Hampden County, Massachusetts

Hampden County, Massachusetts

Hampden County is a non-governmental county located in the Pioneer Valley of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. As of the 2010 census, Hampden County's population was 463,490. Its traditional county seat is Springfield, the Connecticut River Valley's largest city, and economic and cultural capital. Hampden County was split from Hampshire County in 1812, because Northampton, Massachusetts was made Hampshire County's "shire town" in 1794; however, Springfield - theretofore Hampshire County's traditional shire town, dating back to its founding in 1636 - grew at a pace far quicker than Northampton and was granted shire town-status over its own, southerly jurisdiction. To the north of Hampden County is modern-day Hampshire County; to the south is Hartford County, Connecticut. To the west of Hampden County is Berkshire County; to the east of is Worcester County.

Hampden County is part of the Springfield Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is the most urban county in Western Massachusetts. The Knowledge Corridor surrounding Springfield-Hartford is New England's second most populous urban area (after Greater Boston) with 1.9 million people.