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Hartford, Connecticut, USA

March 5, 2012 by · Comments Off on Hartford, Connecticut, USA 

Hartford, Connecticut, USA, Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England’s largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford’s population was 124,775, making it Connecticut’s third-largest city after the coastal cities of Bridgeport and New Haven. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford was the seventh largest city in New England (after, in order: Boston, Worcester, Providence, Springfield, Bridgeport, and New Haven.) As of the 2010 census, Greater Hartford was the largest metropolitan area in Connecticut with a population of 1,212,381.

Greater Hartford’s close proximity – and economic and cultural interconnectedness with – Metropolitan Springfield combine to make the Hartford-Springfield Metropolitan Area the second most populous region in New England, with a population of approximately 1.9 million. Collectively, the Hartford-Springfield Metropolitan Region is nicknamed the Knowledge Corridor because it contains 32 universities and colleges, with approximately 160,000 university students. Bradley International Airport is Hartford’s airport.

Nicknamed the “Insurance Capital of the World”, Hartford houses many insurance company headquarters, and insurance remains the region’s major industry. Almost 400 years old, Hartford is among the oldest cities in the United States. Following the American Civil War, Hartford was the wealthiest city in the United States for several decades. In 1868, Mark Twain wrote, “Of all the beautiful towns it has been my fortune to see this is the chief.”

In 2004, the Hartford metropolitan area ranked second nationally in per capita economic activity, behind only San Francisco. Hartford is ranked 32nd of 318 metropolitan areas in total economic production. Hartford is home to the nation’s oldest public art museum, the Wadsworth Atheneum; the oldest public park, Bushnell Park; the oldest continuously published newspaper, The Hartford Courant; the second-oldest secondary school, Hartford Public, and the Mark Twain House, among other historically significant attractions.

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