Springfield is a city in Massachusetts. It is the county seat of Hampden County, although Hampden County exists today only as a historical geographic region, and has no county government. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 152,082. A July 1, 2003 Census estimate put the city's population at 152,157, making it the third largest in Massachusetts. The city is the largest (and also historically the first) city called Springfield in the United States. It is also the largest city on the Connecticut River and the largest city in Western Massachusetts and the Pioneer Valley. It is home to the Basketball Hall of Fame and the Springfield Falcons hockey team.
Springfield is located at 42°6'45" North, 72°32'51" West (42.112411, -72.547455). According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 86.0 km2 (33.2 mi2). 83.1 km2 (32.1 mi2) of it is land and 2.8 km2 (1.1 mi2) of it is water. The total area is 3.31% water.
Springfield sits on the bank of the Connecticut River, just a few miles north of the border between Massachusetts and Connecticut. Along the river, the city is fairly low and flat. Moving outward from the river, the terrain becomes more hilly, most prominently along State Street and Belmont Avenue.
Springfield is usually divided up into seventeen distinct neighborhoods. They are, as defined by the city Election commission: Bay, Boston Road, Brightwood, East Forest Park, East Springfield, Forest Park, Indian Orchard, Liberty Heights, McKnight, Memorial Square, Metro Center, Old Hill, Pine Point, Six Corners, Sixteen Acres, South End, and Upper Hill. Their exact boundaries are disputed by Census data, civic wards, precinct borders, zip codes, and the opinions of the city's citizens. Many of the neighborhoods are subdivided again according to landmarks or voting precincts. Some names are unofficial, but are used by area residents nonetheless. For example, the Hollywood section in the South End actually refers to a housing complex, and Mason Square is the central intersection in the McKnight neighborhood.
Forest Park lies in the southwestern part of the city, along the border with affluent Longmeadow. The park is one of the largest municial parks in the United States. The city shares borders with the towns of East Longmeadow, Wilbraham, and Ludlow and the city of Chicopee. The cities of Agawam and West Springfield are across the Connecticut River. The city also owns Cobble Mountain Reservoir, its water supply, located in the towns of Blandford, Granville, and Russell, at the western edge of Hampden County. It also owns Franconia Golf Course, located mostly in East Longmeadow.
As of the 2000 census, there are 152,082 people, 57,130 households, and 36,391 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,829.3/km2 (4,737.7/mi2). There are nearly 1.5 million residents in the greater Springfield-Hartford metro region. In Springfield proper, there are 61,172 housing units at an average density of 735.8/km2 (1,905.6/mi2). The racial makeup of the city is 56.11% White, 21.01% African American, 0.37% Native American, 1.92% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 16.45% from other races, and 4.04% from two or more races. 27.18% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 57,130 households out of which 33.7% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.7% are married couples living together, 23.8% have a female householder with no husband present, and 36.3% are non-families. 30.2% of all households are made up of individuals and 11.4% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.57 and the average family size is 3.19.
In the city the population is spread out with 28.9% under the age of 18, 11.4% from 18 to 24, 28.3% from 25 to 44, 18.8% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 32 years. For every 100 females there are 89.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 84.1 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $30,417, and the median income for a family is $36,285. Males have a median income of $32,396 versus $26,536 for females. The per capita income for the city is $15,232. 23.1% of the population and 19.3% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 33.9% of those under the age of 18 and 11.7% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Springfield was founded in 1636 by William Pynchon, the then assistant treasurer of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The town was named after the city in England where he was born. The location on the floodplains of the Connecticut River included soil suitable for farming. Long, narrow plots of farmland were created, extending out from the river. Over time, parts of the settlement were sectioned off to form neighboring towns, including West Springfield.
It was a small working town when in 1675, during King Philip's War, its security was threatened. The leader of the Wampanoag Indian tribe, Wamsutta, died shortly after being questioned at gunpoint by Plymouth colonists. Soon thereafter, the war began. Wamsutta's brother and successor, Metacom, known as Philip to the colonists, started war with the colony to avenge his brother's death -- the tribe attacked Springfield and destroyed more than half the town.
During the 1770s, George Washington selected Springfield as the site of the National Armory. By the 1780s the Arsenal was a major ammunition and weapons depot. In 1787 poor farmers from western Massachusetts, led by Daniel Shays, tried to seize the arms at Springfield. This came to be known as Shays' Rebellion, and was a key event leading to the Federal Constitutional Convention. Those involved in the rebellion planned to use the weapons to force the closure of the Commonwealth and county courts, which were seizing their lands for debt.
The term Springfield Rifle may refer to any sort of arms produced by the Springfield Armory for the United States armed forces.
In 1852, Smith and Wesson, America's largest producer of handguns, was founded in Springfield. The company remains headquartered there. Also in 1852, Massachusetts incorporated Springfield as a city.
In 1893, two Springfielders named Charles and Frank Duryea built the first ever gasoline powered commercial car in Springfield. The Duryea Motor Wagon was put on the streets of Springfield on September 20, 1893. This part of the city was later annexed by Chicopee, Massachusetts.
Springfield is known as the City of Homes, a nickname given to it in the late 19th century due to its many Victorian mansions, as well as multitudes of single-family houses inhabited by workers.
The city of Springfield is most commonly known as the birthplace of basketball. In 1891, James Naismith, a physical education teacher in Springfield, invented the sport at the Springfield YMCA, now Springfield College, to fill the gap between the football and baseball seasons. The sport quickly became popular worldwide. On February 17, 1986, The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame was opened on the banks of the Connecticut River. In 2002 a new facility for the Hall of Fame opened next to the existing site. Shaped like a basketball and illuminated at night, it has become an interesting addition to the cityscape.
In 1901, the Indian Manufacturing Company, America's first motorcycle brand, was founded by George M. Hendee and C. Oscar Hedstrom in Springfield -- two years before Harley Davidson Motor Company.
Springfield is the birthplace of Theodor Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, and drug pioneer Timothy Leary, among an eclectic group of other notables. More recent famous Springfielders include the National Basketball Associations' Travis Best,and multi-platinum recording artists Staind.
In 1936, Springfield suffered its most devastating natural disaster. The Connecticut River flooded, reaching record heights, inundating the South End and the North End (before the flood, houses -- some of Springfield's finest -- stood where Interstate 91 now runs). Damages were estimated at $200,000,000 in 1936 dollars. This flood occurred at the height of the Great Depression; Western Massachusetts and Springfield had already suffered greatly. The water damage was repaired after WPA money was made available to Springfield. However, large riverfront portions of the North and South Ends no longer exist.
For nearly six decades, Springfield has been slumping economically, due largely to a decline in manufacturing. Many major companies that maintained factories in the city closed their facilities, moving to the suburbs or out of New England all together. In 1968, the Springfield Armory was closed by the Pentagon. In 2005, this exodus continued, with the closure of the Danaher Tool forge, maker of Craftsman tools. Many Springfield residents moved to the suburbs to escape inner-city crime and urban decay. Because manufacturing had been a large part of Springfield's economy, it proved difficult to fill the void with a service-based economy, more so than in similar cities with more diversified economies. Local department stores, Forbes & Wallace and Steigers, shuttered in 1974 and 1994, respectively. Johnsons Bookstore closed a few years later, though this was due less to a decline in retail downtown than competition from chain bookstores, such as Barnes and Noble. A downtown revitalization project known as Baystate West, was completed in 1973, but over the years it too became empty. The construction contributed to Springfield's somewhat modern 1970s-era skyline. The Eastfield Mall, built on Springfield's outskirts in 1969, proved more successful. However, it suffered a decline after the Holyoke Mall was opened in the 1980s. Over the past five years, the mall has rebounded; consequently, Springfield's largest retail area is now on Boston Road, on the northeastern edge of the city, rather than downtown.
The Quadrangle, an extraordinary grouping of museums and sculpture gardens, remains a testament to the city's nineteenth-century grandeur.
Source:
SpringfieldMA.com
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