West Hartford, town, Hartford County, central Connecticut, a residential suburb west of Hartford (hence its name); settled 1679, set off from Hartford and incorporated 1854. In the town are the University of Hartford (1877), Saint Joseph College (1932), the American School for the Deaf (1817), and the birthplace (now a museum) of the lexicographer Noah Webster. The community was a farming center until sustained residential growth began about 1900. Population 61,301 (1980); 60,110 (1990); 60,110 (1996 estimate).
