Hartford is the capital of the US state of Connecticut. It is home to 124,397 of its inhabitants.

The attractive modern capital of Connecticut, Hartford is on the Connecticut River, is also the insurance centre of the United States. Its central gold domed state capitol, sitting on a hill in Bushnell Park, houses a small museum of Connecticut history.

Founded by Dutch traders in 1600 the city was established by the Reverend Thomas Hooker in 1636. The first English settlers arrived in 1635. Having a number of insurance companies, the city is known by the title insurance capital of the world.

In 1711 the General Assembly granted parish privileges and the Hartford West Division Society was formed. The town was incorporated from Hartford in 1854. The town, rural for much of its history, began to develop its present substantial population only after the trend toward suburban living made it an attractive locale for people employed in the capital. Today it is the eighth largest town in the state with an active industrial capacity located in the south end.

Hartford is a rapidly growing community that has maintained its small town appeal.It affords its residents the opportunity to live and work in a small community and that gives the city a very strong sense of pride.

The schools strive to ensure that youth of the community are educated in many different areas and there are many public and private universities in South eastern Wisconsin to continue that education.

Hartford has an extensive road network that includes highways, expressways eases the traffic congestion in the city. The railroad in the city connects it with other areas. Connecticut Transit, taxis include the public transportation in the city.

The city has many interesting sights that are often visited by the tourists. The Wadsworth Athenaeum, founded in 1842 by Daniel Wadsworth, is the oldest public art museum in the United States, and houses a collection that extends over 5000 years.

Old State House is the oldest state house in the United States. Trinity College, in Hartford was the first college in the United States to allow admissions without discriminating based on religious belief.

The first city in the world to vote to buy land to create a park. This park was named Bushnell Park.

Worth a visit in the summer time with a number of attritions to view. Make a stop and enjoy yourself whatever the weather.




By: Douglas Scott

Hartford is the state’s Capital. Mark Twain built a home there for his family in 1873. At that time Hartford was very wealthy and was the home of many authors, political commentators, etc. His time in Hartford was some of his happiest: raising his family, writing his best novels, working on his inventions. The house reflects his personality and of his wife’s, who was completely opposite of him. In other words, the house is very eclectic.

His next door neighbor was Harriet Beecher Stowe, the author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin. The house is simpler than Twains, but shows her personality of many talents, which included painting.

The State House was completed in 1878, which stands on a hill in Bushnell Park(named after the inventor of the submarine). Guided and self-led tours are available of the building, which has undergone restoration fifteen years ago. The rotunda is especially breathtaking with its marble columns and star studded dome. Throughout the capital are reminders of the state’s history. In the basement, hidden from general viewing are display cases of memorabilia, such as spoon collection, china place settings, medals, campaign paraphernalia, etc.

The Old State house is a short walk downtown on Main Street. Built in 1796, it is based on the city hall in Liverpool, England. The center area, now enclosed, was open to the elements, giving a feeling of access to the legislative and judicial processes. This worked for half of the year when the weather was pleasant. During the harsh winters, the capital moved to New Haven. In September, 1839 the first Amistad trial took place here. Roger Sherman Baldwin pleaded their case and they were acquitted of mutiny and murder. The Federal Government stepped in under the direction of Martin Van Buren. In order to appease Southern Democrats the acquitted mutineers were charged as being run away slaves. That trial was moved to New Haven, CT in February, 1840 (the winter capital). Once again they were found to be free men, not slaves. Still wanting a pound of flesh, the executive government brought the case before the Supreme Court. Even they were convinced of the Africans’ rights to be free. They eventually found their way beck to their homes aboard the ship Gentleman. Things have not changed much; only the names.

Also housed in the Old State house is Joseph Steward’s collection of curiosities. These date from the 18th century when people would pay a fee to see this unusual array of animals. Included are a two headed calf from a farm in Wisconsin, gargantuan sized insects and mounted mammals and fish and reptiles from around the world. Fish and turtles are suspended from the ceiling. Every inch of wall space is covered.

Hartford is know as the home of many insurance companies, including Hartford, Travelers, etc.  

Also in Hartford is the Colt Armory, which is undergoing reconstruction. Just from viewing the dome on top of the building, which has been restored, the rest of the building should be very impressive.




By: John Pelley

The AARP homeowners insurance program is provided by The Hartford Financial Services Group. The Hartford Financial Services Group was founded in 1810 and has had a partnership with the AARP providing auto insurance and homeowners insurance since 1984. This partnership is currently in its third extension and will continue through at least January 2020.

The AARP homeowners insurance program offers some good benefits. They have a 100% protection plan available which insures your home for 100% of its replacement cost. According to their website, if this option is selected they will “pay the full cost to rebuild even if it costs up to 150% of the applicable limits of your policy.”

Another good benefit that they offer is their “Protector Plus Homeowners Deductible Forgiveness”. With this benefit they will wave up to $5,000 of your deductible if you experience a qualifying loss of $20,000 or more.

For the protection of your personal possessions they have what they call a “new for old” plan in which they pay the actual cost to replace possessions with brand-new items. This is a good option to have because if your possessions are several years old the cash value would be far less than that of brand new items.

One thing that I don’t really like too much about their coverage is that personal property is only covered up to $5,000. You can get more coverage than that if he needed but of course you have to pay extra. And let’s face it if your house burned to the ground and you needed to replace all of your possessions, things like your furniture, appliances, electronics, etc. it would probably cost far more than $5,000 to replace all of those items.

All in all the AARP Homeowners Insurance Program looks pretty good to me but I always recommend doing your homework and talking to trusted financial professionals before committing to any important financial decisions.




By: Stan Jenkins