Chicopee, Massachusetts
Encyclopedia
Chicopee is a city located on the Connecticut River
Connecticut River
The Connecticut River is the largest and longest river in New England, and also an American Heritage River. It flows roughly south, starting from the Fourth Connecticut Lake in New Hampshire. After flowing through the remaining Connecticut Lakes and Lake Francis, it defines the border between the...

 in Hampden County, Massachusetts
Hampden County, Massachusetts
-Demographics:As of the census of 2004, there were 461,228 people, 175,288 households, and 115,690 families residing in the county. The population density was 738 people per square mile . There were 185,876 housing units at an average density of 301 per square mile...

, United States of America. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area
Springfield, Massachusetts metropolitan area
The Springfield Metropolitan Area is a region that is socio-economically and culturally tied to the City of Springfield, Massachusetts. The U.S. Office of Management and Budget defines the Springfield metropolitan statistical area as consisting of three counties in Western Massachusetts. As of...

. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 55,298, making it the second largest city in Western Massachusetts
Western Massachusetts
Western Massachusetts is a loosely defined geographical region of the U.S. state of Massachusetts which contains the Berkshires, the Pioneer Valley, and some or all of the Swift River Valley. The region is always considered to include Berkshire, Franklin, Hampshire, and Hampden counties, and the...

 after Springfield. The current mayor is Michael D. Bissonnette.

Chicopee uses the nickname “Crossroads of New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...

” as part of a business-development marketing campaign. The name reflects the city's convenient location amongst a number of metropolitan areas and its transportation network. Four highways run through its boundaries: I-90
Massachusetts Turnpike
The Massachusetts Turnpike is the easternmost stretch of Interstate 90. The Turnpike begins at the western border of Massachusetts in West Stockbridge connecting with the Berkshire Connector portion of the New York State Thruway...

, I-91
Interstate 91
Interstate 91 is an Interstate Highway in the New England region of the United States. It provides the primary north–south thoroughfare in the western part of New England...

, I-291
Interstate 291 (Massachusetts)
Interstate 291 is a connector highway in Massachusetts that links Interstate 91 in downtown Springfield with Interstate 90 in Chicopee. I-291 is roughly a northeast/southwest highway. It merges with I-91 at its southwestern terminus, via a flyover...

, and I-391. State routes such as Route 33, 116, and 141, are major providers of regional linkage.

The communities of Chicopee Center (Cabotville), Chicopee Falls, Willimansett, Fairview, Aldenville, and Burnett Road are located in the city.

Name

The city is named after the Chicopee River
Chicopee River
The Chicopee River is an tributary of the Connecticut River in Metropolitan Springfield, Massachusetts, known for fast-moving water and its extraordinarily large basin: the Connecticut River's largest tributary basin...

, whose mouth empties into the Connecticut River
Connecticut River
The Connecticut River is the largest and longest river in New England, and also an American Heritage River. It flows roughly south, starting from the Fourth Connecticut Lake in New Hampshire. After flowing through the remaining Connecticut Lakes and Lake Francis, it defines the border between the...

 on in its boundaries. "Chicopee" is a Nipmuc name, probably from chekee ("violent") and pe ("waters") in most Algonquian
Algonquian languages
The Algonquian languages also Algonkian) are a subfamily of Native American languages which includes most of the languages in the Algic language family. The name of the Algonquian language family is distinguished from the orthographically similar Algonquin dialect of the Ojibwe language, which is a...

 dialects, with reference to rapids. The Nipmucs are the native residents of the region and have been here since before the arrival of the English.

Alternatively, chikkuppee ("of cedar") is the adjective form of chickkup ("cedar").

Nayasett (Cabotville and Chicopee Falls)

In 1636, William Pynchon purchased land from the Agawam Indians on the east side of the Connecticut River and moved from Roxbury to Springfield to found the first settlement in the area that comprises the territory of today's Chicopee Center (Cabotville). Both Cabotville and the Falls began as manufacturing centers (villages).

According to local historian Charles J. Seaver, the area above the falls was first settled in 1660. The land purchased from the Indians was divided into districts. Nayasett was the name given to Chicopee Center and Chicopee Falls. The settlement in the upper district was at Skipmuck, a place above the falls on the south side of the river.

A sawmill was the first river industry. The mill was built at Skenungonuck Falls (now Chicopee Falls) in 1678 by Japhet Chapin, John Hitchcock and Nathaniel Foote. The mill was the first industrial site in Chicopee Falls. The saga of Factory Village really begins in the year 1786, when the property comprising two acres of land was leased to 10 local men with the understanding that they would build an iron foundry within two years. This was accomplished and the business flourished.

In 1823, Jonathan Dwight purchased the water privilege at Skenungonuck Falls in Chicopee. Five years later the textile mill had 14,000 spindles and nearly 500 looms, making it the second-largest operation in the state.

By 1831, there were two giant dams, two waterpower canals and two manufacturing communities on the Chicopee River.

In 1848, Chicopee - which, for over two centuries had been a part of Springfield - was partitioned off into its own town. Political factions in Springfield wanted Springfield to remain a town, rather become a city and take on a mayoral form of government. By partitioning off Chicopee, those political factions prevented Springfield from becoming a city for four years - Springfield was chartered as a city in 1852; however, Springfield lost 2/5 of its land area and nearly half of its population when Chicopee was created.

Before and after the partition, eight Chicopee River companies gained product recognition around the globe: Ames, Belcher, Lamb, Dwight, Stevens, Spalding, Fisk, and Duryea. Below the falls in the bend of the river at a place called Factory Village, an important chapter of the region's industrial history was played out.

Chicopee adopted the motto "Industriae Variae", which means "Industry Varies". Chicopee was home to many types of industries which include cotton mills, woolen mills, textiles, brass foundries and iron foundries
Iron Foundry
Factory: machine-music , Op. 19, commonly referred to as the Iron Foundry, is the most well-known work by Soviet composer Alexander Mosolov and a prime example of Soviet futurist music. It was composed between 1926 and 1927 as the first movement of the ballet suite...

, paper making, leather products like boots and shoes, the first lucifer matches, and ship building for the nearby South Hadley Canal, firearms company Crescent-Davis, which specialized in double barrel shotgun
Shotgun
A shotgun is a firearm that is usually designed to be fired from the shoulder, which uses the energy of a fixed shell to fire a number of small spherical pellets called shot, or a solid projectile called a slug...

s. The Ames Manufacturing Company made many machines and bronze
Bronze
Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...

 cannons, and more sword
Sword
A sword is a bladed weapon used primarily for cutting or thrusting. The precise definition of the term varies with the historical epoch or the geographical region under consideration...

s than any other American manufacturer at the time. Ames cast Thomas Ball's monumental bronze equestrian statue of George Washington, installed in Boston's Public Garden. The Stevens Arms
Stevens Arms
Stevens Arms was an American firearms manufacturer founded by Joshua Stevens in 1864. The company introduced the .22 Long Rifle round and made a number of rifle, shotgun, and target pistol designs before being bought by Savage Arms in 1920. After 1920, Stevens made training rifles and machineguns...

 plant (later Savage
Savage Arms
The Savage Arms Company is a firearms manufacturing company based in Westfield, Massachusetts, with a division located in Canada. The company makes a variety of rimfire and centerfire rifles, as well as marketing the Stevens single-shot rifles and shotguns...

) was responsible for most of the Number 4 Enfields manufactured for the British under Lend-Lease
Lend-Lease
Lend-Lease was the program under which the United States of America supplied the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, China, Free France, and other Allied nations with materiel between 1941 and 1945. It was signed into law on March 11, 1941, a year and a half after the outbreak of war in Europe in...

. Chicopee was home to the first gasoline
Gasoline
Gasoline , or petrol , is a toxic, translucent, petroleum-derived liquid that is primarily used as a fuel in internal combustion engines. It consists mostly of organic compounds obtained by the fractional distillation of petroleum, enhanced with a variety of additives. Some gasolines also contain...

-powered automobile
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...

 made in the United States, Duryea.

Chicopee was the first city west of Boston to form a publicly funded public library. The Chicopee Public Library
Chicopee Public Library
The Chicopee Public Library is the public library for the city of Chicopee, Massachusetts. A member of the Western Massachusetts Regional Library System , the Chicopee Public Library participates in resources sharing and collaboration with all other libraries in the WRMLS system...

 was formed by a donation to the city by the Cabotville Institute.

Willimansett

In 1641, Willian Pynchon expanded his 1636 holdings by buying the land from the Chicopee River north to the Willimansett Brook. Land sales in Chicopee were recorded in 1659, but apparently no homes were built immediately.

Winthrop McKinstry writes that the sons of Deacon Samuel Chapin appear to be the first home builders. Henry Chapin is believed to have constructed his at Exchange and West streets (lower Chicopee) in 1664, and Japhet Chapin north of what is now known as James Ferry Road (upper Chicopee) in 1673. It is apparent from McKinstry's book that the Chapin family dominated the area north of the Chicopee River for the settlement's first 70 years. Chicopee Street was part of the First Parish in Springfield.

By the 1750s, Quabbin Road (now McKinstry Avenue) allowed the farmers to access the meadows and fields on the plains at the top of the hill. The Chapins used the land in common for grazing livestock and built ice houses near several large ponds. The ponds were drained by several brooks which flowed into the Connecticut River.

At the end of the 19th century, the city voted to build the Willimansett Bridge, connecting Willimansett with Holyoke. The results were profound. Willimansett and Aldenville would develop close ties to Holyoke; even postal and telephone service were (and still are) tied to the "Paper City." The legislative act ordering the building of the bridge was passed in 1892. L.L. Johnson reports that the completion of the bridge was grandly celebrated.

By the 20th centry, Willimansett village had developed into quintessential Americana with a high percentage of French Canadian inhabitants. In total, Chicopee became four distinct commercial and political sub-divisions, each with its own ethnic makeup representing its own special interests and, much too frequently, in conflict with each other.

Fairview

Fairview is the northern-most neighborhood (village) in Chicopee and originally included the lands that are now part of Westover ARB. Primarily agricultural, Fairview was known for its tobacco farms. After 1939, Westover helped to rapidly develop the village into a residential and commercial district. Memorial Drive (Route 33) flows North-South connecting Chicopee Falls with South Hadley.

Aldenville

On August 18, 1870, Edward Monroe Alden purchased 600 acres of land just east of Willimansett for the sum of $9,000 with the intent to create a "little city on the hill," which would become Aldenville. In 1890, he began laying out streets which he named for family members and divided the land up into 60-by-170 feet lots. French-Canadian factory workers from Chicopee Falls, Cabotville (Chicopee Center), and Holyoke began to build up the community. Sold for a selling price of $150 with $10 down, the first house was bought and built by French-Canadian builder and carpenter Marcellin Croteau.

Partition from Springfield and modern history

The villages of Cabotville, Chicopee Falls, Willimansett, and Fairview (and the lands that would become Aldenville) remained a part of Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield is the most populous city in Western New England, and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers; the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern...

 from 1636 until 1848, when they were partitioned to form the Town of Chicopee. Political factions in Springfield had wished to keep Springfield a "town," instead of becoming a "city," which would give it a mayoral form of government. To keep Springfield sufficiently unpopulated to subvert a state regulation that would have required it to become a city, they partitioned Chicopee, which contained approximately 2/5 of Springfield's land area, and nearly half of its population. Regardless of the partition, Springfield became a city only four years after the partition of Chicopee. Both cities continued to flourish for over a century after the partition.

On April 18, 1890, the community was granted a charter as a city by the Massachusetts General Court
Massachusetts General Court
The Massachusetts General Court is the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name "General Court" is a hold-over from the Colonial Era, when this body also sat in judgment of judicial appeals cases...

. George Sylvester Taylor
George Sylvester Taylor
George Sylvester Taylor became the first mayor of Chicopee, Massachusetts on January 5, 1891.He was born in Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts, one of ten children of Sylvestor Taylor and Sarah Eaton . He married Asenath Boylston Cobb on November 25, 1845, with whom he had six children...

 (1822–1910) became Chicopee's first mayor on January 5, 1891.

Westover Field was created by a war-readiness appropriation signed by president Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1939. The site was formerly tobacco crop fields east of and part of Fairview, east of Aldenview, and northern Willimansett. It was assigned to the United States Army Air Corps Northeast Air District. It was renamed Westover Air Force Base in 1948 after that Air Force's creation as a separate service. In 1974 SAC leadership turned the base over to the Air Force Reserve.

In 1991, St. Stanislaus Bishop and Martyr Church
Basilica of St. Stanislaus, Chicopee
The Basilica of St. Stanislaus is a Roman Catholic minor basilica dedicated to Stanislaus of Szczepanów located in Chicopee, Massachusetts. The church is under the circumscription of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts and serves St. Stanislaus Bishop & Martyr's Parish. ...

, located on Front Street, was proclaimed a minor basilica
Minor basilica
Minor basilica is a title given to some Roman Catholic churches. By canon law no Catholic church can be honoured with the title of basilica unless by apostolic grant or from immemorial custom....

 by Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...

.

Former Mayor Richard Goyette was sentenced October 2007 to one year community confinement in addition to two years in prison for extortion.

Geography

Chicopee is located at 42°10′13"N 72°35′19"W (42.170159, -72.588630).
The city is made up of several neighborhoods; the result of the city's origin as a collection of four villages in the northern-most part of Springfield, which seceded from it in 1848. Chicopee Falls, Chicopee Center (Cabotville), Fairview, and Willimansett continued to develop. In the early 1900s, Aldenville developed as a distinct community. Since then, the city has filled in most of its open space resulting in a number of new neighborhoods. These neighborhoods include Chicomansett, Ferry Lane, Sandy Hill, and the geographically isolated Burnett Road neighborhood.

The city is bordered by Holyoke to the northwest, West Springfield to the southwest, Springfield to the south, Ludlow to the east, Granby to the northeast, and South Hadley to the north. Chicopee is located 29 miles (46.7 km) away from Hartford
Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...

, 92 miles (148.1 km) away from Boston, 90 miles (144.8 km) from Albany
Albany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...

, and 140 miles (225.3 km) from New York City.

According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...

, the city has a total area of 23.9 square miles (61.9 km²), of which, 22.9 square miles (59.3 km²) of it is land and 1 square miles (2.6 km²) of it (4.31%) is water. The Chicopee River
Chicopee River
The Chicopee River is an tributary of the Connecticut River in Metropolitan Springfield, Massachusetts, known for fast-moving water and its extraordinarily large basin: the Connecticut River's largest tributary basin...

 flows through the south part of the city, feeding into the Connecticut River. Many ponds, lakes, and streams are part of the Chicopee River or Connecticut River watersheds.

Willimansett, and portions of the Center and Falls are on low land, with Aldenville, Fairview, Westover, and the Burnett Road neighborhoods on an elevated plateau.

Events

  • The Chicopee Fest-of-All is a Fourth of July celebration in Szot Park featuring live bands, games, local foods, and fireworks.
  • The Great New England Air Show is an annual two day air show held at Westover Air Reserve Base. 300,000 visitors attended in 2008. The next show is scheduled for August 4-5, 2012.
  • The Sword Game is an annual football game that began in 1964 after the founding of Chicopee's second high school, Chicopee Comprehensive High School. It is held every fall between Chicopee High School and Chicopee Comprehensive High School. The city's mayor presents the winning team with the Mayor's Sword, a sword that was manufactured in the 1890s by Ames Manufacturing Company in Cabotville.
  • The World Kielbasa Festival was a four day fair run by the Chicopee Chamber of Commerce's Fireball Club. It featured Polish food, polka dancing, games, and rides. It took place in the parking lot behind the Fairfield Mall (the current Chicopee Crossing site), running from 1974 until the mid-1990s.

Sites

  • Ames Tower - in Cabotville, it was formerly part of the Ames Manufacturing facilities and is now part of the Ames Privilege Apartment complex.
  • Westover Air Reserve Base - was built here in 1940. It has one of the largest runways on the east coast at 11,597 x 301 feet (91.7 m). This is also home to Westover Metropolitan Airport.
  • Chicopee Memorial State Park - is located in the Burnett Road neighborhood and formerly known as the Cooley Brook Reservoir and Watershed, the Chicopee Memorial State Park
    Chicopee Memorial State Park
    Chicopee Memorial State Park is a Massachusetts state park located in the Burnett Road neighborhood of Chicopee. The park is managed by the Department of Conservation and Recreation.-Description:...

     has been developed into a high use active recreation area. The total area is 575 acres (2.3 km²) including two 25 acres (101,171.5 m²) ponds. Activities include swimming, fishing, picnicking, jogging and biking.
  • The Chicopee War Memorial - is located off of the intersection of Bonneville Avenue and Front Street. It is home to several statues and monuments to World War II veterans and Vietnam War veterans.
  • Frank J. Szot Memorial Park - is a focal point for community events in the city with accommodations for baseball, basketball, and picnicking. The stadium is typically used for local and regional soccer and football games. Features include a pond, two WWII tanks, several war monuments, and a fountain.


  • The Chicopee City Hall
    City Hall (Chicopee, Massachusetts)
    City Hall is a historic city hall in Chicopee, Massachusetts. It was built in 1871 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974....

    - was built in 1871 in the Romanesque style. It was added to the National Register of Historic Place on July 30, 1974.
  • The Edward Bellamy House
    Edward Bellamy House
    The Edward Bellamy House is a National Historic Landmark at 91-93 Church Street in Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts.The house was built in 1852 and was the home of journalist Edward Bellamy. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places and designated a National Historic Landmark in...

    - is a National Historic Landmark at 91-93 Church Street in Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts. The house was built in 1852 and was the home of journalist Edward Bellamy. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1971.
  • The Emerson Gaylord Mansion - is a historic mansion is located at the north edge of the Elms College campus on the corner of Springfield and Fairview Streets. It currently houses the college's Division of Business and Law, as well as the Institute for Theology and Pastoral Studies.
  • The Polish Center of Discovery and Learning- is a local history museum celebrating contributions made to the economy, arts, and sciences by immigrant Poles and their ancestors in Western New England. The museum also sponsors regular workshops, exhibits, concerts, conferences, seminars, films, plays, and lectures regarding the cultural traditions, contributions, and history of Poland, the Polish people, and the Polish diaspora.
  • The Facemate Tower - is a historic tower on the Chicopee River in Chicopee Falls. It was formerly a part of the Facemate Industrial Complex.
  • The Basilica of St. Stanislaus
    Basilica of St. Stanislaus, Chicopee
    The Basilica of St. Stanislaus is a Roman Catholic minor basilica dedicated to Stanislaus of Szczepanów located in Chicopee, Massachusetts. The church is under the circumscription of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts and serves St. Stanislaus Bishop & Martyr's Parish. ...

    - , located on Front Street, is a 1908 brownstone, cathedral-like church built in the Baroque Revival Style of architecture. It is regarded as one the most imposing churches in the area. The interior of the church can accommodate approximately 800 worshipers in the main and two side naves. A pipe organ was installed in the choir loft in 1920. During the parish's 1991 centennial, Pope John Paul II designated it a Minor Basilica.
  • The Chicopee Canal Walk - dedicated on May 21, 2010, is a 1100 feet (335.3 m) pedestrian walkway and mini park that follows the canal from the Cabotville Historic Sycamore Trees to Grape Street. The path follows a portion of a former industrial railway. Plans are to extend the path to the Deady Bridge, creating a bicycle and pedestrian route connecting Cabotville and Chicopee Falls.
  • The Cabotville Historic Sycamore Trees - are trees that were present when Chicopee became a town in 1848, matured when it became a city in 1890. They were designated Heritage Trees in 1999 by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
  • The Willimansett Dike - is an elevated, artificial levee in Willimansett, built after the destructive Willimansett flood caused by The Great New England Hurricane of 1938. It stretches from Nash Field, following the Connecticut River south to I-90 bridge adjacent to the Chicopee boat ramp.
  • The Uniroyal Office Building - is a historic building in Chicopee Falls that is formerly part of the Uniroyal Industrial Complex.

Economy

Chicopee is mostly a service economy with a mixture of small, local businesses and national chains. Reflecting the city's history, many business are Polish-American and include the Chicopee Provision Company, a major producer of Polish sausage kielbasa
Kielbasa
Kielbasa, kołbasa, kobasa, kovbasa, kobasa, kobasi, and kubasa are common North American anglicizations for a type of Eastern European sausage. Synonyms include Polish sausage, Ukrainian sausage, etc...

 under the Blue Seal brand and Millie's Pierogi Company, a producer of traditional Polish dumplings pierogi
Pierogi
Pierogi are dumplings of unleavened dough - first boiled, then they are baked or fried usually in butter with onions - traditionally stuffed with potato filling, sauerkraut, ground meat, cheese, or fruit...

.

Chicopee is home to Alden Credit Union, The Polish National Credit Union and Chicopee Savings Bank. Chicopee Savings Bank is run by Chicopee Bancorp, which operates trades as CBNK on the NASDAQ exchange.

The Chicopee River Business Park and Westover Business Park are within the city's boundaries.

Demographics

Originally settled by several English families, after the city's industrial revolution its population was redefined by the nationality of its immigrant occupants, predominantly Polish and French Canadian. While this strong immigrant heritage is still pronounced throughout the city; assimilation and migration contributed to Chicopee's transition from a collection of ethnic communities into a unified and multi-ethnic city.

As of the census of 2000, there were 54,653 people, 23,117 households, and 14,147 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,389.7 people per square mile (922.7/km²). There were 24,424 housing units at an average density of 1,067.9 per square mile (412.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 89.82% White, 2.28% African American, 0.20% Native American, 0.87% Asian, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 4.90% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, and 1.84% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 8.76% of the population. Chicopee is the second largest municipality in Western Massachusetts
Western Massachusetts
Western Massachusetts is a loosely defined geographical region of the U.S. state of Massachusetts which contains the Berkshires, the Pioneer Valley, and some or all of the Swift River Valley. The region is always considered to include Berkshire, Franklin, Hampshire, and Hampden counties, and the...

, after Springfield (defining Western Massachusetts as Hampden
Hampden County, Massachusetts
-Demographics:As of the census of 2004, there were 461,228 people, 175,288 households, and 115,690 families residing in the county. The population density was 738 people per square mile . There were 185,876 housing units at an average density of 301 per square mile...

, Hampshire
Hampshire County, Massachusetts
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 152,251 people, 55,991 households, and 33,818 families residing in the county. The population density was 288 people per square mile . There were 58,644 housing units at an average density of 111 per square mile...

, Franklin
Franklin County, Massachusetts
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 71,535 people, 29,466 households, and 18,416 families residing in the county. The population density was 102 people per square mile . There were 31,939 housing units at an average density of 46 per square mile...

, and Berkshire
Berkshire County, Massachusetts
Berkshire County is a non-governmental county located on the western edge of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. As of the 2010 census, the population was 131,219. Its largest city and traditional county seat is Pittsfield...

 counties).

There were 23,117 households out of which 26.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.6% were married couples living together, 14.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.8% were non-families. 32.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.96.

In the city the population was spread out with 22.6% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 28.8% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 17.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 90.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $35,672, and the median income for a family was $44,136. Males had a median income of $35,585 versus $25,975 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,646. About 9.6% of families and 12.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.5% of those under age 18 and 9.3% of those age 65 or over.

Liberal Arts colleges

The College of Our Lady of the Elms is a four-year liberal arts college offering thirty-three academic majors. It was first founded in 1897 as a girls' preparatory academy in Pittsfield
Pittsfield, Massachusetts
Pittsfield is the largest city and the county seat of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the principal city of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Berkshire County. Its area code is 413. Its ZIP code is 01201...

, the Academy of Our Lady of the Elms. In 1899, it moved to Chicopee as St. Joseph's Normal College. A charter for the school to operate as a women's liberal arts college was approved in 1928, and the name was changed to the College of Our Lady of the Elms. It began admitting men in 1998.

Public schools (K-12)

The City of Chicopee operates fifteen public schools within the Chicopee School District, serving 7800 students. Richard W. Rege is the superintendent. There are nine elementary schools, two middle schools, one early childhood center, and three high schools (Chicopee High School
Chicopee High School
Chicopee High School is a public high school located in Chicopee, Massachusetts, United States. It serves students in grades 9 through 12. Its official school colors are maroon and gold. Its mascot is the "Pacer."-History:...

, Chicopee Comprehensive High School and Chicopee Academy).

Private elementary

Chicopee has a multitude of Catholic schools that are operated under the Diocese of Springfield. These schools include: Holy Name School which serves Holy Name of Jesus parish (now operating at the site of the former Assumption parish's Church): Saint Joan of Arc/Saint George School which serves Saint Rose de Lima Church on Grattan Street; and Saint Stanislaus School which serves the St. Stanislaus Bishop & Martyr's Parish
St. Stanislaus Bishop & Martyr's Parish, Chicopee
St. Stanislaus Bishop & Martyr's Parish - designated for Polish immigrants in Chicopee, Massachusetts, United States.- History :In 1890 the Bishop Patrick O'Reilly appointed Fr. Franciszek Chalupka spiritual adviser to the group responsible for organizing the new parishes and entrusted him with...

 Bishop and Martyr on Front Street.

Within the past decade, a number of private elementary schools and their associated parishes have closed. These include Assumption School which served the former Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary parish, Saint Patrick's School which served the former Saint Patrick's parish (closure of this parish is currently in dispute), Mount Carmel School which served the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary parish, and Saint George School which served Saint George's parish that merged with Saint Rose de Lima / Saint Joan of Arc School.

Private secondary

Holyoke Catholic High School
Holyoke Catholic High School
Holyoke Catholic High School is a private, Roman Catholic high school in Chicopee, Massachusetts, USA. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield in Massachusetts.-Background:...

 was founded in 1963 at the campus of the former Saint Jerome High School in Holyoke. In 2002 it relocated to the campus of Saint Hyacinth Seminary in Granby
Granby, Massachusetts
Granby is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 6,420 at the 2010 census.It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area.Part of the town is comprised in the census-designated place of Granby....

. It moved to its current location in September 2008.
Along with nearby Elms College
Elms College
The College of Our Lady of the Elms, often called Elms College, is a Catholic liberal arts college located in Chicopee, Massachusetts, near Springfield.- History :...

 and several parishes, it forms what Mayor Michael D. Bissonnette has called the "Catholic Corridor."

Notable residents

  • Edward Bellamy
    Edward Bellamy
    Edward Bellamy was an American author and socialist, most famous for his utopian novel, Looking Backward, set in the year 2000. He was a very influential writer during the Gilded Age of United States history.-Early life:...

    , author
  • Duryea brothers, Charles Duryea
    Charles Duryea
    Charles Edgar Duryea was the engineer of the first-ever working American gasoline-powered car. He was born near Canton, Illinois, the son of George Washington Duryea and Louisa Melvina Turner and died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but spent most of his life working in Springfield, Massachusetts...

     (1861–1938) and Frank Duryea (1869–1967), were the first to build an automobile
    Automobile
    An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...

     in the United States
  • Ray Fitzgerald
    Ray Fitzgerald
    Raymond Francis Fitzgerald was a Major League Baseball player...

    , Major League Baseball player
  • Damien Fahey
    Damien Fahey
    Damien Richard Fahey is an MTV VJ, television host, and drummer.-Early life and family background:Fahey grew up in Chicopee, Massachusetts, and moved to the town of Longmeadow, Massachusetts during the summer of 1992...

    , Television and Radio Personality, former host of MTV's TRL
    Total Request Live
    Total Request Live is a television series on MTV that featured popular music videos. TRL was MTV's prime outlet for music videos as the network continues to concentrate on reality-based programming. In addition to music videos, TRL featured daily guests...

  • Philip Labonte
    Philip Labonte
    Philip Steven Labonte is an American musician from Massachusetts, best known as the lead singer of the American metalcore band All That Remains and formerly of Shadows Fall.-History:...

    , musician, vocalist for All That Remains
    All That Remains (band)
    All That Remains is an American heavy metal band from Springfield, Massachusetts, which formed in 1998. They have released five studio albums, a live CD/DVD, and have sold nearly 800,000 records...

  • Scott Barnes, Minor League Baseball Player currently playing for the Akron Aeros
    Akron Aeros
    The Akron Aeros are a minor league baseball team based in Akron, Ohio, USA. The team, which plays in the Eastern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians.The Aeros play in Canal Park, located in downtown Akron, which seats 9,097 fans...

  • Arthur MacArthur, Jr.
    Arthur MacArthur, Jr.
    Lieutenant General Arthur MacArthur, Jr. , was a United States Army General. He became the military Governor-General of the American-occupied Philippines in 1900 but his term ended a year later due to clashes with the civilian governor, future President William Howard Taft...

    , Army
    United States Army
    The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

     General
  • The Acacia Strain
    The Acacia Strain
    The Acacia Strain is an American deathcore band from Chicopee, Massachusetts. Originally founded in 2001, the band itself has undergone numerous changes in the member line-up...

    , musical group
  • Robert P. Mason, Financial Analyst, Walt Disney Company

See also

  • Westover Metropolitan Airport
    Westover Metropolitan Airport
    For the military airport use of this facility, see Westover Joint Air Reserve BaseWestover Metropolitan Airport is a civilian airline, and general aviation airport located in the Massachusetts communities of Chicopee, Granby, and Ludlow, near the cities of Springfield and Holyoke, Massachusetts...

  • Polish Cathedral style
    Polish Cathedral style
    The Polish Cathedral architectural style is a North American genre of Catholic church architecture found throughout the Great Lakes and Middle Atlantic regions as well as in parts of New England...

  • Chicopee Falls Dam
    Chicopee Falls Dam
    The Chicopee Falls Dam is a masonry stone dam that parallels Route 33 in Chicopee, Massachusetts. It is part of the Chicopee River Watershed. The dam was constructed in the late 19th century, and is currently owned by the City of Chicopee...

  • Willimansett Bridge
    Willimansett Bridge
    The Willimansett Bridge is a steel truss bridge over the Connecticut River located between Chicopee, Massachusetts and Holyoke, Massachusetts. It carries Massachusetts state routes 116 and 141.- History :...

  • Cabotville Common Historic District
    Cabotville Common Historic District
    Cabotville Common Historic District is a historic district on School, Chestnut, Park and West Streets in Chicopee, Massachusetts....

  • Springfield Street Historic District
    Springfield Street Historic District
    Springfield Street Historic District is a historic district roughly bounded by Springfield St., Gaylord St. and Fairview Avenue in Chicopee, Massachusetts....

  • Polish National Home
    Polish National Home (Chicopee, Massachusetts)
    Polish National Home is a historic home at 136-144 Cabot Street in Chicopee, Massachusetts.It was built in 1912 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980....

  • Belcher Lodge
    Thomas D. Page House
    Thomas D. Page House, also known as Belcher Lodge or as Masonic Temple, is a historic house at 105 East Street in Chicopee, Massachusetts.The house was built in 1909 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1988....

  • Ames Manufacturing Company
    Ames Manufacturing Company
    Ames Manufacturing Company has its origins in blacksmith and founder, Captain John Ames, who in 1774, made some of the first manufactured shovels in what would emerge as the new, United States of America. The company was founded in 1791 at their factory in Chelmsford, Massachusetts...

  • Dwight Manufacturing Company Housing District
    Dwight Manufacturing Company Housing District
    Dwight Manufacturing Company Housing District is a historic district on Front, Depot, Dwight, Exchange, Chestnut Streets in Chicopee, Massachusetts....

  • Valentine School
  • Carreau Block
    Carreau Block
    Carreau Block is a historic block at 640-642 Chicopee Street in Chicopee, Massachusetts.It was built in 1912 and added to the National Historic Register in 1998....

  • Al's Diner
    Al's Diner
    Al's Diner is a historic diner at 14 Yelle Street in Chicopee, Massachusetts.It was built by Master Diners and added to the National Historic Register in 2000....


Further reading

  • Shlakman. Vera. Economic History of a Factory Town: A Study of Chicopee, Massachusetts (1935)
    • Kessler-Harris, Alice. "Vera Shlakman, Economic History of a Factory Town, A Study of Chicopee, Massachusetts (1935)", International Labor & Working-Class History Spring 2006, Issue 69, pp 195–200

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK