Hampden County, Massachusetts facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Hampden County
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Location within the U.S. state of Massachusetts
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 Massachusetts's location within the U.S. |
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| Country |  United States |
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| State |  Massachusetts |
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| Founded | August 1, 1812 | |
| Named for | John Hampden | |
| Seat | Springfield | |
| Largest city | Springfield | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 634 sq mi (1,640 km2) | |
| • Land | 617 sq mi (1,600 km2) | |
| • Water | 17 sq mi (40 km2) 2.7%% | |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 465,825  |
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| • Density | 755/sq mi (292/km2) | |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) | |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) | |
| Congressional districts | 1st, 2nd | |
Hampden County is a non-governmental county located in the Pioneer Valley of the U.S. state of Massachusetts, 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 was made Hampshire County's shire town. 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 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. Hampden County is part of the Springfield, MA Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is the most urban county in Western Massachusetts. The Knowledge Corridor surrounding Springfield-Hartford is New England's second most populous urban area (after Greater Boston) with 1.9 million people.
See also
In Spanish: Condado de Hampden para niños
