Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 census. Hartford is the most populous city in the Capitol Planning Region and the core city of the Greater Hartford metropolitan area.
Hartford | |
|---|---|
State capital | |
Downtown seen from the Connecticut River Old State House | |
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Flag Seal | |
Nicknames:
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| Motto(s): Post Nubila Phoebus (Latin) "After the clouds, the sun" | |
| Coordinates: 41°45′45″N 72°40′27″W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Connecticut |
| County | Hartford |
| Region | Capitol Region |
| MSA | Greater Hartford |
| Settled | October 15, 1635 |
| Named | February 21, 1637 |
| Incorporated (city) | May 29, 1784 |
| Consolidated | April 1, 1896 |
| Named for | Hertford, Hertfordshire |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor-council |
| • Mayor | Arunan Arulampalam (D) |
| Area | |
| • State capital | 18.05 sq mi (46.76 km2) |
| • Land | 17.38 sq mi (45.01 km2) |
| • Water | 0.68 sq mi (1.75 km2) |
| • Urban | 535.93 sq mi (1,388.0 km2) |
| Elevation | 30 ft (9 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
| • State capital | 121,054 |
| • Density | 6,965.1/sq mi (2,689.5/km2) |
| • Urban | 977,158 (US: 47th) |
| • Urban density | 1,823.3/sq mi (704.0/km2) |
| • Metro | 1,214,295 (US: 48th) |
| • CSA | 1,489,361 (US: 41st) |
| Demonym | Hartfordite |
| GDP | |
| • Hartford (MSA) | $114.887 billion (2022) |
| Time zone | UTC−05:00 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−04:00 (EDT) |
| ZIP Codes | 061xx |
| Area code(s) | 860/959 |
| FIPS code | 09-37000 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2378277 |
| Primary airport | Bradley International Airport |
| Secondary airport | Hartford–Brainard Airport |
| Interstates | |
| U.S. Highways | |
| State routes | |
| Commuter rail | |
| Rapid transit | |
| Website | www |
Founded in 1635, Hartford is among the oldest cities in the United States. It is home to the country's oldest public art museum (Wadsworth Atheneum), the oldest publicly funded park (Bushnell Park), the oldest continuously published newspaper (the Hartford Courant), and the second-oldest secondary school (Hartford Public High School). It was home to the oldest "asylum for the deaf and dumb" the (American School for the Deaf), founded by Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet in 1817. It holds the Mark Twain House, in which the author wrote his most famous works and raised his family. Mark Twain wrote in 1868, "Of all the beautiful towns it has been my fortune to see this is the chief."
Hartford has been the sole capital of Connecticut since 1875. (Before then, New Haven and Hartford alternated as dual capitals, as part of the agreement by which the Colony of New Haven was absorbed into the Colony of Connecticut in 1664.)
Hartford was the richest city in the United States for several decades following the American Civil War. Since 2015, it has been one of the poorest cities in the country, with three out of ten families living below the poverty threshold. In sharp contrast, the Greater Hartford metropolitan statistical area was ranked 32nd of 318 metropolitan areas in total economic production and 8th out of 280 metropolitan statistical areas in per capita income in 2015.
Nicknamed the "Insurance Capital of the World" and "America's filing cabinet", the city holds high sufficiency as a global city, as home to the headquarters of many insurance companies, the region's major industry. Other prominent industries include the services, education and healthcare industries. Hartford coordinates certain Hartford–Springfield regional development matters through the Knowledge Corridor Economic Partnership.