Socio-economic Status in Our Study Area

Focusing on Three NRZs
Clay Arsenal

One of the NRZs our project is focusing on is Clay Arsenal. The location of Clay Arsenal is roughly bounded by Main, Mather, Garden, and Walnut Streets. Its size is about 60 acres. In the 1950s, Puerto Ricans first settled in this neighborhood, which is currently heavily populated by West Indians. After WWII, when the later generations moved out to the suburban areas, the community shifted from owner-occupied housing to renters, who were working-class and poor. Today, Clay Arsenal has about 6670 residents and about 45% of the total population is African American.  The median household income is $22,293 (Social Explorer, 2022.)

Clay Arsenal is also one of the oldest neighborhoods in Hartford, it was developed in the middle and late 19th century. There are many businesses in this neighborhood, Albany Avenue and Main Street reflect the diversity of businesses on the streets in this community. The unemployment rate for the neighborhood is around 8.4% and the unemployment rate is about 8.4%. Hartford Lumber Company (Co.) is one of the famous businesses located on the railroad west on Albany Avenue and is the 19th  century lumberyard and it’s still very active even today.

The landmarks in Clay Arsenal include the Old North Cemetery, Keney Clock Tower, and the Marietta Canty House.

Southwest/Behind the Rocks

The Southwest neighborhood is another NRZ our project is focusing on. The Southwest neighborhood is located along New Britain Avenue and south to the Newington borders, it is also considered the quiet corner of the city. There are many single-family residential homes along these quiet streets. It’s a perfect place for young families with children. The famous spot in the neighborhood is Cedar Hill Cemetery.

Behind the Rocks, the neighborhood serves as the western border of the Trinity College Campus. The neighborhood is named after the rocky outcropping that serves as the western border of the Trinity College campus. The predominantly residential neighborhood is located at the southwestern corner of Hartford below Parkville, bordering the town of West Hartford. There are about 16500 residents living in the two neighborhoods, 25% of the total population are African Americans and 37% of them are White people (Social Explorer, 2022.) In 1920 a housing boom occurred on land between Zion Street and Hillside Avenue to accommodate workers in local factories. Ninety homes were built in a matter of seven months, some of which were of the Elizabethan style of architecture, some of which can still be seen (O’Maxfield, 2022.) The scenic spot in the neighborhood is Rocky Ridge Park which is next to the Trinity College campus.

The median household income of Southwest and Behind the Rocks Neighborhood is $49,560 and the unemployment rate is about 8.2% (Social Explorer, 2022.)

Frog Hollow

Frog Hollow stretches along Capitol Avenue directly west of the State Capitol until Laurel Street, and south towards Trinity College. This neighborhood has quite a rich history, for example, the famous Olmsted Brothers Pope Park into the nation’s second-oldest high school, Hartford Public High.

Description of Frog Hollow NRZ would be Hartford’s most New York-style urban neighborhood. Developed for mostly three and six-family buildings to house the immigrant population who worked in the factories that lines Capitol Avenue. This has created a neighborhood with a row house walk-up feel, including the historic row houses on Columbia Street and Park Terrace, known as New England’s Spanish Main Street, with an active community of the Puerto Rican population. Some landmarks that are in Frog Hollow are:

• Hartford Superior Court, Family Court,
• The Learning Corridor, Park Branch Hartford Public Library,
• The Lyceum Resource and Conference Center
• Hartford Community Court, Broad Street Juvenile Court
• Pope Park, Zion Hill Cemetery, and the Marquis de Lafayette circle

The total population within the Frog Hollow neighborhood is approximately 21, 399.  The median household income of Frog Hollow NRZ is $28,360 and the unemployment rate is about 7.5% (Social Explorer, 2022.)