Greater Hartford is a region located in the U.S. state of Connecticut, centered on the state's capital of Hartford. It represents the only combined statistical area in Connecticut defined by a city within the state, being bordered by the Greater Boston region to the northeast and New York metropolitan area to the south and west. Sitting at the southern end of the Metacomet Ridge, its geology is characterized by land of a level grade along the shores of Connecticut River Valley, with loamy, finer-grained soil than other regions in the state. Greater Hartford (the metropolitan area as defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget), had a total population of 1,150,473 at the 2020 United States census.
Hartford's role as a focal point for the American insurance industry is known nationally. The metropolitan area's affluence and its vibrant music and arts scene define the region's culture. The region's economy is closely tied with Springfield, Massachusetts, with both cities being served by Bradley International Airport and with their shared presence within the Knowledge Corridor, being only 25 miles apart. The area is also served by the smaller Hartford-Brainard Airport.
Definitions New England City and Town Area New England City and Town Areas (NECTAs) were clusters of cities and towns throughout New England defined by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The Hartford–East Hartford–Middletown, CT NECTA consisted 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. NECTAs were discontinued in July 2023.
Metropolitan Statistical Area
The OMB also defines the Hartford–West Hartford–East Hartford, CT Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) based on Connecticut planning regions. As of July 2023, the area consists of the Capitol and Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Regions. The 2025 population estimate for the MSA is 1,171,426.
Planning region2025 estimate2020 censusChangeAreaDensityCapitol Lower Connecticut River Valley Total
List of municipalities 100,000 or more inhabitants Hartford
50,000 to 100,000 inhabitants Bristol East Hartford Manchester New Britain West Hartford
10,000 to 50,000 inhabitants
Avon Berlin Bloomfield Canton Clinton Colchester Coventry Cromwell East Hampton East Windsor Ellington Enfield Farmington Glastonbury Granby Mansfield Middletown Newington Old Saybrook Plainville Rocky Hill Simsbury Somers South Windsor Southington Stafford Suffield Tolland Vernon Wethersfield Windsor Windsor Locks
1,000 to 10,000 inhabitants
Andover Bolton Burlington Chester Columbia Deep River Durham East Granby East Haddam Essex Haddam Hartland Hebron Killingworth Marlborough Middlefield North Stonington Portland Westbrook Willington
Fewer than 1,000 inhabitants
Union
Town also included in the Springfield, Massachusetts NECTA
Economy
Notable companies based in Hartford city proper
Aetna Eversource Energy (co-headquarters in Boston) The Hartford Hartford Steam Boiler Inspection and Insurance Company The Phoenix Companies Travelers Insurance (home of largest office, headquarters in New York City) Virtus Investment Partners
Notable companies based in surrounding towns Barnes Group (Bristol) Carrier Corporation (Farmington) Cigna (Bloomfield) Colt's Manufacturing Company (West Hartford) Connecticut Natural Gas (East Hartford) Doosan Fuel Cell America (South Windsor) ESPN Inc. (Bristol) Gerber Scientific (Tolland) Henkel (Rocky Hill, U.S. headquarters) Kaman Aircraft (Bloomfield) Legrand (West Hartford, U.S. headquarters) Otis Elevator (Farmington) Pratt & Whitney (East Hartford) Stanadyne (Windsor) Stanley Black & Decker (New Britain) Systematic Automation (Farmington) Trumpf (Farmington, U.S. headquarters) United Technologies (Farmington) Voya Financial (Windsor, home of largest office, headquarters in New York City)
Division of United Technologies (Otis and Carrier are under the UTC Building & Industrial Systems division)
Higher education
Public colleges and universities Public, four-year universities in the area include:.
Central Connecticut State University (New Britain) University of Connecticut (Storrs, main campus) University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine (Farmington) University of Connecticut School of Law (Hartford) University of Connecticut School of Medicine (Farmington)
Community and technical colleges Public, two-year community colleges in the area include: Asnuntuck Community College (Enfield) Capital Community College (Hartford) Manchester Community College (Manchester) Middlesex Community College (Middletown) Tunxis Community College (Farmington)
Private colleges and universities Private, nonprofit, four-year universities in the area include:
Goodwin College (East Hartford) Hartford Seminary (Hartford) Rensselaer at Hartford (Hartford) Trinity College (Hartford) University of Hartford (West Hartford) University of Saint Joseph (West Hartford) Wesleyan University (Middletown)
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
Connecticut Children's Medical Center (Hartford) Hartford Hospital (Hartford) The Hospital of Central Connecticut (New Britain and Southington) Saint Francis Hospital & Medical Center (Hartford) University of Connecticut Health Center, John Dempsey Hospital (Farmington) All of the above hospitals are affiliated with the University of Connecticut School of Medicine
Psychiatric hospitals Connecticut Valley Hospital, owned and operated by the state of Connecticut (Middletown) The Institute of Living, a division of Hartford Hospital (Hartford)
Culture and attractions
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, and is home to the Hartford Symphony Orchestra, the premiere orchestra in Connecticut. Other theaters in the area include the Hartford Stage and TheaterWorks.
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.
In Hartford exurbs, the Connecticut Repertory Theatre on the main campus of the University of Connecticut in Storrs, the Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam, and the Simsbury Meadows Performing Arts Center in Simsbury serve as pillars of the New England theatrical and performing arts scene.
Conventions and exhibitions The Connecticut Convention Center is located in downtown Hartford adjacent to the Hartford Marriot Downtown. The facility has more than of exhibition space, a ballroom, and 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.
Notable museums
American Clock & Watch Museum (Bristol) Connecticut Historical Society (Hartford) The Children's Museum, Connecticut (West Hartford) Connecticut Science Center (Hartford) Connecticut State Library, Museum of Connecticut History (Hartford) Connecticut Trolley Museum (East Windsor) New Britain Museum of American Art (New Britain) New England Air Museum (Windsor Locks) Old State House (Hartford) Wadsworth Atheneum (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 agreed to another proposal that saw the construction of 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 Club Sport League Venue Hartford Wolf Pack Ice Hockey AHL PeoplesBank Arena Hartford Yard Goats Baseball Eastern League Dunkin' Donuts ParkHartford AthleticSoccerUSL ChampionshipTrinity Health Stadium
Collegiate sports teams Team School Division Conference Central Connecticut Blue Devils Central Connecticut State University NCAA Division I Northeast Conference Connecticut Huskies University of Connecticut NCAA Division I Big East Conference Hartford Hawks University of Hartford NCAA Division I America East Conference Saint Joseph Blue Jays University of Saint Joseph NCAA Division III Little East Conference Trinity Bantams Trinity College NCAA Division III NESCAC Wesleyan Cardinals Wesleyan University NCAA Division III NESCAC 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: Blue Back Square (West Hartford) Enfield Square Mall (Enfield) The Shoppes at Buckland Hills (Manchester) Westfarms Mall (West Hartford)
Media
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
WFSB (CBS) WTNH (ABC) WCCT (The CW) WEDH (PBS) WHPX (Ion Television) WVIT (NBC) WCTX (My Network TV) WTIC (Fox)
Spanish language
WUVN (Univision) WHCT (Azteca) WUTH (UniMás) WRDM (Telemundo)
Transportation
Road
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: (serves as the northeastern portion of the partial beltway) (spur route into eastern Connecticut) (originally a connection to Willimantic)
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:
(initially part of the larger I-491 plan) (serves as the southwestern portion of the partial beltway)
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.