The capital of Connecticut is Hartford, a city named for the English town of Hartford.
Hartford lies on the Connecticut River in the central part of the state. English settlers established the community in the 1630s, and it was first known as Newtown before taking its present name. Hartford became Connecticut’s sole capital in 1875, when the state ended the earlier arrangement under which Hartford and New Haven shared governmental functions.
The city is closely associated with the state’s political and cultural history. The Fundamental Orders, adopted by Connecticut colonists in 1638–1639, are often described as an early written framework of government, although historians debate how directly they influenced later constitutional ideas.
Hartford is sometimes confused with New Haven, another major Connecticut city and the historic home of Yale University. New Haven was a co-capital until 1875, but Hartford has been Connecticut’s single capital since then.