Hamden, town (2020 pop. 61,169), New
Haven co., S Conn.; inc. 1786. The town, settled c.1638, was named for John
Hampden, the
English Puritan. A residential and manufacturing suburb of New Haven, of
which it was once a part, Hamden makes machinery, electrical and computer
products, metal goods, wire and cable, building materials, fabricated
metals, and rolled steel. The town's industrial development dates back to
1798, when Eli Whitney set up an
arms factory using techniques of mass production. A plaque marks the site.
Hamden also has many early mill sites, Colonial and Civil War–era
houses, and a restored opera house. Quinnipiac College is in the town.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
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