Hartford

Formed May 10, 1666 (2^nd county)

Hartford County (896,854), Hartford (121,018)

The governmental Art Deco and Beaux Arts style concrete courthouse looks normal in this county seat.  The 1929 building replaced the 1885 courthouse.  Paul P. Cret and Smith & Bassett are the architects.  This building is located on Lafayette between Russ and Grand streets.  Interstate Highway 84 is three blocks west and two blocks north of the courthouse.  A Criminal Courthouse in Hartford and augmenting courthouses in Bristol, Enfield, Manchester, and New Britain support the county.  The county is named for the city which is named for Hertford, England.  Hartford has been the only county seat.  Hartford County was the birthplace of 10 Connecticut Governors, Oliver Wolcott, John Treadwell, William W. Ellsworth, Thomas H. Seymour, Richard D. Hubbard, George P. McLean, Abraham A. Ribicoff, Thomas J. Meskell, Ella T. Grasso, and William A. O’Neill.  The county was established on May 10, 1666 as an original county.  It is the 2^nd county.  The Connecticut state capitol is located in this county.  

Hartford County doesn’t have a unified government as each township governs.  Seven Superior District Court Judges serve Hartford District, Ten Superior District Court Judges serve New Britain District, and Sixteen Probate Judges serve in Hartford County.  The county is located in north central Connecticut on the border with Massachusetts.  The geographical center of Connecticut is in East Berlin in the county.  The center of the county is 7.6 miles West-Northwest of Hartford nearer Avon.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Massachusetts and Tolland, New London, Middlesex, New Haven, and Litchfield counties.  The county shape is a small letter a.  Hartford City is located in the southern third of the county.  Hartford is the county seat and largest city.  It is 13.5% of the county population. 

The area of the county is 736 square miles.  It is 2 out of 8 in the state.  It ranks 2 out of 8 in population in the state.  It has a density of 1218.6 persons per square mile making it 3 out of 8 in the state.  Hartford County has 28.6% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 84 crosses northeast to southwest through the county, Tolland County to New Haven County.  Interstate Highway 91 enters from the north, Massachusetts, and exits to the south, Middlesex County.  United States Highway 5 goes north to south, Massachusetts to New Haven County.  United States Highway 6 crosses east to west from Tolland County to Litchfield County.  United States Highway 44 enters joined with United States Highway 6 from Tolland County, splits in Hartford and exits to the northwest into Litchfield County.  United States Highway 202 enters from Massachusetts to the north and exits into Litchfield County to the west.  The county is in the Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford Metropolitan Statistical Area.