Hamden, Connecticut facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Hamden
Town
Town of Hamden
Hamden Memorial Town Hall
Flag Seal
Motto(s):  "Land of the Sleeping Giant"
New Haven County and Connecticut  South Central Connecticut Planning Region and Connecticut
Country	United States
U.S. state	Connecticut
County	New Haven
Region	South Central CT
Incorporated	1786
Government
• Type	Mayor-council
Area
• Total	33.1 sq mi (56.2 km2)
• Land	32.8 sq mi (84.9 km2)
• Water	0.5 sq mi (1.4 km2)
Elevation	184 ft (56 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	61,169
• Density	1,848.0/sq mi (1,088.4/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (Eastern)
ZIP Codes	06514, 06517–06518
Area code(s)	203/475
FIPS code	09-35650
GNIS feature ID	0213440

Hamden is a town located in New Haven County, Connecticut, in the United States. It's often called "The Land of the Sleeping Giant" because of a special hill formation nearby. Hamden is part of the South Central Connecticut Planning Region. In 2020, about 61,169 people lived there.

History

The first people to live in the area that is now Hamden were the Quinnipiac Native Americans. They greatly respected the Blue Hills Sleeping Giant Mountain. In 1638, the land was bought by William Christopher Reilly and Reverend John Davenport. It was settled by Puritans as part of New Haven.

In 1786, about 1,400 local residents decided to form their own town. They named it Hamden after John Hampden, an English statesman.

Hamden grew as a collection of small villages like Mount Carmel (where Quinnipiac University is), Whitneyville, and Spring Glen. It has a long history of industry. In 1798, Eli Whitney started making weapons for the U.S. government in Hamden. He used a watermill powered by a waterfall. Here, Whitney introduced the idea of interchangeable parts, which was a big step for mass production.

The main road through Hamden is called Whitney Avenue, named after Eli Whitney. It passes by his old factory, which is now the Eli Whitney Museum. Whitney also built stone houses for his workers in Whitneyville. This is thought to be the first time an employer provided homes in U.S. history. In 1806, a dam built by Eli Whitney was made larger to create Lake Whitney.

The Farmington Canal was used by ships to travel from New Haven north through Hamden from 1825 to 1848. Later, railroads took over. Today, the old canal path is a popular trail for walking and biking. You can still see some of the old locks from the canal.

During the 1800s and early 1900s, many immigrants came to Hamden, especially from Italy and Ireland. Even today, many Italian-American families in the Greater New Haven area live in Hamden.

After World War II, Hamden grew a lot as a suburb. The southern part of town is very developed and looks similar to nearby New Haven. But the northern part of town, especially the Mount Carmel area, still feels more rural. This is where the unique Sleeping Giant hill is located, giving the town its nickname.

Geography

Hamden Connecticut's Sleeping Giant Mountain from the Quinnipiac River.

Hamden covers about 33.3 square miles (86.2 square kilometers). Most of this is land, with a small part being water. The Mill River flows through Hamden. It forms Lake Whitney and then continues to Long Island Sound. The town also has the Quinnipiac River and Lake Wintergreen, plus many smaller streams.

Neighborhoods

Hamden has several distinct neighborhoods, including:

• Augerville
• Beecher Heights
• Centerville (which is the town center)
• Dunbar Hill
• Hamden Plains
• Highwood
• Mix District
• Mount Carmel
• Pine Rock
• Spring Glen
• State Street (East Side)
• West Woods
• Whitneyville

Notable areas

Edgerton Park Conservancy

The Town Hall in Hamden has a unique look. Inside, its round room has beautiful stained glass windows. Across the street is Freedom Park, which has a fountain and a sign asking for peace in many languages. The town recently built new police and fire department buildings in the renovated Town Hall.

Hamden was once home to the Ghost Parking Lot. This was a famous public art display in front of the Hamden Plaza shopping center. It was made in 1978 and featured 15 old cars covered in asphalt. Even though it was in many art books, it was removed in 2003 because it was too expensive to fix.

Adjacent municipalities

Hamden shares its borders with six other towns:

• To the north: Cheshire and Wallingford
• To the east: North Haven
• To the south: New Haven
• To the west: Woodbridge and Bethany

Economy

Hamden's main industries include retail (stores), computer products, and making things like wire, cable, and metal parts. Many people also work in construction and business services. Business services make up almost half of the jobs in town. Retail trade is the second largest, followed by manufacturing.

Top employers

Here are some of the largest employers in Hamden:

Hamden is also a residential suburb for New Haven. This means many residents live in Hamden but travel to New Haven for work.

Transportation

The Wilbur Cross Parkway goes through the middle of Hamden. It connects the town to Hartford in the north and the New York metropolitan area in the south. Hamden is also connected to Interstate 91 by Connecticut Route 40.

The main roads from the town center to New Haven are Dixwell Avenue (Route 10) and Whitney Avenue. Dixwell Avenue goes through commercial areas, while Whitney Avenue goes through residential neighborhoods.

Public transportation is provided by Connecticut Transit New Haven. There are bus routes along Dixwell Avenue and Whitney Avenue. Other bus routes also serve the town.

A new train station, North Haven Station, is planned near the Hamden–North Haven border. It will be part of the Hartford Line commuter rail.

The closest commercial airports are Tweed New Haven Airport (HVN) in East Haven and Bradley International Airport (BDL) in Windsor Locks.

Education

Hamden has many schools, both public and private, as well as colleges.

Public schools

The Hamden Public Schools district has eight elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school. About 5,398 students attend these schools.

Elementary schools

• Alice Peck Early Learning Center (Pre-K)
• Bear Path Elementary School (Kindergarten–6th grade)
• Church Street Elementary School (Kindergarten–6th grade)
• Dunbar Hill Elementary School (Kindergarten–6th grade)
• Helen Street Elementary School (Kindergarten–6th grade)
• Ridge Hill Elementary School (Kindergarten–6th grade)
• Shepherd Glen Elementary School (Kindergarten–6th grade)
• Spring Glen Elementary School (Kindergarten–6th grade)
• West Woods Elementary School (Kindergarten–6th grade)

Middle school

• Hamden Middle School (7th and 8th grades)

High school

• Hamden High School (9th–12th grades)

Magnet schools

Hamden also has two magnet schools: Wintergreen Magnet School (Kindergarten through 8th grade) and Highville Mustard Seed Charter School (high school).

Technical high school

Eli Whitney Technical High School is located in Hamden.

Private schools

Several private and religious schools are in Hamden:

• Hamden Hall Country Day School (Pre-K to 12th grade)
• Laurel Oaks Adventist School (Pre-K to 8th grade)
• Lorraine D. Foster Day School
• Sacred Heart Academy (9th–12th grade, for girls)
• SKF Academy
• St. Rita School (Roman Catholic, Pre-K to 8th grade)
• West Woods Christian Academy (Kindergarten–12th grade)

Colleges and universities

• Quinnipiac University has its main campuses in Hamden. About 9,000 students attend this university.
• Small parts of Southern Connecticut State University and Albertus Magnus College also extend into Hamden. A few buildings of Yale University are also very close to the Hamden border.

Quality of life

Hamden has many services for its residents. There are 16 banks, six places to stay (lodging facilities), and 29 day care centers. While there are no hospitals directly in Hamden, major hospitals in nearby New Haven are easy to reach. In 2004, the crime rate in Hamden was lower than the average for the state. The town library has a large collection of books.

Electricity is provided by United Illuminating, and natural gas by Southern Connecticut Gas. The water comes from the South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority. Cable TV is provided by Comcast.

Hamden has several parks and museums. Hamden Town Center Park hosts fun events like fireworks, free concerts, and outdoor movies. Other places to visit include the Eli Whitney Museum, Ireland’s Great Hunger Museum, parts of West Rock Ridge State Park and East Rock Park, Brooksvale Park, and the famous Sleeping Giant State Park. The Farmington Canal Trail is a popular path for walking and biking. Two hiking trails, the Quinnipiac Trail and the Regicides Trail, also run through the town.

The Jonathan Dickerman House, a historic building, is in Mount Carmel. Hamden also has a volunteer orchestra, the Hamden Symphony Orchestra, which performs concerts throughout the year.

Demographics

As of 2010, Hamden had about 60,690 people living there. The town had 23,727 households. About 25.3% of households had children under 18. Many households were married couples, and some were single-parent families.

The population was spread out in terms of age. About 24.4% of residents were under 20 years old, and 15.0% were 65 or older. The average age in Hamden was 37.4 years.

The median income for a household in Hamden was about $66,695. For families, the median income was higher, around $88,613. About 6.8% of the population lived below the poverty line.

Notable people

Many interesting people have lived in or are from Hamden:

• Sidney Altman (1939-2022), a winner of the Nobel Prize.
• Afa Anoa'i Jr., a former professional wrestler known as Manu.
• Jennifer Barnhart, a puppeteer who grew up in Hamden.
• Ernest Borgnine (1917–2012), a famous actor born in Hamden.
• Scott Burrell, a two-sport athlete and professional basketball player.
• John Carpenter, the first winner of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.
• Joe Castiglione, a sports announcer for the Boston Red Sox.
• Paul Fusco, the voice and creator of the TV show ALF.
• Linda Greenhouse (born 1947), a journalist who won a Pulitzer Prize.
• Donald Hall, a poet who was named poet laureate of the United States.
• Anttaj Hawthorne, a former NFL football player.
• Alexis Holmes, a track and field athlete who has won medals in international races.
• Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, a famous professional wrestler and actor, went to elementary and middle school in Hamden.
• Stephen Malawista, a medical researcher who helped discover Lyme disease.
• Jaroslav Pelikan (1923–2006), a leading scholar in the history of Christianity.
• Jonathan Quick, a goaltender for the NHL's New York Rangers.
• Dana Terrace, a writer and director known for creating the Disney Channel animated series, The Owl House.
• Eli Whitney (1765–1825), the inventor of the cotton gin.
• Thornton Wilder (1897–1975), a famous playwright, lived and is buried in Hamden.

Images for kids

• 

  An 1827 painting of Whitneyville by William Giles Munson.

See also

In Spanish: Hamden (Connecticut) para niños