Palmer, Massachusetts
| Palmer, Massachusetts | ||
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| City | ||
St. Paul's Church
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| Nickname(s): "Town of Seven Railroads" | ||
 Location in Hampden County in Massachusetts |
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 Palmer, Massachusetts
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| Coordinates: 42°09′30″N 72°19′45″W / 42.15833°N 72.32917°WCoordinates: 42°09′30″N 72°19′45″W / 42.15833°N 72.32917°W | ||
| Country | United States | |
| State | Massachusetts | |
| County | Hampden | |
| Settled | 1727 | |
| Incorporated | 1775 | |
| Government | ||
| • Type | Council-manager | |
| • Councilors-at-large | Paul Burns, Council President Michael Magiera, Karl, Williams, Eric Duda, William Hielman, District Councilors, Barbara Barry, Phil Hebert, Raymond Remillard and Roger Duguay |
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| • Town Manager | Matthew Streeter | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 32.0 sq mi (82.9 km2) | |
| • Land | 31.5 sq mi (81.7 km2) | |
| • Water | 0.5 sq mi (1.3 km2) | |
| Elevation | 330 ft (101 m) | |
| Population (2000) | ||
| • Total | 12,497 | |
| • Density | 396.3/sq mi (153.0/km2) | |
| Time zone | Eastern (UTC-5) | |
| • Summer (DST) | Eastern (UTC-4) | |
| ZIP code | 01069 | |
| Area code(s) | 413 | |
| FIPS code | 25-52105 | |
| GNIS feature ID | 0619387 | |
| Website | Town of Palmer, Massachusetts | |
Palmer is a city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 12,140 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. Palmer adopted a home rule charter in 2004 with a council-manager form of government. Palmer is one of fourteen Massachusetts municipalities that have applied for, and been granted, city forms of government but wish to retain "The town of” in their official names.
The villages of Bondsville, Thorndike, Depot Village, and Three Rivers are located in the town.
Palmer is composed of four separate and distinct villages: Depot Village, typically referred to simply as "Palmer" (named for the ornate Union Station railroad terminal designed by architect Henry Hobson Richardson), Thorndike, Three Rivers, and Bondsville. The villages began to develop their distinctive characters in the 18th century, and by the 19th century two rail lines and a trolley line opened the town to population growth. Today, each village has its own post office, and all but Thorndike have their own fire station.
Palmer was originally a part of Brimfield but separated after being too far from Brimfield. Palmer's first settler was John King. King was born in Edwardstone, Suffolk, England, and built his home in 1716 on the banks of the Quaboag River. The area as then known was called "The Elbow Tract". In 1731, a deed to land in today's Palmer renamed the town 'New Marlborough' after Marlborough, Massachusetts in today's Middlesex County. In 1731, residents of the borough renamed the town 'Kingsfield', after the aforementioned John King. Though in some papers in the Massachusetts General Court, it was referred to as the Elbow. A large group of Scots-Irish Presbyterians followed, arriving in 1727. Finally in 1752, it was named Palmer after Chief Justice Palmer. In 1775, Massachusetts officially incorporated Palmer.
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