This tool shows the population within a certain radius of a city:
https://www.freemaptools.com/find-population.htm
Hartford may be a "small" city, but 2.8 Million people live within 60 km. The Eastern seaboard is population dense. 5.6 Million within 100 km of Hartford.
Within 60 km:
Hartford = 2.8 Million
SLC = 2.2 Million
Austin = 2.0 Million
Milwaukee = 2.0 Million
KC = 2.1 Million
Houston = 6.1 Million
Portland = 2.4 Million
Cleveland = 2.7 Million
San Diego = 5.0 Million (some of that in Mexico)
Memphis = 1.3 Million