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MONEY magazine announced West Hartford was ranked in the 2018 Top 50 Best Places to Live in the United States for towns and cities with populations of 50,000 or greater (December 2018).  West Hartford earned the no. 48 spot and was the only Connecticut town/city to make the Top 50 list and was one of three in New England.

To compile the ranking, MONEY magazine starts with a list of all U.S. towns and cities with populations of 50,000 or greater. The pool is then drilled down to 583 cities by using 135,000 different data points in the following categories: economic health, cost of living, diversity, public education, income, crime, ease of living, and amenities. The greatest weight is placed on economic health, public school performance, and local amenities; housing, cost of living, and diversity were also critical components.

Livability.com has released its fifth annual 2018 Top 100 Best Places to Live list and West Hartford made the list, the only city in Connecticut to do so. More than 2,300 cities with populations between 20,000 and 350,000 were ranked on 40 data points measuring economics, housing, amenities, infrastructure, demographics, social and civic capital, education and health care. West Hartford earns high marks in education, healthcare and technology, and the city is becoming a summertime tourism destination with excellent restaurants and high-end shopping choices.

RENTCafe.com released a new study in June 2018 best and worst US metros to live in, according to each profession. RENTCafe.com calculated the average amount of money left each year for 21 major professional occupations in the top 100 most populous U.S. metros, by subtracting the average cost of living per metro from the average net income per professional field. The Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford metro ranks in the top 10 best metros to live in for 12 different professional fields. Here are our key findings:

#1 Best Metro to live in for Office & Administrative Support workers. People in this professional field are left with $12,200 each year after covering the basic living expenses
#3 Best Metro for Building & Grounds Cleaning & Maintenance (+$3,400/year)
#4 Best Metro for Community & Social Service (+$19,800/year)
#4 Best Metro for Education, Training, & Library (+$24,900/year)
#5 Best Metro for Protective Service (+$19,500/year)
#5 Best Metro for Life, Physical, & Social Science (+$38,200/year)
#5 Best Metro for Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, & Media (+$22,300/year)
#6 Best Metro for Business & Financial Operations (+$36,600/year)
#6 Best Metro for Installation, Maintenance, & Repair (+$18,400/year)
#9 Best Metro for Production (+$11,200/year)
#10 Best Metro for Computer & Mathematical (+$47,900/year)

Data from Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Census, Tax Foundation and MIT Living Wage Calculator was used for the study. The full study and methodology is found here: https://www.rentcafe.com/blog/apartment-search-2/best-metros-for-your-profession/.

Niche’s 2018 ranking of Best Places to Live in Connecticut placed West Hartford in first place. Niche rigorously analyzes dozens of public data sets and millions of reviews to produce comprehensive rankings, report cards, and profiles for every K-12 school, college, and neighborhood in the U.S.

The Crazy Tourist featured West Hartford among the 15 Best Places to Live in Connecticut in its June 2018 article.

West Hartford is a charming and affordable suburb of the state capital. The median home value here is around $313,500. Residents and neighboring towns say that there is a lot to love about this area and that it is an ideal location to situate yourself to raise a family. The town is safe and secure and there are plenty of activities to offer for people of all ages.

SafeWise ranks West Hartford on its Top 20 Safest Cities in Connecticut (May 2018) based on FBI crime report statistics and population data. SafeWise also ranked West Hartford #13 in the nation for Safest College Towns in America.

moveBuddha, an online information and resource website that helps people who are moving to a new location, ranked West Hartford #6 in the nation among the 50 most popular mid-size cities to relocate to in its March 2018 report.

Kiplinger's Finance Magazine ranking of Best Cities in the Nation for the Next Decade focused on places that specialized in out-of-the-box thinking. It became clear that West Hartford had three elements of the innovation factor: smart people, great ideas and collaboration. Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine also selected West Hartford for its Top 10 Great Cities for Raising Families. West Hartford was selected because of its low crime, top-ranked schools (public and private), proximity to major cities, range of parks and historic sites, and vibrant downtown.

Family Circle magazine named West Hartford one of America's 10 Best Towns for Families.

Hartford Magazine ranked towns in the Greater Hartford region and West Hartford came out #1 Overall, #1 in the large town category, #1 Best for Families, #1 Best for Seniors, #1 Most Affluent, and #1 Most Educated.

Niche's Best Public School Districts survey ranked 8,738 school districts based on dozens of key statistics and 4.6 million opinions from 280,000 students and parents. A high ranking indicates that the district contains great schools with exceptional teachers, sufficient resources, and a diverse set of high-achieving students.

Washington Post's Top Challenging High Schools in the Nation: Conard & Hall High School; two of only three in all of Connecticut.

In the 2019 U.S. News & World Report for Best High Schools in the nation, both Conard and Hall high schools received GOLD medals (500 awarded out of over 29,000 schools measured), and, fittingly, were ranked right next to each other, almost as twins, even in the national rankings. The ranking in the nation was Hall #443, Conard #444 and In Connecticut, Hall #11 and Conard #12.

Conard and Hall High Schools ranked tops in Newsweek's America's Best High Schools.

TravelandLeisure.com on-line magazine said West Hartford is “One of the Coolest Suburbs Worth a Visit.” The West Hartford Reservoir was called “West Hartford’s version of Central Park! The magazine also noted the town’s vacation-worthy hot spots with cutting-edge restaurants, great shopping, and plenty of parking.

West Hartford was named a “Bronze Bicycle Friendly Community” by The League of American Bicyclists (2017-2020).  The Bronze award recognizes West Hartford’s commitment to improving conditions for bicycling through promotion, education, infrastructure and pro-bicycling policies.

Hartford Magazine’s  “Best of Hartford” edition readers rated the West Hartford Public Library as #1 library in the Greater Hartford area.

Movoto, an online real estate brokerage firm that is known for its unique approach to city-based research by major news organizations such as Forbes and U.S. News, published a ranking of the 10 best places to live in Connecticut with a population of over 10,000.  West Hartford was noted for its lower than average commute times and for its overall excellent quality of life score.  The Top 10 towns were ranked on total amenities, quality of life, crime, and weather.

Online PhD Programs created a list of the Top 101 cities with the most people having Doctorate degrees in American urban centers with populations of 50,000 or more. West Hartford ranked #46 in the nation!

The agency stated “the appeal of West Hartford for doctorate holders perhaps lies as much in the town’s location and sense of community as it does in the area’s academic opportunities.”

Retirement can present a chance for Americans to meet new people and enjoy new experiences. According to a recent study by SmartAsset, West Hartford is among the best places in Connecticut for retirement. The study factors in the number of recreation centers and retirement centers available to seniors as well as the percentage of the city’s population they represent.

Connecticut Magazine rated West Hartford among the 20 Great Places to Retire in Connecticut.  The article states, “This exemplary inner-ring suburb has reinvented itself with a colorful array of shops, restaurants, amusements and even a new 20-acre multipurpose commercial/residential development called Blue Back Square.”

Since 1974, Moody's Investor Services and Standard & Poors, the nation’s largest bond rating agencies, assigned their highest ratings, Aaa and AAA, to the Town of West Hartford’s general obligation bonds. The triple A rating is the highest rating given by the agencies and is based on the town's strength of management and conservative financial practices. West Hartford is one of only a few towns in the United States to hold the coveted Aaa/AAA ratings from both agencies.  Even fewer have maintained such ratings since 1974.

[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town Council of the Town of West Hartford 9-12-1972 (Secs. 2-75 through 2-89 of the 1972 Code). Amendments noted where applicable.]

Political activity of employees — See Charter Ch. VIII, Sec. 4.
Personal interest in contracts with Town — See Charter, Ch. XIV, Sec. 1.
Boards and commissions — See Ch. 5. Departments — See Ch.  12.

[Amended 5-24-1977]

A.  Any officer, official or employee who has a private financial interest in any action, legislative or otherwise, by any Town agency and who is a member of, participates in discussion with or gives an official opinion to such Town agency shall disclose on the written records of such agency the true nature and extent of such interest. This section shall not apply to:

(1) Contracts awarded to the lowest responsible bidder after public advertisement.

(2)  Unpaid appointed officials during a declared state of emergency.

(3)  Matters requiring disclosure to or approval by a court.

(4)  Interests by virtue of ownership of stock in a publicly held corporation in an amount less than 10% of all issued and outstanding stock.

B.  Every elected official, excluding Justices of the Peace and Selectmen, shall, on or before January 1 each year, file with the Town Clerk, on a form to be prepared by the Corporation Counsel, a statement, under oath, containing the following information:

(1)  All real estate located within the Town of West Hartford owned by such elected official or held under a lease for a term exceeding five years, excluding, however, his or her principal residence. The foregoing shall also apply to real estate owned or leased, as aforesaid, by a corporation, trust or partnership in which any such elected official is the legal or equitable holder of at least 5% of the legal or equitable interests in said corporation, trust or partnership.

(2)  The names of any firm, proprietorship, partnership or corporation of which said elected official is an employee or in which such elected official holds at least a five-percent interest and which firm, proprietorship, partnership or corporation has sold or supplied goods or services in excess of $10,000 per annum to the Town of West Hartford during the two years immediately preceding such official's election to office.

(3)  Any income, fees, salary or wages directly or indirectly received by such elected official from the Town of West Hartford or its political subdivisions during the two years immediately preceding such official's election to public office.

C.  Every member of the Zoning Board of Appeals and the Town Plan and Zoning Commission shall file a statement containing the information required in Subsection B (1) above on or before January 1 each year.

A.  No paid officer, official or employee appointed by the Town Manager or by the Board of Education shall use the prestige of his or her position in behalf of any political party.

B.  No officer, official or employee shall promise an appointment to any paid position under the Town Manager or the Board of Education as a reward for any political activity.

The Commission on Ethics established by this chapter shall have the power and duty of enforcing §§ 16-1 through 16-12. The Commission shall adopt and promulgate reasonable rules and regulations for the administration of this chapter, which shall be available to any elector of the Town upon request to the Commission. The Commission shall render advisory opinions to any agency of the Town and to officers, officials and employees pursuant to written request or upon its own initiative. All requests for opinions and opinions rendered therein shall be confidential and shall not be open to public inspection or disclosure. The Commission may, in its discretion, make public opinions which it believes will be in the public interest, but no such opinion shall be made public until deletions as may be necessary have been made to prevent disclosure of the identity of the officer, official or employee involved.

A.  If any elected official, except a member of the Board of Education, shall be found by the Town Council to have knowingly violated the provisions of this chapter, the fact of such violation shall be noted upon the official records of the Town Council.

B.  All other persons who shall be subject to this chapter and who shall knowingly violate its provisions shall be subject to removal from office in accordance with the provisions of Chapter XIV, Section 6, of the Charter of the Town.

For most people, history in West Hartford means its development in the 20th century as a suburb of Hartford. But modern West Hartford's roots date back more than 300 years to the time it was first settled in the late 17th century.

As a way of recapturing West Hartford's ties to its past and providing a focus for the future, signs and plaques have been installed to mark the 39 most historic sites in town. Today, residents can view the site where early American soldiers camped during the Revolutionary War and learn about the past by reading the inscription on any one of the 16 historic signs.

A large 4-square-foot sign of cast aluminum on Goodman Green in West Hartford Center lists all 39 historic sites and identifies their numbered locations on a town map. The signs at each site have a message about the background and historical significance of each site. The map is part of a touring guide detailing the sites prepared by the Architectural Heritage Committee and the Hall High School graphics department.

The historic spots range from homes of noted individuals like Timothy Goodwin, Sarah Whitman Hooker and Noah Webster to schools, businesses, churches and recreational areas like the Charter Oak Park Race Track and Fair Grounds at the intersection of Oakwood and Flatbush Avenues, a nationally famous horse racing track in 1874.

One of the oldest historic sites is that of the Burgoyne Elms in Elmwood. A sign notes that residents in the 18th century planted elm saplings there to celebrate the American capture of General John Burgoyne's British army at Saratoga, New York, in October 1777.

Other signs trace a fascinating history at locations across West Hartford. Bishop's Corner, the intersection of North Main Street and Albany Avenue, was established after the Talcott Mountain Turnpike was developed in 1797 and 1798. The area flourished as a business center with a blacksmith shop and taverns, including Goodman's, which also was the town's first post office in 1820.

A short distance eastward was Joseph Bishop's tobacco warehouse and factory. South of Bishop's Corner was the Trout Brook Ice and Feed Company, located on the north side of Farmington Avenue. The company was an important ice cutting and shipping industry in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The Talcott Woolen Yarn Mill and Vine Hill Farm, on Quaker Lane South near Trout Brook, and the Old Grist Mill, located west of North Main Street, were the local yarn and corn mills that were operated for many years in the 1700s and 1800s by the Morgan and Goodwin families.

Thomas O'Hara Goodwin operated his pottery shop at the intersection of New Britain and New Park Avenues.

The Old West School, now the West Hartford Art League at the corner of Mountain and Buena Vista Roads, was built in 1878 and is one of the first brick school houses as part of Henry Barnard's campaign for safer school buildings. Nearby is the Buena Vista Historic District.

Residents of West Hartford met at the First Three Meeting Houses of the First Church of Christ, Congregational, which were built in 1712, 1744 and 1834 on the northwest corner of Farmington Avenue and North Main Street. Some residents of this time came from affluent families. Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt built a huge mansion for his son on West Hill Drive, formerly known as Vanderbilt Hill. Today West Hill is a community of architecturally distinguished, 20th-century homes.

West Hartford's first modern subdivision (1896) is detailed in a sign noting the Boulevard-Raymond Road Historic District between South Main Street and Trout Brook. The Metropolitan District Reservoir No. 1, on the north side of Farmington Avenue west of Sunset Farm Road, was opened in 1867 to supply pure water to homes in Hartford and West Hartford. Reservoir No. 1 is the oldest component of the present regional water system.

The historic signs were made possible through a joint venture with Town of West Hartford, the Architectural Heritage Committee and former Town Historian Nelson Burr.

https://noahwebsterhouse.org/