Westfield, Massachusetts
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Westfield, Massachusetts | |||
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| Nickname: The Whip City | |||
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| Coordinates: | |||
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| Country | United States of America | ||
| State | Massachusetts | ||
| Counties | Hampden County | ||
| Settled | 1660 | ||
| Incorporated (town) | May 19, 1669 | ||
| Incorporated (city) | November 2, 1920 | ||
| Government | |||
| - Mayor | Richard K. Sullivan Jr. | ||
| Area | |||
| - City | 47.3 sq mi (122.6 km²) | ||
| - Land | 46.6 sq mi (120.6 km²) | ||
| - Water | 0.7 sq mi (1.9 km²) | ||
| Elevation | 148 ft (45 m) | ||
| Population (2000) | |||
| - City | 40,072 | ||
| - Density | 860.3/sq mi (332.2/km²) | ||
| Time zone | Eastern (UTC-5) | ||
| - Summer (DST) | Eastern (UTC-4) | ||
| Website: http://www.ci.westfield.ma.us/ | |||
Westfield is a city in Hampden County, in the Pioneer Valley of Western Massachusetts, United States. The population was 40,072 at the 2000 census. The ZIP Code is 01085.
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[edit] History
Westfield was first settled in 1660 and was officially established in 1669. It was incorporated as a city in 1920.
From the time of its founding until 1725, Westfield was the westernmost settlement in the Massachusetts Colony. Town meetings were held in a church meeting house until 1839 when Town Hall was erected on Broad Street. This building served as a City Hall from 1920 to 1958. Due to its alluvial lands, the inhabitants of this area were entirely devoted to agricultural pursuits for about 150 years.
Early in the 19th century the making of bricks, whips, and cigars became the principal occupations. At one point in the 1800s, Westfield was the prominent center of the buggy whip industry. To this day, the city is nicknamed the "Whip City." Other firms at the time engaged in the production of bicycles, paper products, boilers and radiators, textile machinery, abrasives, wood products, and precision tools. The establishment of industry in the community changed its character from agricultural to a thriving industrial city during the latter part of the 19th century, however by the second half of the 20th century the industrial base was eroded by wage competition in the U.S. Southeast, then overseas.
With relatively cheap land in the suburbs and convenient access to east-west and north-south interstate highways, Westfield has become a warehousing center to C & S Wholesale, Home Depot, Lowes and other corporations. The city is also becoming something of a college town with students at Westfield State College comprising about 15% of the population.
It is also important to note that there are only two buildings in Westfield that are above four stories. This is due to a major fire in the early 1900s of the Westfield Paper building which consumed an entire city block in the downtown area. At the time the fire department was unable to react to such a fire (the building was 6 stories) and thus the entire building burned down and caused damage to neighboring buildings.
In the early 20th century, Westfield was at the center of the Pure Food movement, an effort to require stricter standards on the production of food. Louis B. Allyn, a Westfield resident and pure foods expert forMcClure's, lived in Westfield until his murder. In 1906, Congress passed the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906.
[edit] Geography
Westfield is located at (42.129492, -72.745986)GR1. It is bordered on the north by Southampton, on the northeast by Holyoke, on the east by West Springfield, on the southeast by Agawam, on the south by Southwick, on the southwest by Granville, on the west by Russell, and on the northwest by Montgomery. Westfield is split into the "South Side" and the "North Side" by the Westfield River, and the nortwestern section of town is known as Wyben.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 122.6 km² (47.3 mi²). 120.6 km² (46.6 mi²) of it is land and 1.9 km² (0.7 mi²) of it (1.56%) is water.
Westfield is situated at the western edge of the the downfaulted Connecticut River Valley where the Westfield River emerges from the Berkshire Hills and flows through the center of the city on its way to the Connecticut River some ten miles (15 km) downstream. Because of its large, steep and rocky upstream watershed the river has a history of severe flood episodes, inundating adjacent parts of Westfield several times. In spite of a complicated system of pumps, dikes, waterways, and upstream dams, Westfield lies in a floodplain zone and is still considered flood prone.
Westfield is on the fringe of the greater BosWash urban corridor -- the most densely populated region of the United States -- and has experienced substantial land development for suburban residential and commercial uses for the past six decades. Yet it borders "Hilltowns" to the west that were depopulated of subsistence farmers in the 1800s as land became readily available on the western frontier. With population dipping below ten per square kilometer in some upland townships, forests are reverting almost to pre-settlement conditions with wild turkey, bears, coyotes and even moose returning after absences perhaps measured in centuries. This transition over a few kilometers from 21st century urbanization to nearly those of early colonial times is notable if not fairly unique.
[edit] Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 40,072 people, 14,797 households, and 10,017 families residing in the city. The population density was 332.2/km² (860.3/mi²). There were 15,441 housing units at an average density of 128.0/km² (331.5/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.53% White, 0.91% African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.82% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 2.12% from other races, and 1.34% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.01% of the population.
Westfield has long been a multicultural city with significant enclaves of Italians, Irish, Poles, French Canadians, Puerto Ricans and most recently Ukrainians and Russians.
There were 14,797 households out of which 31.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.0% were married couples living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.3% were non-families. 25.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.07.
In the city the population was spread out with 23.8% under the age of 18, 12.6% from 18 to 24, 28.0% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 13.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 93.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $45,240, and the median income for a family was $55,327. Males had a median income of $38,316 versus $27,459 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,600. About 6.9% of families and 11.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.2% of those under age 18 and 9.5% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Government
Westfield is governed by a mayor and a city council, elected every two years. The Office of the Mayor is responsible for a variety of services throughout the city and the mayor also serves as Chairman of the School Committee. The City Council meets the 1st and 3rd Thursday of every month at 7:30 in City Hall.
The current mayor of Westfield is Richard K. Sullivan, Jr.; he has served as mayor since 1994.
It has been announced that on June 11, 2007 Mayor Richard K. Sullivan will step down as mayor of Westfield, Ma and become Commissioner of the State Department of Conservation and Recreation. This happened after Gov. Deval Patrick started firing agency heads and replacing them throughout state government. [1]
| Ward | Councilor | Years on City Council |
|---|---|---|
| Ward 1 | City Council President Charlie Medeiros | 1976-1981, 1984-1985, 1988-Present |
| Ward 2 | Daniel Knapik | 2002-Present |
| Ward 3 | Peter J. Miller, Jr. | 2004-Present |
| Ward 4 | Mary O'Connell | 2006-Present |
| Ward 5 | Richard Onofrey, Jr. | 2006-Present |
| Ward 6 | Jason Russell | 2006-Present |
| At-Large | James R. Adams | 2004-Present |
| At-Large | David Bannish | 1988-1993, 1996-1997, 2000-Present |
| At-Large | Brent B. Bean, III | 2002-Present |
| At-Large | John Liptak | 2006-Present |
| At-Large | Brian Sullivan | 1998-Present |
| At-Large | Barbara L. Swords | 1987-Present |
| At-Large | Joe Wynn | 2006-Present |
[edit] Education
Westfield's public school system consists of two preschools, eight elementary schools, two middle schools and two high schools.
[edit] Preschools
[edit] Elementary schools
- Abner Gibbs Elementary School
- Franklin Avenue Elementary School
- Highland Elementary School
- Juniper Park Elementary School
- Moseley Elementary School
- Munger Hill Elementary School
- Paper Mill Elementary School
- Southampton Road Elementary School
[edit] Middle schools
[edit] High schools
- Westfield High School
- Westfield Vocational-Technical High School- Was made by the shop: Business Tech
[edit] Private schools
[edit] Higher education
The city is also home to Westfield State College.
[edit] Media
- Westfield Evening News/Pennysaver
- PREDVESTNIK, The Russian Language Newspaper, (Official website)
[edit] Transportation
[edit] Major highways
The Massachusetts Turnpike crosses Westfield just north of the central business district. The "Mass Pike" is part of I-90 extending east to Boston and west to Albany, Buffalo, Cleveland, Chicago, and across the Upper Midwest, Wyoming Montana and Idaho to Spokane and Seattle. About five kilometers east of Westfield, the turnpike intersects I-91 which generally follows the Connecticut River Valley south to Hartford and New Haven or north to Canada (Quebec). The major north-south thoroughfare in Westfield is Rte. US 202/MA 10, which includes parts of Southwick Rd. S. Maple St., W. Silver St., Pleasant St., Court St., Broad St., Elm St., North Elm St., and Southampton Rd. At the intersection of Sothampton Rd. and North Rd., Rte. MA 10 continues on Southampton Rd. toward Southampton while Rte. US 202 follows North Rd. toward Holyoke. The major east-west thoroughfare is Rte. US 20, which includes parts of Russell Rd., Franklin St., Elm St., Main St., E. Main St., and Springfield Rd. Rte. MA 187 also ends in Westfield. Other main roads include Western Ave., Granville Rd., Union St., and Montgomery Rd. East Mountain Rd. is the longest road in Westfield.
[edit] Rail
Rail freight service is provided by Pioneer Valley Railroad and CSX. More than 35 motor freight carriers with nearby terminals provide competitive freight service locally and to all distant points.
[edit] Bus
The city is presently served by two PVTA bus routes to Springfield and Holyoke. Bus and rail service to all points is available at Springfield.
[edit] Air
Barnes Municipal Airport in Westfield has charter passenger services available. Bradley International Airport at Windsor Locks, Connecticut with scheduled flights listed by most airlines, is within 40 minutes driving time.
[edit] Points of interest
[edit] Notable residents
- Killswitch Engage, metalcore band
- Albert Ferst, philanthropist
- Jackie French Koller, author and painter
- Kay Life, artist, children's book illustrator
- Don Pardo, television announcer
- Frederic Rzewski, composer
- Sebadoh, indie rock band
- Dragon Slayer the band, 80s Glam Rock
- Patrick Barrett
[edit] References
<http://www.cityofwestfield.org />
[edit] External links
- A Record of Marriages, Births and Deaths in Westfield, Massachusetts Prior to the Year 1700 - Communicated by the Rev. Emerson Davis of that town, Corresponding Member of the New England Historic-Genealogical Society
- Westfield is home to Barnes Airport, which hosts The 104th Fighter Wing
- Official Site
- Westfield State College
- Maps and aerial photos
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA
