Hartford, one of America's greatest cities, has a rich heritage dating back to its founding day in 1635. The city is home to some of the nation's most precious treasures, amongst which can be found the Wadsworth Atheneum (1842), Colt's Patent Fire Arms Mfg. Co (1855), the Hartford Stage (1963) and the Artists Collective (1970). Hartford is also home to some of the country's leading financial institutions including Aetna, The Hartford, ING, Phoenix Companies, Travelers and Lincoln Life. International high tech manufacturing giant United Technologies also calls Hartford home. Today the city boasts a highly diverse population, an extremely committed business community and a pro-growth government pursuing an agenda of progress.