The capital city of Connecticut is Hartford. Hartford is the second largest city within the state of Connecticut, Bridge port being ranked the first. Hartford has a population of 1,188,841 and it is the largest metro of Connecticut. Due to the presence of a large number of insurance companies in this area, Hartford is likewise very commonly called the Insurance capital on the planet.
Among the oldest cities in the United States, Hartford is nearly 400 years old and is also probably among its wealthiest cities. Harford proceeded to go on to take a facelift following a long period of stagnation incorporating new commercial ventures through residential and commercial developments, a brand new convention centre, a hotel, a state of the art science centre and a reclaimed riverfront. A large number of developments have taken place in Hartfords downtown area. Hartford continues to be steeped in culture housing the countrys oldest museum of public art known as the Wadsworth Antheneum and its oldest public park called the Bushnell Park. The news provider of this area, the Hartford Courant is among the oldest publications.
Hartford is home to one professional sports team. Called the Hartford Wolf Pack, this team plays professional ice hockey and is a part of the American Hockey League. The Hartford Wolf pack was established in 1997 after the Hartford Whalers moved on to become the California Hurricane.
They were initially called the Binghamton Rangers and proceeded to be known as the Binghamton Whalers and also the Providence Reds finally settling on Hartford Wolf Pack. They’ve already made considerable sports news by making to the playoffs for each and every of their eleven playing seasons. They won the Calder Cup in the 1999 -2000 season and consider it for being their best season so far.
Hartford also houses a rugby union club known as the Hartford Wanderers. They were established in 1996 by a group in the University of Connecticut Law School. The groups main intention was to establish a structured social athletic club within the Hartford area. This club went onto producing four players who have gone on to play with the National Rugby Team called the United States Eagles. This club has also toured several countries including England, Scotland, Wales, New Zealand, Bermuda, Scotland and the Bahamas.
Hartford is additionally very active in the field of college sports. They University of Connecticut has separate mens and womens basketball teams called the UConn Huskies. They participate in the XL Centre located in Hartford. The XL Centre is amongst the largest college basketball arenas in the United Sates ranking 28th. Initially it was known by the name of Hartford Civic Centre however the naming rights were sold to the XL Capital Insurance Company in December 2007 incorporating the name change.
The Discover Hartford Bicycling and Walking Tour is a unique initiative that made news in Hartford and it has been taken by the Central Connecticut Bicycling Association in order to promote cycling within the town and promote non-vehicular transport inside the city.