Hartford is the liberal capital city of Connecticut. As of 2006, it had a population of 124,512.
It is best known for being home to many insurance companies.
Until 1997 Hartford had an NHL team, the Hartford Whalers. However, due to economic circumstances in the League (mainly four NHL teams in the New York metro area) and in an attempt to increase interest in hockey in the Southern United States, the team moved to Raleigh, North Carolina. Around the same time, the New England Patriots considered moving from Foxboro, Massachusetts to Hartford, but the move was canceled after the team resolved stadium issues in Massachusetts.