Springfield had beenHampshire County's traditionalshire town since its founding in 1636, then in 1794Northampton was madeHampshire County's shire town.[2] Springfield grew at a pace far quicker than Northampton, so was granted shire town-status over its own southerly jurisdiction.[2] The southern division ofHampshire County was separated as Hampden County on August 1, 1812, by a prior act of theMassachusetts General Court on February 25, 1812, withSpringfield named as the shire town.[3][4] The agreement of settlement (regarding assets, liabilities, income and expenses) made between Hampden and Hampshire counties in November 1812 can be found in the Court of Sessions Record Book 1, pages 5–6 of the Hampden County Commissioners' Archives, housed in the Registry of Deeds.[2] Hampden County was named forparliamentarianJohn Hampden,[5] and is the youngest county by establishment date in the state.
As with mostMassachusetts counties, Hampden County exists today only as a historical geographic region, and has no county government. All former county functions were assumed by state agencies in 1998. The sheriff and some other regional officials with specific duties are still elected locally to perform duties within the county borders, but there is no county council, county commission or other county governing body. Communities are now granted the right to form their own regional compacts for sharing services. Hampden County and Hampshire County together are part of thePioneer Valley Planning Commission.
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 634 square miles (1,640 km2), of which 617 square miles (1,600 km2) is land and 17 square miles (44 km2) (2.7%) is water.[8]
As of the2010 United States census, there were 463,490 people, 179,927 households, and 115,961 families residing in the county.[15] The population density was 751.0 inhabitants per square mile (290.0/km2). There were 192,175 housing units at an average density of 311.4 per square mile (120.2/km2).[16] The racial makeup of the county was 76.5% white, 9.0% black or African American, 2.0% Asian, 0.4% American Indian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 9.2% from other races, and 2.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 20.9% of the population.[15] The largest ancestry groups were:[17]
Of the 179,927 households, 32.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.9% were married couples living together, 17.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 35.6% were non-families, and 29.2% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.09. The median age was 38.6 years.[15]
The median income for a household in the county was $47,724 and the median income for a family was $61,061. Males had a median income of $50,207 versus $37,765 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,718. About 13.2% of families and 17.2% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 26.5% of those under age 18 and 11.2% of those age 65 or over.[18]
Population density of Hampden County by census block (2020)[19]
The ranking of unincorporated communities that are included on the list are reflective if the census designated locations and villages were included as cities or towns. Data is from the 2007–2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates.[20][21][22]
Although no county government exists in Hampden County, a number of private associations, mainly representing trades, remain identified with Hampden County. For example theHampden Agricultural Society openedHampden Park inSpringfield in 1853. To maintain current training among municipal inspectors, in 2005 the nongovernmental Hampden County Plumbing & Gas Inspectors Association was formed.[23] The Hampden County Bar Association provides support and resources to the legal community and those seeking such representation.[24] In part a legacy of theEastern States Exposition, the Hampden County Improvement League, and Hampden County Beekeepers Association, both provide agricultural education and outreach.[25][26] The Hampden County Radio Association, an affiliate of theARRL, offers training inamateur radio and related technology.[27]
^01 AUG 1812 HAMPDEN created from HAMPSHIRE. (Mass. Acts 1812, ch. 137/p. 291) HAMPDEN. Massachusetts : Individual County Chronologies. Massachusetts Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. The Newberry Library, 2009. Accessed April 7, 2024.
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