Springfield, Massachusetts
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| Founded Incorporated | May 14, 1636 | |||||
| County | Hampden County | |||||
| Mayor | Charles Ryan (Dem) | |||||
| Area - Total - Water | 86.0 km² (33.2 mi²) 2.8 km² (1.1 mi²) 3.31% | |||||
| Population - City (2000) - Density - Metropolitan | 152,082 1,768.4/km² 688,495 | |||||
| Time zone | Eastern (UTC –5) | |||||
| Coordinates WGS-84 (GPS) | 42.112411° N 72.547455° W | |||||
Springfield is a city in Massachusetts. It is the county seat of Hampden County6, 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.
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History
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.
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 -- it remains headquartered there.
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 of that year. 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, 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, respectively. (Before the flood, houses--some of Springfield's finest--stood where I-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.
Control Board
In July of 2004, the Massachusetts General Court created, in response to the city's request for additional aid, a state-run Finance Control Board (FCB) to resolve the escalating financial crisis. The fiscal problems had already resulted in wage freezes, cuts in city services, fee increases, and layoffs. The FCB consisted of the mayor, Charles Ryan, city council president, and three appointees of Governor Mitt Romney under the overall direction of state Secretary of Finance and Administration Eric Kriss. The FCB legislation included a state loan of $52 million to be paid back with future city tax receipts. A grant for $20 million was included originally, but former House Speaker Thomas Finneran killed that section, fearing it would invite fiscal irresponsibility among other municipalities. Initial estimates placed the city's operating deficit at over $40 million annually.
The original FCB bill filed by Governor Romney included a suspension of Chapter 150E, the state law that defines the collective bargaining process for public employees (state employees are not covered by federal labor laws). According to the Romney administration, the financial crisis was largely the result of poor cost management by city officials, driven by annual labor increases that exceeded municipal revenue growth over many years. However, according to Mayor Ryan, the city's deficits resulted from cuts in state aid during the 2002-04 recession. State aid fell 2.7% from fiscal year 2002 to 2004. [1]
Political pressure primarily from public sector unions stymied the original bill and led to an unusual non-committee hearing held jointly by both houses of the Massachusetts Legislature. The final FCB bill was passed without a suspension of Chapter 150E.
As of 2005, the FCB had successfully cut the city deficit by about 80%. However, this was not without controversy among the city's unionized workforce. Contract negotiation between the FCB and city unions have been tense, especially with teachers. The FCB proposed a merit-pay contract for the city's school teachers in contrast to traditional seniority-based compensation.
Geography
Springfield is located at 42°6'45" North, 72°32'51" West (42.112411, -72.547455)1.
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 Massachusetts-Connecticut State Line. 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 and precincts 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 that 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. It also borders cities of Agawam and West Springfield from across the Connecticut River. The city also owns Cobble Mountain Reservoir, its water supply, located mostly in Blandford, Granville, and a little bit in Russell towns at the western edge of Hampden County. It also owns Franconia Golf Course, located mostly in East Longmeadow.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, 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.
Law and government
See also: List of Springfield Mayors
Springfield became a city on May 25, 1852 by decree of the Massachusetts Legislature.
Springfield, like all municipalities in Massachusetts enjoys limited home rule. Prior to the Control Board, Springfield's government had the power to establish commissions, pass city ordinances, set tax rates, write a budget, and other miscellaneous operations specifically relating to the city. The current city charter, in effect since 1954, uses a "strong mayor" government with most power concentrated in the mayor as in Boston and elsewhere. The mayor representing the city's executive branch, presents the budget, appoints commissioners and department heads, and in general runs the city. The current Mayor, Charles Ryan, was also mayor during the 1960s.
| Current Springfield City Council |
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The City Council, consisting of nine members, is the city's legislative branch. Each of the members are elected at-large, along with the mayor, every odd numbered year. It passes the budget, authorizes bond sales, holds hearings, create departments and commissions, and amends zoning laws. The city council appoints a president who becomes acting mayor should a vacancy occur in the office.
Recently, efforts have been made to provide each of the city's eight wards a seat in the city council, instead of the current at-large format. There would still be about three at-large seats under this format. The primary argument for this has been that City Councilors currently live in only four of the city's wards. Thus far, the initiative has failed to pass the City Council twice. If ever passed, it would still need the approval of the Massachusetts legislature and the Governor. Many critics argue that the slim Caucasian majority in Springfield keeps the city council out of touch with the needs of Springfield's large black and Hispanic populations. Striking against that argument is that nothing deters blacks and Hispanics from running for office, nor does ward representation guarantee that they will. Some citizens believe that the problem might be corrected by greater voter turnout among blacks and Hispanics. A lawsuit to postpone the November election and force the change remains before a judge, though the election will go through as planned.
The city has no judicial branch itself, but rather uses the Springfield based state courts, which include Springfield district court and Hampden County Superior Court. The Massachusetts Federal District Court also hears cases regularly in Springfield.
Culture
Springfield was and remains, in many respects, the epicenter of Western Massachusetts since its founding in the early 1600s. Because of the great distance from Boston then (and to a degree now) many feel that the city and region are ignored by the powers that be the Eastern parts of the state. Said powers are periodically accused of lumping Springfield and its fomerly industrial neighbors together with the rest of the agricultural areas west of Worcester. Some have observed, sarcastically, that Springfield maintains a better relationship with Hartford than with Boston. Springfield is physically closer to Hartford, shares a major interstate highway, and Bradley International Airport. Sometimes they are considered twin cities.
Though not nearly as cosmopolitan as Boston or New York City, Springfield retains strong ethnic characteristics seen in the variety of restaurants available in all parts of the city. Remnants of the city industrial glory are best represented in its museums at The Quadrangle and its Library system. Though both have suffered funding cuts in recent years, both remain well-respected in their size and scope considering Springfield's reletively small size.
Known as the second poorest city in Massachusetts, (behind Holyoke,) Springfield retains a strong middle class and high homeownership rates in many neighborhoods. Springfield's suburbs are very affluent, most notably Longmeadow, to the south.
Education
Springfield is home to three 4-year colleges: Springfield College, Western New England College and American International College. On the grounds of the former Springfield Armory is Springfield Technical Community College. The greater Springfield area is home to the Five Colleges: Amherst College, Mount Holyoke College, Smith College, Hampshire College, and the University of Massachusetts.
Springfield also has the third largest school district in Massachusetts operating 38 elementary schools, six high schools, and seven specialized schools. The city School Committee recently passed a new neighborhood school program to improve schools and reduce the growing busing costs associated with the current plan. The plan faces stiff opposition from parents and minority groups who claim that the schools are still unequal. The city is required under a 1970s court order to balance school racially which had necessitated busing. However, since then, the city and the school's population has shifted and many of the neighborhoods are more integrated, calling into question the need for busing at all. Though the plan is likely to be challenged in court, the state Board of Education decided it did not have authority to review it, sidestepping the volatile issue while effectively blessing it.
The city also has several private schools. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield operates five Catholic elementary schools in the city and many more in the diocese. The dioceses also runs Cathedral High School.
Media
Springfield's largest local newspaper is The Springfield Republican. It was formerly the Springfield Union-News & Sunday Republican. Smaller papers such as The Reminder and the Valley Advocate also serve Greater Springfield.
Major television stations originating from the city include WWLP (NBC), WGGB (ABC), and WGBY (PBS). Only the PBS and ABC stations broadcast from studios in the city proper. Also in the Springfield area are Univision WHTX, which simulcasts WUVN in Hartford, Connecticut, and Telemundo WDMR, which simulcasts WRDM in Hartford. Other television stations serving Springfield originate from Hartford, Connecticut.
In January 2004, the Hartford CBS affiliate, WFSB, began operating a CBS station, WSHM, aimed at the Springfield-Northampton, Massachusetts market. Currently, the station airs much of the same programming as WFSB, with the exception of the Hartford station's newscasts. WSHM began its own newscasts at 6 and 11 p.m. in October 2005, broadcast out of its downtown Springfield home. Doug Lezette, assistant news director at WRGB in Albany, New York, was hired as the station's news director. Some normal newscasts slots may remain vacant and for the meantime will continue to have syndicated programming.
Transportation
The Springfield-Hartford, Connecticut area is served by Bradley International Airport in nearby Windsor Locks, Connecticut. Springfield and Hartford are located 25 miles apart.
Springfield also has an Amtrak station served by trains destined for New York City, Washington, D.C., Boston, Vermont, and Chicago. Plans exist for redevelopment of the city's Union Station on Frank B. Murray Street into an Intermodal Transportation facility for both Amtrak and bus lines. While significant federal, state, and civic investment has been appropriated for this project, disputes between the owners of the right-of-way and the planners in charge of the project, the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority, have slowed progress.
Early estimates had the project scheduled for completion in 1998. As of late 2004, little work had been done other than sweeping up the interior and replacing old water and sewer lines in the building. In the mean time, Amtrak operates out of its own station facility built into one of the old platforms with an entrance on Lyman street, which lies on the side of the railroad embankment opposite the station. Buses running into the city use a facility owned and operated by Peter Pan Bus Lines, located on the corner of Main and Liberty streets.
Springfield is often referred to as the "Crossroads of New England" because of the crossing of major east-west and north-south railroads. While the same railways exist and operate today, the city is also served by a number of Interstate Highways including I-90 (Mass Pike) and I-91, which connect New Haven, Hartford, Holyoke, Northampton, and Vermont to Springfield. One of the only spurs of I-91 in Massachusetts, I-291, runs through the city connecting I-90 to I-91 since the turnpike does not actually enter the city.
See also
- West Springfield, Massachusetts
- Longmeadow, Massachusetts
- Westfield, Massachusetts
- Agawam, Massachusetts
- Holyoke, Massachusetts
- Amherst, Massachusetts
- Northampton, Massachusetts
- Pittsfield, Massachusetts
- Western Mass Pioneers USL soccer team
External links
- SpringfieldMass.com Springfields Tourism directory.
- City of Springfield, Massachusetts Official city website.
- Pioneer Valley Transit Authority Area Transit website.
- masslive.com Local-interest site with news from the Springfield Republican, the largest local daily newspaper
- The Valley Advocate (local weekly alternative newspaper)
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Local or Yahoo! Maps
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
- Satellite image from Google Local or Microsoft Virtual Earth
