West Hartford is a town located in Hartford County with a total area of 22.4 square miles. It was incorporated in 1854. The town is primarily an upscale suburb of Hartford. There is a downtown area called West Hartford Center. This area is centered around Farmington Avenue and Main Street. This downtown area has been the community's hub since the late 17th century. The city has won many awards such as Kiplinger's Personal Finance Magazine one of the nation's "10 Great Cities for Raising Families and one of the 10 Best Cities for the Next Decade" list. CNN Money ranked the town as the 55th best small city in America. Online magazine travelandleisure.com noted West Hartford as one of the nation’s 10 "coolest" suburbs. The West Hartford Reservoir off Farmington Avenue was labeled as "West Hartford’s version of Central Park. The magazine noted the town's "vacation-worthy hot spots, with great shopping, plenty of parking and cutting-edge restaurants.

The west side of West Hartford is flanked by the Metacomet Ridge, a mountainous traprockridgeline that stretches from Long Island Sound to nearly the Vermont border. Notable features of the Metacomet Ridge in West Hartford include Talcott Mountain and a number of highland water reservoirs belonging to the Metropolitan District, which maintains watershed and recreation resources on the property. The 51-mile (82 km) Metacomet Trail traverses the ridge. West Hartford is adjacent to and west of Hartford, the State capital, and neighborsBloomfield, Newington, Farmington, and Avon. West Hartford is approximately 100 miles (160 km) southwest of Boston, Massachusetts and 100 miles northeast of New York City. I-84 runs through West Hartford.

The city is a large community and one of the main retail centers in Hartford County. The downtown center area is a shopper's delight with over 140 shops, many restaurants with outdoor seating, art galleries and unique boutiques. Part of the renovated downtown is Blue Back Square, which includes an art cinema, upscale shops, restaurants and luxury condominiums. A portion of the expansive Westfarms Mall extends from Farmington into the town.

The town’s community theater was incorporated in the fall of 2007 with an eye toward providing the highest quality live musical theater experience for town residents and the greater Hartford community. The brain child of Conard High School graduates, WHCT draws upon the unique and richly diverse pool of talent that exists in town and the surrounding area.

The town is accessible from many major roads. Major thoroughfare Interstate 84 passes through the southern portion of the town. The northern section of town is traversed by CT Route 218 along North Main Street, which starts at the intersection of U.S. Route 44 and leads to Bloomfield, CT. Albany Avenue, U.S. Route 44, passes through the town from Hartford over Talcott Mountain. Several bus routes traverse the town provided by Connecticut Transit Hartford. Major routes served are New Britain Avenue, Park Street, Albany Avenue, Hillside Avenue, Farmington Avenue, Asylum Avenue, and Boulevard/South Quaker Lane. Approximately ten minutes from the center of town is Union Station which provides rail transit to and from town. It is serviced by Amtrak.

A number of West Hartford neighborhoods feature charming colonials, stately houses and impressive contemporaries. There are also a variety of condominium communities, apartment complexes and pleasant multi-family homes.

Modern facilities and state-of-the-art equipment in the public school system help to provide a strong academic curriculum. Adults may participate in many extensive continuing education programs.

Measured by the percentage of residents who hold graduate or professional degrees the town was the 10th most educated town in the United States in 2006. In fact, In 2006 Money Magazine the town ranked as the 10th most educated town in the United States, as measured by the percentage of town residents holding graduate or professional degrees. Connecticut Magazine rankings put the Public School education in the top three among all the cities and towns in Connecticut.

The town is home to two public high schools, Hall High School and Conard High School. In addition, there are 11 elementary schools and three middle schools. After middle school students continue onto high school with their same student body. Those at Sedgwick go on to Conard High School, while those at King Philip go to Hall High School, and students at Bristow return to the same school district they were in during elementary school. The town is also home to many private schools. These include: Saint Timothy Middle School, Saint Thomas the Apostle Elementary School, Watkinson School, Saint Brigid Elementary School, Northwest Catholic High School, American School for the Deaf, Kingswood-Oxford School, Renbrook School, the Hebrew High School of New England, the Solomon Schechter Day School, and the German School of Connecticut. Institutions of higher education include University of Hartford, Saint Joseph College, and the UCONN Greater Hartford Campus. The American School for the Deaf, founded in 1817 is also located in town and was the first permanent school for the deaf in the United States and today is a nationally renowned leader in providing comprehensive educational, programs and services for deaf and hard-of-hearing students.

The town has a rich history. Roots date back more than 300 years to the time it was first settled in the late 17th century. As a way of recapturing West Hartford's ties to its past and providing a focus for the future, signs and plaques have been installed to mark the 39 most historic sites in town. Today, residents can view the site where early American soldiers camped during the Revolutionary War and learn about the past by reading the inscription on any one of the 16 historic signs. A large 4-square-foot sign of cast aluminum on Goodman Green in the town center lists all 39 historic sites and identifies their numbered locations on a town map. The signs at each site have a message about the background and historical significance of each site. The map is part of a touring guide detailing the sites prepared by the Architectural Heritage Committee and the Hall High School graphics department. The historic spots range from homes of noted individuals like Timothy Goodwin, Sarah Whitman Hooker and Noah Webster to schools, businesses, churches and recreational areas like the Charter Oak Park Race Track and Fair Grounds at the intersection of Oakwood and Flatbush Avenues, a nationally famous horse racing track in 1874.

One of the oldest historic sites is that of the Burgoyne Elms in Elmwood. A sign notes that residents in the 18th century planted elm saplings there to celebrate the American capture of General John Burgoyne's British army at Saratoga, New York, in October 1777. Other signs trace a fascinating history at locations across the town. Bishop's Corner, the intersection of North Main Street and Albany Avenue, was established after the Talcott Mountain Turnpike was developed in 1797 and 1798. The area flourished as a business center with a blacksmith shop and taverns, including Goodman's, which also was the town's first post office in 1820.

The town has been the home to many notable persons. Perhaps the most eminent of these people is Noah Webster, known wherever the English language is spoken. The house in which he was born is still standing about a mile south of the center of the town, and his parents are both buried in the old cemetery. The story of Dr. Webster's life is told in the memoir by his son-in-law, Dr. Goodrich, in the Unabridged Dictionary. In addition, William Faxon, Assistant Secretary of the Navy under President Lincoln, came from the town.