About Chicopee, Massachusetts
About Chicopee General Information
city, Hampden county, southwestern Massachusetts, U.S., lying at the juncture of the Chicopee and Connecticut rivers. Originally part of Springfield, it was settled in the 1650s. Industrialization began in 1825 with the construction of cotton mills. Services (including health care) are important, as are publishing and the production of sports equipment, office supplies, textiles, beverages, and paper. Chicopee is the seat of Elms College (founded in 1928 as the College of Our Lady of the Elms). Westover Air Force Base, a major economic asset to the area, is the site of the biannual Great New England Air Show, which draws hundreds of thousands of spectators. Inc. township, 1848; city, 1890. Pop. (1990) city, 56,632; Springfield MSA, 587,884; (1996 est.) city, 54,532; Springfield MSA, 576,561.
About....
The City of Chicopee is located near the junction of the Massachusetts
Turnpike and Interstate 91 and is a diverse urban community which serves as
the home of Westover Air Force Base. The city has mined its industrial
past for present uses, having transformed a number of 19th century
industrial buildings and locations into mixed modern uses. An example of
this is the sprawling complex of 19th century brick buildings known as
Cabotville Industrial Park, which has housed a variety of small and
medium-sized industries for the past 50 years.
The city is particularly well served for transportation, boasting two
airports, the Boston and Main Railroad and regular long distance as well as
local bus service. This supports a strong industrial base which
manufactures sporting goods, textiles, beverages, paper, office supplies
and the eastern edition of the Wall Street Journal.
Westover Air Force Base is a key part of the local economy, employing about
1,000 local residents and housing 2,500 reservists of the 439th Military
Airlift Wing. The base was the staging area for American troops during the
Persian Gulf war. Recycled former military housing from the base serves as
the nucleus of a planned development that will include both market rate and
affordable housing.
An historic district in Chicopee Center encompasses stately homes from the
city's past and an historic shad run on the Connecticut and Chicopee Rivers
brings thousands of enthusiastic fisherman to the city each spring. Each
fall, one of the largest Polish celebrations in the United States takes
place in Chicopee when 75,000 visitors come to feast on kielbasa and dance
the polka, while biannually the Great New England Air Show brings upwards
of 700,000 people to Westover for a three-day air extravaganza.
Chicopee residents feel their city's history is a living tie to the
present, echoing the diversity of population, the welcome to immigrants,
the production of fine industrial products and the pride that was present
at the city's incorporation and is present now.
Geographic Terms
Where are we located?? Answer: Southwestern Massachusetts, bordered by West Springfield and Holyoke on the
west, South Hadley and Granby on the north, Ludlow on the east, and Springfield
on the south. Chicopee is 92 miles southwest of Boston; 90 miles from Albany,
New York; and 140 miles from New York City.
Total Area: 23.91 sq. miles
Land Area: 22.88 sq. miles
Population: 56,632
Density: 2,475 per sq. mile
Registered Voters in Chicopee
Total Registered-26,920
Democrats- 15,369 - 57.1 %
Republicans- 2,442- 9.1%
Other Parties- 13- 0.0%
Unenrolled- 9,097- 33.8%
There are many ways to get here...
Chicopee is located in the Pioneer Valley, known as the crossroads of New
England because of its strategic position along the Connecticut River and
its excellent transportation facilities. The Massachusetts Turnpike
connects the region to Boston and to Albany, New York. Interstate 91
provides direct access to Hartford, Connecticut, and to Brattleboro and
points north in Vermont. Principal highways are the Massachusetts Turnpike (Interstate Route 90),
which passes through the southern sector, and Interstate Route 91, which
passes through the western sector. Chicopee is a member of the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority (PVTA), which
offers fixed route service within Chicopee as well as to Springfield and
Holyoke. The PVTA also offers paratransit services to the elderly and
disabled through the Council on Aging. Chicopee participates in the PVTA
Under-60 Program, which provides work trip transportation for the disabled.
Westover Metropolitan Airport, a General Aviation (GA) facility located 3
mi NE of Chicopee, has 2 asphalt and concrete runways: 7,050'x 150' and
11,600'x 300'. Instrument approaches available: Precision and
non-precision.
Legislators
US SENATE: (citywide) Edward Kennedy, John Kerry.
US HOUSE: (citywide) Richard Neal
State Senate: Senator Michael R. Knapik:- ward one (all precincts), ward three (all precincts), ward six (all precincts), ward seven (all precincts), ward eight (all precincts) and ward nine (all precincts)
Senator Linda J. Melconian:- ward two (all precincts), ward four (all precincts) and ward five (all precincts)
State House: Representative Joseph F. Wagner:- ward one (all precincts), ward two (precincts C and D), ward three (precincts A and B), ward four (precincts A and C), ward seven (all precincts), ward eight (all precincts) and ward nine (all precincts)
Representative Chris Asselin:- ward two (precincts A and B), ward four (precinct B) and ward five (all precincts)
Representative Steven Buoinoconti:- ward three (precinct C)
Representative Thomas M. Petrolati:- ward six (all precincts)
Complied by Adam
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