BlockBefore
Decorative drawing: a small American settlement seen from a low hill. Not a photograph of this place.

Highlands, Massachusetts

44 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1886 and the latest in 1985. It stands in Holyoke City. It lies in ZIP code area 01040. It stands on Crafts Hill. The Survey maps it on the Mount Tom quadrangle.

Highlands within Hampden County

Then and now

1886 to 1985

The same ground, surveyed 99 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.

Topographic sheet of Highlands, surveyed 1985
Topographic sheet of Highlands, surveyed 1886

Topographic sheets covering this place

44 sheets

Matched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.

Fires nearby

305 since 2014

The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 305 fires within 5 miles of Highlands between 2014 and 2020, burning about 186 acres in total. 31 started naturally. 2 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause Fires
Equipment and vehicle use116
Missing data/not specified/undetermined115
Natural31
Debris and open burning26
Recreation and ceremony11
Smoking3
Arson/incendiarism2
Misuse of fire by a minor1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
9 September 2015Equipment and vehicle useunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
8 September 2015Equipment and vehicle useunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
4 September 2015Equipment and vehicle useunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
29 September 2015Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
28 September 2016Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
27 September 2015Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
2 September 2017Debris and open burningunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
15 September 2016Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Hampden County

Specimens collected nearby

12 of 2,230 shown

Museums hold 2,230 specimens collected within 10 miles of Highlands between 1831 and 1975: 1,124 Plantae, 704 Animalia, 369 Fungi, 18 Chromista, 9 Unrecorded, 5 Protozoa, 1 Bacteria. 12 distinct Species records are shown. Collected by A. Albee, A. B. Seymour, A. C. Gibson and others. Each is a physical object with a catalogue number, and each entry opens the museum's record. This is what was collected and kept, not a survey of what lives here - nothing can be concluded from a species being absent.

Image SpeciesYear Collected by Where, as recorded
Specimen of Lycopodiella inundata (L.) HolubLycopodiella inundata (L.) Holub1892ChapmanSouthhampton
Specimen of Taphrina johansonii Sadeb.Taphrina johansonii Sadeb.1894W.G. Farlow
Specimen of Camissonia LinkCamissonia Link1898B. L. Robinson
A photograph of the species Carex bromoides, not of this specimenCarex bromoides Willd.1831Collector unknown
A photograph of the species Carex vesicaria, not of this specimenCarex vesicaria L.1836Collector unknown
A photograph of the species Carex vestita, not of this specimenCarex vestita Willd.1836Collector unspecified
A photograph of the species Kalmia angustifolia, not of this specimenKalmia angustifolia f. angustifolia1838L. DeWetteNorthampton.
A photograph of the species Kalmia latifolia, not of this specimenKalmia latifolia var. latifolia1838L. DeWetteNorthampton.
A photograph of the species Pogonia ophioglossoides, not of this specimenPogonia ophioglossoides (L.) Ker Gawl.1838L. DeWetteNorthampton.
A photograph of the species Carex siccata, not of this specimenCarex siccata Dewey1844Collector unknown
A photograph of the species Amphicarpaea bracteata, not of this specimenAmphicarpaea bracteata (L.) Fernald1845Collector unspecified
A photograph of the species Galeopsis tetrahit, not of this specimenGaleopsis tetrahit L.1845not recorded

All 2,230 specimens within 10 miles, at the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.

Mines and quarries nearby

10 of 19 shown

The federal mineral resources record lists 19 workings within 5 miles of Highlands: 11 producers, 8 past producers. 11 still produce. What was taken out: Brick Clay, Stone, Dimension, Clay, Flagstone. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
South Hadlay SandSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Granby Pit IiStone, Crushed/BrokenProducer
Sandstone QuarryFlagstonePast Producer
Sandstone QuarryFlagstonePast Producer
Sandstone QuarryFlagstonePast Producer
Traprock QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenProducer
Traprock QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
Clay PitBrick ClayProducerClay
Clay PitClayPast Producer
Clay PitBrick ClayProducerClay

Every working recorded in Hampden County

Storms nearby

25 since 2008

The National Weather Service names Highlands in 25 storm reports between 2008 and 2023: 13 thunderstorm wind, 7 hail, 3 lightning, 1 flood. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
August 2008Flash FloodHighlands$100,000Numerous roads in Holyoke were flooded, rendered impassable, and subsequently closed. These included the following streets: Hampden, Northampton, Sargent, Howard, Senator, Beech, and Cherry Streets, Route 202 near the hospital, Southampton Road, and Ridgewood and Columbus Avenues. The Holyoke fire department responded to 28 water related incidents. Included in these incidents were: sinkholes and washouts on Ridgewood and Columbus Avenues and seven automobiles flooded.
July 2011Thunderstorm WindHighlands$50,000Trees on Lyman Street were downed by thunderstorm winds. A wall in an abandoned, already structurally weak warehouse also was downed by the winds. A tree on Meadow Street split in half and toppled onto a house and a car.
July 2010Thunderstorm WindHighlands$25,000Thunderstorm winds brought down large limbs and wires along Route 5 in Holyoke. Two trees were downed in Springfield, one off Boston Road and the other off Page Road.
August 2008FloodHighlands$25,000In Holyoke, the Sargent Street underpass was flooded out. Commercial Street and Route 391 near the Main Street underpass were closed due to flooding. In Springfield, several cars were stuck in floodwaters at the intersection of Roosevelt and Belcher Avenues. The intersection of Liberty and Carew Streets, and Worthington Street were flooded. On Waire Street in Springfield, several basements were flooded.
July 2008Thunderstorm WindHighlands$20,000Trees on Mountain and Southampton Roads were downed by thunderstorm winds. One of these trees resulted in the partial closure of Southampton Road. One power pole was snapped in half.
August 2008Thunderstorm WindHighlands$15,000Trees on South, Park, and Main Streets, Temple, and Holyoke Roads were downed by thunderstorm winds. Some of these trees blocked Temple and Holyoke Roads.
July 2008LightningHighlands$15,000A house at the intersection of Cabot and Appleton was struck by lightning and caught fire.
July 2016Thunderstorm WindHighlands$10,000Trees on Walnut Street and Anderson Avenue were downed onto wires by thunderstorm winds.
September 2008LightningHighlands$10,000Lightning from an embedded thunderstorm associated with Tropical Storm Hanna struck a house on North Pleasant Street resulting in a fire.
August 2008Thunderstorm WindHighlands$10,000Trees on Locust Street in Holyoke were downed by thunderstorm winds. High tension wires on Prospect Street in Chicopee also were downed by thunderstorm winds.
July 2014Thunderstorm WindHighlands$5,000Trees were downed on Northampton Street in Holyoke.
July 2011Thunderstorm WindHighlands$5,000A tree on Francis Avenue was downed onto a house on Francis Avenue. No damage was done to the house.
August 2008LightningHighlands$3,000A utility pole was struck by lightning which resulted in wires falling onto a car.
May 2010Thunderstorm WindHighlands$2,000A tree and large tree limbs along Route 5 were downed by thunderstorm winds.
June 2020Thunderstorm WindHighlands$1,500In Holyoke, single trees were down on Brown Avenue, Jackson at High Street, and on Jackson at Maple Street.
June 2020Thunderstorm WindHighlands$1,200In Holyoke, trees and wires were down on Lincoln Street.
July 2020Thunderstorm WindHighlands$1,000In Holyoke, a large tree was down on the southbound lane of I-91.
March 2022Thunderstorm WindHighlands$300In Holyoke, wires were down (from wind) on Beacon Avenue.
July 2023HailHighlands-In Holyoke, nickel size hail was reported.
December 2019HailHighlands-Dime size hail from a thunderstorm was reported in Holyoke.
June 2016HailHighlands-Nickel size hail fell along Interstate 91 near exit 15 in Holyoke. The hail shredded leaves on some of the trees.
June 2008HailHighlands-Quarter size hail fell in the vicinity of Route 5.
August 2008HailHighlands-Penny sized hail fell throughout Holyoke, including on Route 5, Interstate 91, and Northampton Street.
July 2008HailHighlands-no account filed
August 2008HailHighlands-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Hampden County

Nearest settlements

The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.

Map PlaceDistance Sheets
Highland Park0.3 miles44
Oakdale1.1 miles44
Holyoke1.1 miles44
Elmwood1.6 miles44
Mountain Park1.7 miles43
Springdale1.9 miles44
Smith Highlands2.6 miles44
Plainville (historical)2.7 miles44

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 609019. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.

Specimens. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), https://www.gbif.org/. Only records licensed CC0 or CC BY are used. Records licensed CC BY-NC are excluded because this site carries advertising. Images are checked individually and any whose licence is non-commercial, no-derivatives or unreadable is refused.

Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.