Hamden, Connecticut

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Hamden, Connecticut
Official seal of Hamden, Connecticut
Seal
Location in Connecticut
Location in Connecticut
Coordinates: 41°23′52″N 72°55′18″W / 41.39778, -72.92167
NECTA New Haven
Region South Central Region
Incorporated 1786
Government
 - Type Mayor-council
 - Mayor Craig B. Henrici
Area
 - Total 56.2 km² (33.3 sq mi)
 - Land 84.9 km² (32.8 sq mi)
 - Water 1.4 km² (0.5 sq mi)
Elevation 56 m (184 ft)
Population (2005)[1]
 - Total 58,180
 - Density 685/km² (1,774/sq mi)
Time zone Eastern (UTC-5)
 - Summer (DST) Eastern (UTC-4)
ZIP code 06514, 06517, 06518
Area code(s) 203
FIPS code 09-35650
GNIS feature ID 0213440
Website: http://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".

Contents

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 1,400 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,West Woods and Highwood. It has a long-standing industrial history having been the site of many workshops of Eli Whitney, as well as Charles Goodyear. In 1798, four years after he began manufacturing the cotton gin in New Haven, Whitney began making arms for the U.S. Government at a mill site in Hamden at the border with New Haven, where a waterfall provided a good source of power. It was here that Whitney began the modern era of mass production with the concept of interchangeable parts, manufactured using the newly introduced milling machine. 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.

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 Eli Whitney built at the mill site was enlarged to create a reservoir, Lake Whitney. The first truss bridge in the United States was erected nearby over the Mill River in Whitneyville in 1823, but has since been replaced.

The Farmington Canal providing ship travel from New Haven northward passed through Hamden, between 1825 and 1848, until it was supplanted by railroad travel. The canal right-of-way has in recent years became a popular walking and bicycling trail, passing by some of the well-preserved locks of the canal, as well as some of Hamden's oldest important sites. Before its use as a walking and bicycling trail, many local residents rode their motocross bikes on the Farmington Canal. This was from 1988, when the railroad tracks were removed, until the beginning of construction of the walking and bicycling trail.

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 that is the source of the town's nickname.

The Town Hall at the center of Hamden has a distinctive appearance. Across the street is the small Freedom Park, containing a fountain with concrete stepping stones leading to a sign that pleas for peace in several different languages. Flower beds enclose.

Hamden was host to the Ghost Parking Lot, a notable roadside public art installation located in front of the Hamden Plaza shopping center in Hamden'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. [2]

  • Ernest Borgnine, the actor, was born in town.
  • Scott Burrell, two-sport athlete and longtime professional basketball player, grew up in town and attended the high school where he was also the starting quarterback on the varsity team.
  • Joe Castiglione, former TV play-by-play man for the Cleveland Indians, currently radio play-by-play man for the Boston Red Sox
  • Thomas P. Colangelo (1949-2007), Main designer of most famous high-end audio brand Mark Levinson. His designs putted the American audio industry back on the map.
  • Paul Fusco, the voice, creator, and puppeteer of ALF, grew up in town.
  • Edward W. Gosselin (1917 – December 7, 1941), a U.S. Navy ensign who died in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, was born in town.
  • Linda Greenhouse (born 1947), Pulitzer prize winning journalist, grew up in town.
  • Donald Hall, poet, named poet laureate of the United States in 2006, grew up in town.
  • Anttaj Hawthorne, Oakland Raiders defensive tackle, grew up in town and starred on the high school football team.
  • Jeff Natale, minor-league baseball in the Boston Red Sox organization, lives in town. Also taught at Hamden Middle School.
  • Jaroslav Pelikan (1923–2006) one of the world's leading scholars in the history of Christianity and medieval intellectual history, died in town, but not before saying the last of his many aphorisms: "If Christ is risen, nothing else matters. And if Christ is not risen -- nothing else matters."
  • Jonathan Quick, NHL goalie. Rookie in 2007. Played first game for the Los Angeles Kings on December 6, 2007.
  • The Rock (Dwayne Douglas Johnson, b. 1972), professional wrestler and actor, spent part of his childhood in town, attending Shepherd Glen Elementary and Hamden Middle School.
  • Thornton Wilder, the playwright, lived in town 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.
  • C. Vann Woodward (1908–1999), pre-eminent historian focusing on the South and race relations, died in town.
  • Eli Whitney, creater of the cotton gin.

  • 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
  • Alice Peck Elementary School

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

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

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 33.3 square miles (86.3 km²), of which, 32.8 square miles (84.9 km²) of it is land and 0.5 square miles (1.4 km²) of it (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 the Long Island Sound. The town also has the Quinnipiac River and Lake Wintergreen, as well as numerous small streams.

  • Hamden center
  • Augerville
  • Centerville
  • Highwood
  • Mount Carmel
  • Spring Glen
  • Whitneyville
  • West Woods

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 1,736.1 people per square mile (670.4/km²). There were 23,464 housing units at an average density of 715.7/sq mi (276.4/km²). 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.

Voter Registration and Party Enrollment as of October 25, 2005[3]
Party Active Voters Inactive Voters Total Voters Percentage
  Democratic 13,161 701 13,862 37.98%
  Republican 4,782 369 5,151 14.11%
  Unaffiliated 15,593 1,828 17,421 47.74%
  Minor Parties 57 4 61 0.17%
Total 33,593 2,902 36,495 100%

  1. ^ U.S. Census Bureau Population Estimates
  2. ^ See http://www.planetizen.com/node/10828
  3. ^ Registration and Party Enrollment Statistics as of October 25, 2005 (PDF). Connecticut Secretary of State. Retrieved on 2006-10-02.

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