Trinity College - Local Atmosphere

College Prowler Take

The local atmosphere of Trinity and the surrounding area is not what you would call ideal. While Hartford is a surprisingly cultural town (check out the Mark Twain House with its Tiffany decoration, or the plays at the Hartford Stage Company, or the Atheneum, the oldest public museum in the country) it is not very student-friendly. However, it is possible to take a tour of the country’s oldest State House, or visit the Ancient Burial Grounds Cemetary before taking in a touring Broadway show at one of the local theaters. There is not much to see in downtown Hartford, which always catches out-of-towners off-guard, given that it’s the capital of Connecticut. The downtown area does feature several majestic buildings, though many are now boarded up. Students will sometimes joke that their favorite thing about downtown Hartford is the train station, with 2-hour trains to New York and Boston.

While our college presidents have worked really hard to open the campus more to the community (and in the 1980s and 1990s huge improvements were made), Trinity still is not located in a very safe area. There is very little interaction between students and locals, although you will probably be knocked down several times by the neighborhood children who use our long walkway as a dragstrip for their bicycles and bigwheels. There are things to do and places to go if you search hard enough.

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Students Speak Out

Anonymous says:

Bushnell Theater is a great place... Bushnell Theater is a great place to catch Broadway plays and musicals, and the Athenaeum, a local art gallery that has become world renowned, is also a superb place to gain a little culture—something important to your average college student. Although Trinity sits at the top of the Hartford skyline by itself, other local schools that interact with Trinity students include the University of Hartford, the University of Connecticut, and Wesleyan University. 12345 Local Atmosphere Report

Anonymous says:

I’ve only been shot at once, so I... I’ve only been shot at once, so I guess I’ve been pretty lucky that I’ve not had too horrible an experience with the locals. Two friends of mine were robbed at gunpoint and another friend was stabbed. There is virtually no local area within walking distance where people can hang out. That said, downtown Hartford and West Hartford have many great places that only a city can provide. There are a few other colleges in the area (U Hartford, St. Joseph’s, UConn), but there is little interaction between Trinity and them. Besides bars, the Webster theater gets a lot of good concerts for a small venue, the Mark Twain house is an underrated attraction that’s actually really cool, and the Wadsworth Athenaeum is supposedly a good museum. 12345 Local Atmosphere Report

Anonymous says:

Coming to Trinity, most students... Coming to Trinity, most students find the surrounding area as a major drawback to the beautiful campus. However, a short bus ride will bring you to the Westfarms Mall, a close-by shopping center filled with brand name stores, Bushnell Theatre, and much more. 12345 Local Atmosphere Report

Anonymous says:

Hartford is a city, plain and... Hartford is a city, plain and simple. It offers all the good and bad points other urban areas have to offer their students. It is a city with bad neighborhoods and high crime rates as well as amazing restaurants and captivating theater productions. 12345 Local Atmosphere Report

Anonymous says:

Trinity is located in the heart of... Trinity is located in the heart of Hartford, Connecticut. The evidence of a once illustrious and successful community is found in the large Victorian houses on the streets surrounding Trinity, but the neighborhood is now poor, and can be disconcerting if prospective students and their parents aren’t expecting it. However, Hartford does offer cultural spots, such as the Wadsworth Atheneum and the Mark Twain House. Furthermore, only 15 minutes away, West Hartford allows students to forget the grittiness of the Trinity area; West Hartford offers excellent restaurants and small specialty stores. Students do not feel isolated, because there are several excellent schools close by. The University of Connecticut is located approximately 30 minutes away, Connecticut College is a 40-minute drive, and Wesleyan University is only 20 minutes away. 12345 Local Atmosphere Report

Facts

Did You Know?

5 Fun Facts about Trinity:
• The Wadsworth Atheneum, established in 1842, is the country’s oldest public art museum and houses over 45,000 works of art.

• Not far from Trinity is Nook Farm—a residential area where both Mark Twain and Harriet Beecher Stowe lived and wrote.

• The Mohegan Sun, the third largest Casino in America, is not far outside the city.

• The Colt revolver was invented by a Hartford native, Samuel Colt.

• The Bushnell Park Carousel, located in America’s oldest public park, was hand-carved in 1914 with 48 horses, two lovers’ chariots, and 800 twinkling lights.

Famous People from Hartford:
Samuel Colt – Inventor of the Colt 45 firearm
Katharine Hepburn – Actress
John Pierpont Morgan – Financier
Frederick Law Olmsted – Landscape designer
Harriet Beecher Stowe – Author
Mark Twain – Author
Noah Webster – Lexicographer, author of the first dictionary

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