About Hartford

Hartford is the capital of Connecticut, in Hartford County. It is located on the Connecticut River, near the center of the state.  Sometimes referred to as “insurance capital of the world,” Greater Hartford is an international center of the insurance industry, with companies such as AETNA, St. Paul Travelers, and The Hartford based in the city. The area is also home to Colt Firearms and large corporations like United Technologies (the parent corporation for Pratt & Whitney, Otis Elevator, Sikorsky Aircraft, Carrier Corporation, Hamilton Sundstrand, UTC Fire & Security and UTC Fuel Cells) and others.

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History

Hartford, located at the end of the navigable portion of the Connecticut River, was settled in 1623 as a Dutch trading post called House of Hope. In 1636, a group of English settlers led by the Reverend Thomas Hooker left Massachusetts and formed a colony here. The settlers made peace with the local Algonquin Indians, who called the town Saukiog, and renamed it after Hertford, England. Early in its existence Hartford made a significant contribution to the burgeoning society.    The Fundamental Orders adopted by the colony in 1639, was the first document in history to establish a government by the consent of the people.

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Neighborhoods

Asylum Hill

Barry Square

Behind the Rocks

Blue Hills

Clay Arsenal

Downtown

Frog Hollow

North East

North Meadows

Parkville

Sheldon/Charter Oak

South Green

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By Car

Often called the Gateway to New England, Greater Hartford sits at the crossroads of I-91 and I-84. It’s also midway between New York and Boston, only 100 miles from each city. This puts more than 23 million people within a 2 1/2 hour drive of Greater Hartford, via I-91, I-95, I-84 and I-90.

Voter Registration

Registrar of Voters
550 Main St.
Hartford, CT 06103
(860) 543-8585
www.hartford.gov/Voters

There is no minimum residence requirement. Connecticut also has a cross-registration system allowing registration anywhere in the state instead of limiting it to the town of residence.

Public Transportation

CT Transit
100 Leibert Road
Hartford, CT  06141
(860) 525-9181
www.cttransit.com

CT Transit provides bus service throughout the Hartfrod Metro Area. Standard fare is $1.25, all day passes are worth buying if you’re taking more than two trips. One transfer is free.  Most stops get service every 15-30 minutes.

There is also a free shuttle downtown, the Star Shuttle.  It connects some of the major tourist attractions downtown.

Rail and Bus Access
Union Station in downtown Hartford provides scheduled AMTRAK service. Nonstop bus transportation to every major Northeast city also runs regularly to and from Union Station.

Union Station Transportation Center
One Union Place
Hartford, CT  06103
(860) 247-5329

Multi-modal transportation center serving Amtrak and intercity bus operators, taxis, airport limousines and local buses. Passenger amenities include restaurants, shops and automatic teller machines.

Air Transportation

Bradley International Airport
Windsor Locks, CT  06096
(860) 594-2550
www.bradleyairport.com

New England’s Second Largest airport is located just 12 miles north of Hartford at exit 40 on I-91. Bradley offers service by 19 airlines and offers 8 car rental companies. There are nearly 300 national and international flights daily, including same plane service to and from 75 U.S. and Canadian cities.

Television

Radio

Newspapers

Hartford Courant
285 Broad St.
Hartford, CT. 06115.
(860) 241-6200
www.courant.com

The Courant began publication in 1764, hence its slogan “Older than the nation.”  The paper is a daily, with circulation around 200,000.  It focuses much of it’s coverage on local news and government.

Performing Arts

Austin Arts Center
(860) 297-2199

Located on the campus of Trinity College, the Austin Arts Center presents a lively mix of music, theater, dance and visual arts featuring guest artists, faculty and students.

The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts
166 Capitol Avenue
Hartford, CT 06019
(860) 987-5900
(888) 824-2874
www.bushnell.org

Connecticut’s premier presenter of the performing arts, the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts has played a leading role in the state’s cultural life for more than 70 years.

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Museums

Connecticut Historical Society Museum
One Elizabeth St.
Hartford, CT
(860) 236-5621
www.chs.org

The Connecticut Historical Society is a non-profit museum, library, and education center, which collects, preserves, and interprets the history of the diverse people of Connecticut, both past and present.

Harriet Beecher Stowe Center
77 Forest Street
Hartford, CT
(860) 522-9258
www.harrietbeecherstowecenter.org

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Shopping

Avon Marketplace
380 West Main Street
Avon, CT
(203) 221-8148
www.avonmarketplace.com

One of Farmington Valley’s first upscale specialty lifestyle centers, Avon Marketplace offers a superb mix of national retailers such as Orvis, Express, Bath and Body Works, Victoria’s Secret, Sharper Image, The Gap and many others.

The Shoppes at Buckland Hills
194 Buckland Hills Drive, Suite 2500
Manchester, Connecticut 06040
(860) 644-1450
www.theshoppesatbucklandhills.com

The Shoppes at Buckland Hills is an exciting Connecticut shopping destination featuring one million square-feet with new stores such as Barnes & Noble, H&M, Build-A-Bear workshop and many more.

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Casinos

Foxwoods Casino
39 Norwich-Westerly Rd.
Ledyard, CT 06339
(800) 369-9663
www.foxwoods.com

Experience the wonder of it all at the world’s largest casino. From gaming to dining, meetings to golf outings, Foxwoods offers the utmost in comfort, pleasure and excitement.

Mohegan Sun Casino
1 Mohegan Sun Blvd
Uncasville, CT 06382
(888) 226-7711
www.mohegansun.com

Mohegan Sun has 300,000 square feet of gaming excitement including Baccarat, Blackjack, Craps, Caribbean Stud Poker, Pai Gow Poker, Sic Bo, Spanish 21 and Wheel of Fortune. It features over 29 dining options, 30 fine shops and some of the hottest concerts and live entertainment in the area.

Education

Community Colleges
Community colleges exist for two major purposes. The first is to serve as a bridge from high school to college by providing courses for transfer toward a bachelor’s degree. Four out of 10 collegebound high-school graduates start their college education this way.

The second function of community colleges is to prepare students for the job market by offering entry-level career training as well as courses for adult students who want to upgrade their skills for the workplace. They often offer programs that are not available at four-year schools, like fashion design.

Liberal Arts Colleges
Liberal arts colleges offer a broad base of courses in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences. Most are private and focus mainly on undergraduate students. Classes tend to be small and personal attention is available.

Online Learning
Recent years have witnessed the rise of online degree programs, to allow the busy professional a chance to work at their own pace from the comfort of their home on the path to getting a degree. The costs to students are typically the same as for traditional classes— and financial aid is equally available—while the cost to the institution can be much less.

There are online universities ranging from legitimate distance learning systems to fly-by-night degree-mills. It’s important to research a particular institution before deciding to enroll in their system. Generally, brick-and-mortar schools that also offer online classes are the safest, though there are plenty of fully accredited online universities out there.

Nearly 3 million students are believed to be taking online classes at institutions of higher education in the United States this year. That number has been growing about 25% a year recently. Now, virtually all public higher education institutions, as well as a vast majority of private, for-profit institutions, now offer online classes. By contrast, only about half of private, nonprofit schools offer them. Online schools offer everything from Associate’s degrees to Doctoral programs with available emphases in everything from Business Administration to Criminal Justice to Nursing. Some programs require students to attend some campus classes or orientations, but many are delivered completely online. Online courses generally require a computer with a broadband connection, but are now a serious option for the busy professional.

Public vs. Private
Public colleges are usually less expensive, particularly for in-state residents. They get most of their money from the state or local government. Private colleges rely on tuition, fees, endowments, and other private sources. Private colleges are usually smaller and can offer more personalized attention and often more prestige.

Universities
Generally, a university is bigger than a college and offers more majors and research facilities. Class size often reflects institutional size and some classes may taught by graduate students.

Upper Division
Upper-division schools offer the last two years of undergraduate study, usually in specialized programs leading to a bachelor’s degree. Students then generally transfer to an upper-division college after completing an associate degree or after finishing a second year of study at a four-year college.

Public Schools

Hartford Public Schools
960 Main St.
Hartford, CT
(860) 695-8400
www.hartfordschools.org

Access links to and comprehensive information about Hartford public schools.

Connecticut State Department of Education
165 Capitol Avenue
Hartford CT 06145
(860) 713-6548
www.state.ct.us/sde

Get important news and information about all of Connecticut’s schools.

Schools

Higher Education
Central Connecticut State College
1615 Stanley Street
New Britain, CT
(860) 832-CCSU
www.ccsu.edu

Central Connecticut State University is a regional, comprehensive public university dedicated to learning in the liberal arts and sciences and to education for the professions. Comprising five schools—Arts & Sciences, Business, Education & Professional Studies, Technology, and Graduate Studies

Charter Oak State College
55 Paul J. Manafort Drive
New Britain, CT
(860) 832-3800
www.cosc.edu

Charter Oak State College was established in 1973 by the Connecticut Legislature to provide an alternative way for adults to earn associate and baccalaureate degrees.

Trinity College
300 Summit Street
Hartford, CT
(860) 297-2000
www.trincoll.edu

As a residential college located in a city, Trinity offers extensive opportunities for combining classroom instruction with experiential learning in the city.

University of Connecticut
Storrs, CT
(860) 486-2000
www.uconn.edu

The University of Connecticut is the state’s flagship institution of higher learning. Founded in 1881, the University of Connecticut has grown to include 13 Schools and Colleges at its main campus in Storrs, separate Schools of Law and Social Work in Hartford, five regional campuses throughout the state and Schools of Medicine and Dentistry at the UConn Health Center in Farmington.

University of Hartford
200 Bloomfield Avenue
Hartford, CT 06019
(860) 768.4100
www.hartford.edu

At the University of Hartford they provide a learning environment in which students may transform them selves intellectually, personally, and socially. They provide students with distinctive educational experiences that blend the feel of a small residential college with an array of academic programs and opportunities characteristic of a large university.

Connecticut Community Colleges
61 Woodland Street
Hartford, CT
(860) 244-7600
www.commnet.edu

Connecticut’s Community Colleges offer accessible, affordable, and student-centered higher education that can help you to succeed in the Information Age. Whatever career path you choose, your earning potential soars with higher education.

Campuses
Asnuntuck Community College
170 Elm Street
Enfield, CT 06082
(860)253-3000
http://www.acc.commnet.edu

Capital Community College
950 Main Street
Hartford, CT
(860) 906-5000
www.ccc.commnet.edu

Tunxis Community College
271 Scott Swamp Road
Farmington, CT
(860) 255-3500
www.tunxis.commnet.edu