The capital city of Connecticut is Hartford. Hartford is the second largest city in the state of Connecticut, Bridge port being ranked the very 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 firms in this area, Hartford is likewise very commonly referred to as the Insurance capital on the planet.
One of the oldest cities in the USA, Hartford is nearly 400 years old and it is probably among its wealthiest cities. Harford has gone on to take a facelift following a long period of stagnation incorporating new commercial ventures through commercial and residential 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 happened in Hartfords downtown area. Hartford has been steeped in culture housing the countrys oldest museum of public art called the Wadsworth Antheneum as well as its oldest public park known as the Bushnell Park. The news provider of the area, the Hartford Courant is one of the oldest publications.
Hartford houses one professional sports team. Known as the Hartford Wolf Pack, this team plays professional ice hockey and it is an integral 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 went on to become known as the Binghamton Whalers and also the Providence Reds finally settling on Hartford Wolf Pack. They have 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 finest season so far.
Hartford also houses a rugby union club called the Hartford Wanderers. They were established in 1996 by a group from the University of Connecticut Law School. The groups main intention was to establish a structured social athletic club in the Hartford area. This club went onto producing four players that have gone onto play for the National Rugby Team named the United States Eagles. This club has also toured several countries including England, Scotland, Wales, New Zealand, Bermuda, Scotland as well as the Bahamas.
Hartford is also very active in the field of college sports. They University of Connecticut has separate mens and womens basketball teams known as the UConn Huskies. They play 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 had been known by the name of Hartford Civic Centre but 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 as a way to promote cycling in the town and promote non-vehicular transport within the city.
