Springfield, Massachusetts (pop. 155,929; met. area pop. 465,825), is a commercial, educational, financial, and industrial center in the southwestern part of the state. It lies on the Connecticut River, about 90 miles (140 kilometers) southwest of Boston near the Connecticut border. The Springfield metropolitan area consists of Hampden County and covers 617 square miles (1,598 square kilometers).
Description.
Springfield, the county seat of Hampden County, covers 33 square miles (86 square kilometers). Many of the city’s cultural attractions are within a block called the Quadrangle. The Quadrangle includes the Amazing World of Dr. Seuss Museum, the George Walter Vincent Smith Art Museum, the Michele and Donald D’Amour Museum of Fine Arts, the Lyman and Merrie Wood Museum of Springfield History, and the Springfield Science Museum.
A weapons museum, operated by the National Park Service, forms part of the Springfield Armory National Historic Site. Many sports fans visit the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield. It was named for James Naismith, a Springfield teacher who invented basketball in 1891. The city is the home of American International College, Springfield College, and Western New England University.
The city’s manufactured products include chemicals, machinery, and metals. Bradley International Airport lies about 15 miles (24 kilometers) south of the city. Freight and passenger trains also serve Springfield. The city has a mayor-council form of government.
History.
In 1636, a group of English colonists led by William Pynchon bought the site of what is now Springfield from the Agawam Indians and built a settlement. During King Philip’s War (1675-1676), Indians burned most of the buildings in Springfield (see Philip, King). But the colonists rebuilt the town, which became a center for farming and trading.
The Continental Army built an armory in Springfield during the American Revolution (1775-1783). In 1787, a group of farmers led by Daniel Shays tried to capture the armory to protest the imprisonment of debtors. Their revolt failed. See Shays’s Rebellion.
In 1794, the Springfield armory became the first federal United States armory. Many skilled metalworkers moved to Springfield to work at the armory, and industry began to grow in the town. In 1795, the armory made the first military musket produced in the United States. It also developed the Springfield rifle of World War I (1914-1918) and the M1 rifle of World War II (1939-1945).
The coming of the railroad in 1839 contributed to the steady growth of industry and population in the town. Springfield received a city charter in 1852. During the 1850’s, it became a major railroad center. The nation’s first successful gasoline-powered automobile, the Duryea, made its trial run in Springfield in 1893.
The Springfield armory stopped making weapons in 1968. Springfield Technical Community College and private industry took over most of its buildings.
Several major downtown developments took place in the 1970’s and 1980’s. Baystate West (now Tower Square), a hotel-office-retail complex in downtown Springfield, opened in 1971. The Civic Center (now MassMutual Center), which includes facilities for conventions, cultural groups, and sports events, was completed in 1972. Construction in the 1980’s included One Financial Plaza, which has office space, and Monarch Place, a downtown office tower and hotel.
Springfield’s population declined in the late 1900’s because many of its people moved to the suburbs. But the city’s population grew again in the first decade of the 2000’s.
