Chicopee

History

"Chicopee" is derived from the Nipmuc language. It is likely derived from chekee ("violently") and -pe (root suffix used in water place names) or chikkupee ("of red cedar"), an adjectival form of chikkup ("red cedar"). There have been several variant spellings of the name. In 1636, William Pynchon purchased land from the Agawam Indians on the east side of the Connecticut River. He moved from the Town of 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 were developed 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 (Nipmuc for "at the small point/angle") was the name given to the area of what are now Chicopee Center and Chicopee Falls. The settlement in the upper district was at Skipmuck (possibly based on Nipmuc Skipmaug, meaning "chief fishing place" or Shipmuck, meaning "big watery place"), a place above the falls on the south side of the river. Colonists built a sawmill as the first industrial site along the river. The mill was built at Skenungonuck (Nipmuc for "green fields") Falls (now Chicopee Falls) in 1678 by Japhet Chapin, John Hitchcock and Nathaniel Foote. In 1786, ten men leased two acres of land in Chicopee Falls to James Byers and William Smith of Springfield on the condition they build an iron foundry within two years. Byers and Smith built the foundry. Benjamin Belcher acquired the site by 1805 and expanded the foundry. Belcher sold water access and other holdings along the Chicopee River to the Boston Associates, including Jonathan and Edmund Dwight. Access to water power and…

Geography

The city is made up of several neighborhoods; the result of the city's origin as a collection of four villages in the northernmost 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 away from Hartford, away from Boston, from Albany and from New York City. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and (4.31%) is water. The Chicopee River flows through the southern part of the city, emptying into the Connecticut River. Many ponds, lakes, and streams are part of the Chicopee River or Connecticut River watersheds. In 1641, Willian Pynchon expanded his 1636 holdings by buying the land from the Chicopee River north to the Willimansett (Nipmuc for "good berries place" or "place of red earth") 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…

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  46,037
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  43,709
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  41,008
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  40,653
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  37,562
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  36,658
• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  33,852
• American Goldfinch

  Spinus tristis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  32,734

Largest nearby schools

• Springfield Central High
  High · Springfield · 2,095 students · 13.1:1 ratio
• Springfield International Charter School
  Other · Springfield · 1,520 students · 22.7:1 ratio
• Holyoke High
  High · Holyoke · 1,515 students · 11.8:1 ratio
• Roger L. Putnam Vocational Technical Academy
  High · Springfield · 1,360 students · 11.1:1 ratio
• Chicopee Comprehensive High School
  High · Chicopee · 1,206 students · 11.4:1 ratio
• West Springfield High
  High · West Springfield · 1,186 students · 12.8:1 ratio
• High School Of Commerce
  High · Springfield · 1,103 students · 7.9:1 ratio
• Springfield High School of Science and Technology
  High · Springfield · 1,087 students · 12.2:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.6 — 2015-01-13
  2 km E of Wauregan, Connecticut
• M 3.3 — 2015-01-12
  0 km NE of Wauregan, Connecticut
• M 2.66 — 2014-08-14
  6 km SW of Deep River Center, Connecticut
• M 2.5 — 2007-10-19
  2 km WSW of Littleton Common, Massachusetts
• M 2.5 — 2002-06-07
  3 km NNW of Hopedale, Massachusetts