[Wilton2ParkAve]

Likely inevitable given CT's own fiscal nightmare --- there won't be much support in the General Assembly for bailing out a city that has no spending discipline.

Hartford Moves Closer to Bankruptcy, Soliciting Proposals From Law Firms - Courant Community

[MMS02760]

How can this be? The city just spent 50 million plus on a new minor league baseball park.

[lastmessiah]

CT's Rising Star!

[Stylo]

Originally Posted by lastmessiah

CT's Rising Star!

That would be New Haven.

Hartford is going nowhere unfortunately.

[BPt111]

Originally Posted by Stylo

That would be New Haven.

Hartford is going nowhere unfortunately.

Stamford city that works

[Mike 75]

Originally Posted by Stylo

That would be New Haven.

Hartford is going nowhere unfortunately.

Hartford developed a tagline 15-20 years ago - "New England's Rising Star." Unfortunately, its been all downhill since.

[HumpDay]

Originally Posted by Mike 75

Hartford developed a tagline 15-20 years ago - "New England's Rising Star." Unfortunately, its been all downhill since.

I believe the motto came into light when the Convention Center was being built with the Hartford Marriott. The year after the Hartford 21 was being built. This was a time when everyone thought that downtown was going through a boom again like it was during the 80's. Only a few years later, everything changed when the recession occurred. Hartford does well when the state does well because they receive so much money from the state. That's not happening right now and the state deserves to suffer because of all the mistakes and mismanagement that has been flowing through the Capitol for decades.

[MikefromCT]

I certainly don't like to hear about our capitol city facing this sort of crisis, but when you consider the current economic state of it, it seems inevitable, like it was bound to happen. The city has also had a penchant for numerous backroom business deals where city residents were never the benefactors. The city's sparkling new baseball stadium is a prime example: While it may be aesthetically nice and a popular draw (for now, at least), it was built solely with the intent of drawing outside suburbanites into city limits for a few hours, not for locals whose tax dollars were blown on this. If this was such a great idea, it should have been held before a public referendum where citizens could vote on this. Several co-worker friends of mine who live in Hartford were not happy that this was done surreptitiously like this. In addition to living and spending within their means, city councilmembers and other elected officials need to start devoting more time to serving their local constituents and less time trying to placate developers with these grandiose ideas that only benefit themselves.

[JayCT]

Originally Posted by HumpDay

I believe the motto came into light when the Convention Center was being built with the Hartford Marriott. The year after the Hartford 21 was being built. This was a time when everyone thought that downtown was going through a boom again like it was during the 80's. Only a few years later, everything changed when the recession occurred. Hartford does well when the state does well because they receive so much money from the state. That's not happening right now and the state deserves to suffer because of all the mistakes and mismanagement that has been flowing through the Capitol for decades.

Hartford is still the state's largest employment center with more than 112,000 workers. Not all of them are state employees. In fact, there are less than 21,000 government workers in Hartford according to CERC.

People seem to forget that there is a housing boom going on downtown, with several thousand new apartments being built over that past several years and most of them are fully occupied. Hartford has one of the tightest rental markets in the country and has for a number of years now. Its population according to the US Census has been growing from 121,578 in 2000 to 125,211 in 2014. Given there was a major recession in there, that is a pretty decent growth for a mature city.

Also note that three of its biggest employers have actually been bringing workers back into the city. Aetna and The Hartford have closed suburban campuses and moved some of their workers to their Hartford campuses. And Travelers has added workers by taking space the Gold Building in addition to their newly restored Tower and Constitution Plaza building. Not as bleak as some here would portray it. Jay

[MikefromCT]

Originally Posted by JayCT

Hartford is still the state's largest employment center with more than 112,000 workers. Not all of them are state employees. In fact, there are less than 21,000 government workers in Hartford according to CERC.

People seem to forget that there is a housing boom going on downtown, with several thousand new apartments being built over that past several years and most of them are fully occupied. Hartford has one of the tightest rental markets in the country and has for a number of years now. Its population according to the US Census has been growing from 121,578 in 2000 to 125,211 in 2014. Given there was a major recession in there, that is a pretty decent growth for a mature city.

Also note that three of its biggest employers have actually been bringing workers back into the city. Aetna and The Hartford have closed suburban campuses and moved some of their workers to their Hartford campuses. And Travelers has added workers by taking space the Gold Building in addition to their newly restored Tower and Constitution Plaza building. Not as bleak as some here would portray it. Jay

They can build all the high-rises they want. The city as a whole, however, is struggling immensely. There was talk of continued development in Hartford alongside the baseball stadium, and this development has stalled. Without private financial backing, the area is poised to remain unchanged. I appreciate the fact that steps are being taken to rejuvenate downtown and make it a livelier place, but most of this is confined to a few downtown city blocks and a smattering of streets beyond the confines of the city center. Granted, there's signs of life in certain areas of Parkville where Real Art Ways is, and the building now occupied by Hog River Brewing and other tenants is a positive step, but other blocks in other neighborhoods need to follow suit. If there comes a point where there's reinvestment into these neglected areas, hopefully they will diversify the housing stock and not just supply row after row of low income housing. I'm all for providing housing for the poor, but without a middle class, the city will lack a steady tax revenue. And areas of nothing but low-income housing are not the place where young professionals, even those without children, want to live. Travelers and The Hartford may have consolidated their workforce here, but for many, this is still a commuter city. This has been the case for a long time, and this has largely contributed to the city's dwindling tax base. Having a city where people don't want to spend time after work hours, let alone live, has proven to be a problem area. IMO it comes down to community. The reason so many people have chosen suburban life over city life is a sense of community, and these don't have to be limited to suburbs. Successful cities (like Boston) have these, and that's largely the reason they thrive. City planners should be asking themselves what can be done to make Hartford people's community and not just their playground or workplace from 9 to 5. This will require participation from the city's longstanding residents, who can't afford to live in a shiny high rise that makes up the city skyline. If they want their city to work, they need to get in this game, and at the moment, that doesn't seem to be happening. They need to be engaged.