Hamden

Hamden was purchased by William Christopher Reilly and the Reverend John Davenport in 1638 from the local Quinnipiac Native American tribe. It was settled by Puritans as part of the town of New Haven. In 1798, four years after Eli Whitney began manufacturing the cotton gin in New Haven, he made arms for the U.S. government at a mill site in Hamden, where a waterfall provided a good source of power. In 1806, the dam that Eli Whitney built at the mill site was enlarged to create a reservoir, Lake Whitney. The Farmington Canal, which ships traveled from New Haven northward, passed through Hamden between 1825 and 1848 until it was supplanted by railroad travel. The town has a total area of 33.3 square miles (86 km²), of which 32.8 sq miles (85 km²) is land and 0.5sq miles (1.3km²), or 1.62%, is water. Much of the southern section of town is urbanized and is difficult to distinguish from neighboring New Haven; the northern part of town retains a more rural character, and has the distinct neighborhood of Mount Carmel. This area is the location of the unique Sleeping Giant hill formation that is the source of theTown's nickname. The Town Hall at the center of Hamden has a rotunda includes commemorative stained glass windows. Hamden recently completed new facilities for the police and fire departments in the newly renovated newly renovated Town Hall.

History

Hamden is the primary city name, but also New Haven are acceptable city names or spellings, N Haven on the other hand no longer accepted or obsolete and are no longer used as a designation. The official name is Hamden, Connecticut. Hamden was purchased by William Christopher Reilly and the Reverend John Davenport in 1638 from the local Quinnipiac Native American tribe. It was settled by Puritans as part of the town of New Haven. In 1786, 1,400 local residents incorporated the area as a separate town, naming it after the English statesman John Hampden. The Farmington Canal, which ships traveled from New Haven northward, passed through Hamden between 1825 and 1848 until it was supplanted by railroad travel. Hamden received a steady influx of immigrants, most notably from Italy and Ireland, in the 19th and early 20th centuries. To this day, a large part of Greater New Haven's Italian-American community resides in Hamden. Much of the southern section of town is urbanized and is difficult to distinguish from neighboring New Haven, but the northern part of town retains a more rural character. This area is the location of the unique Sleeping Giant hill formation that is the source of theTown's nickname. The major thoroughfare through the town is named Whitney Avenue in honor of Eli Whitney, who introduced the concept of interchangeable parts to mass production. The first truss bridge in the U.S. was erected nearby over the Mill River in 1823, but has since been replaced. In 1806, the dam that Eli Whitney built at the mill site was enlarged to create a reservoir, Lake Whitney. During the post-war period, Hamden underwent significant suburban development.

Geography

The town has a total area of 33.3 square miles (86 km²) of which 32.8 square miles is land and 1.3 km² is water. 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. Hamden is bordered by six other towns: Cheshire, Wallingford, North Haven, New Haven, Woodbridge and Bethany. The Ghost Parking Lot was a notable roadside public art installation located in front of the Hamden Plaza shopping center in Hamden's commercial district on Dixwell Avenue. Although featured in over 100 art books, the attraction was torn down in 2003 due to the excessive cost of restoration and repair. The Town Hall at the center of Hamden 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 recently completed new facilities for the police and fire departments in the newly renovated Town Hall.Hamden was host to the Ghost parking Lot, which consisted of 15 car hulks, specially treated and encased in asphalt. The attraction was built in 1978 and featured in more than 100 artbooks, but has since been torn down due to a lack of restoration funds and repair costs. It was built on the site of a former parking lot for the U.S. Navy.

Government

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 November. 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. Lauren Garrett became the town's 14th mayor in November 2021. Past mayors of Hamden are: Curt Balzano Leng, Scott Jackson, Craig Henrici, Barbara DeNicola, Lillian Clayman, Johnny Carusone and Bill Adams. John De Nicola Sr. was the towns last first selectman before becoming the towns first mayor, in November 1965. The current mayor is Lauren Garrett, who will be in office for the next mayor's term of office in 2021. The town's last mayor was Scott Jackson in 2009, who was in office from 2009 to 2011. The last mayor to be a firstSelectman was Bill Adams in 1967. The mayor was John deNicola Jr. in 1985, and the last first Selectman was Dick Harris in 1979. Hamden is located in the Connecticut River valley. It is located on the Connecticut Turnpike, which runs from New Haven to Suffield. It has a population of 2,000,000 (2011) and 3,500 (2014).

Economy

Business services account for 49.4% of employment in the town. 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. The Shaw's supermarket has been shut down and the new shop 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 town is located on the Connecticut River, which runs through the center of New Haven. The Connecticut River is a major source of water supply for the town, and the town is home to the New Haven Water Treatment Plant, which was built in the 1930s. The Hamden Water Treatment plant was built on the site of the former Hamden High School. The Town of Hamden was founded in 1858. The first post office was established in 1859. The current town hall was established on the same site in 1881. The city's name is a reference to the town's original name, Hamden, Connecticut, which means "Hamden Town" or "Town of the River" in English. The name was changed to Hamden after the town became a city in 1883. It is also known as Hamden in the early 20th century, when the town was part of the Connecticut Territory.

Transportation

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 to Interstate 91 via Connecticut Route 40, a spur expressway to the Mount Carmel section of town. Tweed New Haven Airport (HVN) in East Haven and Bradley International Airport (BDL) in Windsor Locks are the closest commercial airports to Hamden. North Haven Station, a station on the Hartford Line commuter railroad, is planned be built next to the HamdenNorth Haven border near the Route 40 Connector, serving both towns. Public transportation is provided by Connecticut Transit New Haven. The main bus routes in the town are the Dixwell Avenue (238, formerly D) and the Whitney Avenue (228/229, formerly J) routes. Other secondary routes are the State Street (224, formerly M), Winchester Avenue (234, formerly O), and Shelton Avenue (237, formerly G) bus routes. Hamden is located on the Connecticut Turnpike, which runs from New York City to Long Island, New York. The turnpike is one of the busiest highways in the United States, with more than 1.5 million vehicles per day. It was built in the 1950s and 1960s as part of the Interstate Highway System. It is the second-busiest highway in the U.S. behind the New Jersey Turnpikes, which has more than 2 million vehicles.

Education

Hamden Public Schools operates eight elementary schools, a middle school, and a high school. Hamden is the site of two magnet schools, Wintergreen Magnet School (Kindergarten through grade 8) and Highville Mustard Seed Charter School (high school) Quinnipiac University has its Mount Carmel and York Hill campuses in Hamden, with a third campus in North Haven. The Rectory school, a boys boarding school, was established in 1843 by Reverend Charles W. Everest, the rector of the Grace Church. It was located in Centerville and at its height had 65 students. The town is home to several private and religious schools, including: Hamden Hall Country Day School (grades Pre-K to 12th) and West Woods Christian Academy (evangelical Christian, grades K12) Hamden has a population of about 5,398 people (as of the 2010 census). Hamden's population was 5,816 (as at the 2010 Census) as of the 2011 census. It has an estimated population of 5,000 (as calculated by the 2011 Census). The town's population is 5,788 (as measured by the 2013 Census). It is the home of Hamden High School, which has an enrollment of about 1,486 students (grades 912 to 912). The school is located in the town's central business district, near the New Haven border. It is also home to the Hamden Center for the Performing Arts, which is a performing arts center.

Quality of life

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. Hamden Town Center Park hosts fireworks, free concerts, outdoor movies, and other seasonal festivals. The Jonathan Dickerman House, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is located in Mount Carmel. The Farmington Canal Trail runs through the town. Two blue-blazed hiking trails, the Quinnipiac Trail and the Regicides Trail, also run through theTown. The town has an all-volunteer orchestra, the Hamden Symphony Orchestra, providing concerts throughout the year. The Hamden Public Library has 166,358 volumes (as of 2001). The town is home to the Eli Whitney Museum in Whitneyville, Irelands Great Hunger Museum, parts of West Rock Ridge State Park (including Lake Wintergreen) and East Rock Park (including the Pardee Rose Garden), Brooksvale Park and the adjoining Mount Sanford block of Naugatuck State Forest, and the Sleeping Giant State Park. The Town of Hamden also has its own version of the New Haven Public Library, which has a collection of more than 200,000 volumes. The library is located on the second floor of the town hall, which is open to the public.

Demographics

As of the census of 2010, there were 60,690 people, 23,727 households, and 14,300 families residing in the town. The racial makeup of the town was 68.45% White, 20.19% African American, 0.15% Native American, 5.47% Asian, 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. The town's median income was $66,695, and the median income for a family was $88,613. The per capita income for the town is $34,596. About 6.3% of those under age 18 and 5.4%. of those age 65 or over were living below the poverty line, including 6.4% of people under the age of 65. The population was spread out, with 24.4 per cent under age of 20, 10.6 per cent from 20 to 24, 24.6% from 25 to 44, 25.4 percent from 45 to 64, and 15.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 3.01. The median age was 37.4 years. For every 100 females, there are 82.6 males. For each 100 females age 18 or over, there is 80.7 males. The city has a population density of 1,867.3 inhabitants per square mile.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Hamden, New Haven County, Connecticut = 5.5. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 44. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 20. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Hamden = 3.5 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 61,169 individuals with a median age of 39.1 age the population grows by 1.81% in Hamden, New Haven County, Connecticut population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 1,800 residents per square mile of area (1,100/km²). There are average 2.34 people per household in the 22,923 households with an average household income of $62,935 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 7.80% of the available work force and has dropped -2.31% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 27.58%. The number of physicians in Hamden per 100,000 population = 328.4.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Hamden = 49.1 inches and the annual snowfall = 31.8 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 115. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 205. 83 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 18.6 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 46, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Hamden, New Haven County, Connecticut which are owned by the occupant = 63.36%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 47 years with median home cost = $208,490 and home appreciation of -10.72%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $18.96 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $9,388 per student. There are 15.1 students for each teacher in the school, 481 students for each Librarian and 569 students for each Counselor. 5.61% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 18.75% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 17.91% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).