Villa Speranza: HAMDEN, Long Island Sound -- Clark's Pond -- The Mill River -- Quinnipiac River -- Lake Wintergreen --

Speranza

Hamden, Connecticut

Town

Seal

Motto: "Land Of The Sleeping Giant"

Location in New Haven County, Connecticut

Country

United States

State

Connecticut

NECTA

New Haven

Region

South Central Region

Incorporated

1786

Government

• Type

Mayor-council

• Mayor

Curt Balzano Leng (D)

Area

• Total

33.3 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 (2010)

• Total

60,960

• Density

1,800/sq mi (1,100/km²)

Time zone

Eastern (UTC-5)

• Summer (DST)

Eastern (UTC-4)

ZIP code

06514, 06517, 06518

Area code(s)

203/475

FIPS code

09-35650

GNIS feature ID

0213440

Website

www.hamden.com

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

The town's nickname is "The Land of the Sleeping Giant."

The population was 60,960 at the 2010 census.

Hamden is a suburb of the city of New Haven.

The town of Hamden ranked #53 in the CNN Money list of "America's best small cities" in 2012.

In 2008, Fortune Magazine and CNN Moneypicked Hamden as #33 on their "Best Place to Live and Launch" list, citing Hamden's great blend of urban and suburban lifestyles.

The article also pointed out Hamden's exceptional education system as well as its "New England Charm".

Clark's Pond

Originally settled by Puritans as part of the town of New Haven, Hamden was purchased by Theophilus Eaton and the Reverend John Davenport in 1638 from the local Quinnipiack Native American tribe.

It remained a part of New Haven until 1786 when 1,400 local residents incorporated the area as a separate town, naming it after John Hampden.

Largely developed as a nodal collection of village-like settlements (which remain distinct today), including Mount Carmel, Whitneyville, Spring Glen, West Woods, and High Wood, Hampden has a long-standing industrial history.

In 1798, four years after he began manufacturing the cotton gin in New Haven, Eli Whitney made arms for the U.S. government at a mill site in Hampden, where a water fall provided a good source of power.

At that site, Whitney introduced the modern era of mass production with the concept of interchangeable parts.

The major thoroughfare through Hampden is named "Whitney" Avenue in honour of Eli Whitney, and it runs past Whitney's old factory, now the Eli Whitney Museum.

An 1827 painting of Whitney Ville by William Giles Munson.

Whitney constructed stone houses for his employees in the nearby area, which is still referred to as Whitneyville.

This is believed to be the first example of employer-provided homes in U.S. history.

In 1806, the dam that Eli Whitney built at the mill site was enlarged to create a reservoir, Lake Whitney, on which the New Haven Country Club is located.

The first truss bridge in the United States was erected nearby over the Mill River in Whitney Ville in 1823, but has since been replaced.

The Farmington Canal, which ships traveled from New Haven northward, passed through Hampden between 1825 and 1848 until it was supplanted by railroad travel.

The canal right-of-way has become, in recent years, a popular walking and bicycling trail, passing by some of the well-preserved locks of the canal, as well as some of Hampden's oldest sites.

Before its use as a walking and bicycling trail, many local residents rode their moto-cross bikes on the Farmington Canal.

During the 19th and early 20th centuries, Hampden received a steady influx of immigrants, most notably from Italy and Ireland.

To this day, a large part of New Haven's Italian-American community resides in Hampden.

During the post-war period, Hampden underwent significant suburban development.

Much of the southern section of town is urbanised and is difficult to distinguish from neighbouring New Haven.

The northern section of town, however, retains a more "rural" character, and has the distinct neighbourhood of Mount Carmel.

This area of town is the location of the unique Sleeping Giant hill formation that is the source of the town's nickname.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 86 km², of which 85 km² is land and 1.3 km²or 1.62%, is water.

The town features the Mill River, which runs from the northern part of town, is dammed to form Lake Whitney, and flows from there to Long Island Sound.

The town also has the Quinnipiac River and Lake Wintergreen, as well as numerous small streams.

Neighborhoods are:

Augerville

Beecher Heights

Centerville (Town Center)

Dunbar Hill

Hamden Plains
Hig Wwood
Mix District
Mount Carmel
Spring Glen
State Street
West Woods
Whitney Ville

The Town Hall at the center of Hampden has a distinctive appearance.

The rotunda includes commemorative stained glass windows.

Across the street is Freedom Park, which contains a fountain with concrete stepping stones leading to a sign that pleads for peace in several different languages.

The Town is in the process of constructing new facilities for the police and fire departments in the newly renovated Town Hall.

Hampden was host to the Ghost Parking Lot, a notable road side public art installation located in front of the Hamoden Plaza shopping center in Hamoden's commercial district on Dixwell Avenue.

Erected in 1978, it consisted of 15 car hulks, specially treated and encased in asphalt.

Although featured in over 100 art books, the attraction was torn down in 2003 due to the excessive cost of restoration and repair.

Hampden is bordered by six other towns:

To its north, Cheshire and Wallingford
To its east, North Haven
To its south, New Haven
To its west, Woodbridge and Bethany

Hamden is governed by a mayor-council form of government, with a 15-member legislative council.

Six councilors are elected at large while the other nine are elected by district.

Town elections are held biennially during odd years in May. Other elected positions in the town government are the Town Clerk and members of the Board of Education. Positions in the various town boards and commissions are generally appointed by the Mayor subject to approval by the Legislative Council.

Curt Balzano Leng became mayor in 2015 in a special election.

Past mayors of Hamden are:

Scott Jackson, 2009-2015
Craig Henrici, 2005–2009
Carl Amento, 1999–2005
Barbara DeNicola, 1999–2001
Lillian Clayman, 1991–1997
Johnny Carusone, 1987–1991
John DeNicola Jr., 1985–1987
Peter Villano, 1981–1985
Dick Harris, 1979–1981
Lucien DiMeo, 1973–1979
Bill Adams, 1967–1973
John DeNicola Sr., 1965–1967

John DeNicola Sr. was the town's last first selectman before becoming the town’s first mayor, in November 1965.

The main industries in the town are retail trade, computer products, manufacture of wire and cable, concrete, pump mixer products, fabricated metals, construction and business services. Business services account for 49.4% of employment in the town, with retail trade accounting for 22.8%, and manufacturing accounting for 9.6%. The top four major employers are the Town government and school district, Quinnipiac University, Harborside Health Care, and Area Cooperative Education Services (ACES).

Shaw's Supermarket was one of the top five major employers, but the Hamden Shaw's was sold to ShopRite in a sale of Shaw's Connecticut stores announced on February 13, 2010.^[7] The Shaw's supermarket has been shut down and the new ShopRite store has opened.

Hamden is a residential suburb for New Haven, with more residents commuting to work in New Haven than residents working in Hamden.

The Wilbur Cross Parkway runs through the center of the town serving as a connection to Hartford to the north and the New York metropolitan area to the south. The town is connected toInterstate 91 via Connecticut Route 40, a spur expressway to the Mount Carmel section of town. The main route from the town center to New Haven passing through the commercial areas of Hamden is Dixwell Avenue (Route 10). Another route to New Haven via the Spring Glen and Whitneyville residential neighborhoods is Whitney Avenue.

Public transportation is provided by Connecticut Transit New Haven. The main bus routes in the town are the Dixwell Avenue (D) and the Whitney Avenue (J) routes. Other secondary routes serving the town are the State Street (M) and Winchester Avenue (O) bus routes.

North Haven/Hamden Station, a possible station on the proposed New Haven – Hartford – Springfield commuter rail line, may be built next to the Hamden-North Haven border near the Route 40 Connector, serving both towns.^[8]

Education[edit]

Public[edit]

The public school district for the town, Hamden Public Schools, operates eight elementary schools, a middle school, and a high school, enrolling a total of about 6,000 students.^[9]

Elementary schools[edit]

Alice Peck Early Learning Center
Bear Path School
Church Street Elementary School
Dunbar Hill Elementary School
Helen Street Elementary School
Ridge Hill Elementary School
Shepherd Glen Elementary School (K-6), located on Skiff Street Extension, established in 1972
Spring Glen Elementary School
West Woods Elementary School (K-6), located on West Todd Street

Middle school[edit]

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

High school[edit]

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

Magnet schools[edit]

In addition to the town's public schools, Hamden is the site of two magnet schools, Wintergreen Magnet School (Kindergarten through grade 8) and Highville Mustard Seed Charter School (high school).

Technical high school[edit]

Eli Whitney Technical High School is located in Hamden.

Private[edit]

Hamden is home to several private and religious schools, including:

Hamden Hall Country Day School
Laurel Oaks Adventist School (grades Pre-K–8)
Lorraine D. Foster Day School
Sacred Heart Academy (grades 9-12)
SKF Academy
St. Rita School [2] (Roman Catholic, grades pre-K to 8)
St. Stephen School (Roman Catholic, grades pre-K to 8)
West Woods Christian Academy (evangelical Christian, grades K-12)

Colleges and universities[edit]

Mount Sacred Heart College, a Catholic women's college associated with Sacred Heart Academy, closed in 1997
Paier College of Art
Quinnipiac University, which has an enrollment of about 8,000 students.

Within the town limits, there are 16 banks, six lodging facilities, and 29 day care facilities. There are no hospitals in the town, although it is close to the major hospitals in New Haven. In 2004, the crime rate was 2,084 per 100,000 residents, lower than the statewide average of 2,981 per 100,000 residents. The town library has 166,358 volumes (as of 2001).

Electricity in the town is provided by the United Illuminating company; natural gas is provided by the Southern Connecticut Gas company; the water provider is the South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority; Cable TV is provided by Comcast of New Haven.

There are several parks and museums located in Hamden, including:

-- the Eli Whitney Museum in Whitneyville
-- parts of West Rock Ridge State Park (including Lake Wintergreen) and
-- East Rock Park (including the Pardee Rose Garden), and
-- The Sleeping Giant State Park.

The Farmington Canal Trail runs through the town.

Two blue-blazed hiking trails, the Quinnipiac Trail and the Regicides Trail, also run through the town.

The Jonathan Dickerman House, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is located in Mount Carmel.

Hamden also has an all-volunteer orchestra, the Hamden Symphony Orchestra, providing concerts throughout the year.

Demographics[edit]

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1820	1,687		—
1850	2,164		—
1860	2,725		25.9%
1870	3,028		11.1%
1880	3,408		12.5%
1890	3,882		13.9%
1900	4,626		19.2%
1910	5,850		26.5%
1920	8,611		47.2%
1930	19,020		120.9%
1940	23,373		22.9%
1950	29,715		27.1%
1960	41,056		38.2%
1970	49,357		20.2%
1980	51,071		3.5%
1990	52,434		2.7%
2000	56,913		8.5%
2010	60,960		7.1%
Est. 2014	61,422	^[10]	0.8%
U.S. Decennial Census^[11]

As of the census^[12] of 2010, there were 60,690 people, 23,727 households, and 14,300 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,867.3 people per square mile (721.0/km²). There were 25,114 housing units at an average density of 769.2 per square mile (297.0/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 68.45% White, 20.19% African American, 0.15% Native American, 5.47% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 3.00% from other races, and 2.72% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.74% of the population.

There were 23,727 households out of which 25.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.4% were married couples living together, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.7% were non-families. 31.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the town the population was spread out with 24.4% under the age of 20, 10.6% from 20 to 24, 24.6% from 25 to 44, 25.4% from 45 to 64, and 15.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37.4 years. For every 100 females there were 82.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.7 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $66,695, and the median income for a family was $88,613. The per capita income for the town was $34,596. About 3.8% of families and 6.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.3% of those under age 18 and 5.4% of those age 65 or over.

Voter registration and party enrollment as of October 29, 2013^[13]
Party		Active voters	Inactive voters	Total voters	Percentage
	Democratic	16,158	664	16,822	47.94%
	Republican	4,020	180	4,200	11.97%
	Unaffiliated	13,128	669	13,797	39.32%
	Minor Parties	262	6	268	0.8%
Total		33,568	1,519	35,087	100%

Some notable people include:

Chris Rondini, Otherwise known as DJ Dini - World Champion Video DJ, grew up in Hamden.
Daniel Altman, author and journalist, grew up in Hamden.
Sidney Altman, Nobel Laureate, resident since 1972.
Jennifer Barnhart, puppeteer, born and grew up in town.
Glenn Beck, conservative television personality, lived in Hamden from 1992-2000 where he co-hosted The Glenn and Pat Show, a morning radio program on KC101.
Ernest Borgnine (1917-2012), actor, was born in town in 1917.
Scott Burrell, two-sport athlete and longtime professional basketball player, grew up in town.
John Carpenter, the first winner of "Who Wants to Be A Millionaire?"
Joe Castiglione, former TV play-by-play man for the Cleveland Indians, now for the Boston Red Sox
Willis H. Downs, Medal of Honor recipient
Paul Fusco, the voice, creator, and puppeteer of ALF, grew up in town.
James J. Greco, former CEO and President of Sbarro, grew up in town.
Linda Greenhouse (born 1947), Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, grew up in town.
Henry Gruber (1863–1932), baseball player, holds record for most walks in a game at 16.
Donald Hall, poet, named poet laureate of the United States in 2006, grew up in town.
Jean Harris, killer and ex-lover of Dr. Herman Tarnower, the co-author of The Complete Scarsdale Medical Diet
Anttaj Hawthorne, former Oakland Raiders defensive tackle, grew up in town.
Bob Heussler, voice of the Connecticut Sun and a WFAN broadcaster, has resided in Hamden since 1983.
Jen Hudak, professional freeskier
Jake Hurwitz, comedian, writer and actor, co-creator of the webseries Jake and Amir
Dwayne Johnson ("The Rock", b. 1972), professional wrestler and actor, spent part of his childhood in town.
Al Magliochetti, visual effects artist and filmmaker grew up in Hamden.
Stephen Malawista, medical researcher, co-discoverer of Lyme disease^[14]
Robert McVey, hockey player, Gold Medalist at 1960 Olympics
Steven Novella, prodcast host of The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe.
Jaroslav Pelikan (1923–2006), a leading scholar in the history of Christianity and medieval intellectual history, resided and died in town.
Menachem Piekarski, the rabbi of Chabad of Hamden.
Jonathan Quick, NHL goalie, 2012 and 2014 Stanley Cup champion LA Kings
Anthony Rossomando, of Dirty Pretty Things
Benjamin Scolnic, author, rabbi, long-time resident
Eli Whitney, (1765–1825), inventor of the cotton gin
Thornton Wilder (1897–1975), the playwright, lived in town and is buried in Mount Carmel Cemetery.
Eddie Wilson, (1909–1979), outfielder, born in Hamden
C. Vann Woodward (1908–1999), preeminent historian focusing on the South and race relations, was a resident of the town at the time of his death.
Wendy Wright, singer, actor & author, grew up in Hamden.