Springfield, Massachusetts | |||
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City | |||
City of Springfield | |||
Skyline of Springfield in October 2009
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Nickname(s): The City of Firsts; The City of Progress; The City of Homes; A City in the Forest; Hoop City | |||
Location in Hampden County in Massachusetts |
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Location in the United States | |||
Coordinates: 42°06′05″N 72°35′25″W / 42.10139°N 72.59028°W | |||
Country | United States | ||
State | Massachusetts | ||
County | Hampden | ||
Settled | May 14, 1636 | ||
Incorporated | 1852 | ||
Founded by | William Pynchon | ||
Government | |||
• Type | Mayor-council city | ||
• Mayor | Domenic Sarno (D) | ||
Area | |||
• City | 33.2 sq mi (86.0 km2) | ||
• Land | 32.1 sq mi (83.1 km2) | ||
• Water | 1.1 sq mi (2.9 km2) | ||
Elevation | 70 ft (21 m) | ||
Population (2010) | |||
• City | 153,060 | ||
• Density | 4,768.2/sq mi (1,841.9/km2) | ||
• Metro | 698,903 | ||
Time zone | Eastern (UTC-5) | ||
• Summer (DST) | Eastern (UTC-4) | ||
ZIP code | 01101, 01103–01105, 01107–01109, 01118-01119, 01128–01129, 01151 | ||
Area code(s) | 413 | ||
FIPS code | 25-67000 | ||
GNIS feature ID | 0609092 | ||
Website | www |
Springfield is a 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 Mill River. As of the 2010 Census, the city's population was 153,060.Metropolitan Springfield, as one of two metropolitan areas in Massachusetts (the other being Greater Boston), had an estimated population of 698,903 as of 2009.
The first Springfield in the New World, it is the largest city in Western New England, and the urban, economic, and cultural capital of Massachusetts' Connecticut River Valley (colloquially known as the Pioneer Valley). It is the third-largest city in Massachusetts and fourth-largest in New England, after Boston, Worcester, and Providence. Springfield has several nicknames – The City of Firsts, because of its many innovations (see below for a partial list); The City of Homes, due to its Victorian residential architecture; and Hoop City, as basketball – one of the world's most popular sports – was invented in Springfield by James Naismith.
Hartford, the capital of Connecticut, lies 23.9 miles (38 km) south of Springfield, on the western bank of the Connecticut River. Bradley International Airport, which sits 12 miles (19 km) south of Metro Center Springfield, is Hartford-Springfield's airport. The Hartford-Springfield region is known as the Knowledge Corridor because it hosts over 160,000 university students and over 32 universities and liberal arts colleges – the second-highest concentration of higher-learning institutions in the United States. The city of Springfield itself is home to Springfield College; Western New England University; American International College; and Springfield Technical Community College, among other higher educational institutions.