[5] Hampden is situated beside a broad bay stretching from Aorere Point to Moeraki Point, on a coastal plain which rises westward to the foothills of the Horse Range and the Kakanui Range.

The streets of Hampden run in a rectangular grid pattern centred on the main highway and the railway.

By 1865, there were two public houses in the area, The Hampden Hotel and The Clyde Hotel, and both a cemetery and mechanics' institute were in place by 1870. early industry in the area included the harvesting of flax and timber.

[4] Hampden is described as a rural settlement by Statistics New Zealand, and covers 2.56 km2 (0.99 sq mi).

The Hampden Presbyterian church was built in 1870 and was no longer used for regular services in 2010 due to a declining number of parishioners.

[13]The town includes a rural fire station, a fish-and-chip shop, a small supermarket, a motel, and backpackers, a popular camping ground, a cafe, mechanics workshop, a small second-hand goods shop, a tavern, and a historic town hall.

The Hampden Energy Forum, established in 2007, has grown into a community self-help scheme that involves nearly everyone in the settlement, growing from a small group of enthusiasts who were concerned about the future of small rural communities in "post-oil" days.