Tides & Towns
Connecticut River · CT

Hartford

The Insurance Capital of the World, on the tidal Connecticut River.

Population
121,054 (2020 census)
Settled
1635
Sole state capital
Since 1875

Then

  1. 1623

    Dutch traders build a post called the House of Hope.

  2. 1636

    English settlers led by Thomas Hooker, Samuel Stone and John Haynes arrive. The town is named Hartford in 1637.

  3. 1687

    By tradition, colonists hide Connecticut's charter in the Charter Oak to keep it from the royal governor.

  4. 1874

    Mark Twain builds his house in Nook Farm and writes many of his best books there.

  5. 1909

    The river reaches a record flood stage of 24.5 feet in April.

Now

Hartford is the state capital and a center of the insurance industry. The Connecticut River separates it from East Hartford, and the tide still reaches this far, through Middletown and Haddam below.

6 tide stations around Hartford

Sources