Centerville, Hamden

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Centerville is a neighborhood in the east-central part of Hamden, Connecticut. It houses Hamden Town Hall and other town government buildings. The name comes from its location at the crossroads of Whitney and Dixwell Avenues, two busy streets with shops. Most of Centerville is residential, with single-family homes, condos, and apartments. There are no official boundaries, but a rough area is north by James and Forest streets, east by the Mill River, south by Skiff Street, and west by Dixwell and Evergreen avenues. About 6,887 people lived there in 2010.

History: People settled the area in the early 1700s. It became part of Mount Carmel parish in 1757. Grace Episcopal Church built a new church in Centerville in 1821. A mill race near the Mill River by the Cheshire Turnpike (now Whitney Avenue) in 1820 encouraged industry, including a rubber-shoe factory. In 1835 Centerville House hosted a meeting that helped make Centerville the town government seat. The first town hall was built in 1888. Whitney Avenue was paved and got a trolley in the early 1900s, helping growth. The American Mills Company bought the rubber factory to make straps for World War I. Meadowbrook golf course was built on a former dairy farm, and a new town hall was built there in 1924. The factory was demolished to build the Wilbur Cross Parkway near the edge of the neighborhood in 1950. In 2002, the golf course became Town Center Park and Hamden Middle School. In 2012, the town hall area was expanded to include police headquarters.

Today, the town hall complex includes the Legislative Council chamber, fire department, and police department. Most other town offices are in the Hamden Government Center two blocks away. Across Dixwell Avenue is Miller Memorial Library, with the main Hamden library, Thornton Wilder Hall, and the Miller Senior Center.

Centerville is in Connecticut’s 3rd congressional district, the 11th state senate district, and the 88th state house district. The ZIP code is 06518. Interchanges of Wilbur Cross Parkway are near the town hall on Dixwell and Whitney. Public buses CT Transit routes 228 and 229 run on Whitney; 228 ends at the town hall, 229 goes to Waterbury. Route 238 runs on Dixwell to the town hall. A short trail connects Town Center Park to the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail. Hamden Middle School serves the whole town; primary students attend local elementary schools and then Hamden High School in other neighborhoods. Town Center Park is a major place for concerts and outdoor events in warm months. There is no central town green.