Hartford County, Connecticut facts for kids

This page is about the county in Connecticut. For the city in Connecticut, see Hartford, Connecticut.

Quick facts for kids Hartford County
County
Top-bottom, left-right: Hartford County skyline from Heublein Tower, the Hartford skyline, the New Britain skyline, a house in Old Wethersfield, and the Old State House in Hartford.
Location within the U.S. state of Connecticut
Connecticut's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Connecticut
Founded	May 10, 1666
Named for	Hertfordshire, England
Seat	none (since 1960), Hartford (before 1960)
Largest municipality	Hartford (population) Glastonbury (area)
Area
• Total	750 sq mi (1,900 km²)
• Land	735 sq mi (1,900 km²)
• Water	16 sq mi (40 km²) 2.1%%
Population (2020)
• Total	899,498
• Density	1,199.3/sq mi (463.1/km²)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional districts	1st, 2nd, 5th

Hartford County is a region located in the north central part of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is the second-most populated county in Connecticut. In 2020, about 899,498 people lived there.

Hartford County is home to the city of Hartford. Hartford is the state capital of Connecticut. It is also the most populated city in the county. Hartford County is part of a larger area called the Hartford-East Hartford-Middletown metropolitan area.

In 2022, the U.S. Census Bureau changed how it counts counties in Connecticut. Instead of the old counties, they now recognize nine "councils of governments." These groups handle some local government tasks. Connecticut's old county governments stopped working in 1960. The eight historical counties still exist in name, but they are not used for official statistics anymore.

History of Hartford County
Geography and Landscape
- Neighboring Counties
Communities in Hartford County
- Cities in Hartford County
- Towns in Hartford County
Population and People
- What the 2010 Census Showed
Transportation
- Major Roads
- Public Transport Options
Education
Images for kids
See also

History of Hartford County

Hartford County was one of the first four counties in Connecticut. It was created on May 10, 1666. The Connecticut General Court made a law to establish it.

The law said that towns along the river, from Windsor to Thirty Miles Island, would be one county. This county would be called Hartford County. It also said that the County Court would meet in Hartford twice a year.

When it was first created in 1666, Hartford County included five towns. These were Windsor, Wethersfield, Hartford, Farmington, and Middletown. The "Thirty Miles Island" mentioned in the law became the town of Haddam in 1668.

Over time, more towns were added to Hartford County. For example, Simsbury was created in 1670. This extended the county all the way to the Massachusetts border. Some towns later moved to other counties. For instance, Waterbury moved to New Haven County in 1728.

In 1714, all the land in northeastern Connecticut that wasn't part of a town was placed under Hartford County. Then, in 1726, Windham County was formed. This meant Hartford County lost some towns like Windham and Coventry.

Later, in 1751, Litchfield County was created. This took away the northwestern part of Connecticut from Hartford County. In 1785, two more counties, Tolland and Middlesex, were established. These changes mostly set the modern borders of Hartford County.

Small changes to the county's borders happened in the late 1700s and early 1800s. The last change was on May 8, 1806. This is when the town of Canton was established.

Geography and Landscape

Hartford County covers about 751 square miles. Most of this area, about 735 square miles, is land. The remaining 16 square miles (2.1%) is water. It is the second-largest county in Connecticut by land area.

The Connecticut River divides the county into two parts. Many other rivers and streams flow through the county. These include the Farmington, Mill, Podunk, and Scantic rivers.

The land in Hartford County is very varied. Some parts along the rivers are flat and can flood. Other areas are hilly or even mountainous.

Neighboring Counties

Hartford County shares its borders with several other counties:

Hampden County, Massachusetts (to the north)
Tolland County (to the east)
New London County (to the southeast)
Middlesex County (to the south)
New Haven County (to the southwest)
Litchfield County (to the west)

Communities in Hartford County

In Connecticut, counties do not have their own governments. They mainly help define areas for courts. Local services like schools, police, and fire departments are handled by each city or town. Cities and towns can also work together to provide services.

Cities in Hartford County

Towns in Hartford County

Population and People

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1790	38,149	—
1800	42,147	10.5%
1810	44,733	6.1%
1820	47,264	5.7%
1830	51,131	8.2%
1840	55,629	8.8%
1850	69,967	25.8%
1860	89,962	28.6%
1870	109,007	21.2%
1880	125,382	15.0%
1890	147,180	17.4%
1900	195,480	32.8%
1910	250,182	28.0%
1920	336,027	34.3%
1930	421,097	25.3%
1940	450,189	6.9%
1950	539,661	19.9%
1960	689,555	27.8%
1970	816,737	18.4%
1980	807,766	−1.1%
1990	851,783	5.4%
2000	857,183	0.6%
2010	894,014	4.3%
2020	899,498	0.6%
U.S. Decennial Census 1790–1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010–2018

What the 2010 Census Showed

In 2010, there were 894,014 people living in Hartford County. There were over 350,000 households. The population density was about 1,216 people per square mile.

Most people (72.4%) were white. About 13.3% were black, and 4.2% were Asian. People of Hispanic origin made up 15.3% of the population. Many residents had Italian, Irish, Polish, English, or German backgrounds.

About one-third of households had children under 18 living there. The average household had 2.47 people. The average family had 3.06 people. The average age of people in the county was 39.9 years old.

The average income for a household was about $62,590. For families, it was about $78,599. About 10.7% of the population lived below the poverty line.