Hartford doesn’t just have “art” in the middle of its name. The national website rent.com has placed the city at No. 1 on its list of the “Best Cities for Artists in America.”
As if “the insurance capital of the world” wasn’t enough already.
The site, which offers “insight and inspiration for every renter’s needs,” posted the list early last week.
Three other Connecticut cities make the cut: New Haven at No. 17, Stamford at No. 38 and Norwalk at No. 47. The only other New England cities in the top 50 are Providence, Rhode Island, at No. 13 and Boston at No. 22.
Noting that “artists are often underpaid for their work,” rent.com’s criteria for artist-friendly cities included general affordability, “walkability to get around to gigs” and “a thriving cultural scene.” The methodology also took into account the number of arts organizations and museums a city has.
Rent.com writes of Hartford that “this scenic city celebrates both contemporary and historic art through its many institutions, from museums to collectives.” The write-up namechecks The Bushnell, TheaterWorks Hartford, Artists Collective and Real Art Ways. It says Hartford “boasts the cheapest prices for studio apartments,” which it calculates have an average rent of $1,121 a month.
Rent.com’s high ranking of Hartford squares with how the city promotes itself on its own “Choose Connecticut” web pages. “At the crossroads of fascinating historical sites, art museums and performance venues, you’ll find Connecticut’s dedication to supporting—and enjoying—arts and culture is second to none,” the state of Connecticut’s portal.ct.gov site says.
The rest of rent.com’s top 10 “Best Cities for Artists in America” are:
2. Minneapolis
3. Pittsburgh
4. Washington, D.C.
5. Seattle
6. Philadelphia
7. Berkeley, California
8. Chicago
9. St. Louis
10. Baltimore
Christopher Arnott can be reached at carnott@courant.com.