Business –

MSA: Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT
Best places ranking: #5 among large metro areas
Population: 1,190,512

Hartford, a two-hour drive from both Boston and New York City, is the capital of one the country’s wealthiest states, and a low-cost alternative to other major cities in the Northeast.The past few years have seen new life — hotels, restaurants, a convention center and a science center — sprouting in the historic city, where you’ll also find the country’s first public art museum and oldest public park. About half the jobs in Hartford require at least a bachelor’s degree (finance, insurance, medicine, professional management and government are the primary local paycheck-makers) but there’s also an abundance of lower-cost workers available for hire.

Specialty manufacturing and technology firms do well in Hartford — it’s one of the most-wired cities in the U.S. thanks to programs like «Wireless Hartford,» which brings free Wi-Fi to zones targeted for development. Also, manufacturers that relocate to or expand in Hartford may be eligible for a property tax abatements and corporate tax credits.

One of Hartford’s struggles is academic underachievement. This fall, the city introduced High School Inc., a four-year insurance and finance academy for high school students. Funded by the local business community, High School Inc. is designed to prepare students for college and give the businesses a chance to develop their next generation of workers. -Sara Pepitone