Hampden County is a non-governmental

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

located in the Pioneer Valley of the U.S. state of

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

, in the United States. As of the 2020 census, Hampden County's population was 465,825. Its traditional county seat is Springfield, the Connecticut River Valley's largest city, and economic and cultural capital; with an estimated population of 154,758, approximately one-third of Hampden County residents live in Springfield.

History

Springfield had been Hampshire County's traditional shire town since its founding in 1636, then in 1794

Northampton Northampton ( ) is a town and civil parish in Northamptonshire, England. It is the county town of Northamptonshire and the administrative centre of the Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority of West Northamptonshire. The town is sit ...

was made Hampshire County's shire town.Hampden County Incorporated in 1812
Posted October 2, 2018, by Hampden County Registry of Deeds. Accessed August 5, 2023. Springfield grew at a pace far quicker than Northampton, so was granted shire town-status over its own southerly jurisdiction. The southern division of Hampshire County was separated as Hampden County on August 1, 1812, by a prior act of the

Massachusetts General Court The Massachusetts General Court, formally the General Court of Massachusetts, is the State legislature (United States), state legislature of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts located in the state capital of Boston. Th ...

on February 25, 1812, with Springfield named as the shire town. 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. Hampden County was named for parliamentarian John Hampden, and is the youngest county by establishment date in the state. To the north of Hampden County is modern-day Hampshire County; to the west is Berkshire County; to the east is Worcester County; to the south are Litchfield County, Hartford County, and Tolland County in

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

. Hampden County is part of the Springfield Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is the most urban county in Western Massachusetts. The Knowledge Corridor surrounding Springfield-

Hartford Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...

is New England's second most populous urban area (after

Greater Boston Greater Boston is the metropolitan region of New England encompassing the municipality of Boston, the capital of the U.S. state of Massachusetts and the most populous city in New England, and its surrounding areas, home to 4,941,632. The most s ...

) with 1.9 million people.

Law and government

As with most

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 the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission.

Government and politics

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (2.7%) 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)

Communities

Cities

* Agawam * Chicopee *

Holyoke Holyoke is a city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, that lies between the western bank of the Connecticut River and the Mount Tom Range. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 38,247. Loca ...

* Palmer * Springfield (traditional county seat) * West Springfield * Westfield

Towns

* Blandford * Brimfield *

Chester Chester is a cathedral city in Cheshire, England, on the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, close to the England–Wales border. With a built-up area population of 92,760 in 2021, it is the most populous settlement in the borough of Cheshire West an ...

* East Longmeadow * Granville * Hampden *

Holland Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former provinces of the Netherlands, province on the western coast of the Netherland ...

* Longmeadow * Ludlow * Monson * Montgomery * Russell * Southwick * Tolland *

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

* Wilbraham

Census-designated places

* Blandford *

* Monson Center * Russell * Wilbraham

Other unincorporated communities

* Bondsville * Depot Village * Feeding Hills * Three Rivers * Woronoco

City neighborhoods

The following are neighborhoods located in Springfield or West Springfield. * Bay * Boston Road * Brightwood * East Forest Park * East Springfield * Forest Park * Indian Orchard * Liberty Heights * McKnight * Memorial Square * Merrick * Metro Center * Old Hill * Pine Point * Six Corners and Maple Heights * Sixteen Acres * South End * Upper Hill The following are neighborhoods located in Chicopee. * Aldenville * Burnett Road * Chicopee Center (Cabotville) * Chicopee Falls * Fairview * Smith Highlands * Westover * Willimansett The following are neighborhoods located in Holyoke. * Churchill * Downtown * Elmwood * The Flats * Highlands * Highland Park * Homestead Avenue * Ingleside * Jarvis Avenue * Oakdale * Rock Valley * Smith's Ferry * South Holyoke * Springdale * Whiting Farms

National Parks

* Springfield Armory National Historic Site

State parks

* Brimfield State Forest * Chester-Blandford State Forest * Chicopee Memorial State Park * Connecticut River Greenway State Park * Hampton Ponds State Park * Holyoke Heritage State Park * Lake Lorraine State Park (CLOSED) * Mount Tom State Reservation * Tolland State Forest

Demographics

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 463,490 people, 179,927 households, and 115,961 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 192,175 housing units at an average density of . 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. The largest ancestry groups were: * 17.9% Puerto Rican * 17.4% Irish * 12.7% French * 11.0% Polish * 10.8% Italian * 8.8% English * 6.0% German * 5.5%

French Canadian French Canadians, referred to as Canadiens mainly before the nineteenth century, are an ethnic group descended from French people, French colonists first arriving in Canada (New France), France's colony of Canada in 1608. The vast majority of ...

* 2.6% American * 2.2% Portuguese * 2.0% Scottish * 1.6% Russian * 1.4% West Indian * 1.3% Scotch-Irish * 1.1% Swedish 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. 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 the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 26.5% of those under age 18 and 11.2% of those age 65 or over. Hampden County MA population density

Demographic breakdown by town

Income

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.

Education

Colleges and universities

* American International College * Bay Path University * Elms College * Holyoke Community College *

Springfield College Springfield College is a private university in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States. The institution's mission, called the Humanism, Humanics philosophy, calls for educating students in spirit, mind, and body for leadership in service ...

* Springfield Technical Community College * Western New England University :* Western New England University School of Law * Westfield State University

Public school districts

* Agawam Public Schools * Chicopee Public Schools * East Longmeadow Public Schools * Gateway Regional School District (Blandford, Chester, Huntington, Middlefield, Montgomery, Russell and Worthington) * Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School District * Holyoke Public Schools * Longmeadow Public Schools * Monson Public Schools * Palmer Public Schools * Southwick-Tolland-Granville Regional School District * Springfield Public Schools * Westfield Public Schools * West Springfield Public Schools

Other institutions

Although no county government exists in Hampden County, a number of private associations, mainly representing trades remain identified with Hampden County. For example the Hampden Agricultural Society opened

Hampden Park Hampden Park ( ; Scottish Gaelic: ''Pàirc Hampden'') is a association football, football stadium in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow, Scotland, which is the national stadium of football in Scotland and home of the Scotland national football ...

in Springfield in 1853. To maintain current training among municipal inspectors, in 2005 the nongovernmental Hampden County Plumbing & Gas Inspectors Association was formed. The Hampden County Bar Association provides support and resources to the legal community and those seeking such representation. In part a legacy of the Eastern States Exposition, the Hampden County Improvement League, and Hampden County Beekeepers Association, both provide agricultural education and outreach. The Hampden County Radio Association, an affiliate of the

ARRL The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) is the largest membership association of amateur radio enthusiasts in the United States. ARRL is a non-profit organization and was co-founded on April 6, 1914, by Hiram Percy Maxim and Clarence D. Tuska of H ...

, offers training in

amateur radio Amateur radio, also known as ham radio, is the use of the radio frequency radio spectrum, spectrum for purposes of non-commercial exchange of messages, wireless experimentation, self-training, private recreation, radiosport, contesting, and emer ...

and related technology.

Transportation

Major highways

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Public transportation

Hampden County is served by both bus and rail service, with intermodal connections at Springfield Union Station, and Holyoke station via the Holyoke Transportation Center. Additionally the region is served by the Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport, and Westover Metropolitan Airport. A bike share program, ValleyBike, connects Springfield, Chicopee,

and West Springfield to points north in Hampshire County.

Bus

* PVTA * Peter Pan Bus Lines

Rail

* Hartford Line * '' Valley Flyer''

References

External links

Hampden County District Attorney's Office

Hampden County Probate Court

Hampden County Superior Court

Hampden County Registry of Deeds

Hampden County Sheriff's Office
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hampden County, Massachusetts 1812 establishments in Massachusetts 1998 disestablishments in Massachusetts Massachusetts counties Populated places disestablished in 1998 Populated places established in 1812 Springfield metropolitan area, Massachusetts