{For timeline}}

Various Native American tribes lived in or around Hartford, all Algonquian peoples. These included the Podunks, mostly east of the Connecticut River; the Poquonocks north and west of Hartford; the Massacoes in the Simsbury area; the Tunxis tribe in West Hartford and Farmington; the Wangunks to the south; and the Saukiog in Hartford itself.Bacon, Nick. 2013. "Podunk after Pratt: Place and Placelessness in East Hartford, CT." p. 46–64 in Confronting Urban Legacy: Rediscovering Hartford and New England's Forgotten Cities. Xiangming Chen and Nick Bacon (eds). Lanham, MD: Lexington Books.

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The first Europeans known to have explored the area were the Dutch under Adriaen Block, who sailed up the Connecticut in 1614. Dutch fur traders from New Amsterdam returned in 1623 with a mission to establish a trading post and fortify the area for the Dutch West India Company. The original site was located on the south bank of the Park River in the present-day Sheldon/Charter Oak neighborhood. This fort was called Fort Hoop or the "House of Hope." In 1633, Jacob Van Curler formally bought the land around Fort Hoop from the Pequot chief for a small sum. It was home to perhaps a couple of families and a few dozen soldiers. The fort was abandoned by 1654, but the area is known today as Dutch Point; the name of the Dutch fort "House of Hope" is reflected in the name of Huyshope Avenue.{{cite book|last=Sterner|first=Daniel|title=A Guide to Historic Hartford, Connecticut|year=2012|publisher=The History Press|isbn=978-1-60949-635-7|page=81|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=x6QkVFi7l6UC&q=sheldon+charter+oak+neighborhood&pg=PA81|access-date=August 16, 2014}}{{Dead link|date=August 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}{{cite web |title=House of Hope |url=http://www.newnetherlandinstitute.org/history-and-heritage/digital-exhibitions/a-tour-of-new-netherland/connecticut/house-of-hope/ |publisher=The New Netherland Institute |access-date=April 5, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150410075959/http://www.newnetherlandinstitute.org/history-and-heritage/digital-exhibitions/a-tour-of-new-netherland/connecticut/house-of-hope |archive-date=April 10, 2015 |url-status=live }} A significant reason for establishment of the Dutch trading post was to better control the flow of wampum, the de facto currency of New Netherland and portions of New England, to and from valuable Native American fur traders.Peterson, Mark. The City-State of Boston. Princeton University Press, 2019, page 48.

The Dutch outpost and the tiny contingent of Dutch soldiers who were stationed there did little to check the English migration, and the Dutch soon realized that they were vastly outnumbered. The House of Hope remained an outpost, but it was steadily swallowed up by waves of English settlers. In 1650, Peter Stuyvesant met with English representatives to negotiate a permanent boundary between the Dutch and English colonies; the line that they agreed on was more than {{convert|50|mi|km}} west of the original settlement.

The English began to arrive in 1636, settling upstream from Fort Hoop near the present-day Downtown and Sheldon/Charter Oak neighborhoods.{{cite book

| last = Scaeva

| title = Hartford in the Olden Time, Its First Thirty Years

| publisher = F.A. Brown

| edition = 1st

| date = 1853

| location = Hartford

| pages = 25–36

}} Puritan pastors Thomas Hooker and Samuel Stone, along with Governor John Haynes, led 100 settlers with 130 head of cattle in a trek from Newtown in the Massachusetts Bay Colony (now Cambridge) and started their settlement just north of the Dutch fort.Walsh, Andrew. "Hartford: A Global History." pp. 21–45 in Confronting Urban Legacy: Rediscovering Hartford and New England's Forgotten Cities. Xiangming Chen and Nick Bacon (eds.). Lanham, MD: Lexington Books The settlement was originally called Newtown, but it was changed to Hartford in 1637 in honor of Stone's hometown of Hertford, England. Hooker also created the nearby town of Windsor in 1633.{{cite book |last=Shuffelton|first=Frank |title=Thomas Hooker, 1586–1647 |year=1977|publisher=Princeton University Press |isbn=978-0-691-61327-7 |page=212 |url =https://books.google.com/books?id=NZl9BgAAQBAJ&q=Suckiaug&pg=PA212 |access-date=April 5, 2015}} The etymology of Hartford is the ford where harts cross, or "deer crossing."

As the Puritan minister in Hartford, Thomas Hooker wielded a great deal of power; in 1638, he delivered a sermon that inspired the writing of the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut, which provided a framework for Connecticut's separation for Massachusetts Bay Colony and the formation of a civil government. The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut were the legal basis for Connecticut Colony until the 1662 royal charter granted to Connecticut by Charles II.{{cite web|author=Nancy Finlay|url=https://connecticuthistory.org/thomas-hooker-connecticuts-founding-father/|title=Thomas Hooker: Connecticut's Founding Father|date=September 22, 2020|website=ConnecticutHistory.org}}

The original settlement area contained the site of the Charter Oak, an old white oak tree in which colonists hid Connecticut's Royal Charter of 1662 to protect it from confiscation by an English governor-general. The state adopted the oak tree as the emblem on the Connecticut state quarter. The Charter Oak Monument is located at the corner of Charter Oak Place, a historic street, and Charter Oak Avenue.{{cite web|title=The Charter Oak Fell – Today in History: August 21|url=http://connecticuthistory.org/the-charter-oak-fell/|website=connecticuthistory.org|publisher=Connecticut Humanities|access-date=August 16, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140728110520/http://connecticuthistory.org/the-charter-oak-fell/|archive-date=July 28, 2014|url-status=live}}

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On December 15, 1814, delegates from the five New England states (Maine was still part of Massachusetts at that time) gathered at the Hartford Convention to discuss New England's possible secession from the United States.{{Cite news|url=https://www.britannica.com/event/Hartford-Convention|title=Hartford Convention {{!}} United States history|work=Encyclopædia Britannica|access-date=April 30, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170507231518/https://www.britannica.com/event/Hartford-Convention|archive-date=May 7, 2017|url-status=live}} During the early 19th century, the Hartford area was a center of abolitionist activity, and the most famous abolitionist family was the Beechers. The Reverend Lyman Beecher was an important Congregational minister known for his anti-slavery sermons.{{Cite news|url=https://www.pbs.org/godinamerica/people/lyman-beecher.html|title=God in America – People – Lyman Beecher|work=God in America|access-date=April 30, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170429164855/http://www.pbs.org/godinamerica/people/lyman-beecher.html|archive-date=April 29, 2017|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/w/Lyman_Beecher|title=Lyman Beecher – Ohio History Central|website=ohiohistorycentral.org|access-date=April 30, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170506054110/http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/w/Lyman_Beecher|archive-date=May 6, 2017|url-status=live}} His daughter Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin; her brother Henry Ward Beecher was a noted clergyman who vehemently opposed slavery and supported the temperance movement and women's suffrage.{{cite web|url=http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/w/Harriet_B._Stowe|title=Harriet B. Stowe – Ohio History Central|website=ohiohistorycentral.org|access-date=April 30, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170516151333/http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/w/Harriet_B._Stowe|archive-date=May 16, 2017|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.harrietbeecherstowecenter.org/hbs/|archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20170525015804/https://www.harrietbeecherstowecenter.org/hbs/|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 25, 2017|title=Harriet Beecher Stowe's Life|website=harrietbeecherstowecenter.org|access-date=April 30, 2017}} The Stowes' sister Isabella Beecher Hooker was a leading member of the women's rights movement.{{cite web|url=https://www.nwhm.org/education-resources/biography/biographies/isabella-beecher-hooker/|title=Education & Resources – National Women's History Museum – NWHM|website=nwhm.org|access-date=April 30, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161108015237/https://www.nwhm.org/education-resources/biography/biographies/isabella-beecher-hooker/|archive-date=November 8, 2016|url-status=live}}

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In 1860, Hartford was the site of the first "Wide Awakes", abolitionist supporters of Abraham Lincoln. These supporters organized torch-light parades that were both political and social events, often including fireworks and music, in celebration of Lincoln's visit to the city. This type of event caught on and eventually became a staple of mid-to-late 19th-century campaigning.{{cite web |title=Hartford Wide-Awakes – Today in History: July 26 |url=https://connecticuthistory.org/hartford-wide-awakes-today-in-history/ |website=Connecticuthistory.org |access-date=April 30, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160501231223/http://connecticuthistory.org/hartford-wide-awakes-today-in-history/ |archive-date=May 1, 2016 |url-status=live }}

Hartford was a major manufacturing city from the 19th century until the mid-20th century. During the Industrial Revolution into the mid-20th century, the Connecticut River Valley cities produced many major precision manufacturing innovations. Among these was Hartford's pioneer bicycle and automobile maker Pope.Clymer, Floyd. Treasury of Early American Automobiles, 1877–1925 (New York: Bonanza Books, 1950), p.37. Many factories have been closed or relocated, or have reduced operations, as in nearly all former Northern manufacturing cities.

File:Colt Armory (1857).jpg File:Hartfort CT Post Office and Customhouse, 1903.jpg File:Underwood Typewriter factory 1911.pngAround 1850, Hartford native Samuel Colt perfected the precision manufacturing process that enabled the mass production of thousands of his revolvers with interchangeable parts. A variety of industries adopted and adapted these techniques over the next several decades, and Hartford became the center of production for a wide array of products, including: Colt, Richard Gatling, and John Browning firearms; Weed sewing machines; Columbia bicycles; Pope automobiles; and leading typewriter manufacturers Royal Typewriter Company and Underwood Typewriter Company which together made Hartford the “Typewriter Capitol of the World” during the first half of the 20th century.{{cite news|last1=Hintz|first1=Eric|title=Samuel Colt ... and Sewing Machines?|url=http://americanhistory.si.edu/blog/2012/06/samuel-coltand-sewing-machines-part-1.html|access-date=June 8, 2015|work=O, Say Can You See Blog|publisher=National Museum of American History|date=June 6, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150608195811/http://americanhistory.si.edu/blog/2012/06/samuel-coltand-sewing-machines-part-1.html|archive-date=June 8, 2015|url-status=live}}

The Pratt & Whitney Company was founded in Hartford in 1860 by Francis A. Pratt and Amos Whitney. They built a substantial factory in which the company manufactured a wide range of machine tools, including tools for the makers of sewing machines, and gun-making machinery for use by the Union Army during the American Civil War. In 1925, the company expanded into aircraft engine design at its Hartford factory.

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Just three years after Colt's first factory opened, the Sharps Rifle Manufacturing Company set up shop in 1852 at a nearby site along the now-buried Park River, located in the present-day neighborhood of Frog Hollow. Their factory heralded the beginning of the area's transformation from marshy farmland into a major industrial zone. The road leading from town to the factory was called Rifle Lane; the name was later changed to College Street and then Capitol Avenue.{{cite book|last=Flayderman|first=Norm|title=Flayderman's Guide to Antique American Firearms and Their Values|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=THeWYkwoLSUC&pg=PA195|year=2007|publisher=F+W Media, Inc|location=Iola, Wisconsin|isbn=978-0-89689-455-6|pages=193–196|access-date=October 16, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160102051906/https://books.google.com/books?id=THeWYkwoLSUC&pg=PA195|archive-date=January 2, 2016|url-status=live}} A century earlier, mills had located along the Park River because of the water power, but by the 1850s water power was approaching obsolescence. Sharps located there specifically to take advantage of the railroad line that had been constructed alongside the river in 1838.

The Sharps Rifle Company failed in 1870, and the Weed Sewing Machine Company took over its factory. The invention of a new type of sewing machine led to a new application of mass production after the principles of interchangeability were applied to clocks and guns. The Weed Company played a major role in making Hartford one of three machine tool centers in New England and even outranked the Colt Armory in nearby Coltsville in size. Weed eventually became the birthplace of both the bicycle and automobile industries in Hartford.

Industrialist Albert Pope was inspired by a British-made, high-wheeled bicycle (called a velocipede) that he saw at the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exposition, and he bought patent rights for bicycle production in the United States. He wanted to contract out his first order, however, so he approached George Fairfield of Weed Sewing Machine Company, who produced Pope's first run of bicycles in 1878.{{cite web|title=Invention hot spot: Beginnings of mass production in 19th-century Hartford, Connecticut |url=http://invention.smithsonian.org/centerpieces/poi-hartford.aspx |website=invention.smithsonian.org |publisher=Jerome and Dorothy Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation, Smithsonian Institution |access-date=August 15, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140819083138/http://invention.smithsonian.org/centerpieces/poi-hartford.aspx |archive-date=August 19, 2014 }} Bicycles proved to be a huge commercial success, and production expanded in the Weed factory, with Weed making every part but the tires. Demand for bicycles overshadowed the failing sewing machine market by 1890, so Pope bought the Weed factory, took over as its president, and renamed it the Pope Manufacturing Company. The bicycle boom was short-lived, peaking near the turn of the century when more and more consumers craved individual automobile travel, and Pope's company suffered financially from over-production amidst falling demand.

In an effort to save his business, Pope opened a motor carriage department and turned out electric carriages, beginning with the "Mark III" in 1897. His venture might have made Hartford the capital of the automobile industry were it not for the ascendancy of Henry Ford and a series of pitfalls and patent struggles that outlived Pope himself.{{cite book|last1=Goddard|first1=Stephen B.|title=Colonel Albert Pope and His American Dream Machines: The Life and Times of a Bicycle Tycoon Turned Automotive Pioneer|date=December 30, 2008|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-0-7864-4089-4|pages=176–182}}

In 1876, Hartford Machine Screw was granted a charter "for the purpose of manufacturing screws, hardware and machinery of every variety." The basis for its incorporation was the invention of the first single-spindle automatic screw machine. For its next four years, the new firm occupied one of Weed's buildings, milling thousands of screws daily on over 50 machines. Its president was George Fairfield, who ran Weed, and its superintendent was Christopher Spencer, one of Connecticut's most versatile inventors. Soon Hartford Machine Screw outgrew its quarters and built a new factory adjacent to Weed, where it remained until 1948.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/04/12/nyregion/116-year-old-company-thrives-on-innovation.html|title=116-Year-Old Company Thrives on Innovation|last=Hamilton|first=Robert A.|date=April 12, 1992|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=April 30, 2017|issn=0362-4331|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150526054145/http://www.nytimes.com/1992/04/12/nyregion/116-year-old-company-thrives-on-innovation.html|archive-date=May 26, 2015|url-status=live}}

File:Constitution Plaza - Hartford, CT - DSC04945.jpg's clock tower]]

On the week of April 12, 1909, the Connecticut River reached a record flood stage of {{convert|24.5|ft|m|abbr=off|sp=us}} above the low-water mark, flooding the city of Hartford and doing great damage.{{cite news|title= Record-Breaking Flood at Hartford, Conn.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=h-ADAAAAMBAJ&q=%22popular+mechanics%22+1907&pg=PA10|work= Popular Mechanics|date= June 1909|publisher = Hearst Magazines|access-date= February 4, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721190357/http://books.google.com/books?id=h-ADAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA10&dq=%22popular+mechanics%22+1907&lr=&as_brr=1#PPA516,M1|archive-date= July 21, 2011|url-status= live}} On July 6, 1944, Hartford was the scene of one of the worst fire disasters in the history of the United States. Claiming the lives of 168 persons, mostly children and their mothers, and injuring several hundred more. It occurred at a matinee performance of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus on Barbour Street in the city's north end and became known as the Hartford Circus Fire.{{cite web|url=https://connecticuthistory.org/hartford-circus-fire-the-tents-on-fire-who-knew/|title=Hartford Circus Fire: "The Tent's on Fire!" – Who Knew? {{!}} ConnecticutHistory.org|website=connecticuthistory.org|date=July 6, 2013|access-date=April 30, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170707175401/https://connecticuthistory.org/hartford-circus-fire-the-tents-on-fire-who-knew/|archive-date=July 7, 2017|url-status=live}}

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After World War II, many residents of Puerto Rico moved to Hartford.{{cite web|url=http://www.trincoll.edu/UrbanGlobal/CUGS/Faculty/research/Documents/A%20Decade%20of%20Change%20Puerto%20Rican%20Politics%20in%20Hartford,%20Connecticut,%201969-1979.pdf|title=A Decade of Change: Putero Rican Politics in Hartford Connecticut|last=Cruz|first=Jose|website=trincoll.edu|access-date=April 29, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160316144833/http://www.trincoll.edu/UrbanGlobal/CUGS/Faculty/research/Documents/A%20Decade%20of%20Change%20Puerto%20Rican%20Politics%20in%20Hartford,%20Connecticut,%201969-1979.pdf|archive-date=March 16, 2016|url-status=live}} Starting in the late 1950s, the suburbs ringing Hartford began to grow and flourish and the capital city began a long decline. Insurance giant Connecticut General (now CIGNA) moved to a new, modern campus in the suburb of Bloomfield. Constitution Plaza had been hailed as a model of urban renewal, but it gradually became a concrete office park.{{Cite web|date=November 4, 2014|title=Constitution Plaza in Hartford – A History of its Development|url=https://chs.org/2014/11/constitution-plaza-hartford-history/|access-date=February 16, 2022|website=Connecticut Historical Society|language=en|archive-date=April 14, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414192201/https://chs.org/2014/11/constitution-plaza-hartford-history/|url-status=dead}} Once-flourishing department stores shut down, such as Brown Thomson, Sage-Allen, and G. Fox & Co., as suburban malls grew in popularity, such as Westfarms and Buckland Hills.{{Cite news|url=https://chs.org/2014/12/history-of-hartford-connecticut/|title=The 'Four Builds' – The History of Hartford, Connecticut – Connecticut Historical Society|date=December 16, 2014|work=Connecticut Historical Society|access-date=April 30, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170117143710/https://chs.org/2014/12/history-of-hartford-connecticut/|archive-date=January 17, 2017|url-status=live}}

In 1997, the city lost its professional hockey franchise, with the Hartford Whalers moving to Raleigh, North Carolina—despite an increase in season ticket sales and an offer from the state for a new arena.{{Cite web|last=Archives|first=T. H. W.|date=May 6, 2021|title=Brass Bonanza Silenced: The Demise of the Hartford Whalers|url=https://thehockeywriters.com/brass-bonanza-silenced-the-demise-of-the-hartford-whalers/|access-date=February 16, 2022|website=The Hockey Writers|language=en-us}} In 2005, a developer from Newton, Massachusetts tried unsuccessfully to bring an NHL team back to Hartford and house them in a new, publicly funded stadium.[https://www.espn.com/nhl/news/story?id=2274541 "Developer proposes new arena in Hartford"] AP report on ESPN.com (December 29, 2005)

Hartford experienced problems as the population shrank 11 percent during the 1990s.{{Cite web|last=Katz|first=Bruce|date=April 8, 2001|title=Escape From Connecticut's Cities|url=https://www.brookings.edu/opinions/escape-from-connecticuts-cities/|access-date=February 17, 2022|website=Brookings|language=en-US}} Only Flint, Michigan; Gary, Indiana; St. Louis, Missouri; and Baltimore, Maryland experienced larger population losses during the decade. However, the population has increased since the 2000 Census.The estimated population as of 2008 is 124,062 – an increase of 2,484 from the 2000 Census. [https://archive.today/20200212050924/http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/SAFFPopulation?_event=ChangeGeoContext&geo_id=16000US0937000&_geoContext=&_street=&_county=Hartford,+CT&_cityTown=Hartford,+CT&_state=&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&ActiveGeoDiv=&_useEV=&pctxt=fph&pgsl=010&_submenuId=population_0&ds_name=null&_ci_nbr=null&qr_name=null®=null:null&_keyword=&_industry= US Census: Population Finder: hartford city, CT]

In 1987, Carrie Saxon Perry was elected mayor of Hartford, becoming the first female African-American mayor of a major American city.{{cite web|url=http://www.hartford.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2448|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120320055043/http://www.hartford.gov/news/PR020111_Black%20History%20Month.pdf|url-status=dead|title=Hartford.Gov – Department of Families, Children, Youth and Recreation|archive-date=March 20, 2012|website=hartford.gov}} Riverfront Plaza was opened in 1999, connecting the riverfront and the downtown area for the first time since the 1960s.{{cite web|url=http://www.riverfront.org/about-us/our-history|title=Our History {{!}} Riverfront Recapture|website=Riverfront.org|access-date=October 11, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181011214533/http://www.riverfront.org/about-us/our-history|archive-date=October 11, 2018|url-status=live}}

A significant number of cultural events and performances take place every year at Mortensen Plaza (Riverfront Recapture Organization) by the banks of the Connecticut River.{{Cite web|last=FELSON|first=LEONARD|title=Rediscover the Connecticut River: Picture a waterfront promenade and new riverside trails to explore. Cross those bridges. Grab an oar. Learn more about the lore.|url=https://www.courant.com/hartford-magazine/hc-hm-connecticut-river-rediscover-20200329-20200320-hof27pcvlrdgjpfespvibrvm3i-story.html|access-date=February 21, 2022|website=courant.com|date=March 20, 2020 }} These events are held outdoors and include live music, festivals, dance, arts and crafts. Hartford also has a vibrant theater scene with major Broadway productions at the Bushnell Theater as well as performances at the Hartford Stage and TheaterWorks (City Arts).{{Citation|last=Osborn|first=M. Elizabeth|title=Hartford Stage|date=2010|url=https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780199754724.001.0001/acref-9780199754724-e-1175|work=The Continuum Companion to Twentieth Century Theatre|publisher=Continuum|language=en|doi=10.1093/acref/9780199754724.001.0001|isbn=978-0-19-975472-4|access-date=February 21, 2022}}{{Cite news|url=http://www.courant.com/entertainment/music/hc-trinity-hip-hop-festival-in-hartford-0409-20150403-story.html|title=Four Days Of Hip Hop at Trinity International Fest|last=Hamad|first=Michael|website=Courant.com|access-date=April 30, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171215003011/http://www.courant.com/entertainment/music/hc-trinity-hip-hop-festival-in-hartford-0409-20150403-story.html|archive-date=December 15, 2017|url-status=live}}

In July 2017, Hartford considered filing Chapter 9 bankruptcy. After years of contending with a shrinking population base and high pension obligations,{{Cite news|last1=Rojas|first1=Rick|last2=Walsh|first2=Mary Williams|date=August 15, 2017|title=Hartford, With Its Finances in Disarray, Veers Toward Bankruptcy|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/15/nyregion/hartford-with-its-finances-in-disarray-veers-toward-bankruptcy.html|access-date=February 21, 2022|issn=0362-4331}} a $65 million budget gap was projected for the year of 2018.{{Cite web|last=Condon|first=Tom|date=June 9, 2017|title=For Hartford, bankruptcy not an easy way out|url=http://ctmirror.org/2017/06/09/for-hartford-bankruptcy-not-an-easy-way-out/|access-date=February 21, 2022|website=CT Mirror|language=en-US}} The city had cut budget of public services and gotten union concessions however these measures did not balance the budget. A state bailout later that year kept the city from filing for bankruptcy.{{Cite news|url=http://www.courant.com/community/hartford/hc-hartford-bankruptcy-lawyer-20170706-story.html|title=Hartford Hires Bankruptcy Lawyer As City Officials Weigh Options|last=Carlesso|first=Jenna|website=Courant.com|access-date=July 9, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170709081911/http://www.courant.com/community/hartford/hc-hartford-bankruptcy-lawyer-20170706-story.html|archive-date=July 9, 2017|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|url=http://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/Law-Firm-to-Help-Hartford-Evaluate-Restructuring-Efforts-Greenberg-Traurig-LLP-432939023.html|title=Law Firm to Help Hartford Evaluate Restructuring Efforts|work=NBC Connecticut|access-date=July 9, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170709081907/http://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/Law-Firm-to-Help-Hartford-Evaluate-Restructuring-Efforts-Greenberg-Traurig-LLP-432939023.html|archive-date=July 9, 2017|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|url=http://www.courant.com/politics/hc-pol-malloy-defends-hartford-bailout-20180413-story.html|title=Gov. Malloy Defends Long-Term Hartford Bailout|last=Keating|first=Christopher|website=Courant.com|access-date=October 10, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181010215627/http://www.courant.com/politics/hc-pol-malloy-defends-hartford-bailout-20180413-story.html|archive-date=October 10, 2018|url-status=live}}

Downtown Hartford is busy during the day with commuters, but tends to be quiet in the evenings and weekends. However, more residential and retail development in recent years has begun changing the pattern.{{Cite news |last1=Baker |first1=Mike |last2=Healy |first2=Jack |last3=Rojas |first3=Rick |last4=Sandoval |first4=Edgar |last5=Bosman |first5=Julie |last6=Fawcett |first6=Eliza |last7=Cochrane |first7=Emily |last8=Robertson |first8=Campbell |date=October 26, 2022 |title=Meet Me Downtown |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/10/26/us/us-cities-downtown-chicago-seattle.html |access-date=October 28, 2022 |issn=0362-4331}}

File:Hartford Connecticut Aerial (33020933466).jpg

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of {{convert|18.0|sqmi|km2}}, of which {{convert|17.3|sqmi|km2}} is land and {{convert|0.7|sqmi|km2|1}} (3.67%) is water.{{cite web|url=http://www.ct.gov/ecd/cwp/view.asp?a=1106&q=250664|title=DECD: DECD:Connecticut Population, Land Area, and Density by Location|last=Office|first=Enter your Company or Top-Level|website=ct.gov|access-date=April 30, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160827022010/http://www.ct.gov/ecd/cwp/view.asp?a=1106&q=250664|archive-date=August 27, 2016|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/table/POP060210/0937000|title=Population per square mile, 2010|website=Census.gov|access-date=April 30, 2017}}

The city of Hartford is bordered by the towns of West Hartford, Newington, Wethersfield, East Hartford, Bloomfield, South Windsor, Glastonbury, and Windsor. The Connecticut River forms the boundary between Hartford and East Hartford, and is located on the east side of the city.{{Cite news|url=http://www.courant.com/courant-250/moments-in-history/hc-250-hartford-river-history-1026-20141024-story.html|title=Hartford: A City On The River|last=GRANT|first=STEVE|website=Courant.com|access-date=April 30, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160417041418/http://www.courant.com/courant-250/moments-in-history/hc-250-hartford-river-history-1026-20141024-story.html|archive-date=April 17, 2016|url-status=live}}

The Park River originally divided Hartford into northern and southern sections and was a major part of Bushnell Park, but the river was nearly completely enclosed and buried by flood control projects in the 1940s.{{cite web |url=http://www.bushnellpark.org/parkriver.html |title=Bushnell Park |website= |access-date=February 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070622144227/http://www.bushnellpark.org/parkriver.html |archive-date=June 22, 2007 |url-status=dead}} The former course of the river can still be seen in some of the roadways that were built in the river's place, such as Jewell Street and the Conlin-Whitehead Highway.{{cite web |url=http://www.past-inc.org/historic-bridges/stone-mainst.html |title=Main Street Bridge |website=Past-inc.org |access-date=June 9, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120619234321/http://www.past-inc.org/historic-bridges/stone-mainst.html |archive-date=June 19, 2012 |url-status=dead }}

File:StateHouseSqHartford.jpg

The Köppen climate classification categorizes Hartford as the hot-summer humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa) bordering on Cfa humid subtropical under the 0 °C isotherm. Winters are moderately cold, with periods of snow, while summers are hot and humid. Spring and fall are normally transition seasons, with weather ranging from warm to cool. The city of Hartford lies in USDA Hardiness zone 6b-7a.{{cite web|url=http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/|title=USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map|website=planthardiness.ars.usda.gov|access-date=May 19, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140227032333/http://planthardiness.ars.usda.gov/PHZMWeb/|archive-date=February 27, 2014|url-status=dead}}

Seasonally, the period from April through October is warm to hot in Hartford, with the hottest months being June, July, and August. In the summer months there is often high humidity and occasional (but brief) thundershowers. The cool to cold months are from November through March, with the coldest months in December, January, and February having average highs of {{convert|35|to|38|°F|°C|abbr=on}} and overnight lows of around {{convert|18|to|23|°F|°C|abbr=on}}.{{cite web|url=http://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=box|title=National Weather Service Climate|last=Team|first=National Weather Service Corporate Image Web|website=W2.weather.gov|access-date=May 19, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170505025324/http://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=box|archive-date=May 5, 2017|url-status=live}}

The average annual precipitation is approximately {{convert|47.05|in|mm|sigfig=3}}, which is distributed fairly evenly throughout the year. Hartford typically receives about {{convert|51.7|in|cm|0}} of snow in an average winter—about 40% more than coastal Connecticut cities like New Haven, Stamford, and New London. Seasonal snowfall has ranged from {{convert|115.2|in|cm|0}} during the winter of 1995–96 to {{convert|13.5|in|cm|0}} in 1999–2000.{{cite web|url=http://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/techrpts/tr9602/tr9602.pdf |title=The Winter of 95–96: A Season of Extremes, National Climatic Data Center |access-date=June 9, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130522111657/http://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/techrpts/tr9602/tr9602.pdf |archive-date=May 22, 2013 |url-status=live}} During the summer, temperatures reach or exceed {{convert|90|°F}} on an average of 17 days per year; in the winter, overnight temperatures can dip to a range of {{convert|5 to -5|°F||abbr=}} on at least one night a year. Tropical storms and hurricanes have also struck Hartford, although the occurrence of such systems is rare and is usually confined to the remnants of such storms. Hartford saw extensive damage from the 1938 New England Hurricane, as well as with Hurricane Irene in 2011. The highest officially recorded temperature is {{convert|103|°F|0|abbr=on}} on July 22, 2011, and the lowest is {{convert|-26|°F|0|abbr=on}} on January 22, 1961; the record cold daily maximum is {{convert|-2|°F|0|abbr=}} on December 2, 1917, while, conversely, the record warm daily minimum is {{convert|80|°F|0}} on July 31, 1917.

{{Hartford–Springfield weatherbox}}

{{Main|Neighborhoods of Hartford, Connecticut}}

File:PrattStHartford.jpg

The central business district, as well as the State Capitol, Old State House and a number of museums and shops are located Downtown.{{cite web|url=http://hartford.omaxfield.com/citycenter/citycenter.html|title=Hartford, Connecticut: Landmarks ~ History ~ Neighborhoods {{!}} City Center|last=O'Maxfield|first=Karen|website=hartford.omaxfield.com|access-date=May 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161128210339/http://hartford.omaxfield.com/citycenter/citycenter.html|archive-date=November 28, 2016|url-status=live}} Parkville, home to Real Art Ways, is named for the confluence of the north and the south branches of the Park River.{{cite web|url=http://hartford.omaxfield.com/neighborhoods/parkville.html|title=Hartford, Connecticut: Landmarks ~ History ~ Neighborhoods {{!}} Parkville|last=O'Maxfield|first=Karen|website=hartford.omaxfield.com|access-date=May 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161129090614/http://hartford.omaxfield.com/neighborhoods/parkville.html|archive-date=November 29, 2016|url-status=live}} Frog Hollow, in close proximity to Downtown, is home to Pope Park and Trinity College, which is one of the nation's oldest institutions of higher learning.{{cite web|url=http://hartford.omaxfield.com/neighborhoods/frog.html|title=Hartford, Connecticut: Landmarks ~ History ~ Neighborhoods {{!}} Frog Hollow|last=O'Maxfield|first=Karen|website=hartford.omaxfield.com|access-date=May 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161128210025/http://hartford.omaxfield.com/neighborhoods/frog.html|archive-date=November 28, 2016|url-status=live}} Asylum Hill, a mixed residential and commercial area, houses the headquarters of several insurance companies as well as the historic homes of Mark Twain and Harriet Beecher Stowe.{{cite web|url=http://hartford.omaxfield.com/neighborhoods/asylum.html|title=Hartford, Connecticut: Landmarks ~ History ~ Neighborhoods {{!}} Asylum Hill|last=O'Maxfield|first=Karen|website=hartford.omaxfield.com|access-date=May 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161128113335/http://hartford.omaxfield.com/neighborhoods/asylum.html|archive-date=November 28, 2016|url-status=live}} The West End, home to the Governor's residence, Elizabeth Park, and the University of Connecticut School of Law, abuts the Hartford Golf Club.{{cite web|url=http://hartford.omaxfield.com/neighborhoods/westend.html|title=Hartford, Connecticut: Landmarks ~ History ~ Neighborhoods {{!}} West End|last=O'Maxfield|first=Karen|website=hartford.omaxfield.com|access-date=May 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161128205825/http://hartford.omaxfield.com/neighborhoods/westend.html|archive-date=November 28, 2016|url-status=live}} Sheldon Charter Oak is renowned as the location of the Charter Oak and its successor monument as well as the former Colt headquarters including Samuel Colt's family estate, Armsmear.{{cite web|url=http://hartford.omaxfield.com/neighborhoods/sheldonco.html|title=Hartford, Connecticut: Landmarks ~ History ~ Neighborhoods {{!}} Sheldon/Charter Oak|last=O'Maxfield|first=Karen|website=hartford.omaxfield.com|access-date=May 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161129090709/http://hartford.omaxfield.com/neighborhoods/sheldonco.html|archive-date=November 29, 2016|url-status=live}} The North East neighborhood is home to Keney Park and a number of the city's oldest and most ornate homes.{{cite web|url=http://hartford.omaxfield.com/neighborhoods/noeast.html|title=Hartford, Connecticut: Landmarks ~ History ~ Neighborhoods {{!}} North East|last=O'Maxfield|first=Karen|website=hartford.omaxfield.com|access-date=May 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161128210104/http://hartford.omaxfield.com/neighborhoods/noeast.html|archive-date=November 28, 2016|url-status=live}} The South End features "Little Italy" and was the home of Hartford's sizeable Italian community.{{cite web|url=http://hartford.omaxfield.com/neighborhoods/soend.html|title=Hartford, Connecticut: Landmarks ~ History ~ Neighborhoods {{!}} South End|last=O'Maxfield|first=Karen|website=hartford.omaxfield.com|access-date=May 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161128234234/http://hartford.omaxfield.com/neighborhoods/soend.html|archive-date=November 28, 2016|url-status=live}} South Green hosts Hartford Hospital.{{cite web|url=http://hartford.omaxfield.com/neighborhoods/sogreen.html|title=Hartford, Connecticut: Landmarks ~ History ~ Neighborhoods {{!}} South Green|last=O'Maxfield|first=Karen|website=hartford.omaxfield.com|access-date=May 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170510031335/http://hartford.omaxfield.com/neighborhoods/sogreen.html|archive-date=May 10, 2017|url-status=live}} The South Meadows is the site of Hartford–Brainard Airport and Hartford's industrial community.{{cite web|url=http://hartford.omaxfield.com/neighborhoods/somead.html|title=Hartford, Connecticut: Landmarks ~ History ~ Neighborhoods {{!}} South Meadows|last=O'Maxfield|first=Karen|website=hartford.omaxfield.com|access-date=May 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161128210457/http://hartford.omaxfield.com/neighborhoods/somead.html|archive-date=November 28, 2016|url-status=live}} The North Meadows has retail strips, car dealerships, and Comcast Theatre.{{cite web|url=http://hartford.omaxfield.com/neighborhoods/nomead.html|title=Hartford, Connecticut: Landmarks ~ History ~ Neighborhoods {{!}} North Meadows|last=O'Maxfield|first=Karen|website=hartford.omaxfield.com|access-date=May 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161129025657/http://hartford.omaxfield.com/neighborhoods/nomead.html|archive-date=November 29, 2016|url-status=live}} Blue Hills is home of the University of Hartford and also houses the largest per capita of residents claiming Jamaican-American heritage in the United States.{{cite web|url=http://hartford.omaxfield.com/neighborhoods/blue.html|title=Hartford, Connecticut: Landmarks ~ History ~ Neighborhoods {{!}} Blue Hills|last=O'Maxfield|first=Karen|website=hartford.omaxfield.com|access-date=May 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170510023938/http://hartford.omaxfield.com/neighborhoods/blue.html|archive-date=May 10, 2017|url-status=live}} Other neighborhoods in Hartford include Barry Square, Behind the Rocks, Clay Arsenal, South West, and Upper Albany, which is dotted by many Caribbean restaurants and specialty stores.{{cite web|url=http://hartford.omaxfield.com/|title=Hartford, Connecticut: Landmarks ~ History ~ Neighborhoods {{!}} Main Landing Page|last=O'Maxfield|first=Karen|website=hartford.omaxfield.com|access-date=March 4, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170506131754/http://hartford.omaxfield.com/|archive-date=May 6, 2017|url-status=live}}

{{See also|List of Connecticut locations by per capita income}}

{{US Census population

|1790= 2683

|1800= 3523

|1810= 3955

|1820= 4726

|1830= 7074

|1840= 9468

|1850= 17966

|1860= 29152

|1870= 37180

|1880= 42015

|1890= 53230

|1900= 79850

|1910= 98915

|1920= 138036

|1930= 164072

|1940= 166267

|1950= 177397

|1960= 162178

|1970= 158017

|1980= 136392

|1990= 139739

|2000= 121578

|2010= 124775

|footnote=Population 1800–1990{{cite web |url=http://www.census.gov/population/documentation/twps0076/CTtab.pdf |title=Table 7. Connecticut - Race and Hispanic Origin for Selected Large Cities and Other Places: Earliest Census to 1990 |website=Census.gov |access-date=January 11, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060629035530/http://www.census.gov/population/documentation/twps0076/CTtab.pdf |archive-date=June 29, 2006 |url-status=dead}}

|2020=121054}}

File:Race and ethnicity 2020 Hartford, CT.png

At the 2010 United States census,{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=January 31, 2008|title=U.S. Census website}} there were 124,775 people, 44,986 households, and 27,171 families residing in the city. At the American Community Survey's 2019 estimates, the population increased to 123,088. The 2020 United States census tabulated a population of 121,054.{{cite web|date=August 13, 2021|title=Census Data Shows Shifts In Connecticut's Demographics|url=http://ctnewsjunkie.com/2021/08/13/census-data-shows-shifts-in-connecticuts-demographics/|access-date=August 14, 2021|website=Ctnewsjunkie.com|language=en-US}}

Hartford's racial and ethnic makeup in 2019 was 36.0% White, 42.7% Black or African American, 23.7% some other race, 3.4% Asian, 1.2% American Indian or Alaska Native, and 0.3% Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islanders. 43.4% of the population were Hispanic or Latino, chiefly of Puerto Rican origin.[http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/09/0937000.html Hartford (city) QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120508110327/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/09/0937000.html |date=May 8, 2012 }}. Quickfacts.census.gov. Retrieved July 15, 2013. Non-Hispanic Whites were 15.8% of the population in 2010.{{cite web|url=http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/09/0937000.html |title=Hartford (city), Connecticut |work=State & County QuickFacts |publisher=U.S. Census Bureau |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120508110327/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/09/0937000.html |archive-date=May 8, 2012 }}

The city's Hispanic and Latino population primarily consisted of Puerto Ricans (33.63%), Dominicans (3.0%), Mexicans (1.6%), Cubans (0.4%) and other Hispanic or Latinos at 5.63%.{{Cite web|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=ACSDP1Y2019.DP05&g=1600000US0937000&tid=ACSDP5Y2019.DP05&hidePreview=true|title=Explore Census Data|website=Data.census.gov|access-date=February 15, 2022}}

The Hispanic and Latino population is concentrated on the city's south side, while African Americans are concentrated in the north. The white population forms a majority in only two census tracts: the downtown area and the far northwest. Nevertheless, many areas in the middle of the city, in Asylum Hill, and in West End, have a significant white population. More than three-quarters (77%) of the Hispanic population was Puerto Rican (with more than half born on the island of Puerto Rico) and fully 33.7% of all Hartford residents claimed Puerto Rican heritage. This is the second-largest concentration of Puerto Ricans in the Northeast, behind only Holyoke, Massachusetts, approximately {{convert|30|mi|km}} to the north along the Connecticut River.{{Cite journal|last=Sacks|first=Michael Paul|date=May 1, 2011|title=The Puerto Rican effect on Hispanic residential segregation: A study of the Hartford and Springfield metro areas in national perspective|journal=Latino Studies|volume=9|issue=1|pages=87–105|doi=10.1057/lst.2011.1|s2cid=143975677|issn=1476-3435}}{{cite web|url=http://www.csg-erc.org/wp-content/uploads/2013annualmeeting/documents/Matos.pdf|title=Puerto Ricans in the United States: Past, Present and Future|last1=Rodríguez|first1=Félix|last2=Matos|first2=V.|date=December 9, 2013|website=Eastern Regional Conference|access-date=May 29, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150929064303/http://www.csg-erc.org/wp-content/uploads/2013annualmeeting/documents/Matos.pdf|archive-date=September 29, 2015|url-status=dead}}

There are small but recognizable concentrations of people with origins in Mexico, Colombia, Peru, and the Dominican Republic as well. Among the non-Hispanic population, the largest ancestry group is from Jamaica; in 2014, Hartford was home to an estimated 11,400 Jamaican Americans, as well as another 1,200 people who identified otherwise as West Indian Americans.{{cite web |title=Hartford, Connecticut: A Demographic Report (2014) |url=http://www.hartford.gov/images/facts/HartfordDemographic2014_Complete.pdf |website=hartford.gov |publisher=Department of Families, Children, Youth and Recreation |access-date=September 11, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161229232612/http://www.hartford.gov/images/facts/HartfordDemographic2014_Complete.pdf |archive-date=December 29, 2016 |url-status=live }}

There were 44,986 households, out of which 34.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 25.2% were married couples living together, 29.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.6% were non-families. 33.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.33.

In the city, the population distribution skews young: 30.1% under the age of 18, 12.6% from 18 to 24, 29.8% from 25 to 44, 18.0% from 45 to 64, and 9.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $20,820, and the median income for a family was $22,051. Males had a median income of $28,444 versus $26,131 for females. The per capita income for the city was $13,428.

File:Travelers Tower, Hartford, Connecticut.jpg in Downtown Hartford]]

Hartford is a center for medical care, research, and education. Within the city of Hartford itself, hospitals include Hartford Hospital, The Institute of Living, Connecticut Children's Medical Center, and Saint Francis Hospital & Medical Center (which merged in 1990 with Mount Sinai Hospital).{{cite web|url=http://www.connquest.com/ct/hospitals.html|title=Hospitals in Connecticut|website=connquest.com|access-date=May 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170827054751/http://www.connquest.com/ct/hospitals.html|archive-date=August 27, 2017|url-status=live}}

Hartford is also the historic international center of the insurance industry, with companies like Aetna, Conning & Company, The Hartford, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, The Phoenix Companies, and Hartford Steam Boiler based in the city, and companies like Prudential Financial, Lincoln National Corporation, Sun Life Financial{{Cite web|url=https://www.sunlife.com/en/newsroom/news-releases/announcement/sun-life-us-moves-connecticut-office-to-downtown-hartford/123564/|title=News releases|website=Sunlife.com|access-date=February 15, 2022}} Travelers, United Healthcare and Axa XL{{cite web |url=https://axaxl.com/insurance/insurance-coverage/professional-insurance/xl-professional/contacts |title=Professional Liability |access-date=July 20, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190720004029/https://axaxl.com/insurance/insurance-coverage/professional-insurance/xl-professional/contacts |archive-date=July 20, 2019 |url-status=live }} having major operations in the city. Insurance giant Aetna had its headquarters in Hartford before announcing a relocation to New York City in July 2017.{{cite news |title=Insurance Giant Aetna Is Leaving Hartford for New York City Image |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/29/nyregion/insurance-giant-aetna-is-leaving-hartford-for-new-york.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=June 29, 2017 |access-date=October 30, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181030205910/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/29/nyregion/insurance-giant-aetna-is-leaving-hartford-for-new-york.html |archive-date=October 30, 2018 |url-status=live |last1=Nir |first1=Sarah Maslin }} However, when CVS acquired Aetna a few months later, they announced Aetna would remain in Hartford for at least four years.{{cite web |title=Aetna will stay in Hartford as part of CVS Health acquisition |date=January 15, 2018 |url=https://www.healthexec.com/topics/leadership/aetna-will-stay-hartford-part-cvs-health-acquisition |publisher=HealthExec |access-date=October 30, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181030205859/https://www.healthexec.com/topics/leadership/aetna-will-stay-hartford-part-cvs-health-acquisition |archive-date=October 30, 2018 |url-status=live }} The city is also home to the corporate headquarters of CareCentrix, Choice Merchant Solutions, Global Atlantic Financial Group, Hartford Healthcare, Insurity, LAZ Parking, ProPark Mobility, U.S. Fire Arms, and Virtus Investment Partners.{{Cite news|url=http://www.courant.com/business/hc-fortune-500-connecticut-20160606-story.html|title=Connecticut Has 19 Companies On Fortune 500 List|website=Courant.com|access-date=May 19, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170502001853/http://www.courant.com/business/hc-fortune-500-connecticut-20160606-story.html|archive-date=May 2, 2017|url-status=live}}

In 2008, Sovereign Bank consolidated two bank branches as well as its regional headquarters in a nineteenth-century palazzo on Asylum Street.{{Cite news|url=http://articles.courant.com/2013-10-16/business/hc-santander-sovereign-20131016_1_santander-regional-bank-deposit-market-share|title=Sovereign Name Changes To Santander|website=Tribunedigital-thecourant|access-date=May 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151029184545/http://articles.courant.com/2013-10-16/business/hc-santander-sovereign-20131016_1_santander-regional-bank-deposit-market-share|archive-date=October 29, 2015|url-status=dead}} Bank of America and People's United Financial have a significant corporate presence in Hartford. In 2009, Northeast Utilities, a Fortune 500 company and New England's largest energy utility, announced it would establish its corporate headquarters downtown.{{Cite news|url=https://www.courant.com/2009/08/30/northeast-utilities-and-hamilton-sundstrand-donate-computers/|title=Northeast Utilities And Hamilton Sundstrand Donate Computers|website=Tribunedigital-thecourant|access-date=May 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151026182207/http://articles.courant.com/2009-08-30/news/6donation0830.art_1_urban-schools-united-technologies-corporation-computer-sciences-corporation|archive-date=October 26, 2015|url-status=live}}

Hartford is a burgeoning technology hub. In March 2018, Infosys announced that opening of a new technology innovation hub in Hartford, creating up to 1,000 jobs by 2022. The Hartford technology innovation hub will focus on three key sectors- insurance, healthcare and manufacturing.{{cite web|url=http://www.hartfordbusiness.com/article/20180314/NEWS01/180319950|title=Global IT giant Infosys to bring 1,000 jobs to Hartford|access-date=March 19, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180319214153/http://www.hartfordbusiness.com/article/20180314/NEWS01/180319950|archive-date=March 19, 2018|url-status=live}} Hartford has continued to attract technology companies including CGI Inc.,{{cite press release|url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cgi-celebrates-new-location-in-hartford-connecticut-301382007.html|title = CGI celebrates new location in Hartford, Connecticut|website=Prnewswire.com}} Covr Financial Technologies,{{cite press release|url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/covr-financial-technologies-opens-corporate-office-in-hartford-ct-300834991.html|title = Covr Financial Technologies Opens Corporate Office in Hartford, CT|website=Prnewswire.com}} GalaxE. Solutions,{{cite web|url=https://galaxe.com/resources/press-releases/galaxe-solutions-hartford-hiring-event/,|title=GalaxE.Solutions Announces Hartford Hiring Event on March 4th|website=Galaxe.com|date=February 27, 2020}} HCL Technologies{{cite web|url=https://www.hcltech.com/press-releases/press-releases-business/hcl-technologies-brings-new-jobs-northeast-hartford-center |title=HCL Technologies Brings New Jobs to the Northeast with Hartford Center Opening | HCL Technologies |website=Hcltech.com |date=November 12, 2021 |access-date=February 15, 2022}} and Larsen & Toubro.{{cite news|url=https://www.business-standard.com/article/news-cm/lti-sets-up-servicenow-experience-center-innovation-lab-in-hartford-ct-122041400370_1.html|title=LTI sets up ServiceNow Experience Center & Innovation Lab in Hartford, CT |newspaper=Business Standard India |date=April 14, 2022 |last1=Market |first1=Capital }} Insurance software provided Insurity is also headquartered in the city.

Local unemployment remains high in Hartford compared to other cities, the state, and the U.S. Of the four major cities in Connecticut (Bridgeport, New Haven, and Stamford), Hartford's unemployment rate of 7.5% in the fall of 2018 was the highest.{{cite web|url=https://www.homefacts.com/unemployment/Connecticut/Hartford-County/Hartford.html|title=Hartford, CT Unemployment | Homefacts|website=homefacts.com|access-date=October 30, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181031052403/https://www.homefacts.com/unemployment/Connecticut/Hartford-County/Hartford.html|archive-date=October 31, 2018|url-status=live}} As a whole, Connecticut's unemployment rate remains above 5% while the national rate hovers just under 4%.

The first American cookbook was American Cookery, The Art of Dressing Viands, Fish, Poultry, and Vegetables by Amelia Simmons, published in Hartford by Hudson & Goodwin in 1796. It was also the first cookbook to include recipes for squash and cornmeal, and it contained the first published recipe for pumpkin pie. It influenced a generation of American baking with a recipe for leavening bread with pearl ash.{{cite journal |last1=Huget |first1=Jennifer |title=America's First Cookbook |journal=Hog River Journal |date=Spring 2006}} The full text of the book is available online.{{cite web |title=Full text of "American Cookery: The Art of Dressing Viands, Fish, Poultry, and Vegetables" |url=https://archive.org/stream/americancookery12815gut/12815.txt |website=Archive.org |access-date=June 26, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151211162521/https://archive.org/stream/americancookery12815gut/12815.txt |archive-date=December 11, 2015 |url-status=live }}

Hartford's cuisine was shaped by its early settlers, who brought Dutch and English influence which combined with that of the Saukiog Native Americans in the area. The first half of the 20th century brought significant Polish immigration and a number of Polish restaurants, some of which still operate today.{{cite web |title=HISTORY, TRADITION, CULTURE |url=http://polishhomect.org/history-tradition-culture/ |website=polishnationalhomect.org |publisher=The Polish National Home of Hartford |access-date=June 26, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180627062310/http://polishhomect.org/history-tradition-culture/ |archive-date=June 27, 2018 |url-status=live }} Italian food wasn't always accepted; a long-time Hartford restaurant owner recollected that, "in 1938, you wouldn't put an Italian name on a restaurant sign because everyone would think you were associated with the Mafia."{{cite web |last1=Cohn |first1=Lindsay |title=Made in Connecticut: Flavors only found in Hartford |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/experience/food-and-wine/2017/02/27/made-connecticut-flavors-only-found-hartford/98263356/ |work=USA Today |access-date=June 26, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180626091243/https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/experience/food-and-wine/2017/02/27/made-connecticut-flavors-only-found-hartford/98263356/ |archive-date=June 26, 2018 |url-status=live }} The New York Times remarked on the diversity of food available in Hartford in 1979, noting that "Hartford has undergone a culinary revolution in recent years."{{cite news |last1=Brooks |first1=Patricia |title=What's Doing in HARTFORD |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/01/21/archives/whats-doing-in-hartford.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=January 21, 1979 |access-date=June 26, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180627065907/https://www.nytimes.com/1979/01/21/archives/whats-doing-in-hartford.html |archive-date=June 27, 2018 |url-status=live }}

Hartford earned praise from Food and Wine as "a foodie destination".{{cite web |last1=Landsel |first1=David |title=A Good Thing Has Happened in Hartford |url=https://www.foodandwine.com/travel/hartford-story-soil-coffee-shop |website=foodandwine.com |publisher=Food and Wine |access-date=June 26, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180627041014/https://www.foodandwine.com/travel/hartford-story-soil-coffee-shop |archive-date=June 27, 2018 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |last1=Landsel |first1=David |title=Will Food Make People Fall in Love With Hartford? |url=https://www.foodandwine.com/travel/will-food-make-people-fall-in-love-hartford |website=foodandwine.com |publisher=Food and Wine |access-date=June 26, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180626083317/https://www.foodandwine.com/travel/will-food-make-people-fall-in-love-hartford |archive-date=June 26, 2018 |url-status=live }} Food trucks are restricted to designated areas in the city, mostly along Bushnell Park in Downtown Hartford and at farmers' markets.{{cite web |last1=Stearns |first1=John |title=Food truck craze spreads across Greater Hartford |url=http://www.hartfordbusiness.com/article/20170619/PRINTEDITION/306159953/food-truck-craze-spreads-across-greater-hartford |website=hartfordbusiness.com |publisher=Hartford business magazine |access-date=June 26, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180627034711/http://www.hartfordbusiness.com/article/20170619/PRINTEDITION/306159953/food-truck-craze-spreads-across-greater-hartford |archive-date=June 27, 2018 |url-status=live }} Food can today be found throughout the city from a very wide variety of ethnic influence.{{cite news |last1=Connecticut Magazine editorial staff |title=Best Restaurants 2018: Experts' Picks |url=http://www.connecticutmag.com/bests-tops/best-restaurants-experts-picks/article_b0280f0a-e125-11e7-9c46-33f9f1776a85.html |work=Connecticut Magazine |date=December 27, 2017 |access-date=June 26, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180109113941/http://www.connecticutmag.com/bests-tops/best-restaurants-experts-picks/article_b0280f0a-e125-11e7-9c46-33f9f1776a85.html |archive-date=January 9, 2018 |url-status=live }}

Hartford hosts a number of seasonal farmers' markets.{{cite web |title=West End Farmers Market Strawberry Shortcake Day |url=http://www.connecticutmag.com/calendar/west-end-farmers-market-strawberry-shortcake-day/event_a0103608-6f53-11e8-8a7a-308d99b2d38c.html |work=Connecticut Magazine |access-date=June 26, 2018 }}{{Dead link|date=January 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}{{cite news |title=Serving the Community, Satisfying the Palate |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/24/nyregion/24dinect.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=January 22, 2010 |access-date=June 26, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180627074543/https://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/24/nyregion/24dinect.html |archive-date=June 27, 2018 |url-status=live |last1=Spiegel |first1=Jan Ellen }} The Hartford Regional Market is the largest market between New York City and Boston.{{cite web |title=Facts About the Hartford Regional Market |url=http://www.ct.gov/doag/cwp/view.asp?a=1370&q=259160 |website=ct.gov |publisher=Connecticut Department of Agriculture |access-date=June 26, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180626082936/http://www.ct.gov/doag/cwp/view.asp?a=1370&q=259160 |archive-date=June 26, 2018 |url-status=live }} In 2018, the Connecticut State Assembly voted to transfer ownership of the Regional Market to the Capital Region Development Authority, leaving its future somewhat uncertain.{{cite web |title=Sudden Change in Ownership for Hartford Regional Market |url=http://www.courant.com/real-estate/property-line/hc-hartford-regional-market-redevelopment20180605-story.html |website=courant.com |date=June 7, 2018 |publisher=Hartford Courant |access-date=June 26, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180627035240/http://www.courant.com/real-estate/property-line/hc-hartford-regional-market-redevelopment20180605-story.html |archive-date=June 27, 2018 |url-status=live }}

The seashore is less than {{convert|35|mi|km}} away and has played a large role in Hartford's food habits.{{cite book|last1=McFarland |first1=Raymond |title=A History of the New England Fisheries: With Maps. |url=https://archive.org/details/historyofnewengl00mcfarich |date=1911 |publisher=University of Pennsylvania |location=New York}} Recently there has been an aquaculture boom in Long Island Sound,{{cite web |last1=Walker Bohm |first1=Jessica |title=Aquaculture Makes Waves in Connecticut |url=https://www.farmflavor.com/connecticut/making-waves-connecticut/ |website=farmflavor.com |date=January 2017 |publisher=Farm Flavor |access-date=June 26, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180626110917/https://www.farmflavor.com/connecticut/making-waves-connecticut/ |archive-date=June 26, 2018 |url-status=live}} and as a result local kelp has started to appear on plates.{{cite web |last1=Luke Groskin and |first1=Brandon Echter |title=Kelp: It's What's For Dinner |url=https://www.sciencefriday.com/videos/kelp-its-whats-for-dinner/ |website=sciencefriday.com |publisher=Science Friday |access-date=June 26, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180627035709/https://www.sciencefriday.com/videos/kelp-its-whats-for-dinner/ |archive-date=June 27, 2018 |url-status=live }} The Connecticut River Valley is the most agriculturally productive region in New EnglandThe Traveler's Guide to Western New England and the Connecticut River Valley {{ISBN|978-0-679-74413-9}} p. xvi and neighboring Wethersfield is renowned for its red onions, whose smell was said to waft into Hartford when production was at its historical height in the early 1800s.{{cite web |title=The Rise and Fall of the Wethersfield Red Onion |url=http://www.newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/rise-fall-wethersfield-red-onion/ |date=November 24, 2013 |publisher=New England Historical Society |access-date=June 26, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180627062325/http://www.newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/rise-fall-wethersfield-red-onion/ |archive-date=June 27, 2018 |url-status=live }}

Hartford and the surrounding area have a vibrant craft beer, cider, and spirit industry,{{cite web |last1=Goldberg |first1=Morgan |title=Distinctly Connecticut beer destinations |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/experience/food-and-wine/2018/03/20/connecticut-craft-beer-breweries/437741002/ |date=March 20, 2018 |work=USA Today |access-date=June 26, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180627041107/https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/experience/food-and-wine/2018/03/20/connecticut-craft-beer-breweries/437741002/ |archive-date=June 27, 2018 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |last1=Kramer |first1=Jack |title=Craft Brewers Call On Lawmakers To Lift Limits |url=https://www.ctnewsjunkie.com/archives/entry/20180306_craft_brewers_call_on_lawmakers_to_lift_limits/ |date=March 6, 2018 |publisher=CT New Junkie |access-date=June 26, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180627034310/https://www.ctnewsjunkie.com/archives/entry/20180306_craft_brewers_call_on_lawmakers_to_lift_limits/ |archive-date=June 27, 2018 |url-status=live }} and there were more than two dozen breweries and distilleries in the Hartford area in 2017.{{cite web |title=States Brewers Concerned by SABMiller, Anheuser-Busch InBev Merger |url=http://www.courant.com/community/hartford/hc-hartford-breweries-concerned-20170814-story.html |date=August 15, 2017 |publisher=Hartford Courant |access-date=June 26, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180627034645/http://www.courant.com/community/hartford/hc-hartford-breweries-concerned-20170814-story.html |archive-date=June 27, 2018 |url-status=live }} The Connecticut Spirits Trail has a number of stops in Hartford and surrounding towns.{{cite web |title=Map |url=http://ctspiritstrail.com/map/ |publisher=Connecticut Spirits Trail |access-date=June 26, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180627090817/http://ctspiritstrail.com/map/ |archive-date=June 27, 2018 |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |last1=Lozier |first1=Chris |title=Building the CT Spirits Trail |url=http://artisanspiritmag.com/building-the-ct-spirits-trail/ |date=January 24, 2017 |publisher=Artisan Spirit Magazine |access-date=June 26, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180627034703/http://artisanspiritmag.com/building-the-ct-spirits-trail/ |archive-date=June 27, 2018 |url-status=dead }} These businesses all feed the city's collection of bars and nightclubs.{{cite news |last1=Yuravich |first1=Albie |title=Raise a Glass to Connecticut's Best Bars |url=http://www.connecticutmag.com/food-drink/raise-a-glass-to-connecticut-s-best-bars/article_a4cc53b4-1596-11e8-ab1f-fb71b78d8756.html |work=Connecticut Magazine |date=February 19, 2018 |access-date=June 26, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180311201015/http://www.connecticutmag.com/food-drink/raise-a-glass-to-connecticut-s-best-bars/article_a4cc53b4-1596-11e8-ab1f-fb71b78d8756.html |archive-date=March 11, 2018 |url-status=live }}

{{Prose|section|date=February 2022}}

File:Aetna building in Hartford, Connecticut 2, 2009-09-02.jpg

File:Armsmear (Hartford, CT).jpg]]

File:Cathedral of Saint Joseph in Hartford 3, 2009-09-02.jpg

File:Cheney Building, Hartford CT - main facade composite.jpg

File:Katharine Seymour Day House.jpg house; it now forms part of the research center dedicated to Stowe.]]

File:Connecticut Science Center.jpg

File:Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford, Connecticut.JPG{{See also|List of public art in Hartford, Connecticut}}

• Aetna building – Aetna building on Farmington Avenue is the world's largest colonial revival building, crowned by a tall Georgian tower inspired by the Old State House downtown.{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/onehundredyears00jordgoog|title=One Hundred Years of Fire Insurance: Being a History of the Ætna Insurance Company, Hartford, Connecticut, 1819–1919|last1=Gall|first1=Henry Ross|last2=Jordan|first2=William George|date=1919|publisher=Ætna insurance Company|language=en|access-date=May 20, 2017}}
• Ancient Burying Ground – The oldest historic site in Hartford and the city's first graveyard. Many of Hartford's renowned residents and founders are buried there.{{cite web|url=http://theancientburyingground.org/history/251-2/|title=Center Church {{!}} Hartford's Ancient Burying Ground|website=theancientburyingground.org|access-date=May 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161105031216/http://theancientburyingground.org/history/251-2/|archive-date=November 5, 2016|url-status=live}}
• Armsmear – The Colt family estate.{{cite web|url=http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=611&ResourceType=Building |title=National Historic Landmarks Program (NHL) |date=October 6, 2007 |access-date=May 20, 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071006111906/http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=611&ResourceType=Building |archive-date=October 6, 2007 }}
• Bulkeley Bridge – A stone-arch bridge spanning the Connecticut River and connecting the city of Hartford with East Hartford.{{cite web|url=http://www.onenewengland.com/article.php?id=32|title=ONE New England – The Bulkeley Bridge: An Architectural Treasure|website=onenewengland.com|access-date=May 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180621194139/http://www.onenewengland.com/article.php?id=32|archive-date=June 21, 2018|url-status=live}}
• Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts – The theater was constructed in the 1930s by the same architects who designed New York City's Radio City Music Hall. It features a Georgian Revival exterior and an Art Deco interior, with a large hand-painted mural suspended from the ceiling that is the largest of its kind in the United States.{{Cite news|url=https://bushnell.org/content/history-archives-landmark-building|title=History, Archives, Landmark Building|work=The Bushnell Performing Arts Center|access-date=May 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170419162709/https://bushnell.org/content/history-archives-landmark-building|archive-date=April 19, 2017|url-status=live}}
• Bushnell Park – This park is located below the State Capitol and legislative office complex and consists of lawn, sculpture, fountains, and a historic carousel. It is the first park in the country purchased by a municipality for public use, and it was designed by Jacob Weidenmann. The Soldiers & Sailors Civil War Memorial Arch frames the northern entrance to the park, the first triumphal arch in the United States.{{cite web|url=http://www.bushnellpark.org/about-2/history-2|title=Park History – Bushnell Park Foundation|website=bushnellpark.org|access-date=May 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161114021010/http://www.bushnellpark.org/about-2/history-2|archive-date=November 14, 2016|url-status=live}}
• Cathedral of St. Joseph – This {{convert|281|ft|m|adj=on}} limestone Roman Catholic cathedral was built in 1961 to replace its predecessor lost to fire. It is located west of downtown along Farmington Avenue in the Asylum Hill neighborhood and has large Parisian stained glass windows, an 8,000 pipe organ, and the largest ceramic tile mural of Christ in Glory in the world.{{cite web|url=http://www.cathedralofsaintjoseph.com/|title=Cathedral of Saint Joseph Hartford, Connecticut|website=cathedralofsaintjoseph.com|access-date=May 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170517200126/http://cathedralofsaintjoseph.com/|archive-date=May 17, 2017|url-status=live}}
• Center Church – The First Church of Christ in Hartford is located at 60 Gold Street and is also known as Center Church. It was founded by Thomas Hooker.
• Cheney Building – This building was designed in the late 19th century by H. H. Richardson. It is located downtown on Main Street and once housed the Brown, Thomson & Co. department store.{{cite web|url=http://www.hartfordinfo.org/issues/documents/ArtsandCulture/htfd_courant_092505.asp |title=Massive masterpiece |website=HartfordInfo.org |date=September 25, 2005 |access-date=May 20, 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928082911/http://www.hartfordinfo.org/issues/documents/ArtsandCulture/htfd_courant_092505.asp |archive-date=September 28, 2007 }}
• Church of the Good Shepherd and Parish House - Commissioned by Elizabeth Jarvis Colt in 1866 and 1895, respectively, to commemorate her husband, Samuel Colt, and her son, Caldwell Hart Colt, and designed by Edward Tuckerman Potter. Both buildings are part of the Coltsville Historic District.
• City Place I – The tallest building in Connecticut at 38 stories, located at 185 Asylum Street.{{cite web|url=http://www.skyscrapercenter.com/building/city-place-i/3170|title=City Place I – The Skyscraper Center|website=skyscrapercenter.com|access-date=May 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170912022219/http://www.skyscrapercenter.com/building/city-place-i/3170/|archive-date=September 12, 2017|url-status=live}}
• Colt Armory – The complex was once the main factory building of Colt's Manufacturing Company, topped with a blue and gold dome. It is currently being redeveloped and renovated and will feature apartments, retail space, and office space.{{cite web|url=http://cttrust.org/index.cgi/7518|title=Connecticut Trust For Historic Preservation|website=cttrust.org|access-date=May 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170703023128/http://cttrust.org/index.cgi/7518|archive-date=July 3, 2017|url-status=dead}}
• Xfinity Theater (formerly the Meadows Music Theater) – An indoor/outdoor amphitheater-style performance venue located in the North Meadows.{{Cite news|url=https://www.courant.com/1997/02/20/shift-at-meadows-means-more-competition-in-area-concert-scene/|title=Shift at Meadows Means More Competition in Area Concert Scene|website=Tribunedigital-thecourant|access-date=May 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170918022908/http://articles.courant.com/1997-02-20/entertainment/9702200087_1_sfx-broadcasting-metropolitan-entertainment-bush-show|archive-date=September 18, 2017|url-status=live}}
• Connecticut Science Center – 154,000 square foot (14,000 m²), nine-story, $165 million museum, designed by César Pelli and opened on June 12, 2009.{{cite web|url=https://usatoday30.usatoday.com/tech/science/2009-06-12-science-center_N.htm|title=Even before opening, cutbacks at science museum |website=USA Today|access-date=May 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160201104507/http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/tech/science/2009-06-12-science-center_N.htm|archive-date=February 1, 2016|url-status=live}}
• Connecticut State Library – The building also contains the Museum of Connecticut History and a number of galleries devoted to Samuel Colt memorabilia, located in the hill district near the State Capitol atop Bushnell Park.{{cite web|url=https://ctstatelibrary.org/|title=Connecticut State Library {{!}} Preserving the past. Informing the Future.|website=ctstatelibrary.org|access-date=May 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525021149/https://ctstatelibrary.org/|archive-date=May 25, 2017|url-status=live}}
• Connecticut Convention Center – The 540,000 square foot (42,000 m²) convention center is now open and overlooks the Connecticut River and the central business district. Attached to the center is a 409-room, 22-story Marriott Hotel.{{cite web|url=http://www.ctconventions.com/|title=Home {{!}} Connecticut Convention Center|website=Connecticut Convention Center|access-date=May 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170526225707/http://www.ctconventions.com/|archive-date=May 26, 2017|url-status=live}} ConnectiCon is hosted every summer at the convention center.
• Connecticut Governor's Mansion – An imposing Georgian revival mansion situated near the highest point in the City of Hartford on upper Prospect Avenue.{{cite web|url=http://www.ct.gov/governorrell/cwp/view.asp?a=1724&Q=276310&PM=1|title=Governor Rell: The Governor's Residence Virtual Tour|last=Governor|first=Office of the|website=ct.gov|access-date=May 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327091013/http://www.ct.gov/governorrell/cwp/view.asp?a=1724&Q=276310&PM=1|archive-date=March 27, 2019|url-status=live}}
• Connecticut Opera – Founded in 1942 and performing three fully staged operas per season, primarily at The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts in Hartford.{{cite web|url=http://www.ctopera.org/|title=Home Improvement Guide {{!}} Counter Top Era|website=Ctopera.org|access-date=May 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170628162639/http://www.ctopera.org/|archive-date=June 28, 2017|url-status=live}}
• Connecticut State Capitol – This large Gothic-inspired building is located atop Bushnell Park and features many statues and engravings on its exterior. It is topped with a gold-leafed dome.{{cite web|url=http://www.ctheritage.org/encyclopedia/ct1865_1929/newstatecapitol.htm |title=Ctheritage.org |website=ctheritage.org |access-date=May 20, 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060306131620/http://www.ctheritage.org/encyclopedia/ct1865_1929/newstatecapitol.htm |archive-date=March 6, 2006 }}
• Constitution Plaza – Constitution Plaza is a renowned and notorious redevelopment project built in the early 1960s. Hartford's historic Front Street neighborhood was razed to build the plaza. The complex is composed of numerous office buildings, underground parking, a restaurant, a broadcasting studio, and outdoor courtyards and fountains.
• Dunkin' Donuts Park – A baseball field that opened on April 13, 2017, as the home of the Hartford Yard Goats.{{Cite news|url=http://www.courant.com/sports/baseball/yard-goats/hc-yard-goats-opening-day-20170412-story.html|title=Play Ball! Hartford Yard Goats Take The Field For First Game at Dunkin' Donuts Park|last=Goode|first=Steven|website=Courant.com|access-date=July 9, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170520171232/http://www.courant.com/sports/baseball/yard-goats/hc-yard-goats-opening-day-20170412-story.html|archive-date=May 20, 2017|url-status=live}}
• Elizabeth Park & Rose Garden – A park straddling the border between Hartford and West Hartford.{{cite web |url=http://www.epcentury.com/ |title=Elizabeth Park A Century of Beauty |website=Epcentury.com |access-date=June 9, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120206062125/http://www.epcentury.com/ |archive-date=February 6, 2012 |url-status=live }}
• Harriet Beecher Stowe House & Research Center – The former home of Harriet Beecher Stowe located on Nook Farm in the Asylum Hill neighborhood on Farmington Avenue. It has become a museum along with its neighbor, the home of Mark Twain.
• The Hartford Financial Services Group headquarters campus on Asylum Hill occupies the former site of the American School for the Deaf, which has moved to a campus in West Hartford.{{Cite news|url=http://www.prweb.com/releases/2004/2/prweb107456.htm|title=Two Pioneering Ct. Deaf Organizations Join Forces|website=Prweb.com|access-date=May 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160316164141/http://www.prweb.com/releases/2004/2/prweb107456.htm|archive-date=March 16, 2016|url-status=dead}}
• Hartford Public Library – The Library was founded in 1774 and has over 500,000 holdings, an extensive calendar of programs, and free public access computers and Wi-Fi.{{cite web|url=https://www.hplct.org/|title=Hartford Public Library|website=Hplct.org|access-date=May 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170526224939/https://www.hplct.org/|archive-date=May 26, 2017|url-status=live}}
• Hartford Stage – Founded in 1963, this regional theatre company's productions have gone on to Broadway and have won several Tony Awards.{{Citation|last1=Bordman|first1=Gerald|title=Hartford Stage|date=2004|url=https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780195169867.001.0001/acref-9780195169867-e-1376|work=The Oxford Companion to American Theatre|publisher=Oxford University Press|language=en|doi=10.1093/acref/9780195169867.001.0001|isbn=978-0-19-516986-7|access-date=August 26, 2021|last2=Hischak|first2=Thomas S.}}
• Hartford Symphony Orchestra – Connecticut's regional orchestra.{{cite web|url=https://hartfordsymphony.org/|title=Hartford Symphony Orchestra {{!}} Connecticut's Premier Musical Organization|website=hartfordsymphony.org|access-date=May 21, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170523174741/https://hartfordsymphony.org/|archive-date=May 23, 2017|url-status=live}}
• The Hartt School at the University of Hartford is recognized as one of the premiere performing arts conservatories in the United States.{{cite web|url=http://www.hartford.edu/hartt/|title=The Hartt School|website=hartford.edu|access-date=May 21, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170524132219/http://www.hartford.edu/hartt/|archive-date=May 24, 2017|url-status=live}}
• The Mark Twain House and Museum – The home was built by Samuel Clemens and his wife in 1874. They lived here 17 years, raising three daughters. This is where Mark Twain wrote many of his most popular books. The house is open year-round for tours, events, and author programs. It is located in Nook Farm,{{cite web|title=Stowe's Hartford Neighborhood, Nook Farm|url=https://www.harrietbeecherstowecenter.org/hbs/nook_farm.shtml|publisher=Harriet Beecher Stowe Center|access-date=May 5, 2016|archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20170704040524/https://www.harrietbeecherstowecenter.org/hbs/nook_farm.shtml|archive-date=July 4, 2017|url-status=dead}} part of the Asylum Hill neighborhood on Farmington Avenue. National Geographic named it one of the ten best historic homes in the world.Lande, Nathaniel; Lande, Andrew. The 10 Best of Everything, Third Edition: An Ultimate Guide for Travelers (National Geographic the 10 Best of Everything) (New York: National Geographic, 2012), p. 60–1.
• Old State House – The Old State House dates back to 1796, making it one of the nation's oldest. It was designed by Charles Bulfinch, who also designed the Massachusetts State House in Boston. It was recently restored with a gold-leafed dome and sits facing the Connecticut River in downtown. It was the site of the United States v. The Amistad trial.{{cite web|url=https://www.cga.ct.gov/osh/|title=Connecticut's Old State House|website=cga.ct.gov|access-date=May 21, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170422193912/https://www.cga.ct.gov/osh/|archive-date=April 22, 2017|url-status=live}}
• Phoenix Life Insurance Company Building – The first two-sided building in the world, located on Constitution Plaza and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.{{cite web|url=https://connecticuthistory.org/the-phoenix-building-hartford/|title=The Phoenix Building, Hartford {{!}} ConnecticutHistory.org|website=connecticuthistory.org|access-date=May 21, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160601043150/http://connecticuthistory.org/the-phoenix-building-hartford/|archive-date=June 1, 2016|url-status=live}}
• Polish National Home – Opened in 1930 to serve the Polish community that once dominated this part of Hartford, the building now serves as restaurant and banquet hall.{{cite web |title=Polish National Home |url=https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/NRHP/83003566_text |publisher=United States Department of the Interior |date=September 12, 1983 |access-date=June 22, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180622225936/https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/NRHP/83003566_text |archive-date=June 22, 2018 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |title=Hartford PNH |url=http://polishhomect.org/ |access-date=June 22, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180622032005/http://polishhomect.org/ |archive-date=June 22, 2018 |url-status=live }}
• Pope Park – Public park originally landscaped by the Olmsted Brothers.{{cite web|url=http://crja.com/project/pope-park-master-plan/|title=Pope Park Master Plan {{!}} CRJA|website=CRJA|access-date=May 21, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160618210954/http://crja.com/project/pope-park-master-plan/|archive-date=June 18, 2016|url-status=dead}}
• Real Art Ways – An alternative art gallery hosting contemporary art, music, and film productions.{{Cite news|url=https://www.courant.com/2010/10/21/real-art-ways-marks-35-years-and-counting/|title=Real Art Ways Marks 35 Years and Counting|website=Tribunedigital-thecourant|access-date=May 21, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180621202216/http://articles.courant.com/2010-10-21/entertainment/hc-raw-35-1021-20101021_1_35th-anniversary-mel-chin-roxy-paine|archive-date=June 21, 2018|url-status=live}}
• Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch – This brownstone memorial is located in Bushnell Park to honor the 4,000 Hartford citizens who served in the American Civil War, and the 400 who perished. It was the first triumphal arch in the United States.{{Cite book|url=http://siris-artinventories.si.edu/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=11954OX725657.419&profile=ariall&uri=link=3100009~!1163650~!3100001~!3100002&aspect=Browse&menu=search&ri=1&source=~!siartinventories&term=Soldiers+and+Sailors+Memorial+Arch,&index=ALTIT|title=Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch|last1=Keller|first1=George W.|last2=Entress|first2=Albert|last3=Buberl|first3=Caspar|last4=Kitson|first4=Samuel James|last5=Bissell|first5=Hiram|last6=Budde|first6=Augustus|date=1884|access-date=May 21, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180622005311/https://siris-artinventories.si.edu/ipac20/ipac.jsp?session=11954OX725657.419&profile=ariall&uri=link=3100009~!1163650~!3100001~!3100002&aspect=Browse&menu=search&ri=1&source=~!siartinventories&term=Soldiers+and+Sailors+Memorial+Arch,&index=ALTIT|archive-date=June 22, 2018|url-status=live}}
• Trinity College – The liberal arts college was founded in 1823 and has more than 2,100 students. It is the second-oldest in Connecticut after Yale University in New Haven.
• Unitarian Meeting House (1964) – a modernist structure designed by Victor A. Lundy.{{Cite web|url=https://ushartford.org/about-us/about-the-ambulatory/|title=About the Ambulatory|website=Ushartford.org|date=July 3, 2015|access-date=February 15, 2022|archive-date=February 15, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220215120543/https://ushartford.org/about-us/about-the-ambulatory/|url-status=dead}}
• University of Connecticut Hartford Campus – The downtown campus of the University of Connecticut, anchored on Prospect Street by the historic Beaux-Arts entrance of the former Hartford Times building.{{cite web|url=http://hartford.uconn.edu/|title=UConn Hartford homepage|website=Hartford.uconn.edu|access-date=September 23, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170924045043/http://hartford.uconn.edu/|archive-date=September 24, 2017|url-status=live}}
• University of Connecticut School of Business – A branch of the University of Connecticut Business school operates in downtown Hartford on Market Street, north of Constitution Plaza.{{cite web|url=http://www.business.uconn.edu/about/campuses/hartford/|title=Hartford Campus {{!}} School of Business|website=Business.uconn.edu|date=January 8, 2015|access-date=May 21, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170523081613/http://www.business.uconn.edu/about/campuses/hartford|archive-date=May 23, 2017|url-status=live}}
• University of Connecticut School of Law – The campus is located off Farmington Avenue and features an extensive Gothic-inspired library.{{cite web|url=https://www.law.uconn.edu/|title=Welcome to UConn School of Law {{!}} UConn School of Law|website=Law.uconn.edu|access-date=May 21, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170522075418/https://www.law.uconn.edu/|archive-date=May 22, 2017|url-status=live}}
• University of Hartford – The university was founded in 1877 and sits on {{convert|340|acre}} with a {{convert|13|acre|adj=on}} campus on Bloomfield Avenue situated on land divided among Hartford, West Hartford, and Bloomfield in the Blue Hills neighborhood.
• Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art – The oldest art museum in the U.S. is located on Main Street in downtown Hartford opposite the Travelers Tower. The museum features a significant collection of Italian Baroque old masters and post-impressionist modern art. Alexander Calder's Stegosaurus sculpture sits in a plaza between it and the Hartford Municipal Building.{{cite web|url=https://npgallery.nps.gov/pdfhost/docs/NRHP/Text/70000709.pdf|title=NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY – NOMINATION FORM|date=October 6, 1970|website=nps.gov|publisher=National Register of Historic Places|access-date=May 21, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170223092133/https://npgallery.nps.gov/pdfhost/docs/NRHP/Text/70000709.pdf|archive-date=February 23, 2017|url-status=live}}
• XL Center – The center hosts concerts and shows and is home to the Hartford Wolf Pack AHL hockey team and the Connecticut Huskies basketball team.{{cite web|url=http://www.xlcenter.com/|title=XL CENTER|last=CENTER|first=XL|website=xlcenter.com|access-date=May 21, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170526230400/http://www.xlcenter.com/|archive-date=May 26, 2017|url-status=live}}

• Greater Hartford St. Patrick's Day Parade – Downtown – March – Run by The Central Connecticut Celtic Cultural Committee.{{cite web|url=http://www.irishamericanparade.com/|title=Hartford St. Patrick's Day Parade|website=irishamericanparade.com|access-date=May 21, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170529054225/http://www.irishamericanparade.com/|archive-date=May 29, 2017|url-status=live}}
• Greater Hartford Puerto Rican Day Parade – Downtown, South Green, and Frog Hollow – June – Run by The Connecticut Institute for Community Development.{{cite web|url=https://www.hartfordprparade.com/|title=2017 CICD Hartford PR Parade|website=hartfordprparade.com|access-date=May 21, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161110194728/https://hartfordprparade.com/|archive-date=November 10, 2016|url-status=live}}
• Greater Hartford West Indian Parade – Northeast – August – Run by The West Indian Independence Celebrations since 1962.{{cite web|url=http://www.wiichartford.org/events.html|title=Events|website=Wiichartford.org|access-date=May 21, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170814024645/http://www.wiichartford.org/events.html|archive-date=August 14, 2017|url-status=dead}}
• Hooker Day Parade – Downtown – May – Run by Hartford Business Improvement District.{{Cite news|url=http://www.courant.com/entertainment/music/hc-hooker-day-parade-offers-eclectic-music-lineup-20170406-story.html|title=Revamped Hooker Day Parade & Fest Announces Musical Lineup|last=Hamad|first=Michael|website=Courant.com|access-date=May 21, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170422010343/http://www.courant.com/entertainment/music/hc-hooker-day-parade-offers-eclectic-music-lineup-20170406-story.html|archive-date=April 22, 2017|url-status=live}}
• Connecticut Veterans Parade – Downtown – November – Run by The Ferris Group, LLC.{{cite web|url=https://ctveteransparade.org/|title=Connecticut Veterans Parade|date=November 6, 2016|access-date=May 21, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170709205454/https://ctveteransparade.org/|archive-date=July 9, 2017|url-status=live}}

The Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League plays ice hockey at the XL Center in downtown Hartford.{{cite web|url=http://www.hartfordwolfpack.com/|title=Hartford Wolf Pack|last=Pack|first=Hartford Wolf|website=hartfordwolfpack.com|access-date=May 21, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170520111607/http://www.hartfordwolfpack.com/|archive-date=May 20, 2017|url-status=dead}} The XL Center also hosts larger-profile games for both the men's and women's basketball teams of the UConn Huskies. Other UConn home games are played at Gampel Pavilion located on the university's main campus in Storrs, Connecticut. In addition, all UConn Men's Ice Hockey home games are played at the XL Center.{{cite web|url=https://www.courant.com/sports/hockey/hc-uconn-hockey-east-arena-site-1025-20151024-story.html|title=UConn's Success at XL Puts On-Campus Arena Focus On Freitas Upgrade|first=Jenny|last=Wilson|website=Courant.com|date=October 24, 2015 |access-date=February 23, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190224002434/https://www.courant.com/sports/hockey/hc-uconn-hockey-east-arena-site-1025-20151024-story.html|archive-date=February 24, 2019|url-status=live}}

The Hartford Yard Goats, the Double-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies, moved from New Britain to Hartford in 2017. The team currently plays at Dunkin' Donuts Park.

Hartford is home to a USL Championship division team, Hartford Athletic, which was founded in 2019 and currently plays in the 5,500-seat Dillon Stadium.{{Cite news|url=https://www.uslsoccer.com/news_article/show/906108|title=Hartford Council Approves Dillon Stadium Deal|date=April 9, 2018|work=United Soccer League|access-date=May 11, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180511215618/https://www.uslsoccer.com/news_article/show/906108|archive-date=May 11, 2018|url-status=live}} Hartford is also home to another semi-pro soccer team, Hartford City FC, which currently plays in the NPSL.

Hartford became the home of the WHA's New England Whalers in 1975 after the club moved from Boston, one of four WHA teams that joined the NHL in 1979. The city was home to the NHL's Hartford Whalers from 1979 to 1997, before the team relocated to Raleigh, North Carolina, and became the Carolina Hurricanes.{{cite web|url=http://www.hartfordwhalers.org/history.htm|title=The Blowhole – Hartford/New England Whalers History|website=hartfordwhalers.org|access-date=May 21, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161015203342/http://www.hartfordwhalers.org/history.htm|archive-date=October 15, 2016|url-status=live}}

The Boston Celtics played a varying number of home games per year in Hartford from 1975 until 1995, when they opened the new TD Garden.{{Cite news|url=https://www.courant.com/1995/04/15/civic-center-farewell-for-celtics/|title=Civic Center Farewell For Celtics?|website=Tribunedigital-thecourant|access-date=May 21, 2017}}

Hartford was also home to the Hartford Hellions of the Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL).{{Cite news|url=http://www.courant.com/sports/hc-pictures-defunct-connecticut-sports-teams-012-photo.html|title=Hartford Hellions|website=Courant.com|access-date=May 21, 2017}}

Hartford formerly had a National League baseball team, the Hartford Dark Blues, in the 1870s, and had an NFL team, the Hartford Blues, for three seasons in the 1920s.{{Cite news|url=http://www.courant.com/sports/hc-pictures-defunct-connecticut-sports-teams-001-photo.html|title=Hartford Blues|website=Courant.com|access-date=May 21, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180519040321/http://www.courant.com/sports/hc-pictures-defunct-connecticut-sports-teams-001-photo.html|archive-date=May 19, 2018|url-status=live}}

Hartford briefly had a team in the UFL called the Hartford Colonials, but games were played in neighboring East Hartford's Rentschler Field.{{Cite news|url=http://articles.courant.com/2011-06-22/sports/hc-colonials-owner-hartford-0623-20110622_1_ufl-officials-hartford-colonials-nfl-lockout|title=Hartford Colonials Calling Rentschler Field Home Again|website=Tribunedigital-thecourant|access-date=May 24, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160129000143/http://articles.courant.com/2011-06-22/sports/hc-colonials-owner-hartford-0623-20110622_1_ufl-officials-hartford-colonials-nfl-lockout|archive-date=January 29, 2016|url-status=dead}}

From 2000 to 2006 Hartford was home to the Hartford FoxForce of World TeamTennis.{{cite news |last1=Bailer |first1=Darice |title=Team Tennis Finds a Home in Hartford |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/07/23/nyregion/team-tennis-finds-a-home-in-hartford.html |newspaper=The New York Times |date=July 23, 2000 |access-date=April 27, 2019}}

{{see also|Mayor of Hartford, Connecticut|Mayoral elections in Hartford, Connecticut}}

Like all cities in Connecticut except Groton, Hartford is legally a consolidated city-town; both the town and the city have been legally consolidated since 1896, though since 1784 the city's boundaries have been coextensive with those of the town.{{Citation needed|date=July 2021}}

Hartford is governed via the strong-mayor form of the mayor-council system. The current mayor is Arunan Arulampalam. Hartford voted in favor of restoring a mayor-council system in 2003, more than 50 years after establishing the council-manager form. Mayor Eddie Perez was first elected in 2001 and was re-elected with 76% of the vote in 2003. As the first strong mayor elected under the revised charter, he is widely credited with reducing crime, reforming the school system, and sparking economic revitalization in the city. However, his reputation was hurt by accusations of corruption.{{cite web|url=http://www.hartfordinfo.org/issues/documents/government/htfd_courant_102807_1.asp |title=Mr. Perez For Mayor - HartfordInfo.org |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303180238/http://www.hartfordinfo.org/issues/documents/government/htfd_courant_102807_1.asp |archive-date=March 3, 2016 }} The city council, formally known as the "Court of Common Council", has nine members.

In Connecticut, there is no county-level executive or legislative government. The state abolished county government in 1960, and since then counties have served as little more than boundaries for the state's probate, civil, and criminal courts. Connecticut municipalities provide nearly all local services such as fire and rescue, education, and snow removal.{{Cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1960/08/14/archives/connecticut-ends-county-rule-oct-1-state-to-take-over-historic.html | newspaper=The New York Times | title=Connecticut Ends County Rule Oct. 1; State to Take Over Historic Government Units – Minor Court System Also to Go | date=August 14, 1960 | access-date=May 20, 2010 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180704125722/https://www.nytimes.com/1960/08/14/archives/connecticut-ends-county-rule-oct-1-state-to-take-over-historic.html | archive-date=July 4, 2018 | url-status=live }}

Hartford passed an ordinance providing services to all residents regardless of their immigration in 2008. Said ordinance also prohibits police from detaining individuals based solely on their immigration status or inquiring as to their immigration status. In 2016, the ordinance was amended to declare that Hartford is a "Sanctuary city", although the term itself does not have an established legal meaning.{{cite news |title=Mayor Bronin Says Hartford to Remain a Sanctuary City |url=https://www.wnpr.org/post/mayor-bronin-says-hartford-remain-sanctuary-city |work=Connecticut Public Radio |date=November 18, 2016 |access-date=September 5, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190905081558/https://www.wnpr.org/post/mayor-bronin-says-hartford-remain-sanctuary-city |archive-date=September 5, 2019 |url-status=live }}{{cite web|url=https://www.municode.com/library/ct/hartford/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=PTIIMUCO_CH2AD_ARTXXICISEREIMST|title=Hartford Municipal Code|website=municode.com|date=July 3, 2019|access-date=September 5, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170321083343/https://www.municode.com/library/ct/hartford/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=PTIIMUCO_CH2AD_ARTXXICISEREIMST|archive-date=March 21, 2017|url-status=live}}

Hartford is a predominantly Democratic city and has voted for every presidential candidate in the party since Al Smith in 1928.{{Citation needed|date=July 2021}} In 2016, the city voted for Clinton 90%–8%, a slight shift from voting for Obama 93%–6% in the previous election. In 2020, Joe Biden won the city's vote by a margin of 87%–13%.

Hartford is served by the Hartford Public Schools.{{cite web|url=https://www.hartfordschools.org/|title=Hartford Public Schools {{!}} Where the Future is Present|website=Hartfordschools.org|access-date=May 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170521070217/https://www.hartfordschools.org/|archive-date=May 21, 2017|url-status=live}} Hartford Public High School, the nation's second-oldest high school, is located in the Asylum Hill neighborhood of Hartford.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ky4x3QaSyFQC&q=%22Hartford+Public+High+School%22+second+oldest&pg=PT112|title=Life in Civil War America|last=Varhola|first=Michael J.|date=January 31, 2011|publisher=F+W Media, Inc.|isbn=978-1-4403-1088-1|language=en}}{{Dead link|date=July 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} The city is also home to Bulkeley High School on Wethersfield Avenue, Global Communications Academy on Greenfield Avenue, Weaver High School on Granby Street, and Sport Medical and Sciences Academy on Huyshope Avenue. In addition, Hartford contains The Learning Corridor, which is home to the Montessori Magnet School, Hartford Magnet Middle School, Greater Harford Academy of Math and Science, and the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts. One of the technical high schools in the Connecticut Technical High School System, A.I. Prince Technical High School, also calls the city home. The Classical Magnet School is one of the many Hartford magnet schools. Hartford is also home to Watkinson School, a private coeducational day school, and Grace S. Webb School, a special education school. Catholic schools are administered by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Hartford.{{Citation needed|date=July 2021}}

The city's high school graduation rate reached 71 percent in 2013, according to the state Department of Education.[http://www.courant.com/community/hartford/hc-high-school-graduation-rates-0515-20140514,0,2593504.story] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140517115924/http://www.courant.com/community/hartford/hc-high-school-graduation-rates-0515-20140514,0,2593504.story|date=May 17, 2014}} The Hartford Courant. Retrieved May 15, 2014.

File:TrinCollHartfordChap.jpg]]

Hartford has several post-secondary institutions such as Trinity College,{{cite web|url=http://www.trincoll.edu/Pages/default.aspx|title=Trinity College|website=Trincoll.edu|access-date=May 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170519211740/http://www.trincoll.edu/Pages/default.aspx|archive-date=May 19, 2017|url-status=dead}} Capital Community College, the University of Connecticut's Hartford campus, the University of Connecticut School of Business, the Hartford Seminary, the University of Connecticut School of Law, and Rensselaer at Hartford (a branch campus of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute). University of Saint Joseph opened its school of pharmacy in the downtown area in 2011.{{cite news|title=Downtown Pharmacy School Opens|url=https://www.courant.com/2011/08/04/downtown-pharmacy-school-opens/|newspaper=Hartford Courant|access-date=August 12, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140630113417/http://articles.courant.com/2011-08-04/health/hc-pharmacy-school-0804-20110803_1_pharmacists-pharmacy-field-student-photo|archive-date=June 30, 2014|url-status=live}}

The University of Hartford's cultural institutions include the Joseloff Gallery, the Renee Samuels Center, and the Mort and Irma Handel Performing Arts center. The "U of H" campus is co-located in the city's Blue Hills neighborhood and in neighboring towns West Hartford and Bloomfield.{{cite web|url=http://www.hartford.edu/|title=Home|website=hartford.edu|access-date=May 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170519205504/http://hartford.edu/|archive-date=May 19, 2017|url-status=live}}

File:The Hartford Courant building in downtown Hartford, seen from I-84 East.jpg Co. building]]{{See also|List of newspapers in Connecticut in the 18th century#Hartford|label 1=List of newspapers in Hartford in the 18th century}}

The daily Hartford Courant newspaper is the country's oldest continuously published newspaper, founded in 1764. A weekly newspaper, owned by the same company that owns the Courant, the Hartford Advocate, also serves Hartford and the surrounding area, as do the Hartford Business Journal ("Greater Hartford's Business Weekly") and the weekly Hartford News.{{cite web|url=https://connecticuthistory.org/the-oldest-newspaper-in-continuous-publication/|title=The Oldest US Newspaper in Continuous Publication {{!}} ConnecticutHistory.org|website=connecticuthistory.org|date=October 29, 2015|access-date=May 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170420041631/https://connecticuthistory.org/the-oldest-newspaper-in-continuous-publication/|archive-date=April 20, 2017|url-status=live}}

The Hartford region is also served by several magazines. Among the local publications are: Hartford Magazine,{{cite web|url=http://www.hartfordmag.com/|title=Hartford Magazine – Hartford Courant|access-date=February 18, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080221184549/http://www.hartfordmag.com/|archive-date=February 21, 2008|url-status=live}} a monthly lifestyle magazine serving Greater Hartford; CT Cottages & Gardens;{{cite web|url=http://www.ctcandg.com/|title=Connecticut Cottages & Gardens|access-date=February 18, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080312032824/http://www.ctcandg.com/|archive-date=March 12, 2008|url-status=live}} Connecticut Business,{{cite web|url=http://www.ctbizmag.com/ |title=Ctbizmag.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070225141203/http://www.ctbizmag.com/ |archive-date=February 25, 2007 }} a glossy monthly serving all of Connecticut; and Home Living CT,{{cite web|url=http://www.homelivingct.com/|title=Home Living CT|access-date=February 18, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080212071955/http://www.homelivingct.com/|archive-date=February 12, 2008|url-status=live}} a home and garden magazine published five times a year and distributed statewide.

Several radio stations are based in Hartford, including WDRC (AM), WDRC (FM), WHCN (FM), WJMJ (FM), WPOP (AM), WTIC (AM), WTIC (FM), and WPKT (FM, NPR).{{cite web|url=https://www.mondotimes.com/1/world/us/7/446|title=Hartford Connecticut News Media|website=Mondotimes.com|access-date=February 15, 2022}}

Additionally, several television, including Connecticut Public Television, which is headquartered in Hartford. In addition to WEDH 24 (Connecticut Public Television), Hartford's major television stations include WFSB 3 (CBS), WTNH 8 (ABC), WVIT 30 (NBC O&O), WHCT-LD 35 (MeTV), WTIC-TV 61 (Fox), WCCT-TV 20 (The CW), and WCTX 59 (MyNetworkTV). These stations serve the Hartford/New Haven market, which is the 33rd largest media market in the U.S. as of 2020.{{cite web|url=http://www.hartfordradiohistory.com/|title=Home Page|website=hartfordradiohistory|access-date=March 4, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170313234701/http://www.hartfordradiohistory.com/|archive-date=March 13, 2017|url-status=dead}}

• Must Read After My Death, a 2009 documentary film{{Cite news|title = A Documentary Family Memoir by Morgan Dews, Dictated From the Grave|url = https://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/20/movies/20must.html|newspaper = The New York Times|date = February 19, 2009|access-date = October 2, 2015|issn = 0362-4331|first = Manohla|last = Dargis}}

I-84 which runs from Scranton to I-90 in Sturbridge, just over the Massachusetts border, and I-91, which runs from New Haven along the Connecticut River ultimately to Canada, intersect in downtown Hartford.{{cite web|url=https://connecticuthistory.org/the-interstate-highway-system-comes-to-hartford/|title=The Interstate Highway System Comes to Hartford {{!}} ConnecticutHistory.org|website=connecticuthistory.org|access-date=May 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170201211823/http://connecticuthistory.org/the-interstate-highway-system-comes-to-hartford/|archive-date=February 1, 2017|url-status=live}} In addition to I-84 and I-91, two other highways service the city: Route 2, an expressway that runs from downtown Hartford to Westerly, passing through Norwich and past Foxwoods Resort Casino.{{cite web|url=http://www.nycroads.com/roads/CT-2/|title=CT 2 Expressway|website=nycroads.com|access-date=May 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171129082045/http://www.nycroads.com/roads/CT-2/|archive-date=November 29, 2017|url-status=live}} The Wilbur Cross Highway portion of Route 15 that skirts the southeastern part of the city near Brainard Airport.{{Citation needed|date=October 2022}} A short connector known as the Conlin–Whitehead Highway also provides direct access from I-91 to the Capitol Area of downtown Hartford.{{Citation needed|date=October 2022}} The Main St. Bridge is a historic bridge on the highway.{{cite web|url=http://www.past-inc.org/historic-bridges/stone-mainst.html|title=Main Street Bridge|website=past-inc.org|access-date=May 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170630180627/http://www.past-inc.org/historic-bridges/stone-mainst.html|archive-date=June 30, 2017|url-status=dead}}

Hartford experiences heavy traffic as a result of its substantial suburban population (nearly 10 times that of the actual city). As a result, thousands of people travel on area highways at the start and end of each workday. I-84 experiences traffic from Farmington through Hartford and into East Hartford and Manchester during the rush hour.{{Cite news|url=http://connecticut.cbslocal.com/traffic/|title=Traffic|access-date=May 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170606053310/http://connecticut.cbslocal.com/traffic/|archive-date=June 6, 2017|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/50-worst-commutes-americas-highways-to-hell|title=50 Worst Commutes: America's Highways to Hell|last=Beast|first=The Daily|date=January 30, 2017|website=The Daily Beast|access-date=May 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170605072429/http://www.thedailybeast.com/50-worst-commutes-americas-highways-to-hell|archive-date=June 5, 2017|url-status=live}}

File:Charter Oak Bridge.jpg over the Connecticut River]]

Several major surface arteries also run through the city. Albany Avenue (Route 44) runs westward through the northern part of West Hartford to the Farmington Valley and the hills of northern Litchfield County and into New York, and eastward towards Putnam and into Rhode Island. Blue Hills Avenue (Route 187) runs north from Albany Avenue toward Bloomfield and East Granby. Main Street (Route 159) heads north through Windsor towards the western suburbs of Springfield, Massachusetts. Wethersfield Avenue (Route 99) heads south through Wethersfield towards Middletown.{{Citation needed|date=October 2022}} Maple Avenue heads south-southwest, becoming the Berlin Turnpike in Wethersfield and Newington. Farmington Avenue heads west through West Hartford Center and Farmington towards Torrington.{{cite web|url=http://www.ct.gov/ecd/cwp/view.asp?a=1106&Q=250996|title=DECD: Connecticut maps|last=Office|first=Enter your Company or Top-Level|website=ct.gov|access-date=May 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170605044150/http://www.ct.gov/ecd/cwp/view.asp?A=1106&Q=250996|archive-date=June 5, 2017|url-status=live}}

{{See also|Interstate 84 in Connecticut#Future|label 1=I-84 Hartford}}

A large-scale project is being planned to rebuild the I-84 viaduct that cross through the city along with moving I-91 away from the Connecticut River.{{cite web|url=http://www.i84hartford.com/|title=I-84 Hartford Project|website=i84hartford.com|access-date=May 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170521192118/http://i84hartford.com/|archive-date=May 21, 2017|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|url=http://www.courant.com/real-estate/property-line/hc-i-84-public-advisory-committee-meets-20180906-story.html|title=Planners See Trouble Ahead For Larson's Plan For Highway Tunnel Beneath Hartford|last=Gosselin|first=Kenneth R.|website=Courant.com|access-date=October 10, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181010213735/http://www.courant.com/real-estate/property-line/hc-i-84-public-advisory-committee-meets-20180906-story.html|archive-date=October 10, 2018|url-status=live}}

File:HartfordUnionStation.jpg]]

The city is served by the 1889 built Hartford Union Station.{{cite web|title=Hartford, CT (HFD)|url=https://www.amtrak.com/stations/hfd|access-date=November 21, 2021|website=Amtrak|language=en}} Amtrak provides service from Hartford to Vermont via Springfield and southward to New Haven. The station also serves numerous bus companies.{{cite news|last1=Contrada|first1=Fred|title=First passenger train in a generation stops at Northampton as new Amtrak service begins|url=http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2014/12/first_passenger_train_in_a_gen.html|access-date=December 5, 2015|agency=MassLive.com|date=December 29, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208061328/http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2014/12/first_passenger_train_in_a_gen.html|archive-date=December 8, 2015|url-status=live}} Hartford Union Station is also served by the Hartford Line, a commuter rail service that runs between New Haven and Springfield and stops at stations in communities along Interstate 91. It uses the rail line owned by Amtrak.{{cite news|last1=Stacom|first1=Dan|title=Springfield-To-New Haven Commuter Rail Cost Increases, Service Begins in 2018|url=http://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-amtrak-hartford-line-1204-20151204-story.html|access-date=December 5, 2015|newspaper=Hartford Courant|date=December 4, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151205114423/http://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-amtrak-hartford-line-1204-20151204-story.html|archive-date=December 5, 2015|url-status=live}} "CTrail" branded trains provide service along the corridor, and riders can use Hartford Line tickets to travel on board most Amtrak trains along the corridor at the same prices. The service launched on June 16, 2018.{{Cite news |url=https://www.masslive.com/expo/news/erry-2018/06/7a3d72699a8717/ctrail.html |title=Hundreds head to Hartford to celebrate new Springfield-to-New Haven CTrail line: 9 takeaways from the launch |website=MassLive |last=Kinney |first=Jim |date=June 17, 2018 |access-date=June 15, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180616115221/https://www.masslive.com/expo/news/erry-2018/06/7a3d72699a8717/ctrail.html |archive-date=June 16, 2018 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=http://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-hartford-line-opens-20180615-story.html |title=Thousands Take A Free Ride On Hartford Line's Inaugural Run |last1=Porter |first1=Mikaela |last2=Owens |first2=David |date=June 17, 2018 |access-date=June 17, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180617014027/http://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-hartford-line-opens-20180615-story.html |archive-date=June 17, 2018 |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |url=http://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-news-ctrail-ribbon-cutting-hartford-new-haven-20180614-story.html |title=Connecticut, Massachusetts Officials Cut Ribbon On Hartford Line |last=Rondinone |first=Nicholas |date=June 15, 2018 |website=Hartford Courant |access-date=June 17, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180616222625/http://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-news-ctrail-ribbon-cutting-hartford-new-haven-20180614-story.html |archive-date=June 16, 2018 |url-status=live }}

File:Florida 148.jpg]]

Bradley International Airport (BDL) is located in Windsor Locks, Connecticut, and offers more than 150 daily departures to over 30 destinations on 9 airlines. Connecticut Transit provides bus service between Bradley International Airport and downtown Hartford. Other airports serving the Hartford area include:{{cite web|url=http://www.bradleyairport.com/Flights/destinations.aspx |title=Destinations |website=Bradleyairport.com |date=April 5, 2010 |access-date=June 9, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120604083658/http://www.bradleyairport.com/Flights/destinations.aspx |archive-date=June 4, 2012 }}

• Hartford-Brainard Airport (HFD), located in Hartford off I-91 and close to Wethersfield; serves charter and local flights{{cite web|url=http://www.gcr1.com/5010web/airport.cfm?Site=HFD|title=AirportIQ 5010|website=gcr1.com|access-date=May 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303171554/http://www.gcr1.com/5010web/airport.cfm?Site=HFD|archive-date=March 3, 2016|url-status=live}}
• Westover Metropolitan Airport (CEF), located in Chicopee, Massachusetts, {{convert|27|mi|km}} north of Hartford; serves commercial, local, charter, and military flights{{cite web|url=http://www.gcr1.com/5010web/airport.cfm?Site=CEF|title=AirportIQ 5010|website=gcr1.com|access-date=May 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303215741/http://www.gcr1.com/5010web/airport.cfm?Site=CEF|archive-date=March 3, 2016|url-status=live}}
• Logan International Airport (BOS), located in Boston, Massachusetts, offers 139 destinations, and is the closest option to Hartford for most International flights.{{Cite web |title=International Nonstop Destinations |url=https://www.massport.com/logan-airport/flights/airlines/nonstop-international-destinations/ |access-date=July 9, 2023 |website=www.massport.com}}
• Tweed New Haven Regional Airport (HVN), located in New Haven; serves Avelo Airlines and Breeze Airways.{{cite web|url=http://www.gcr1.com/5010web/airport.cfm?Site=HVN|title=AirportIQ 5010|website=gcr1.com|access-date=May 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303175919/http://www.gcr1.com/5010web/airport.cfm?Site=HVN|archive-date=March 3, 2016|url-status=live}}

Connecticut Transit (CTtransit) is owned by the Connecticut Department of Transportation. The Hartford Division of CTtransit operates local and commuter bus service within the city and the surrounding area. Hartford's Downtown Area Shuttle (DASH) bus route is a free downtown circulator. All city buses are equipped with bike racks.{{cite web |url=http://www.cttransit.com/RoutesSchedules/Display.asp?DivID={7428A88D-DDD7-4910-9C2F-AD1E63B94375} |title=Hartford Routes & Schedules |publisher=CT Transit |access-date=November 19, 2015}}

In March 2015, CTfastrak, Connecticut's first bus rapid transit system, opened, providing a separated right-of-way between Hartford and New Britain. In addition, express bus services travel from downtown Hartford and Waterbury, servicing intermediate suburban communities like Southington and Cheshire, providing reliable public transportation between these communities for the first time. CTfastrak consists of 10 stations along the dedicated New Britain to Hartford busway, as well as a downtown loop serving Union Station and other downtown landmarks. Amenities include high-level station platforms, on-board wi-fi, ticket machines for pre-boarding fare collection, and real-time arrival information at stations.{{cite web|url=https://www.cttransit.com/schedules|title=Schedules {{!}} CTtransit – Connecticut DOT-owned bus service|website=Cttransit.com|access-date=May 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170601230134/https://www.cttransit.com/schedules|archive-date=June 1, 2017|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.cttransit.com/sites/default/files/maps/division/ctfastrak_system_DEC2016.pdf|title=CTFASTRAK SYSTEM MAP|date=December 2016|website=Connecticut Transit|access-date=May 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180425183909/https://www.cttransit.com/sites/default/files/maps/division/ctfastrak_system_DEC2016.pdf|archive-date=April 25, 2018|url-status=live}}

Interstate bus service is provided by Peter Pan Bus, Greyhound Bus and Megabus. Chinatown bus lines provide low-cost bus service between Hartford and their New York and Boston hubs. In addition, there are buses for connections to smaller cities in the state. The main bus station is located on the ground floor of the transport center at Hartford Union Station at One Union Place, serving Peter Pan Bus and Greyhound Bus customers. All Megabus arrivals and departures are at the corner of Columbus Boulevard and Talcott Street on the opposite side of downtown.{{cite web|url=http://locations.greyhound.com/bus-stations/us/connecticut/hartford/bus-station-60060|title=Hartford Connecticut Bus Station {{!}} Greyhound|website=locations.greyhound.com|access-date=May 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170516060818/http://locations.greyhound.com/bus-stations/us/connecticut/hartford/bus-station-60060|archive-date=May 16, 2017|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|url=https://peterpanbus.com/locations/connecticut/hartford/|title=Hartford|work=Peter Pan Bus Lines|access-date=May 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180426075819/https://peterpanbus.com/locations/connecticut/hartford/|archive-date=April 26, 2018|url-status=live}}

A bicycle route runs through the center of Hartford. This route is a small piece of the large eastern bicycle route – the East Coast Greenway (ECG). The {{convert|3000|mi|km|adj=on}} ECG runs from Calais, Maine, to the Florida Keys. The route is intended to be off-road, but some sections are currently on-road. The section through Hartford is right through the middle of Bushnell Park.{{cite web|url=http://www.riverfront.org/parks/walkways-trails|title=Walkways & Trails {{!}} Riverfront Recapture|website=Riverfront.org|access-date=May 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170517221131/http://www.riverfront.org/parks/walkways-trails|archive-date=May 17, 2017|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.greenway.org/pdf/CT.pdf|title=East Coast Greenway|year=2010|website=greenway.org|access-date=May 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170129105251/http://www.greenway.org/pdf/CT.pdf|archive-date=January 29, 2017|url-status=dead}}{{Cite news|url=http://traveltips.usatoday.com/bike-paths-connecticut-100706.html|title=Bike Paths in Connecticut|access-date=May 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150911150730/http://traveltips.usatoday.com/bike-paths-connecticut-100706.html|archive-date=September 11, 2015|url-status=live}}

There are designated bicycle lanes on several roads including Capitol Avenue, Zion Street, Scarborough Street, Whitney, and South Whitney.{{Cite news|url=http://www.courant.com/politics/hc-ct-bike-safety-laws-20150601-story.html|title=Bike Advocates Say Newly Passed Reforms Long Overdue|last=Hladky|first=Gregory B.|website=Courant.com|access-date=May 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161119072539/http://www.courant.com/politics/hc-ct-bike-safety-laws-20150601-story.html|archive-date=November 19, 2016|url-status=live}}

File:Engine Co 2 Fire Station Hartford CT.JPG]]

The Hartford Fire Department is the fifth-largest fire department in Connecticut.{{cite web|url=http://www.hartford.gov/fire/|title=Hartford.Gov – Hartford Fire Department|access-date=July 26, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100720002324/http://www.hartford.gov/fire/|archive-date=July 20, 2010|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=http://www.hartford.gov/about-hfd|title=Hartford.Gov – About HFD|access-date=April 5, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130903032911/http://www.hartford.gov/about-hfd|archive-date=September 3, 2013|url-status=live}} The fire department operates out of 12 fire stations located throughout the city. Three of Hartford's fire stations are on the National Register of Historic Places. Engine 1 and Engine 15 are still in use today. The station for Engine 6, disbanded in 1984, has been repurposed as a homeless shelter.{{cite web|url={{NRHP url|id=89000020}}|title=NRHP nomination for Engine Company 6 Fire Station|publisher=National Park Service|access-date=December 9, 2014}}

The Hartford Police Department was founded in 1860, though the history of law enforcement in Hartford begins in 1636.{{cite web|url=http://www.hartford.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2448|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080313041231/http://www.hartford.gov/police/HistoryFolder/2008HistoryPage.htm|url-status=dead|title=Hartford.Gov – Department of Families, Children, Youth and Recreation|archive-date=March 13, 2008|website=hartford.gov}}

Hartford outsources ambulance services to private companies, including Aetna Ambulance in the South End and American Medical Response in the North End.{{cite news|last1=Bordobaro|first1=Gregory|title=CT's ambulance services fragmented, consolidated|url=http://www.hartfordbusiness.com/article/20130722/PRINTEDITION/307189922|access-date=April 5, 2015|work=Hartford Business Journal|date=July 22, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150412210050/http://www.hartfordbusiness.com/article/20130722/PRINTEDITION/307189922|archive-date=April 12, 2015|url-status=live}}

{{Main list|List of people from Hartford, Connecticut}}

Hartford has been home to many historically significant people, such as dictionary author Noah Webster (1758–1843), American Sign Language creator Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet (1787–1851), .45 Colt inventor Sam Colt (1814–1862), Gallaudet University founder Edward Miner Gallaudet (1837–1917), and American financier and industrialist J.P. Morgan (1837–1913).{{cite web|url=https://connecticuthistory.org/noah-webster-and-the-dream-of-a-common-language/|title=Noah Webster and the Dream of a Common Language {{!}} ConnecticutHistory.org|website=connecticuthistory.org|access-date=May 21, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170819190917/https://connecticuthistory.org/noah-webster-and-the-dream-of-a-common-language/|archive-date=August 19, 2017|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|url=http://www.courant.com/courant-250/moments-in-history/hc-250-p3-sam-colt-innovation-in-connecticut-20141224-story.html|title=Part 3: An Industrial Ecosystem Emerges Around Sam Colt's Guns|last=Haar|first=Dan|website=Courant.com|access-date=May 21, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161105021654/http://www.courant.com/courant-250/moments-in-history/hc-250-p3-sam-colt-innovation-in-connecticut-20141224-story.html|archive-date=November 5, 2016|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://connecticuthistory.org/j-p-morgans-connecticut-roots/|title=J. P. Morgan's Connecticut Roots {{!}} ConnecticutHistory.org|website=connecticuthistory.org|access-date=May 21, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160501231436/http://connecticuthistory.org/j-p-morgans-connecticut-roots/|archive-date=May 1, 2016|url-status=live}}

A wide range of artists hail from Hartford.

Post US Civil War, the creation of Nook Farm brought many authors and related individuals to Hartford.{{Cite web |date=2014-06-05 |title=Hartford's Nook Farm - Connecticut History |url=https://connecticuthistory.org/hartfords-nook-farm/ |access-date=2025-03-19 |website=Connecticut History |language=en}} For example, Mark Twain (1835–1910) moved there in 1874.Andrews, K. R. (1969). Nook Farm: Mark Twain's Hartford Circle. United Kingdom: University of Washington Press. Twain's next-door neighbor at Nook Farm was Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811–1896), and all the Beecher sisters lived there, including educator and publisher Catharine Beecher and feminist thinker Isabella Beecher Hooker. Poet Lydia Sigourney (1791–1865) was known as 'The Sweet singer of Hartford,' and poet Wallace Stevens (1879–1955), who was an insurance executive in the city. World War II correspondent Lyn Crost (1915–1997) lived there.{{cite web|url=https://www.marktwainhouse.org/man/biography_main.php|title=Welcome to the Mark Twain House & Museum – Biography of Mark Twain|website=marktwainhouse.org|access-date=May 21, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170512074002/http://www.marktwainhouse.org/man/biography_main.php|archive-date=May 12, 2017|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=https://www.harrietbeecherstowecenter.org/|title=Welcome to the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center|website=harrietbeecherstowecenter.org|access-date=May 21, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170519152249/http://www.harrietbeecherstowecenter.org/|archive-date=May 19, 2017|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/26/travel/for-the-poet-wallace-stevens-hartford-was-an-unlikely-muse.html|title=For the Poet Wallace Stevens, Hartford Was an Unlikely Muse|last=Gordinier|first=Jeff|date=February 23, 2012|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=May 21, 2017|issn=0362-4331|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170404142441/http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/26/travel/for-the-poet-wallace-stevens-hartford-was-an-unlikely-muse.html|archive-date=April 4, 2017|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|url=http://www.theindy.org/a/996|title=Writing the War: The Story of Lyn Crost B'38|access-date=May 21, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190201065248/http://www.theindy.org/a/996|archive-date=February 1, 2019|url-status=live}} More recently, Dominick Dunne (1925–2009), John Gregory Dunne (1932–2003), and Suzanne Collins (born 1962) have resided in Hartford.{{Cite news|url=http://www.courant.com/courant-250/moments-in-history/hc-whos-who-in-connecticut-arts-and-culture-wr-005-photo.html|title=DOMINICK DUNNE (1925–2009)|last=Times|first=Los Angeles|website=Courant.com|access-date=May 21, 2017}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2004/03/dunne200403|title=A Death in the Family|last=Dunne|first=Dominick|work=The Hive|access-date=May 21, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170615170205/http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2004/03/dunne200403|archive-date=June 15, 2017|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|url=http://www.courant.com/hc-famous-people-that-call-hartford-home-20130-005-photo.html|title=Suzanne Collins|last=Courant|first=Hartford|website=Courant.com|access-date=May 21, 2017}}

Harlem Renaissance artist, Laura Wheeler Waring, was born and raised in Hartford.{{Cite web |title=Laura Wheeler Waring |url=https://www.cwhf.org/inductees/laura-wheeler-waring |access-date=2025-03-19 |website=CT Women's Hall of Fame |language=en-US}}

Actors and others in the entertainment business from Hartford include Katharine Hepburn, Thomas Ian Griffith, Gary Merrill, Linda Evans, Eriq La Salle, Diane Venora, William Gillette, Grace Carney,Obituary, ‘’The Hartford Courant’’, March 28, 2009 and Charles Nelson Reilly, and TV producer and writer Norman Lear. Television show director Paul Stanley was born in Hartford. Marvel Comics artist George Tuska grew up in Hartford.{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/search/name?birth_place=Hartford,%20Connecticut,%20USA|title=IMDb: Most Popular People Born In "Hartford/ Connecticut/ USA"|website=IMDb|access-date=May 21, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130622025326/http://www.imdb.com/search/name?birth_place=Hartford,%20Connecticut,%20USA|archive-date=June 22, 2013|url-status=live}} Additionally, the fictional characters of Richard and Emily Gilmore were said to reside in Hartford on the Gilmore Girls.

In the field of music, natives include singer Sophie Tucker (1884–1966), "last of the red-hot mamas." Others include:

• Rock and Roll Hall of Fame members Gene Pitney and Mike Carabello (of Santana)
• Mark McGrath
• bass guitarist Doug Wimbish of Living Colour
• Cindy Blackman (drummer for Lenny Kravitz)
• jazz alto saxophonist Jackie McLeanDixon, Ken, "Music Hall of Fame proposed for state", article in Connecticut Post in Bridgeport, Connecticut, April 26, 2007 ("Other famous state residents include the late jazz saxophonist Jackie McLean of Hartford")
• concert violinist Elmar Oliveira (born 1950)
• brothers Jeff Porcaro, Mike Porcaro, and Steve Porcaro (of the group Toto)

Frederick Law Olmsted (1822–1903), considered the father of the profession of Landscape architecture, was born in Hartford. Among his designs are New York's Central Park, 1893 Chicago World's Fair, and Asheville's Biltmore Estate. Other projects that Olmsted was involved in include the country's first and oldest coordinated system of public parks and parkways in Buffalo, New York; the country's oldest state park, the Niagara Reservation in Niagara Falls, New York; one of the first planned communities in the United States, Riverside, Illinois; Mount Royal Park in Montreal; the Emerald Necklace in Boston; Highland Park in Rochester, New York; Belle Isle Park in Detroit; the Grand Necklace of Parks in Milwaukee; and Cherokee Park and entire parks and parkway system in Louisville, Kentucky. Olmsted's nephew, Frederick E. Olmsted (1872–1925) was a pioneering forester who is credited helping to establish the National Forest system in the United States.

Barbara McClintock (1902–1992), pioneering cytogeneticist was born in Hartford. She was awarded the 1983 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the breakthrough discovery of genetic transposition. She is the only woman to receive an unshared Nobel Prize in the Medicine category.

Former Cleveland Browns head coach Eric Mangini is from Hartford. Former NHL player Craig Janney and current player Nick Bonino were born in Hartford. Other sports stars include NBA players Marcus Camby, Rick Mahorn, Johnny Egan, and Michael Adams, as well as NFL kicker John Carney, Dwight Freeney, Tebucky Jones, and Eugene Robinson.{{Cite news|url=http://www.courant.com/sports/hc-connecticut-olympian-capsules-20160803-story.html|title=Local Olympians: Athletes, Coaches With Ties To Connecticut|website=Courant.com|access-date=May 21, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161116071709/http://www.courant.com/sports/hc-connecticut-olympian-capsules-20160803-story.html|archive-date=November 16, 2016|url-status=live}}

Martha Bulloch Roosevelt, mother of president Theodore Roosevelt and paternal grandmother of Eleanor Roosevelt, was born in Hartford on July 8, 1835.

File:NovaBUS LFX.jpg was built to connect the suburbs to Hartford.]]

• Adriaen's Landing – The state and privately funded project is situated on the banks of the Connecticut River along Columbus Boulevard, and connects to Constitution Plaza. Constitution Plaza forced hundreds of households to relocate when it was built a few decades ago. The latest project includes the {{convert|540000|sqft|m2|-3|adj=on}} Connecticut Convention Center, which opened in June 2005 and is the largest meeting space between New York City and Boston. Attached to the Convention Center is the 22-story, 409-room Marriott Hartford Hotel-Downtown, which opened in August 2005. Being constructed next to the convention center and hotel is the {{convert|140000|sqft|m2|-3|adj=on}} Connecticut Science Center.{{cite web|url=http://crdact.net/regional_development/adriaens_landing.html|title=Adriaen's Landing|website=Crdact.net|access-date=May 21, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170629033251/http://crdact.net/regional_development/adriaens_landing.html|archive-date=June 29, 2017|url-status=dead}}
• Capital Community College at the 11-story G. Fox Department Store Building – The {{convert|913000|sqft|m2|-2|adj=on}} former home of the G. Fox & Company Department Store on Main Street has been renovated and made the new home of Capital Community College as well as offices for the State of Connecticut and ground level retail space. Capital Community College helps train (mostly) adult students in specific career fields. On Thursdays, vendors sell crafts on the Main Street level. Two music clubs, Mezzanine and Room 960, are housed in the building.{{cite web|url=https://www.capitalcc.edu/|title=Capital Community College {{!}}|website=Capitalcc.edu|access-date=May 21, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170509084157/https://www.capitalcc.edu/|archive-date=May 9, 2017|url-status=live}}
• CTfastrak – The recently completed bus rapid transit system connects Hartford's Union Station to downtown New Britain. It was built to ease traffic on I-84.{{cite web|url=http://ctfastrak.com/about/news/news-releases/13-media-releases/279-03-28-15-despite-snow-thousands-of-riders-many-first-timers-experience-ctfastrak-on-first-day-of-service|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150911222239/http://ctfastrak.com/about/news/news-releases/13-media-releases/279-03-28-15-despite-snow-thousands-of-riders-many-first-timers-experience-ctfastrak-on-first-day-of-service|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 11, 2015|title=CTfastrak.com – (03/28/15) Despite Snow, Thousands of Riders, Many First-Timers, Experience CTfastrak on First Day of Service|date=September 11, 2015|access-date=May 21, 2017}}
• Front Street – The final component of Adriaen's Landing, Front Street, sits across from the Convention Center and covers the land between Columbus Boulevard and The Hartford Times Building. The Front Street development combines retail, entertainment and residential components. Publicly funded parts of the project will include transportation improvements. There have been significant delays in the Front Street project, and the first developer was removed from the project because of lack of progress. The city has chosen a new developer, but work is yet to begin on the retail and residential component of Front Street. The city and state may soon take action to increase the speed with which the project enters implementation phases. There has been talk of bringing an ESPN Zone to the Front Street (ESPN is headquartered in nearby Bristol).{{cite web|url=http://www.frontstreetdistrict.com/index.html |title=The New Pulse of Hartford | Home |publisher=Front Street District |access-date=June 9, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120326123201/http://www.frontstreetdistrict.com/index.html |archive-date=March 26, 2012 }} On the back side of Front Street, the historic Beaux-Arts Hartford Times Building is being converted into a downtown campus of the University of Connecticut.{{cite news|last1=Gosselin|first1=Kenneth|title=Authority Gets Look at Latest UConn Hartford Campus Renderings|url=http://www.courant.com/real-estate/property-line/hc-uconn-hartford-connecticut-campus-new-renderings-20141121-story.html|newspaper=The Hartford Courant|date=November 21, 2014|access-date=March 13, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402012736/http://www.courant.com/real-estate/property-line/hc-uconn-hartford-connecticut-campus-new-renderings-20141121-story.html|archive-date=April 2, 2015|url-status=live}}
• Hartford Line – According to Connecticut Governor Malloy, the Hartford Line commuter rail service will reach speeds up to {{convert|110|mph|0|abbr=on}}.{{cite news|url=http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2011/04/07/news/doc4d9cf8b24e8c3339028689.txt |title=Conn. seeks funds for rail work on Hartford-to-Springfield line (document) |newspaper=The New Haven Register |date=April 7, 2011 |access-date=June 9, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120419101014/http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2011/04/07/news/doc4d9cf8b24e8c3339028689.txt |archive-date=April 19, 2012 |url-status=dead}} The rail line is intended to unite the densely populated, {{convert|61|mi|disp=or|abbr=on}} region between Hartford, Springfield, and New Haven; ease the frequently congested Interstate 91 automobile highway; and increase mobility in a region that is now almost entirely dependent upon automobile ownership. As of May 2011, Connecticut's portion of the commuter line has been three-quarters funded. Currently, the state is seeking the $227 million necessary to complete the northern portion of the line from the $2.4 billion in federal funds that Florida rejected to fund its own high-speed rail project.
• Knowledge Corridor Partnership – In 2000, at The Big E in West Springfield, Massachusetts, Hartford and Springfield, Massachusetts – the two major New England, Connecticut River Valley cities with centers only {{convert|24|mi|disp=or|abbr=on}}) apart – jointly announced the Knowledge Corridor Partnership. The Knowledge Corridor Partnership aims to unite the two metropolitan areas economically, culturally, and geographically. The nickname comes from the metropolitan region's over 32 universities and liberal arts colleges, including several of the United States' most prestigious. As of the 10th anniversary of the Knowledge Corridor, it was announced that the Knowledge Corridor is beginning to receive federal funds, as opposed to either state or city funds.{{cite web|author=Kinney|first=Jim|date=October 24, 2010|title=Hartford Springfield Economic Partnership gets $4.2 million to boost Knowledge Corridor|url=https://www.masslive.com/business-news/2010/10/hartford_springfield_economic_partnershi.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120925033206/http://www.masslive.com/business-news/index.ssf/2010/10/hartford_springfield_economic_partnershi.html|archive-date=September 25, 2012|access-date=June 9, 2012|website=Masslive.com}}

Hartford's sister cities are:{{cite web |title=Sister Cities International of Hartford|url=http://www.findglocal.com/US/Hartford/128397917220967/Sister-Cities-International-of-Hartford|website=findglocal.com|publisher=Find Glocal|access-date=January 20, 2020}}

• Caguas, Puerto Rico
• Dongguan, China
• Floridia, Italy

• Morant Bay, Jamaica
• New Ross, Ireland
• Ocotal, Nicaragua
• Sogakope, Ghana
• Thessaloniki, Greece
• Hertford, England{{Cite web |title=Twinning North Herts |url=https://www.baldocktowntwinning.com/twinning-north-herts |access-date=March 29, 2022 |website=Baldock Twinning |language=en}}

{{Portal|Connecticut|New England|Cities}}

• Hartford Electric Light Company
• List of cities in Connecticut

{{notelist}}

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• {{official website|http://www.hartford.gov}}
• [http://www.metrohartford.com/ Chamber of Commerce]
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• {{Cite Collier's|wstitle=Hartford |short=x |noicon=x}}
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• {{Cite CE1913 |last=Duggan |first=Thomas Stephen |wstitle=Diocese of Hartford |short=x |noicon=x}}
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• {{Cite NIE|wstitle=Hartford|year=1905 |short=x |noicon=x}}
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• {{Cite AmCyc|wstitle=Hartford (city)|display=Hartford, a city in the town of the same name|first=J. W. |last=Hawes |short=x |noicon=x}}

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