| Hampden County, Massachusetts | |
| Map | |
 Location in the state of Massachusetts |
|
 Massachusetts's location in the U.S. |
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| Statistics | |
| Founded | 1812 |
|---|---|
| Seat | None (formerly Springfield) County government was abolished in 1998 |
| Largest city | Springfield |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
634 sq mi (1,634 km²) 618 sq mi (1,602 km²) 16 sq mi (41 km²), 2.48% |
| Population - (2000) - Density |
456,228 738/sq mi (285/km²) |
| Website: www.pvpc.org | |
Hampden County is a non-governmental county located in the Pioneer Valley of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. As of 2004, the population was 461,228. The county seat is Springfield. Hampden County is located in southwestern Massachusetts, with the state of Connecticut at its southern boundary; it was split from Hampshire County in 1812.
Hampden County is part of the Springfield Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Contents |
Law and government
Like an increasing number of Massachusetts 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 region, but there is no county council or commissioner. Communities are now granted the right to form their own regional compacts for sharing services. Hampden County and Hampshire County together are part of the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission.
See also: MassGov page on counties.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 634 square miles (1,642 km²), of which, 618 square miles (1,602 km²) of it is land and 16 square miles (41 km²) of it (2.48%) is water.
Adjacent counties
- Hampshire County (north)
- Worcester County (east)
- Tolland County, Connecticut (southeast)
- Hartford County, Connecticut (south)
- Litchfield County, Connecticut (southwest)
- Berkshire County (west)
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Hampshire County | |
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| Berkshire County |  |
Worcester County | ||
 Hampden County, Massachusetts  |
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| Litchfield County, Connecticut | Hartford County, Connecticut | Tolland County, Connecticut |
National protected areas
- Silvio O. Conte National Wildlife Refuge (part)
- Springfield Armory National Historic Site
Demographics
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1900 | 175,603 |
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| 1910 | 231,369 | 31.8% | |
| 1920 | 300,305 | 29.8% | |
| 1930 | 335,496 | 11.7% | |
| 1940 | 332,107 | −1.0% | |
| 1950 | 367,971 | 10.8% | |
| 1960 | 429,353 | 16.7% | |
| 1970 | 459,050 | 6.9% | |
| 1980 | 443,018 | −3.5% | |
| 1990 | 456,310 | 3.0% | |
| 2000 | 456,228 | 0% | |
| Est. 2008 | 460,840 | 1.0% | |
As of the census[3] of 2004, there were 461,228 people, 175,288 households, and 115,690 families residing in the county. The population density was 738 people per square mile (285/km²). There were 185,876 housing units at an average density of 301 per square mile (116/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 79.10% White, 8.10% Black or African American, 0.26% Native American, 1.30% Asian, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 8.85% from other races, and 2.32% from two or more races. 15.17% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 13.3% were of Irish, 10.9% Polish, 10.2% Italian, 9.6% French, 7.5% French Canadian and 5.6% English ancestry according to Census 2000. 77.9% spoke English, 13.0% Spanish, 1.8% Polish, 1.6% French, 1.4% Portuguese and 1.0% Russian as their first language.
There were 175,288 households out of which 31.90% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.80% were married couples living together, 15.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.00% were non-families. 28.40% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.10.
In the county the population was spread out with 26.10% under the age of 18, 9.20% from 18 to 24, 28.40% from 25 to 44, 21.90% from 45 to 64, and 14.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 91.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.70 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $39,718, and the median income for a family was $49,257. Males had a median income of $37,676 versus $27,621 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,541. About 11.40% of families and 14.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.70% of those under age 18 and 9.60% of those age 65 or over.
Cities, towns, subdivisions and villages*
- Agawam
- Feeding Hills (a subsection of Agawam)
- Blandford
- Brimfield
- Chester
- Chicopee
- Aldenville (a section of Chicopee)
- Chicopee Falls (a section of Chicopee)
- Fairview (a section of Chicopee)
- Willimansett (a section of Chicopee)
- East Longmeadow
- Granville
- Hampden
- Holland
- Holyoke
- Longmeadow
- Ludlow
- Monson
- Monson Center (a village of Monson)
- Montgomery
- Palmer
- Bondsville (a village of Palmer)
- Depot Village (a village of Palmer)
- Thorndike (a village of Palmer)
- Three Rivers (a village of Palmer)
- Russell
- Woronoco (a section of Russell)
- Southwick
- Springfield
- Bay (a neighborhood in central Springfield)
- Boston Road (a neighborhood in eastern Springfield)
- Brightwood (a neighborhood along the Connecticut River in northwestern Springfield)
- East Forest Park (a neighborhood in south central Massachusetts)
- East Springfield (a subdivision of Springfield)
- Forest Park (southern portion of Springfield)
- Indian Orchard (a northeastern neighborhood subdivision of Springfield)
- Liberty Heights (northern neighborhood of Springfield)
- McKnight (a neighborhood in central Springfield)
- Memorial Square (a neighborhood in northwestern Springfield)
- Metro Center (a neighborhood in western Springfield consisting of Downtown and the Central Business District)
- Old Hill (a neighborhood in central Springfield)
- Pine Point (neighborhood in the center of Springfield)
- Six Corners (a neighborhood in western Springfield)
- Sixteen Acres (Springfield's suburban neighborhood)
- South End (neighborhood south of Downtown Springfield)
- Upper Hill (a neighborhood in central Springfield)
- Tolland
- Wales
- West Springfield
- Westfield
- Wilbraham
* Villages are census division, but have no separate corporate existence from the towns they are in.
See also
References
- ^ http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/SAFFFacts?_event=Search&_county=Hampden+County&_cityTown=Hampden+County&_state=05000US25013
- ^ http://www.mapzones.org/Hampden_County_Massachusetts.html
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
External links
- National Register of Historic Places listing for Hampden Co., Massachusetts
- Map of cities and towns of Massachusetts
- "Our County and Its People": A History of Hampden County, Massachusetts. By Alfred Minard Copeland. 1902. [1]
- Wall & Gray. 1871 Atlas of Massachusetts. Map of Massachusetts. USA. New England. Counties - Berkshire, Franklin, Hampshire and Hampden, Worcester, Middlesex, Essex and Norfolk, Boston - Suffolk,Plymouth, Bristol, Barnstable and Dukes (Cape Cod). Cities - Springfield, Worcester, Lowell, Lawrence, Haverhill, Newburyport, Salem, Lynn, Taunton, Fall River. New Bedford. These 1871 maps of the Counties and Cities are useful to see the roads and rail lines.
- Beers,D.G. 1872 Atlas of Essex County Map of Massachusetts Plate 5. Click on the map for a very large image. Also see detailed map of 1872 Essex County Plate 7.
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