Hampden, Massachusetts | |
|---|---|
 Hampden Town House | |
 Seal | |
 Location in Hampden County in Massachusetts | |
| Coordinates:42°03′50″N72°24′50″W / 42.06389°N 72.41389°W /42.06389; -72.41389 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Massachusetts |
| County | Hampden |
| Settled | 1741 |
| Incorporated | March 28, 1878 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Open town meeting |
| Area | |
• Total | 19.7 sq mi (50.9 km2) |
| • Land | 19.7 sq mi (50.9 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0.0 km2) |
| Elevation | 289 ft (88 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 4,966 |
| • Density | 253/sq mi (97.6/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (Eastern) |
| ZIP code | 01036 |
| Area code | 413 |
| FIPS code | 25-28075 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0618184 |
| Website | http://www.hampdenma.gov/ |
Hampden/ˈhæmdən/ is atown inHampden County,Massachusetts, United States. The population was 4,966 at the2020 census.[1] It is part of theSpringfield, MassachusettsMetropolitan Statistical Area. The namesake of Hampden isJohn Hampden, an English patriot.[2]
The Hampden-Wilbraham region was once known asMinnechaug ("berry land" or "berry hill") to theNipmuc Indians. They sold it to William Pynchon of Springfield in 1674, and the area then became known asSpringfield Mountain, but it was not settled (asSouth Wilbraham) until about 1741. The first European settlers were the Stebbins and Hitchcock families. The first sawmill was erected on the Scantic in the vicinity of the V.F.W. building.
The "Rattlesnake Incident of 1761" is thought to have occurred on farmland in what is now Hampden on August 7 of that year, when 22-year-old Timothy Merrick was killed by asnakebite while mowing his father's field—an event immortalized by "On Springfield Mountain", among the earliestballads ever written in North America, and the basis for the modernfolk song "Rattlesnake Mountain".
The settlement was built on the banks of theScantic River. The first grist and saw mills required the waters of the Scantic to provide them with power. Since their businesses had to be near the river, so also did the owners need to be close to their mills. So many of the earliest homes were built bordering the river or its tributaries.
During the first hundred years as South Wilbraham, Hampden was an agricultural town withWilbraham as the "mother" town.
At the time of separation from Wilbraham in 1878, industries were becoming active in Hampden. Fires leveled some of the largest mills—the Lacowsic in 1892, the Ravine in 1904—and with the lack of marketing, other businesses failed. The advent of automobiles enabled men to find occupations outside of the town. There was then the trend back to agriculture, with many orchards developed throughout the area, with the herds of milk-producing cows, and with farmers growing their many crops.
At about this time, numerous summer type vacation homes were built for Springfield residents who vacationed in Hampden. From these, many year-round homes developed.
Now the mills and quarries, orchards and cows are almost gone, and Hampden has become a residential town.
Hampden erected one of the firstWorld War I monuments, only months after the conclusion of the War, in January 1920, which still stands on the village green.
H.P. Lovecraft's experience traveling through Hampden inspired his 1928 supernatural horror story "The Dunwich Horror".[3] The fictional town of Dunwich is based on Hampden and the surrounding area.
In August 1955, Hampden was hit byHurricane Diane. Flooding was the major cause of damage; most bridges were washed away.
Since 2000, Hampden residents have acquired over 100 acres (0.40 km2) of open space and park land, including the peak of Minnechaug Mountain, one of the higher hills in town. A trailhead and parking lot on South Road was created. Minnechaug Mountain trails can also be accessed from Old Coach Road, and, except for the fall Turkey Shoot season, from the VFW parking lot on Main St.
In September 2004, an arson[4] fire hit Laughing Brook Wildlife Sanctuary (located on Main Street in Hampden). The building was dedicated to authorThornton Burgess after his death. The headquarters building was burnt down, but Burgess' original home on the property was untouched by the fire, and still stands.
After a week of rain and an extremely hard rain on the early morning of October 9, 2005, the Scantic River and many of its tributaries overflowed their banks. Many homes and businesses were flooded. The VFW bridge was washed away.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 19.6 square miles (51 km2), of which 19.6 square miles (51 km2) is land and 0.05% is water. Hampden is located at the eastern edge of theConnecticut River Valley. Hills rise up to over 1,000 feet (300 m) above sea level, from the valley elevation of 150 to 250 feet (46 to 76 m). The highest peaks are Pine Mountain and Rattlesnake Peak, both at 1,070 feet (330 m). The town has no large bodies of water, but has several brooks which eventually drain into the Connecticut River.
Hampden is located on theConnecticut border, just north ofTolland County. It is bordered on the north byWilbraham, on the east byMonson, on the south byStafford, Connecticut andSomers, Connecticut, and on the west byEast Longmeadow. From the town's center, Hampden is 11 miles (18 km) southeast of downtownSpringfield, 28 miles (45 km) north-northeast ofHartford, Connecticut and 78 miles (126 km) west-southwest ofBoston.
Hampden is one of sixteen towns in Massachusetts that has no numbered highways or state routes. Of these, half are on islands, and one is theNorth Shore town ofNahant. Of the remainder, Hampden is the easternmost town to have this distinction. The town does not have stoplights. The nearest state route,Route 83, misses the town by less than one-tenth of a mile. The town lies 10 miles (16 km) south of two exits ofInterstate 90, and approximately 9 miles (14 km) east ofInterstate 91. There are no means of mass transportation in the town. The nearest rail service is in Springfield, and the nearest national air service is atBradley International Airport inConnecticut.
Winters are variable, sometimes fairly mild, with daytime high temperatures in the 30s, though sometimes rather cold. A record cold temperature of −40 degrees Fahrenheit (−40 °C) was recorded at the Hampden Post Office, and at other points in the village of Hampden, on an early morning in January 1960. In late July 2006, the temperature reached 100 degrees on a hot afternoon. These are the known recent extremes of temperature in Hampden. On March 14, 1995, after several snowstorms and little melting, a snow depth of 28" was recorded. However, some winters there is little snow. In the summer there are hot and humid periods, which alternate with warm and dry periods.
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1880 | 958 | — |
| 1890 | 831 | −13.3% |
| 1900 | 782 | −5.9% |
| 1910 | 645 | −17.5% |
| 1920 | 624 | −3.3% |
| 1930 | 684 | +9.6% |
| 1940 | 1,023 | +49.6% |
| 1950 | 1,322 | +29.2% |
| 1960 | 2,345 | +77.4% |
| 1970 | 4,572 | +95.0% |
| 1980 | 4,745 | +3.8% |
| 1990 | 4,709 | −0.8% |
| 2000 | 5,171 | +9.8% |
| 2010 | 5,139 | −0.6% |
| 2020 | 4,966 | −3.4% |
| 2022* | 4,915 | −1.0% |
| * = population estimate. Source:United States Census records andPopulation Estimates Program data.[5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12] | ||
As of thecensus[13] of 2010, there were 5,109 people, 1,887 households, and 1,467 families residing in the town. The population density was 260.7 inhabitants per square mile (100.7/km2). There were 1,937 housing units at an average density of 98.82 per square mile (38.15/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 96.70%White, 0.50%African American, 0.1%Native American, 1.4%Asian, 0.02%Pacific Islander, 0.40% fromother races, and 1.00% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 1.50% of the population.
There were 1,887 households, out of which 32.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.1% weremarried couples living together, 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.3% were non-families. 17.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.01.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 23.7% under the age of 18, 4.5% from 18 to 24, 18.1% from 25 to 44, 35.3% from 45 to 64, and 18.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47.1 years.
The median income for a household in the town was $81,130, and the median income for a family was $86,848.
According to the 2000 Census, males had a median income of $49,320 versus $30,870 for females. Theper capita income for the town was $26,690. About 1.4% of families and 2.2% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 1.4% of those under age 18 and 3.0% of those age 65 or over.
Hampden's government consists of various elected and appointed boards. There is a three-member Select Board/Board of Health, Planning Board, Conservation Committee, Board of Assessors, Park and Recreation Board, and various other boards and committees common to town governments throughout New England. Hampden's Select Board is currently composed of John Flynn, Chair, Don Davenport, who also serves as the Board of Health chair, and Erik Vanderleeden. The Town Administrator is Brian Domina.
| Voter registration and party enrollment as of October 17, 2018[14] | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Number of voters | Percentage | |||
| Democratic | 644 | 16.5% | |||
| Republican | 750 | 19.3% | |||
| Unenrolled | 2,437 | 62.6% | |||
| Green-Rainbow Party | 63 | 1.6% | |||
| Total | 3,894 | 100% | |||
The Hampden Public Library opened in 1891.[15][16] For a short time in 2005 and 2006, the town library and senior center were closed down after budget increases were voted for the school district within the main budget, but the existing library and senior center funding was put on a property tax increase override vote, which failed. Because of this, although residents could read and research at neighboring libraries, town residents could no longer borrow books from many libraries in other towns. The library and senior center were reopened in the summer of 2006. In fiscal year 2008, the town of Hampden spent 0.85% ($76,862) of its budget on its public library—approximately $14 per person.[17]
Green Meadows Elementary School opened in 1956. In 1956, Hampden joined with the neighboring town of Wilbraham in a unified school district for grades 9–12. The two towns builtMinnechaug Regional High School inWilbraham, which opened in 1959. Thorton W. Burgess Middle School was built in 1967, and in 2018, was shut down due to decreased enrollment.
Hampden has three churches of the following faiths:Baptist,Roman Catholic, and Federated which is the (combinedUnited Church of Christ, Congregational andUnited Methodist).The Roman Catholic church is named St.Mary's. The Baptist Church is named Bethlehem Church. The Federated church is named Federated Community Church.
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Municipalities and communities ofHampden County, Massachusetts,United States | ||
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| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
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