I’ve lived in Hartford for close to 20 years and I have seen rats here and there, usually around dumpsters, or any time there’s been a big gathering of people where there is a lot of garbage that hasn’t been picked up yet. For example, after a parade or festival when the trash cans are overflowing.

Rats are a property management issue everywhere in the world. Rats go where people make it easy (through lack of maintenance/vigilance) to access shelter and food, are super smart, and are prolific breeders. Rats become more noticeable when their habitats are disturbed (such as during construction) and wherever there is a food source: any public trash can or restaurant dumpster, supermarket loading dock, farm feed bin. Some of the worst rat issues in any city (including Hartford) stem from absentee landlords not providing adequate trash receptacles for their tenants (residential and commercial) and not maintaining their property (reducing opportunities for rats to get in plus ongoing pest control treatment).