Life in Hartford

The majestic UConn Law campus is situated in Hartford, the capital city of Connecticut, 25 miles west of the university’s main campus in Storrs. Hartford is home to the state’s legislature and Supreme Court, as well as many insurance companies and other corporations. New York and Boston are just a few hours away, easily accessible by public or private transit. Amtrak service into Hartford offers access to the entire Northeast corridor, from Boston to Washington, D.C., and points south. Bradley International Airport is 16 miles to the north.

Map of Northeast with Hartford, Boston, and New York City

The UConn Law Campus

The 17-acre campus of the UConn School of Law comprises five Collegiate Gothic buildings at the former site of the Hartford Seminary. Four of the buildings were constructed in the 1920s and the fifth, the Thomas J. Meskill Law Library, was completed in 1996 with stone cut from the same quarry. The campus is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The library café and the patio outside it are popular gathering spots among students, faculty and staff, and the meticulously landscaped central quadrangle offers a tranquil respite for the law school community and neighbors in the West End of Hartford.

Hartford’s West End

The historic West End of Hartford is a largely residential neighborhood with many finely restored Victorian homes, some of them housing UConn Law students, staff and faculty. Hartford International University, formerly known as the Hartford Seminary, once occupied the campus and now sits across the street in a landmark building designed by Richard Meier. The Connecticut Historical Society Museum and Library is next door. Elizabeth Park, home of the nation's first municipal rose garden and still one of the largest rose gardens in the country, is a short walk from campus. Small restaurants line nearby Farmington Avenue, and several bus lines run through the immediate area.

Downtown Hartford

Downtown Hartford is the home of the University of Connecticut's Hartford Campus, just two miles from the School of Law, and the Graduate Business Learning Center. The Hartford Campus offers graduate and undergraduate courses and is home to a bookstore, the School of Social Work, the Department of Public Policy and the Urban and Community Studies Program. The Hartford Public Library, Wadsworth Atheneum and Connecticut Science Center are all nearby.

West Hartford

The center of West Hartford and its Blue Back Square shopping district are just two miles west of campus, along a bus line with frequent service. The center has a village ambience with a lively street scene, abundant restaurants, and many small shops. Among the other attractions in town are the walker- and biker-friendly West Hartford Reservoirs, several other parks, the Noah Webster House and the Westfarms mall.

Connecticut

Connecticut bursts with a variety of places to enjoy, from historic Hartford and New Haven to the dynamic New York suburbs, the tranquil Litchfield Hills and the  scenic shoreline of Long Island Sound. Opportunities abound within an hour of Hartford and the UConn Law campus to visit museums, theaters, vineyards and brew pubs; to watch a baseball game; to hike and bicycle on scenic trails; to kayak and canoe on rivers and lakes; and to pursue many other outdoor activities.