Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/479641
1 2 2 H a r t f o r d The City of Hartford The City of Hartford's story is a journey full of opportunities; a Who's Who and a timeline in history; and a remarkable feat of firsts. H artford's story is a journey full of opportunities; a Who's Who and a timeline in history; and a remark- able feat of firsts. First settled by the Dutch who set up a trading post and called it the House of Hope, it was later colonized in 1635 by the Reverend Thomas Hooker. Named after Hertford, England, Hartford, Connecticut is one of America's original cities. Thanks to courage, an audacity to be different and an adventurist spirit, Hooker and his followers made this city — and this country — great — because of the call for a free and open government. "All power is to the people, and only the governed can govern themselves," he said. Today, Hooker's principles are reaffirmed. This is why Connecticut's Capital City stands strongly for civic responsibility, collaborative thinking, and not just positive, but groundbreaking and long-lasting results. Hartford's legacy covers a national scope. Hooker's Fundamental Orders became the framework of the Connecticut Constitution — hence the name "The Constitution State;" Bushnell Park was designed by noted architect Frederick Law Olmsted and is the first public park in America; Hartford claims bragging rights to the first public art museum in the Wadsworth Atheneum; Hartford is the birthplace of Flag Day, which occurred two months after the start of the Civil War; and the Hartford Courant is the oldest, continu- ously published newspaper in the country and a living documentation of change in this city. Evolving from an early agricultural economy, Hartford became an important trading center because of the mighty and majestic Connecticut River. Spices and coffee, among other products, were distributed from warehouses in the city's thriving merchant dis- trict. Ships set sail from Hartford to ports throughout the world. Hartford's insurance industry grew out of concerns about pirates and rough seas. Today Hartford is still known as the Insurance Capital of the World and The Hartford, Aetna and Travelers all call this "city of hope and opportunity" home. Hartford has a history of being on the cutting edge of greatness thanks to inclusive partnerships. More than a century ago, the great collaborator Henry Ford came to Hartford to visit Colonel Albert Pope — the famed innovator and industrialist of Columbia Bike and Pope Park — to share some big ideas. Ford later said, "Coming together is a beginning. Keeping togeth- er is progress. Working together is success." The spirit of the entrepreneur has also always been alive and well in Hartford. For instance, the "West Was Won" thanks to Samuel Colt and new techniques in manufacturing firearms. The Industrial Revolution brought prosperity to Hartford which meant jobs to a growing immigrant workforce. This ethnic and cul- tural diversity continues to be part of Hartford's DNA and is one of the city's greatest assets. Three-hundred seventy-six years and 66 mayors later, Pedro E. Segarra leads a diverse city where 65 different languages are spoken as Hartford continues to be the Gateway to the New World, as it has been for genera- tions of families. Touring Hartford is like taking a trip around the world. This diversity is celebrated and reflected through an ever-expanding showcase of res- taurants, shops, arts and entertainment venues and architectural gems throughout the city's 17 distinct neighborhoods. Along Main Street is the oldest surviv- ing building in the city — the Butler-McCook House Above: The Colt dome during Hartford Riverfest ceremony. Below: Historic drawing of the Hartford skyline as seen from the eastern bank of the Connecticut River, circa 1835. Andy HArt HArtford History Center