Hamden, Connecticut

Encyclopedia : H : HA : HAM : Hamden, Connecticut

Hamden is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States.

Hamden was originally settled by Puritans as part of the town of New Haven. The land was purchased by Theophilus Eaton and Reverend John Davenport in 1638 from the local Quinnipiack Native American tribe. It remained a part of New Haven until 1786 when local residents incorporated themselves as a separate town. It is named after the English statesman John Hampden.

Hamden was largely developed as a nodal collection of village-like settlements. These include Mount Carmel, Whitneyville, Spring Glen, and Highwood. It has a long-standing industrial history having been the site of many workshops of Eli Whitney, as well as Charles Goodyear. The major thoroughfare through town has been named Whitney Avenue in Eli Whitney's honor, and it runs past Whitney's old factory, now the Eli Whitney Museum, at the border with New Haven where a waterfall provided a good source of power.

During the 19th and early 20th centuries, Hamden received a steady influx of immigrants, most notably from Italy and Ireland. To this day, Hamden is an essential part of New Haven's Italian-American community.

In the post-war period, Hamden underwent significant suburban development. Much of the southern section of town is urbanized and is difficult to distinguish from neighboring New Haven. The northern section of town, however, retains a more rural character, and has the distinct neighborhood of Mount Carmel. This area of town is the location of the unique Sleeping Giant hill formation. The town's nickname is "The Land of the Sleeping Giant".

Actor Ernest Borgnine was born in Hamden. Playwright Thornton Wilder lived in Hamden and is buried in Mount Carmel Cemetery. In tribute to him, the Miller library (the town's main library) has a stage/performing arts wing named the Thorton Wilder Hall.

Contents

1 Schools

1.1 Elementary
1.2 Middle
1.3 Magnet
1.4 High
1.5 Private
1.6 Colleges and universities

2 Geography
3 Demographics
4 External links

Schools

Elementary

West Woods Elementary School
Church Street Elementary School
Spring Glen Elementary School
Shepherd Glen Elementary School
Ridge Hill Elementary School
Dunbar Hill Elementary School
Bear Path Elementary School
Helen Street Elementary School

Middle

Hamden Middle School (grades 7 & 8, with an enrollement of about 1,200 students)

Magnet

Wintergreen Interdistrict Magnet School (grades Kindergarten through 8)
Highville Mustard Seed Charter School (Highschool)

High

[Hamden High School] (grades 9-12, with an enrollment of about 2,200 students)

Private

Hamden is home to two private schools, which are Hamden Hall Country Day School and Sacred Heart Academy.

Colleges and universities

Quinnipiac University, which has an enrollment of about 8,000 students
Paier College of Art

Mount Sacred Heart College, a Catholic women's college associated with Sacred Heart Academy, closed in 1997.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 86.3 km² (33.3 mi²). 84.9 km² (32.8 mi²) of it is land and 1.4 km² (0.5 mi²) of it (1.62%) is water. The town features the Mill River which runs from Lake Whitney to the Long Island Sound. The town also has the Quinnipiac River and Lake Wintergreen, as well as numerous small streams, many of which are underground.

Demographics

As of the census² of 2000, there were 56,913 people, 22,408 households, and 14,027 families residing in the town. The population density was 670.4/km² (1,736.1/mi²). There were 23,464 housing units at an average density of 276.4/km² (715.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 77.30% White, 15.53% African American, 0.13% Native American, 3.53% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.61% from other races, and 1.87% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.26% of the population.

There were 22,408 households out of which 26.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.2% were married couples living together, 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.4% were non-families. 31.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the town the population was spread out with 20.8% under the age of 18, 12.1% from 18 to 24, 27.9% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 17.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 84.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.3 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $52,351, and the median income for a family was $65,301. Males had a median income of $45,909 versus $35,941 for females. The per capita income for the town was $26,039. About 4.5% of families and 7.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.4% of those under age 18 and 7.8% of those age 65 or over.

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