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113-526: The UFL "premiere" season draft was the inaugural draft of the United Football League (UFL). The results of the draft were announced via press release on June 19, 2009. Among the players selected were those that participated in earlier workouts in Orlando, Florida and Las Vegas , Nevada . Once drafted by a UFL team, a player's rights were held by that team if he agreed to play within

226-470: A UFL player was supposed pay a transfer fee of $ 150,000 (later lowered to $ 25,000) to the league. This fee was waived after the 2009 season but was more strictly enforced for 2010; in practice, no NFL team ever paid the fee, and the players who did jump to the NFL ended up paying the fee out of their UFL salaries. The league dropped the transfer fee for the 2011 season. For 2009, each team was unofficially tied to

339-517: A couple of families and a few dozen soldiers. The fort was abandoned by 1654, but the area is known today as Dutch Point; the name of the Dutch fort "House of Hope" is reflected in the name of Huyshope Avenue. A significant reason for establishment of the Dutch trading post was to better control the flow of wampum , the de facto currency of New Netherland and portions of New England, to and from valuable Native American fur traders. The Dutch outpost and

452-606: A couple owners in hand, the UFL decided to go ahead and do a "soft launch" in 2009, similar to the one used by the Arena Football League in its inaugural season in 1987, rather than delaying play another year. The soft launch called for opening the league with fewer teams than planned and playing an abbreviated schedule. They hoped a functioning league would yield the UFL a superior position for attracting potential owners over competing leagues still under development (like

565-456: A deal to have their games broadcast on CBS sports. On the league's official website [1] on August 1, 2012, an official schedule for 2012, with the September 19 starting date and each team playing an unbalanced, eight-game schedule was posted, matching the earlier speculation. As of that time, final postseason plans remained undecided; the date for the championship game, Friday, November 16,

678-478: A fall schedule in fall 2013 without a full off-season. This announcement, however, was met with widespread skepticism from both within and outside the league, skepticism that was proven to be warranted as the league never returned. Over the course of the league's history, the Las Vegas Locomotives were the most successful team, winning two of the three championships , appearing in (but losing)

791-502: A former Wall Street figure who had sold his old firm, Hambrecht & Quist, to what was then Chase Manhattan Bank for US$ 1.35 billion in 1999. Michael Huyghue , a former executive with the Jacksonville Jaguars and the head of a sports agency service, was the league's first and only commissioner. The league had identified 21 cities that they deemed possessed strong economic bases, passionate football tradition, and

904-409: A half interest in a team. The league would own the other half. The UFL had difficulties finding willing owners the UFL leadership considered suitable. The UFL planned for each team to eventually sell shares to the public that they hoped could raise another $ 60 million. This never came to pass. Ultimately, the league accrued financial losses of between $ 120 million and $ 150 million over the course of

1017-596: A high number of average TV viewing households as potential team locations. Target markets in the US included: Austin , Birmingham , Columbus , Hartford , Las Vegas , Los Angeles , Louisville , Memphis , Milwaukee , New York City , Oklahoma City , Orlando , Portland , Raleigh-Durham , Sacramento , Salt Lake City , San Antonio , and San Jose ; as well as international markets in London , Mexico City and Monterrey . With their planned launch date arriving soon and only

1130-521: A household in the city was $ 20,820, and the median income for a family was $ 22,051. Males had a median income of $ 28,444 versus $ 26,131 for females. The per capita income for the city was $ 13,428. Hartford is a center for medical care, research, and education. Within the city of Hartford itself, hospitals include Hartford Hospital , The Institute of Living , Connecticut Children's Medical Center , and Saint Francis Hospital & Medical Center (which merged in 1990 with Mount Sinai Hospital ). Hartford

1243-700: A huge commercial success, and production expanded in the Weed factory, with Weed making every part but the tires. Demand for bicycles overshadowed the failing sewing machine market by 1890, so Pope bought the Weed factory, took over as its president, and renamed it the Pope Manufacturing Company . The bicycle boom was short-lived, peaking near the turn of the century when more and more consumers craved individual automobile travel, and Pope's company suffered financially from over-production amidst falling demand. In an effort to save his business, Pope opened

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1356-566: A matinee performance of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus on Barbour Street in the city's north end and became known as the Hartford Circus Fire . After World War II , many residents of Puerto Rico moved to Hartford. Starting in the late 1950s, the suburbs ringing Hartford began to grow and flourish and the capital city began a long decline. Insurance giant Connecticut General (now CIGNA ) moved to

1469-423: A minor or "developmental" league for the NFL, including the UFL's own commissioner. Early news reports had speculated that based on the UFL's initial plan the league would become a "competitor" to the NFL. The UFL seemed poised to capitalize on fan disgust with the NFL should the established league lock out its players prior to the 2011−12 season. The thought was that the NFL would fail to reach an agreement with

1582-590: A mission to establish a trading post and fortify the area for the Dutch West India Company . The original site was located on the south bank of the Park River in the present-day Sheldon/Charter Oak neighborhood. This fort was called Fort Hoop or the "House of Hope." In 1633, Jacob Van Curler formally bought the land around Fort Hoop from the Pequot chief for a small sum. It was home to perhaps

1695-469: A motor carriage department and turned out electric carriages, beginning with the "Mark III" in 1897. His venture might have made Hartford the capital of the automobile industry were it not for the ascendancy of Henry Ford and a series of pitfalls and patent struggles that outlived Pope himself. In 1876, Hartford Machine Screw was granted a charter "for the purpose of manufacturing screws, hardware and machinery of every variety." The basis for its incorporation

1808-617: A new factory adjacent to Weed, where it remained until 1948. On the week of April 12, 1909, the Connecticut River reached a record flood stage of 24.5 feet (7.5 meters) above the low-water mark, flooding the city of Hartford and doing great damage. On July 6, 1944, Hartford was the scene of one of the worst fire disasters in the history of the United States. Claiming the lives of 168 persons, mostly children and their mothers, and injuring several hundred more. It occurred at

1921-462: A new technology innovation hub in Hartford, creating up to 1,000 jobs by 2022. The Hartford technology innovation hub will focus on three key sectors- insurance, healthcare and manufacturing. Hartford has continued to attract technology companies including CGI Inc. , Covr Financial Technologies, GalaxE. Solutions, HCL Technologies and Larsen & Toubro . Insurance software provided Insurity

2034-419: A new, modern campus in the suburb of Bloomfield . Constitution Plaza had been hailed as a model of urban renewal, but it gradually became a concrete office park. Once-flourishing department stores shut down, such as Brown Thomson, Sage-Allen , and G. Fox & Co. , as suburban malls grew in popularity, such as Westfarms and Buckland Hills . In 1997, the city lost its professional hockey franchise, with

2147-405: A nineteenth-century palazzo on Asylum Street. Bank of America and People's United Financial have a significant corporate presence in Hartford. In 2009, Northeast Utilities , a Fortune 500 company and New England's largest energy utility, announced it would establish its corporate headquarters downtown. Hartford is a burgeoning technology hub. In March 2018, Infosys announced that opening of

2260-564: A pair of divisions in the National Football League. In addition to this feature, the league held a draft on June 18, 2009, the UFL Premiere Season Draft . A second draft was held on June 2, 2010. The 2011 UFL Draft was held on May 2, with player selections announced via Twitter . No formal draft was staged prior to the 2012 UFL season . The original plan was for owners to pay $ 30 million to buy

2373-551: A player salary cap range of $ 12–20 million per team with a staff salary cap of $ 3 million per team. The UFL hoped to be paying at least 10 players on each roster in excess of $ 1 million each per season. These players would provide name value and legitimacy for the league and would fast track the development of local fanbases and a national TV audience. The original plan was predicated on luring very wealthy owners like billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban. The UFL however ultimately proved unsuccessful in securing commitments from enough of

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2486-469: A sermon that inspired the writing of the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut , which provided a framework for Connecticut's separation for Massachusetts Bay Colony and the formation of a civil government. The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut were the legal basis for Connecticut Colony until the 1662 royal charter granted to Connecticut by Charles II . The original settlement area contained

2599-405: A shrinking population base and high pension obligations, a $ 65 million budget gap was projected for the year of 2018. The city had cut budget of public services and gotten union concessions however these measures did not balance the budget. A state bailout later that year kept the city from filing for bankruptcy. Downtown Hartford is busy during the day with commuters, but tends to be quiet in

2712-447: A soft launch financially tolerable, player salaries had to be dramatically scaled back—pro-rated to reflect the shortened season. An agent representing two players with NFL experience, Jack Bechta, reported his clients were offered UFL contracts at a base salary of $ 35,000. He confirmed with other agents that $ 35,000 was the league mandated salary for skill players and $ 25,000 for punters, place kickers and long snappers, at least for

2825-430: A total of $ 50,000 in the regular season; participants in the 2010 UFL championship game were paid a total of $ 10,000 each, with an additional $ 10,000 going to each player on the winning team. Starting quarterbacks earned a $ 200,000 salary. There was a significant delay in payments after the 2010 season, because of a revenue shortfall, a severe underestimation of expenses, and a delay in a $ 50,000,000 subsidy from one of

2938-412: Is also the historic international center of the insurance industry, with companies like Aetna , Conning & Company , The Hartford , Harvard Pilgrim Health Care , The Phoenix Companies , and Hartford Steam Boiler based in the city, and companies like Prudential Financial , Lincoln National Corporation , Sun Life Financial Travelers , United Healthcare and Axa XL having major operations in

3051-557: Is among the oldest cities in the United States. It is home to the country's oldest public art museum ( Wadsworth Atheneum ), the oldest publicly funded park ( Bushnell Park ), the oldest continuously published newspaper (the Hartford Courant ), the second-oldest secondary school ( Hartford Public High School ), and the oldest school for deaf children ( American School for the Deaf ), founded by Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet in 1817. It

3164-422: Is approximately 47.05 inches (1,200 mm), which is distributed fairly evenly throughout the year. Hartford typically receives about 51.7 inches (131 cm) of snow in an average winter—about 40% more than coastal Connecticut cities like New Haven, Stamford, and New London. Seasonal snowfall has ranged from 115.2 inches (293 cm) during the winter of 1995–96 to 13.5 inches (34 cm) in 1999–2000. During

3277-562: Is home of the University of Hartford and also houses the largest per capita of residents claiming Jamaican-American heritage in the United States. Other neighborhoods in Hartford include Barry Square, Behind the Rocks, Clay Arsenal, South West, and Upper Albany, which is dotted by many Caribbean restaurants and specialty stores. At the 2010 United States census , there were 124,775 people, 44,986 households, and 27,171 families residing in

3390-404: Is home to Keney Park and a number of the city's oldest and most ornate homes. The South End features "Little Italy" and was the home of Hartford's sizeable Italian community. South Green hosts Hartford Hospital . The South Meadows is the site of Hartford–Brainard Airport and Hartford's industrial community. The North Meadows has retail strips, car dealerships, and Comcast Theatre. Blue Hills

3503-576: Is in fact what happened; in addition to the championship game between Virginia and Las Vegas, the season concluded with a third-place game (on the same day) in Omaha between the other two teams, the first such game in outdoor professional gridiron football since the demise of the NFL's old third-place game, the Playoff Bowl , which was last contested in January 1970 following the 1969 season . Despite

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3616-535: Is the location of the Mark Twain House , in which the author Mark Twain wrote his most famous works and raised his family. He wrote in 1868, "Of all the beautiful towns it has been my fortune to see this is the chief." Hartford has been the sole capital of Connecticut since 1875. (Before then, New Haven and Hartford alternated as dual capitals, as part of the agreement by which the Colony of New Haven

3729-676: Is the second-largest concentration of Puerto Ricans in the Northeast , behind only Holyoke, Massachusetts , approximately 30 miles (48 km) to the north along the Connecticut River. There are small but recognizable concentrations of people with origins in Mexico, Colombia , Peru , and the Dominican Republic as well. Among the non-Hispanic population, the largest ancestry group is from Jamaica ; in 2014, Hartford

3842-454: The 1938 New England Hurricane , as well as with Hurricane Irene in 2011. The highest officially recorded temperature is 103 °F (39 °C) on July 22, 2011, and the lowest is −26 °F (−32 °C) on January 22, 1961; the record cold daily maximum is −2 °F (−19 °C) on December 2, 1917, while, conversely, the record warm daily minimum is 80 °F (27 °C) on July 31, 1917. The central business district, as well as

3955-590: The Hartford Whalers moving to Raleigh, North Carolina—despite an increase in season ticket sales and an offer from the state for a new arena. In 2005, a developer from Newton, Massachusetts tried unsuccessfully to bring an NHL team back to Hartford and house them in a new, publicly funded stadium. Hartford experienced problems as the population shrank 11 percent during the 1990s. Only Flint, Michigan ; Gary, Indiana ; St. Louis, Missouri ; and Baltimore , Maryland experienced larger population losses during

4068-519: The NFL players' union after the end of their collective bargaining agreement. This would have led to the 2011−12 NFL season being delayed or cancelled, leaving the UFL the only pro football available. The NFL did lock out their players, but the situation was resolved in July 2011, before the start of the NFL season. This negated any benefits the UFL might have hoped to reap from the labor dispute. The league

4181-1010: The Podunks , mostly east of the Connecticut River; the Poquonocks north and west of Hartford; the Massacoes in the Simsbury area; the Tunxis tribe in West Hartford and Farmington ; the Wangunks to the south; and the Saukiog in Hartford itself. The first Europeans known to have explored the area were the Dutch under Adriaen Block , who sailed up the Connecticut in 1614. Dutch fur traders from New Amsterdam returned in 1623 with

4294-582: The United States Football League . On December 31, 2023, the XFL and USFL announced the formation of the modern United Football League . The remnants of the previous league ceded their social media handles to the 2024 UFL on April 6, 2024. The National Gridiron League attempted to relaunch as the UFL, using the existing trademarks and claiming to be a continuation of the original league. The UFL's original pay structure plan included

4407-730: The "Insurance Capital of the World" and "America's filing cabinet", the city holds high sufficiency as a global city , as home to the headquarters of many insurance companies, the region's major industry. Other prominent industries include the services, education and healthcare industries. Hartford coordinates certain Hartford–Springfield regional development matters through the Knowledge Corridor Economic Partnership. Various tribes lived in or around Hartford, all Algonquian peoples . These included

4520-443: The 2009 inaugural season. One of the players represented by the agent was a quarterback who received an offer of $ 35,000, although he stated that his negotiations revealed that teams are allowed to pay one quarterback more than the $ 35,000 salary. Bonuses were limited to $ 10,000 per player. In addition to the base salary, the league also paid for all housing expenses for its players. The league's initial salaries were roughly equal to

4633-505: The 2009 season. On February 9, 2009, it was announced that Paul Pelosi , husband of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi , was one of four investors who had stepped forward to invest $ 10,000,000, plus a personal commitment to cover opening-season losses up to another $ 10,000,000 for a one-half interest in four franchises to play in the league's 2009 inaugural season. The league was under the overall direction of William Hambrecht,

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4746-602: The 2010 season, the New York Sentinels permanently settled in Hartford, Connecticut, becoming the Hartford Colonials . The new name was chosen by fans through an online vote. The California Redwoods relocated to Sacramento, California, and chose the name Mountain Lions, also from a fan vote. In another change for the 2010 season, each UFL team would gain their own uniform color identity, loosening them from

4859-503: The 2012 season had sued the league ownership for failure to pay their salaries. The Destroyers' business license expired on March 1, 2013, and that team's remaining offices were closed before that date. On March 28, 2013, a report in The Wall Street Journal noted that both the spring 2013 resumption and the fall 2013 season were canceled, and that if the league were to return, it would not have been until spring 2014 at

4972-459: The Dutch fort. The settlement was originally called Newtown, but it was changed to Hartford in 1637 in honor of Stone's hometown of Hertford , England. Hooker also created the nearby town of Windsor in 1633. The etymology of Hartford is the ford where harts cross, or "deer crossing." As the Puritan minister in Hartford, Thomas Hooker wielded a great deal of power; in 1638, he delivered

5085-663: The Hartford Colonials potentially on the chopping block. On August 10, 2011, the UFL announced that it would "suspend operations" of the Colonials and go forward with a four-team league. Jerry Glanville , a UFL consultant who had previously been announced as the new head coach of the now-suspended Colonials, began a listening tour of Chattanooga, Salt Lake City and Jackson, Mississippi , in October 2011 to gauge support for UFL expansion franchises. He has stated that of

5198-659: The Las Vegas Locomotives), blue (Florida Tuskers), black (New York Sentinels), and lime green and white (California Redwoods). Each of the team jerseys had the same design template, complete with a horizontal arc across the top front that resembles the arc on the UFL's logo. One of the Redwoods' games was moved to San Jose; the other two were played in San Francisco (the move to San Jose was a short-notice move due to poor attendance in San Francisco; however,

5311-533: The New USFL, which at the time was trumpeting a spring 2010 launch). The markets chosen for the premiere season were New York City ( Sentinels ), Las Vegas (Locomotives), Orlando ( Florida Tuskers ), and the San Francisco Bay Area ( California Redwoods ). The league's short schedule made the kind of expensive promotional efforts often employed with a new league cost prohibitive. Additionally,

5424-698: The New York Sentinels), Omaha Nighthawks, Sacramento Mountain Lions (originally the California Redwoods), Florida Tuskers, and Virginia Destroyers. The Florida Tuskers and Virginia Destroyers were legally separate teams, but because the Tuskers folded before the Destroyers began play, the UFL assigned most of the Tuskers' staff to the Destroyers and the two are typically conflated for the purpose of league history. Only stadiums in which

5537-780: The San Jose game ended up being even more poorly attended). The league was unable to secure a fiscally reasonable deal for a stadium within New York City, forcing the league to have the Sentinels play one home game each in Hartford, Connecticut; on the campus of Hofstra University in Long Island , and in New Jersey . In addition, one of the Tuskers' games was played at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida , in part because

5650-555: The State Capitol, Old State House and a number of museums and shops are located Downtown. Parkville, home to Real Art Ways , is named for the confluence of the north and the south branches of the Park River. Frog Hollow, in close proximity to Downtown, is home to Pope Park and Trinity College , which is one of the nation's oldest institutions of higher learning. Asylum Hill, a mixed residential and commercial area, houses

5763-623: The Tuskers shared ownership that year with the Tampa Bay Rays ; this was not reprised in 2010. The Florida Tuskers finished 2009 with a 6–0 record. The Las Vegas Locomotives were next at 4–2, the California Redwoods were 2–4, and the Sentinels were last at 0–6. The Locomotives played the Tuskers in the 2009 UFL championship game ; the Locomotives won the title on a field goal in overtime. Before

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5876-426: The UFL announced it would delay the start of its season until mid-September due to financial issues. The league was in negotiations with CBS and TNT for coverage after Versus dropped the UFL as part of its rebranding to NBC Sports Network , but was unable to get any, and the league also lost its existing television partners. After this postponement, the league confirmed it was considering even further contraction, with

5989-428: The UFL ceased operations for the remainder of the 2012 season. According to head of public relations Larry Weismann, the league intended on resuming the canceled schedule some time in spring 2013, with those games counting toward the 2012 season standings, then come back yet again for the next season in fall 2013. By spring 2013, 78 players from the 2012 season, two head coaches from 2011 and four assistant coaches from

6102-470: The UFL for their failure to repay the loan by the October 6, 2010, deadline. For the 2011 season, the UFL announced the addition of a franchise in the Hampton Roads ( Norfolk metro area) region of Virginia , originally owned by former CFL owner Jim Speros and managed by former NFL and USFL quarterback Doug Williams . Soon after Speros' ownership was announced, he relinquished control of

6215-433: The UFL was arranging a broadcast TV deal with CBS Sports Network (a deal the league had desperately sought) to go along with regional supplemental coverage. However, May 1 came and went without any official announcement by the UFL on their future plans. The league had previously entertained input on the possibility of moving from a fall schedule to the spring. Michael Huyghue, the UFL's original commissioner, resigned from

6328-513: The UFL's owners. As of February 2011, the bonuses for the 2010 championship game remained unpaid, as did numerous other bills accrued by the league during the 2010 season. Most of these bills were eventually paid in March. According to reports that surfaced in May 2011, the base salary for players was reduced to $ 5,000 per game (including the championship), with only a $ 1,000 additional bonus for winning

6441-476: The UFL's scheduling plan was different from that of the National Football League, which is prohibited under federal anti-trust exemption law ( 15 U.S.C. § 1291, i.e., the Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961 ) from broadcasting any professional game within seventy-five miles of any inter-collegiate or high school game on any Friday or Saturday, beginning with the second Friday in September and ending

6554-626: The United Football League name. In 2018, he instead announced a new XFL , a brand used by McMahon's defunct football league that played one season in 2001; the new XFL began play in 2020 but went on a two-season hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2023, the XFL—by this time owned by Dany Garcia , Dwayne Johnson and RedBird Capital Partners—re-filed for the UFL and United Football League trademarks ahead of its proposed merger with

6667-616: The Weed Sewing Machine Company took over its factory. The invention of a new type of sewing machine led to a new application of mass production after the principles of interchangeability were applied to clocks and guns. The Weed Company played a major role in making Hartford one of three machine tool centers in New England and even outranked the Colt Armory in nearby Coltsville in size. Weed eventually became

6780-476: The average per-game salaries in the Canadian Football League and, adjusted for inflation, equivalent to the old XFL . In another similarity to the XFL, teams could offer a sizable performance bonus; former Locomotives starting quarterback J. P. Losman has stated that he received a "nice sized" bonus for winning the 2009 UFL championship game . In 2010, players earned $ 6,250 per game, for

6893-535: The banks of the Connecticut River. These events are held outdoors and include live music, festivals, dance, arts and crafts. Hartford also has a vibrant theater scene with major Broadway productions at the Bushnell Theater as well as performances at the Hartford Stage and TheaterWorks (City Arts). In July 2017, Hartford considered filing Chapter 9 bankruptcy . After years of contending with

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7006-505: The birthplace of both the bicycle and automobile industries in Hartford. Industrialist Albert Pope was inspired by a British-made, high-wheeled bicycle (called a velocipede) that he saw at the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exposition , and he bought patent rights for bicycle production in the United States. He wanted to contract out his first order, however, so he approached George Fairfield of Weed Sewing Machine Company, who produced Pope's first run of bicycles in 1878. Bicycles proved to be

7119-407: The boundary between Hartford and East Hartford, and is located on the east side of the city. The Park River originally divided Hartford into northern and southern sections and was a major part of Bushnell Park , but the river was nearly completely enclosed and buried by flood control projects in the 1940s. The former course of the river can still be seen in some of the roadways that were built in

7232-428: The championship game. This contradicted the word of the commissioner, who had previously stated he aimed to increase compensation to $ 10,000 per game in March. Pay was further reduced to $ 3,500 per game for the 2012 season. Each player was under contract to the UFL through February of the following year, effectively creating a two-month non-compete clause after the season ends, and any NFL team that wished to sign

7345-478: The city. At the American Community Survey 's 2019 estimates, the population increased to 123,088. The 2020 United States census tabulated a population of 121,054. Hartford's racial and ethnic makeup in 2019 was 36.0% White, 42.7% Black or African American, 23.7% some other race, 3.4% Asian, 1.2% American Indian or Alaska Native, and 0.3% Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islanders. 43.4% of

7458-598: The city. Insurance giant Aetna had its headquarters in Hartford before announcing a relocation to New York City in July 2017. However, when CVS acquired Aetna a few months later, they announced Aetna would remain in Hartford for at least four years. The city is also home to the corporate headquarters of CareCentrix, Choice Merchant Solutions, Global Atlantic Financial Group, Hartford Healthcare, Insurity, LAZ Parking, ProPark Mobility, U.S. Fire Arms , and Virtus Investment Partners . In 2008, Sovereign Bank consolidated two bank branches as well as its regional headquarters in

7571-761: The city. This type of event caught on and eventually became a staple of mid-to-late 19th-century campaigning. Hartford was a major manufacturing city from the 19th century until the mid-20th century. During the Industrial Revolution into the mid-20th century, the Connecticut River Valley cities produced many major precision manufacturing innovations. Among these was Hartford's pioneer bicycle and automobile maker Pope . Many factories have been closed or relocated, or have reduced operations, as in nearly all former Northern manufacturing cities. Around 1850, Hartford native Samuel Colt perfected

7684-445: The company expanded into aircraft engine design at its Hartford factory. Just three years after Colt's first factory opened, the Sharps Rifle Manufacturing Company set up shop in 1852 at a nearby site along the now-buried Park River , located in the present-day neighborhood of Frog Hollow . Their factory heralded the beginning of the area's transformation from marshy farmland into a major industrial zone. The road leading from town to

7797-473: The decade. However, the population has increased since the 2000 Census. In 1987, Carrie Saxon Perry was elected mayor of Hartford, becoming the first female African-American mayor of a major American city. Riverfront Plaza was opened in 1999, connecting the riverfront and the downtown area for the first time since the 1960s. A significant number of cultural events and performances take place every year at Mortensen Plaza (Riverfront Recapture Organization) by

7910-417: The deep-pocketed owners their original plan required. By time the initial season began, the league had totally dumped its original salary structure to suit the reality of the soft launch. The league's original plan would have had the average UFL salary in the $ 240,000-$ 500,000 range, far in excess of the CFL's average salary. The short schedule gutted the league's ability to generate TV or gate revenue. To make

8023-478: The difficulties of 2011, UFL officials were on record as wanting to move ahead on future plans for the league. An April 2012 Las Vegas Review-Journal report indicated that the UFL would announce plans on May 1 to field a five-team league for the 2012 season, including the four 2011 teams plus a fifth expansion team. (The Review-Journal report mentioned San Antonio, Southern California , and Portland, Oregon, were expansion candidates.) The report also indicated that

8136-462: The earliest. The ownership lost or settled most of the lawsuits against them in 2014. As of 2016, all of the remaining non-liquid assets of the league were sitting in a warehouse in Jacksonville, Florida , with an estimated value of $ 100,000. The league still owes approximately $ 1,000,000 to the estate of Dennis Green ; under a court ruling, the league itself is liable for Green's salary, as

8249-626: The evenings and weekends. However, more residential and retail development in recent years has begun changing the pattern. According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 18.0 square miles (47 km ), of which 17.3 square miles (45 km ) is land and 0.7 square miles (1.8 km ) (3.67%) is water. The city of Hartford is bordered by the towns of West Hartford , Newington , Wethersfield , East Hartford , Bloomfield , South Windsor , Glastonbury , and Windsor . The Connecticut River forms

8362-425: The factory was called Rifle Lane; the name was later changed to College Street and then Capitol Avenue. A century earlier, mills had located along the Park River because of the water power, but by the 1850s water power was approaching obsolescence. Sharps located there specifically to take advantage of the railroad line that had been constructed alongside the river in 1838. The Sharps Rifle Company failed in 1870, and

8475-406: The field, had done in 2010 after repeated delays of its announced inaugural schedule. However, on July 26, 2012, news broke that the UFL would indeed play a fourth season in 2012. Terms had not been finalized, but initial plans called for four teams playing an eight-game schedule (which would require an unbalanced schedule) on Wednesdays and Fridays beginning September 19, 2012. The league did reach

8588-675: The five New England states ( Maine was still part of Massachusetts at that time) gathered at the Hartford Convention to discuss New England's possible secession from the United States. During the early 19th century, the Hartford area was a center of abolitionist activity, and the most famous abolitionist family was the Beechers. The Reverend Lyman Beecher was an important Congregational minister known for his anti-slavery sermons. His daughter Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin ; her brother Henry Ward Beecher

8701-490: The fourth season starts, a rebuilding and restocking of personnel will need to take place. To conserve much-needed funds the Virginia Destroyers relocated to much smaller office space by February 2012. The league remained silent throughout winter, spring and early summer 2012, raising fears that the league had quietly folded, in the same way the proposed All American Football League , without ever actually taking

8814-675: The headquarters of several insurance companies as well as the historic homes of Mark Twain and Harriet Beecher Stowe . The West End, home to the Governor's residence, Elizabeth Park , and the University of Connecticut School of Law , abuts the Hartford Golf Club. Sheldon Charter Oak is renowned as the location of the Charter Oak and its successor monument as well as the former Colt headquarters including Samuel Colt 's family estate, Armsmear . The North East neighborhood

8927-518: The league $ 5 million in April 2010. He did not own a franchise and he was not involved in day-to-day operations of the league nor of any of its teams. In January 2011, Cuban, the owner of the Dallas Mavericks and majority owner of HDNet (now AXS TV ), a cable channel and Web-streaming service which had broadcast some games of the league's inaugural two seasons, filed a federal lawsuit against

9040-893: The league announced Moglia would instead coach the Omaha Nighthawks. At the same time, the Florida Tuskers ceased operations in Orlando and moved to Virginia, with Jay Gruden initially remaining as the Destroyers' coach; however, Gruden was hired the next month by the Cincinnati Bengals of the NFL. For possible 2011 expansion, all cities that were in consideration for 2010 (Portland, San Antonio, Austin, and Salt Lake City) remained in consideration, as well as Raleigh, North Carolina ; Los Angeles; and Honolulu. In regards to future expansion, Huyghue has said that they "may never have more than eight teams" depending on

9153-407: The league had a full schedule of three home games in the same stadium in only one of their selected cities, Las Vegas. During the week of August 10, 2009, the four team names and their uniform jerseys were revealed. Each of the uniforms (and the team logos and helmets that were unveiled on October 2) incorporated the UFL's signature color scheme into their designs, including silver (primary color for

9266-545: The league to turn a profit. While he did reach the 20,000 fan threshold in Sacramento in 2010 and 2011, the paying television contract never materialized. Hambrecht sustained losses of $ 40 million on the league. Six teams played in the UFL over the course of its history, no more than five in any given year. The teams that played in the league were: the Las Vegas Locomotives, Hartford Colonials (originally

9379-637: The league's economic situation. The league announced it would expand into the Hampton Roads region of Virginia prior to the start of the 2011 season, giving the Virginia Destroyers time to organize. During UFL Championship Week 2010, the league announced it had a seventh franchise in place, with Huyghue indicating that it would most likely be in Los Angeles, and that the team would not be officially announced until an eighth franchise

9492-403: The league's four years of play. Paul Pelosi's investment alone was between $ 10 million and $ 50 million, according to federal disclosure forms filed by his wife Nancy. For his part, Pelosi initially anticipated losing $ 6 million per year, based on an anticipated 20,000 fans per game, and hoped to make up the difference from a renegotiated television contract in 2011 that paid enough rights fees for

9605-416: The league. United Football League (2009%E2%80%932012) The UFL occupied the second tier of professional football in the United States, behind the National Football League. The UFL primarily consisted of players who had previously played for an NFL team. Although the league had no connection with the NFL, and had never intended to foster any such connection, some speculated that it could have become

9718-563: The line that they agreed on was more than 50 miles (80 km) west of the original settlement. The English began to arrive in 1636, settling upstream from Fort Hoop near the present-day Downtown and Sheldon/Charter Oak neighborhoods. Puritan pastors Thomas Hooker and Samuel Stone , along with Governor John Haynes , led 100 settlers with 130 head of cattle in a trek from Newtown in the Massachusetts Bay Colony (now Cambridge ) and started their settlement just north of

9831-622: The north. The white population forms a majority in only two census tracts: the downtown area and the far northwest. Nevertheless, many areas in the middle of the city, in Asylum Hill, and in West End, have a significant white population. More than three-quarters (77%) of the Hispanic population was Puerto Rican (with more than half born on the island of Puerto Rico) and fully 33.7% of all Hartford residents claimed Puerto Rican heritage. This

9944-411: The owners had not personally guaranteed it. Hambrecht has also allegedly not paid the 78 players who sued him for back pay, even as the players won a $ 2.4 million judgment against Hambrecht. Frank Vuono, an executive with the UFL in its early existence, stated that Hambrecht had simply stopped paying the league's bills. The UFL abandoned its trademarks by 2017, when Vince McMahon filed a trademark on

10057-544: The period from April through October is warm to hot in Hartford, with the hottest months being June, July, and August. In the summer months there is often high humidity and occasional (but brief) thundershowers. The cool to cold months are from November through March, with the coldest months in December, January, and February having average highs of 35 to 38 °F (2 to 3 °C) and overnight lows of around 18 to 23 °F (−8 to −5 °C). The average annual precipitation

10170-446: The population were Hispanic or Latino, chiefly of Puerto Rican origin. Non-Hispanic Whites were 15.8% of the population in 2010. The city's Hispanic and Latino population primarily consisted of Puerto Ricans (33.63%), Dominicans (3.0%), Mexicans (1.6%), Cubans (0.4%) and other Hispanic or Latinos at 5.63%. The Hispanic and Latino population is concentrated on the city's south side, while African Americans are concentrated in

10283-440: The position on January 31, 2012, citing in part the league's severe financial problems and philosophical differences with the league's owners on how to move forward. Instead, the league dispensed, at least for the time being, with a central office and owners Bill Hambrecht (Las Vegas) and Bill Mayer (Virginia) oversaw the league's business operations, while Locos' coach/president Jim Fassel overseeing football operations. Before

10396-550: The precision manufacturing process that enabled the mass production of thousands of his revolvers with interchangeable parts. A variety of industries adopted and adapted these techniques over the next several decades, and Hartford became the center of production for a wide array of products, including: Colt , Richard Gatling , and John Browning firearms; Weed sewing machines ; Columbia bicycles; Pope automobiles; and leading typewriter manufacturers Royal Typewriter Company and Underwood Typewriter Company which together made Hartford

10509-651: The river's place, such as Jewell Street and the Conlin-Whitehead Highway . The Köppen climate classification categorizes Hartford as the hot-summer humid continental climate ( Köppen Dfa ) bordering on Cfa humid subtropical under the 0 °C isotherm. Winters are moderately cold, with periods of snow, while summers are hot and humid. Spring and fall are normally transition seasons, with weather ranging from warm to cool. The city of Hartford lies in USDA Hardiness zone 6b-7a. Seasonally,

10622-884: The same home stadiums as in 2011; the Mountain Lions moved to the Triple-A baseball stadium ( Raley Field ) of the Sacramento franchise of the Pacific Coast League , the Sacramento River Cats . In addition, the Las Vegas Locomotives also negotiated backup plans with Cashman Field in Las Vegas, although the team was able to play its first two home games at Sam Boyd Stadium . On October 20, 2012, after four weeks, continued financial shortfalls, an uncertain stadium situation in Las Vegas, and dramatically reduced attendances across all four markets,

10735-617: The second Saturday in December (15 U.S.C. § 1293). Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut . The city, located in Hartford County , had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 census . Hartford is the most populous city in the Capitol Planning Region and the core city of the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Founded in 1635, Hartford

10848-411: The site of the Charter Oak , an old white oak tree in which colonists hid Connecticut's Royal Charter of 1662 to protect it from confiscation by an English governor-general. The state adopted the oak tree as the emblem on the Connecticut state quarter. The Charter Oak Monument is located at the corner of Charter Oak Place, a historic street, and Charter Oak Avenue. On December 15, 1814, delegates from

10961-471: The standard league colors. For 2010, the league indicated that five markets were under consideration for expansion teams: Omaha, Nebraska ; San Antonio or Austin, Texas; Portland, Oregon; and Salt Lake City. On April 15, 2010, Omaha was granted an expansion team, called the Omaha Nighthawks . Mark Cuban, who was mentioned as a potential franchise owner in the league's formative stages, loaned

11074-424: The summer, temperatures reach or exceed 90 °F (32 °C) on an average of 17 days per year; in the winter, overnight temperatures can dip to a range of 5 to −5 °F (−15 to −21 °C) on at least one night a year. Tropical storms and hurricanes have also struck Hartford, although the occurrence of such systems is rare and is usually confined to the remnants of such storms. Hartford saw extensive damage from

11187-446: The team played more than one game are listed. In an approach similar to previous football leagues, the UFL mostly adhered to standard NFL and football rules with a few differences of note: For the 2009 and 2010 seasons, the UFL scheduled its games on non-traditional evenings for pro football: Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings. Though these games conflicted with high school and college football events in some locations,

11300-539: The team to the league and allowed bidding to be opened again. Williams later joined his alma mater Grambling State University as their head coach, resigning as Destroyers' general manager. The UFL announced the businessman Joe Moglia , also executive advisor to the head football coach of the University of Nebraska, as the first head coach and president of the Destroyers in November 2010; however, in January 2011,

11413-505: The third consecutive year. If a sixth team had been added, the schedule for each team would have expanded to ten games. The schedule for the 2011 UFL season , released June 9, 2011, confirmed that the league would be locked at five teams for the season, with no expansion. The 2011 season was to shift from a traditional late fall schedule to a late summer/early fall schedule beginning in August 2011 and ending in October; however, in July 2011,

11526-447: The third, and having a perfect record for the season at the time of the cessation of operations. The United Football League was founded by Bill Hambrecht and Tim Armstrong . The UFL initially had plans to start with eight teams with $ 12–20 million rosters playing in targeted sites in the fall of 2008. T. Boone Pickens and Mark Cuban had originally been in discussion with the league as potential owners, but both backed out prior to

11639-416: The three, at least "one has a UFL team and one may get a UFL team." On October 16, 2011, immediately after each team's fourth game, numerous reports indicated that the remainder of the 2011 season had been cancelled and that the 2011 UFL championship game between Las Vegas and Virginia would be moved up to the date of Virginia's last home game, which would have taken place against Omaha on October 21. This

11752-460: The tiny contingent of Dutch soldiers who were stationed there did little to check the English migration, and the Dutch soon realized that they were vastly outnumbered. The House of Hope remained an outpost, but it was steadily swallowed up by waves of English settlers. In 1650, Peter Stuyvesant met with English representatives to negotiate a permanent boundary between the Dutch and English colonies;

11865-607: The “Typewriter Capitol of the World” during the first half of the 20th century. The Pratt & Whitney Company was founded in Hartford in 1860 by Francis A. Pratt and Amos Whitney. They built a substantial factory in which the company manufactured a wide range of machine tools, including tools for the makers of sewing machines, and gun-making machinery for use by the Union Army during the American Civil War. In 1925,

11978-456: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.33. In the city, the population distribution skews young: 30.1% under the age of 18, 12.6% from 18 to 24, 29.8% from 25 to 44, 18.0% from 45 to 64, and 9.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.0 males. The median income for

12091-489: Was a noted clergyman who vehemently opposed slavery and supported the temperance movement and women's suffrage. The Stowes' sister Isabella Beecher Hooker was a leading member of the women's rights movement . In 1860, Hartford was the site of the first " Wide Awakes ", abolitionist supporters of Abraham Lincoln . These supporters organized torch-light parades that were both political and social events, often including fireworks and music, in celebration of Lincoln's visit to

12204-668: Was absorbed into the Colony of Connecticut in 1664.) Hartford was the richest city in the United States for several decades following the American Civil War . Since 2015, it has been one of the poorest cities in the country, with three out of ten families living below the poverty threshold. In sharp contrast, the Greater Hartford metropolitan statistical area was ranked 32nd of 318 metropolitan areas in total economic production and 8th out of 280 metropolitan statistical areas in per capita income in 2015. Nicknamed

12317-431: Was beset by frequent operational interruptions, stemming from systemic financial shortfalls, especially from summer 2011 onward. The United Football League announced on October 20, 2012, that it was ceasing operations immediately, after four weeks of play. The official line from the league was that they intended to resume operations and complete the unfinished 2012 schedule at an unspecified time in spring 2013, then revert to

12430-603: Was confirmed. As events would turn out, neither franchise would materialize. The league suffered a setback when they had to fold the Florida Tuskers in January 2011. The league moved most of the Tuskers' staff to the Destroyers and reassigned the coaching staff already in Virginia to Omaha, firing the previous Omaha coaching staff. After this, the league reduced their goal to six teams, with Portland, Oregon; Salt Lake City; and new contender Chattanooga, Tennessee , still in consideration, and Los Angeles no longer in consideration for

12543-461: Was home to an estimated 11,400 Jamaican Americans , as well as another 1,200 people who identified otherwise as West Indian Americans . There were 44,986 households, out of which 34.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 25.2% were married couples living together, 29.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.6% were non-families. 33.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.6% had someone living alone who

12656-462: Was set, although the location was not. Also left unanswered was the question of whether last season's unusual third-place game would be repeated. On September 6, a revised UFL schedule for 2012 was posted on the Omaha Nighthawks website [2] showing the season rescheduled to begin on Friday, September 28, and end on Saturday, December 1, along with the claim that CBS Sports Network was in full concordance with this revision. All teams but Sacramento used

12769-401: Was the invention of the first single-spindle automatic screw machine. For its next four years, the new firm occupied one of Weed's buildings, milling thousands of screws daily on over 50 machines. Its president was George Fairfield, who ran Weed, and its superintendent was Christopher Spencer, one of Connecticut's most versatile inventors. Soon Hartford Machine Screw outgrew its quarters and built

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