Hampden County, Massachusetts
| Hampden County, Massachusetts | ||
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Hampden County Courthouse
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 Location in the U.S. state of Massachusetts |
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 Massachusetts's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | 1812 | |
| Named for | John Hampden | |
| Seat | Springfield | |
| Largest city | Springfield | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 634 sq mi (1,642 km2) | |
| • Land | 617 sq mi (1,598 km2) | |
| • Water | 17 sq mi (44 km2), 2.7% | |
| Population | ||
| • (2010) | 463,490 | |
| • Density | 751/sq mi (290/km²) | |
| Congressional districts | 1st, 2nd | |
| Time zone | Eastern: UTC-5/-4 | |
| Website | www |
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Hampden County is a non-governmental county located in the Pioneer Valley of the state of Massachusetts, in the United States. 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. It was named for John Hampden. To the north of Hampden County is modern-day Hampshire County; to the west is Berkshire County; to the east is Worcester County; to the south are Litchfield County, Hartford County, and Tolland County in Connecticut.
Hampden County is part of the Springfield, MA 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.
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