Quick, what do insurance and Mark Twain have in common?
If you guessed Hartford, you win! (What you win is up to you here, though. No prize is actually being given.) The Connecticut city is known as the insurance capital of the world because it’s home to so many insurance company headquarters. Twain lived in the city during what he later called “the happiest and most productive years of his life,” according to the Mark Twain House and Museum, which is located in Hartford.
Whether they enjoy history, are looking to work in insurance or are just ready for a new start, a lot of people are doing what Twain did and moving to Hartford—more than 30,000 people in recent years, in fact.
Let’s put that into context. Between July 2015 and July 2016, the Hartford metro area’s population remained essentially steady, going from 1,209,953 to 1,206,836, a .26 percent decline, according to the latest census data. During that time, the population of Hartford County, where Hartford is located, also remained nearly steady, going from 894,692 to 892,389, a slight .26 percent decline. (Connecticut disbanded county governments decades ago, but the U.S. Census continues to collect data using the county boundaries.)
Another census study, one that covers 2011 to 2015, found that 33,050 people moved to Hartford in that timeframe. That same study also tells us where all those people are coming from, even if it doesn’t tell us what brought them to town. A little less than half of domestic movers (45 percent, or 14,881 people) came from within Connecticut. The majority (55 percent, or 18,169 people) came from outside the state, many from nearby Massachusetts and New York.
Below are rankings for the top five counties of origin for movers to Hartford:
Movers outside of Connecticut (2011-2015):
- Hampden County, MA (Springfield): 1,633
- Kings County, NY (Brooklyn): 840
- Middlesex County, MA (Cambridge): 445
- Suffolk County, MA (Boston): 438
- Westchester County, NY (Yonkers): 360
Movers from Connecticut (2011-2015):
- New Haven County: 4,055
- Tolland County: 3,373
- Middlesex County: 2,171
- Fairfield County: 2,112
- Litchfield County: 1,657
Sources:
U.S. Census Bureau
Forbes, The Best Places for Business and Careers
The Mark Twain House & Museum
