Greater Hartford

Capitol Region

The Capitol Region refers to a specific group of municipalities that the Capitol Region Council of Governments. Since Connecticut dissolved county governments, counties in the state have become purely ceremonial in nature. In place of county governments are local councils composed of the representatives from municipal governments. Other councils that fall within the Greater Hartford area the Central Connecticut Regional Planning Agency and the Lower Connecticut River Valley Council of Governments (formerly known as the Midstate Council of Governments).

New England City and Town Area

New England City and Town Areas (NECTA) are cluster of cities and towns throughout all of New England defined by the Office of Management and Budget. The Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT Metropolitan NECTA consists of 54 towns, including 25 in Hartford County, 5 in Litchfield County, 6 in Middlesex County, 2 in New London County, 12 in Tolland County, and 4 in Windham County.

Metropolitan Statistical Area

The United States Census Bureau also defines the Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) based on towns as building blocks. The area contains 54 towns of Hartford County, Tolland County, and Middlesex County. The 2015 population estimate for the MSA is 1,211,324 and is ranked as the 47th largest metropolitan area by population in the United States. The MSA definition of the area contains a significant portion of the Lower Connecticut River Valley, which is not commonly considered as part of Greater Hartford.

A region very similar to the MSA is covered by the combination of the Hartford Service Delivery Area and the Mid-Connecticut Service Delivery Area, covering 56 towns.

Combined Statistical Area

The Hartford Metropolitan Statistical Area in combined with the Norwich-New London MSA in a larger entity known as the Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2015, the population of the CSA was 1,483,187, ranking it 37 in the nation. Counties included in this definition are:

Municipalities with 100,000 or more inhabitants

Municipalities with 50,000 to 100,000 inhabitants

Municipalities with fewer than 1,000 inhabitants

^1 Town also included in the Springfield, Massachusetts NECTA

Notable companies based in Hartford city proper

Notable companies based in surrounding towns

^2 Division of United Technologies (Otis and Carrier are under the UTC Building & Industrial Systems division)

Public colleges and universities

Public, four-year universities in the area include:.

Community and technical colleges

Public, two-year community colleges in the area include:

Private colleges and universities

Private, nonprofit, four-year universities in the area include:

Healthcare

There are numerous hospitals in the Greater Hartford area, including five teaching hospitals (of which, one is a pediatric hospital) and two psychiatric hospitals.

Teaching hospitals

All of the above hospitals are affiliated with the University of Connecticut School of Medicine

Psychiatric hospitals

Performing arts

The Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts is one of the largest indoor performing arts venues in the area. It houses two theaters within the complex: the 2,800-seat Mortensen Hall and the 906-seat Belding Theater. Other theaters in the area include the Hartford Stage and TheatreWorks.

The area is also home to the Xfinity Theatre, a 7,500-seat open-air amphitheater. The lawn outside the theater is capable of holding roughly 22,500 people, bringing total capacity to around 30,000 people.

Conventions and exhibitions

The Connecticut Convention Center is located in downtown Hartford adjacent to the Hartford Marriot Downtown. The facility has more than 140,000 square feet (13,000 m²) of exhibition space, a 40,000-square-foot (4,000 m²) ballroom, and 25,000 square feet (2,300 m²) of space for meetings and conferences. Since 2005, it has hosted ConnectiCon, an annual, multi-genre, pop culture convention.

The New England Air Museum in Windsor Locks also hosts many events, with three large hangars available for use. One of the more popular events held there is FlightSimCon.

In addition, AOPA has held their annual aviation summit in Hartford.

Sports

Greater Hartford is home to multiple minor league professional sports teams and college teams. There are currently no major league professional sports teams. However, it was home to the Hartford Whalers ice hockey team from 1974 to 1997. The Whalers came to Hartford playing in the World Hockey Association, until they were admitted to the National Hockey League in 1979. In 1997, the team relocated to North Carolina, where they were renamed the Carolina Hurricanes.

Throughout the mid-1990s, the New England Patriots were negotiating with the state of Connecticut for a brand new football stadium located in downtown Hartford to replace the aging Foxboro Stadium where they played. The team eventually made agreed to another proposal that saw Gillette Stadium. With the Patriots no longer in the equation, the state instead decided to construct a smaller football stadium on the former United Technologies-owned airfield in East Hartford. Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field seats approximately 40,000 spectators and is home to the Connecticut Huskies football team.

Professional sports teams

Beginning in 2016, the Rock Cats will relocate to Hartford, where they will be renamed the Hartford Yard Goats and play at Dunkin' Donuts Park.

Collegiate sports teams

Greater Hartford is also home to the Travelers Championship golf tournament (formerly known as the Greater Hartford Open/Buick Championship).

Shopping centers

Major shopping centers in the area include:

Print

The Hartford Courant is the daily broadsheet newspaper serving the Greater Hartford area. Founded in 1764 as the Connecticut Courant, it is generally considered to be the oldest continually published newspaper in the United States. It is owned by Tribune Publishing.

From 1817 to 1976, the area was also served by another daily newspaper, the Hartford Times.

Television

Greater Hartford and Greater New Haven form a single television market. This television market is served by the following broadcast television stations:

English language

Spanish language

Interstate highways

Highway transportation in Greater Hartford is primarily run by two mainline Interstates:

There were several plans to expand the highway system (with at least one plan calling for a full beltway). Various plans encountered resistance due to budgetary and environmental concerns. However, some highways were ultimately constructed, if only partially:

U.S. Routes

In the area, four major U.S. Routes serve the area's towns/cities:

Other major expressways

Some state highways also serve as major expressways:

Bus

Public bus transportation is operated by the Hartford division of CTTransit. It provides service to 30 local routes and 12 express routes seven days a week throughout the metropolitan area.

2015 saw the opening of the CTfastrak, a bus rapid transit system that runs from downtown New Britain to Hartford Union Station. The dedicated busway is over 9 miles long and stops at 10 stations.

Airport

Bradley International Airport (IATA: BDL, ICAO: KBDL, FAA LID: BDL) is located in the town of Windsor Locks, approximately 10 miles from Hartford. Bradley is the second-largest airport in New England (behind Logan International Airport), and was ranked the 55th busiest airport in the United States in 2008. Southwest Airlines, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue Airways, and US Airways account for more than half of the airport's passenger traffic. The Bradley Airport Connector provides highway access to the airport from Interstate 91.

Bradley is a dual-use civil/military airport, with the Bradley Air National Guard Base serving as the home of the Connecticut Air National Guard 103d Airlift Wing.

Hartford–Brainard Airport (IATA: HFD, ICAO: KHFD, FAA LID: HFD) is a smaller reliever airport located in the southeastern section of Hartford. It is primarily used for general aviation purposes.

Rail

Several Amtrak routes run through the metropolitan area, including the Northeast Regional, Vermonter, as well as a daily shuttle between New Haven and Springfield, Massachusetts.

The Hartford Line is a planned commuter rail service. It will use the same line as the Amtrak shuttle, and will stop at 12 stations along the way. Service is anticipated to begin in late 2016.