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

Springfield, Massachusetts

50 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1886 and the latest in 1985. It stands in Springfield City. It lies in ZIP code area 01144. It stands on Mill River. The Survey maps it on the Springfield South quadrangle. 155,929 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 230 feet above sea level.

Research this city

This curated hub for Hampden County, Massachusetts brings together the page's documented record links, visible map or image evidence where published, and routes to related local records.

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Springfield within Hampden County

Population over time

4 figures

Springfield fell from 160,000 to 155,929 between 1974 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.

YearPeople Change
1974160,000
1984150,000-10,000 (-6%)
2010153,060
2020155,929+2,869 (+2%)

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 Springfield, surveyed 1985
Topographic sheet of Springfield, surveyed 1886

Topographic sheets covering this place

50 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.

Photographs

8 photographs, 1941

Taken for the Office of War Information and the Farm Security Administration, who photographed the country between 1935 and 1944. Works of United States government photographers, with no known restriction on use. Each opens its catalogue record.

Springfield, Massachusetts. John C. Garand, inventor of the Garand rifle, pointing out some of the features of the rifle to Major General Charles M. Wesson during the general's visit to the Springfield arsenal. At right is Brigadier General Gilbert H. Stewart, commanding officer of the arsenal
Springfield, Massachusetts. John C. Garand, inventor of the Garand rifle, pointing out some of the features of the rifle to Major General Charles M. Wesson during the general's visit to the Springfield arsenal. At right is Brigadier General Gilbert H. Stewart, commanding officer of the arsenal
Unattributed, 1941. Library of Congress
Outing Park, 47 Richelieu Street, Springfield, Hampden County, MA
Outing Park, 47 Richelieu Street, Springfield, Hampden County, MA
Unattributed, . Library of Congress
Captain John Potter House, Exposition Grounds (moved from North Brookfield, MA), West Springfield, Hampden County, MA
Captain John Potter House, Exposition Grounds (moved from North Brookfield, MA), West Springfield, Hampden County, MA
Unattributed, . Library of Congress
Outing Park, 60 Saratoga Street, Springfield, Hampden County, MA
Outing Park, 60 Saratoga Street, Springfield, Hampden County, MA
Unattributed, . Library of Congress
Outing Park, Bounded by Adams, Richelieu, Marble, & Main Streets, Springfield, Hampden County, MA
Outing Park, Bounded by Adams, Richelieu, Marble, & Main Streets, Springfield, Hampden County, MA
Unattributed, . Library of Congress
Boston Road (Milestone), Springfield, Hampden County, MA
Boston Road (Milestone), Springfield, Hampden County, MA
Unattributed, . Library of Congress
Church of the Unity, 207 State Street, Springfield, Hampden County, MA
Church of the Unity, 207 State Street, Springfield, Hampden County, MA
Unattributed, . Library of Congress
Outing Park, 70 Saratoga Street, Springfield, Hampden County, MA
Outing Park, 70 Saratoga Street, Springfield, Hampden County, MA
Unattributed, . Library of Congress

Fires nearby

538 since 2015

The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 538 fires within 5 miles of Springfield between 2015 and 2020, burning about 185 acres in total. 25 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
Missing data/not specified/undetermined297
Equipment and vehicle use128
Debris and open burning33
Recreation and ceremony28
Natural25
Smoking21
Misuse of fire by a minor4
Arson/incendiarism2

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 2015Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
8 September 2015Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
8 September 2015Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
7 September 2015Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
6 September 2015Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
6 September 2015Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
5 September 2016Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreMassachusetts Bureau of Forest Fire Controlnot named
5 September 2015Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreMassachusetts 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 1,611 shown

Museums hold 1,611 specimens collected within 10 miles of Springfield between 1844 and 1975: 617 Animalia, 515 Plantae, 428 Fungi, 40 Chromista, 11 Unrecorded. 12 distinct Species records are shown. Collected by A. B. Seymour, A. E. Kirk, A. K. Harrison, F. G. Floyd 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 Taphrina johansonii Sadeb.Taphrina johansonii Sadeb.1894W.G. Farlow
Specimen of Lygodium palmatum (Bernh.) Sw.Lygodium palmatum (Bernh.) Sw.1895Deane, WalterEast Longmeadow;;;;
Specimen of Calligrapha rhoda Knab, 1909Calligrapha rhoda Knab, 19091900F. KnabWest Springfield
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
A photograph of the species Alopecurus geniculatus, not of this specimenAlopecurus geniculatus L.1850not recorded
A photograph of the species Lactuca hirsuta, not of this specimenLactuca hirsuta Muhl. ex Nutt.1850Collector unspecified
A photograph of the species Carex canescens, not of this specimenCarex canescens L.1852Collector unknownWestfield.
A photograph of the species Carex pallescens, not of this specimenCarex pallescens L.1852Collector unknownWestfield
A photograph of the species Eurybia schreberi, not of this specimenEurybia schreberi (Nees) Nees1852C. A. Shurtleff
Alnus incana (L.) Moench1891unknownWoods Hall.

All 1,611 specimens within 10 miles, at the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.

Mines and quarries nearby

10 of 31 shown

The federal mineral resources record lists 31 workings within 5 miles of Springfield: 15 past producers, 13 producers, 1 unknown, 1 occurrence. 14 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction, Brick Clay, Clay, Stone, Dimension. 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
Construction Aggregates PitGranite, Stone, Crushed/BrokenProducer
Macia Emery MineEmeryOccurrenceEmery
W. New England Smelting Works IncCopperProducer
Bay State Refining Co--Chicopee, MaAluminumPlant
Chicopee PlantAluminumPast Producer
Granby Quarry No 1Stone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
Trap Rock QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenProducer
Trap Rock QuarryStone, Crushed/BrokenPast Producer
Sandstone QuarryStone, DimensionProducerSandstone
Sandstone QuarryStone, DimensionProducerSandstone

Every working recorded in Hampden County

Storms nearby

60 of 134 shown

The National Weather Service names Springfield in 134 storm reports between 1993 and 2025: 69 thunderstorm wind, 41 hail, 11 flood, 6 lightning. The reports record 2 injuries. 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
July 2008Thunderstorm WindWest Springfield2 hurt, $10,000A tree on Interstate 91 near the Massachusetts Turnpike was downed by thunderstorm winds onto a car, puncturing the windshield. A 61 year old man and a 57 year old woman were injured. Rescuers had to cut through the tree before they could get to the people in the car. The man was able to climb out by himself once the tree was out of the way, but the woman had to be extricated. This also blocked both southbound lanes of Interstate 91 bringing traffic to a complete stop.
August 2013HailWest Springfield$3,000,000Quarter to half dollar size hail fell on Main Street, accumulating up to two inches in spots. A car on Fairview Avenue was damaged with numerous hail dents. There were also several reports of nickel size hail in the area of Riverdale Road. About 500 cars at the Balise family of car dealerships were damaged. Damage ranged from minimal to extensive. Further damage was found two weeks later, when heavy rain fell through small holes in the roof of Chestnut Middle School, resulting in water damage.
August 2006Thunderstorm WindWest Springfield$275,000no account filed
August 2011FloodWest Springfield$200,000After receiving three to eight inches of heavy rain from Tropical Storm Irene, flooding resulted in the closure of Route 20 in West Springfield at Sibley Avenue.
July 2011Thunderstorm WindEast Springfield$75,000Trees and wires on Berkshire Avenue, Locust, Paramount, Stuart and Brewster Streets, Wellfleet Drive, Memorial Drive, and several other streets in the Indian Orchard neighborhood were downed by thunderstorm winds. Trees fell on houses on Paramount and Brewster Streets. A person was trapped in the house on Paramount Street, but was uninjured.
May 2010Thunderstorm WindWest Springfield$75,000Multiple utility poles and trees were downed across West Springfield and Agawam, including several utility poles along Route 5 in West Springfield.
July 2011Thunderstorm WindEast Springfield$50,000Trees were downed onto several houses on Grochmal Avenue in the Indian Orchard section of Springfield. These trees fell in such a way that people were trapped inside the houses. No one was injured. Several trees in the area were also uprooted.
June 2011Thunderstorm WindEast Springfield$50,000Large trees were downed onto two houses and a car. The houses were on Quincy Street.
July 2010LightningEast Springfield$50,000A lightning strike ignited an attic fire at a house on Locust Street.
May 2010Thunderstorm WindWest Springfield$50,000The Automated Surface Observing System at Barnes Municipal Airport (KBAF) recorded a wind gust of 58 mph. In addition, many trees and wires were downed by thunderstorm winds, including a four foot diameter oak tree on Morgan Road in West Springfield. On City View Avenue in West Springfield, a tree and utility pole were downed, blocking the road. Two power poles were downed near the intersection of East Elm Street and Riverdale Road.
May 2010Thunderstorm WindSpringfield$35,000Multiple trees on Cottage and Garden Streets and Roosevelt and Berkshire Avenues were downed by thunderstorm winds.
July 2006Thunderstorm WindSpringfield$35,000no account filed
August 2018FloodSpringfield$30,000At 1:11 PM EST, water was reported entering basements on the 1300 block of Main Street in Springfield.
May 2010Thunderstorm WindWest Springfield$30,000Trees and wires were downed along Route 20 in West Springfield and in Springfield. A large tree was downed onto a house on Forest Park Avenue in Springfield.
May 2010Thunderstorm WindEast Springfield$25,000Numerous large trees were downed by thunderstorm winds.
August 2004Thunderstorm WindWest Springfield$25,000no account filed
February 2016Thunderstorm WindWest Springfield$20,000Trees on Adrian Avenue, Craiwell Avenue, Upper Beverly Street, and Sibley Avenue in West Springfield were downed by thunderstorm winds.
June 2011Thunderstorm WindWest Springfield$20,000A tree on Cold Spring Avenue was downed onto a car by thunderstorm winds.
June 2010Thunderstorm WindWest Springfield$20,000Several trees were downed across West Springfield, including one down on a car on Route 5 near Memorial Bridge and one down on Circuit Avenue. Several large limbs were also downed on Fairview Avenue.
July 2010LightningEast Springfield$20,000A lightning strike ignited a house fire on Perkins Street.
September 2008FloodWest Springfield$20,000Heavy rain associated with Tropical Storm Hanna ranged from three and a half to five and a half inches. This resulted in widespread street flooding across central Hampden County. The Union Street underpass in West Springfield was flooded. In Wilbraham, multiple roads were flooded, including Main Street and several locations on Route 20 and Route 32. Minor mudslides occurred on Route 32. Both Holyoke and Springfield experienced widespread street flooding. Route 32 and several other roads were rendered impassable by floodwaters in Monson. Several vehicles on these roads became disabled. In addition, three residences were flooded along a retention road.
July 2014Thunderstorm WindWest Springfield$15,000Trees were downed on several streets, including Park and Main. A tree was downed onto two cars on Amostown Road.
July 2008LightningEast Springfield$15,000A house on Wistaria Street was struck by lightning and caught fire.
August 2005Thunderstorm WindWest Springfield$15,000no account filed
May 2025Thunderstorm WindEast Springfield$12,000In Springfield, there was a large tree blocking Delmore St. There was a large tree on two houses on Jeffery St. There was a tree down on a house near Allen St. There was a tree down on a house near Providence St. There was a tree down near Peekskill Ave.
May 2006Thunderstorm WindWest Springfield$12,000no account filed
July 2022Thunderstorm WindEast Springfield$10,000In Springfield, a large tree was down on cars on Brookdale Drive. Photo shared on Twitter.
July 2014Thunderstorm WindWest Springfield$10,000Trees on Highland Avenue were downed by thunderstorm winds.
July 2014Thunderstorm WindWest Springfield$10,000A tree on High Street was downed by thunderstorm winds, blocking the road. Trees and wires along Prospect Avenue were downed as well.
July 2014Thunderstorm WindEast Springfield$10,000A large tree was downed onto a house on Ambrose Street. Wires were downed on Prospect Avenue and Hunter's Place.
August 2013Thunderstorm WindWest Springfield$10,000A tree was downed onto a car on Elm Street in West Springfield. In addition, a window was broken on Main Street, presumable from the windblown large hail.
May 2010Thunderstorm WindWest Springfield$10,000Trees on Cooper Street were downed by thunderstorm winds.
July 2008Thunderstorm WindEast Springfield$10,000Trees and wires in the Porter Lake area, including Berkshire Avenue and River Street, were downed by thunderstorm winds. One of these trees was downed onto a car.
June 2006Thunderstorm WindSpringfield$10,000no account filed
May 2006Thunderstorm WindWest Springfield$10,000no account filed
July 2002Thunderstorm WindWest Springfield$10,000no account filed
August 2021Thunderstorm WindWest Springfield$8,000In West Springfield, there were numerous trees downed by an isolated severe thunderstorm. On Elm Street there was a six-inch branch down. Trees were down on Woodmont Street and on Amostown Road at Fausey Drive. A large tree and wires were down on Piper Road. A large tree was down on a house on Churchill Street. Wires were down on on Vincent Drive, Morgan Road, and Smyrna Street.
October 2008FloodSpringfield$8,000Heavy rain fell across Hampden County. Up to two feet of water collected in several locations in Springfield and West Springfield, including Cambridge Street and Route 5. Several cars flooded out.
July 2021Thunderstorm WindWest Springfield$6,000In West Springfield, a utility pole was down on Route 20 at Dewey Street. A tree was down on wires on Birnie Avenue.
August 2024Thunderstorm WindSpringfield$5,000In Springfield, a tree fell down on a car on Dwight St. The person inside was freed and was ok.
July 2018Flash FloodWest Springfield$5,000At 2 PM EST, a thunderstorm moving over Westfield and West Springfield created downpours over the area. A car was trapped in flood waters on Old Westfield Road in West Springfield.
July 2018Flash FloodWest Springfield$5,000At 2:10 PM EST, heavy rain from a thunderstorm flooded and closed U.S.Route 20 in Westfield at the intersection with East Mountain Road. A car was trapped in the flood waters.
August 2016Thunderstorm WindWest Springfield$5,000A tree at the corner of Main Street and Burford Avenue was downed by thunderstorm winds.
July 2014Thunderstorm WindEast Springfield$5,000A large tree was downed onto a home on Ambrose Street.
August 2012FloodWest Springfield$5,000One car was stuck at a restaurant on Route 5. Water was up to the floor boards of another car on Prospect Street. The Automated Surface Observing System at Barnes Municipal Airport (KBAF) recorded 1.14 inches of rain in 20 minutes and a total of just under 1.50 inches.
August 2012FloodWest Springfield$5,000In West Springfield, West School Street was flooded and impassable. The River Street underpass also was flooded with a car stuck in the floodwaters. Meadow Street in Agawam was flooded and impassable.
June 2010Thunderstorm WindEast Springfield$5,000A tree and wires on Chestnut Street were downed by thunderstorm winds.
August 2009Thunderstorm WindEast Springfield$5,000A tree and large limbs on Paxton Road and Riverdale Street were downed by thunderstorm winds.
August 2008LightningEast Springfield$5,000Lightning struck a garage on Menthuen Street resulting in a fire.
August 2006Thunderstorm WindWest Springfield$5,000no account filed
June 2005LightningSpringfield$5,000no account filed
August 2005Thunderstorm WindWest Springfield$5,000no account filed
August 2005Thunderstorm WindWest Springfield$5,000no account filed
August 2005HailSpringfield$5,000no account filed
October 2020Thunderstorm WindEast Springfield$4,000In Springfield, a tree was down on Liberty Street. A tree and wires were down on Birchland Avenue. A tree split and landed on a house on Jeffrey Road.
July 2006FloodSpringfield$4,000no account filed
August 2020LightningEast Springfield$2,000In Springfield, lightning struck a house causing a fire on White St.
July 2019Thunderstorm WindEast Springfield$2,000A tree was downed on wires on Route 5 and Route 91.
May 2002Thunderstorm WindSpringfield$2,000no account filed
July 2002Thunderstorm WindSpringfield$2,000no account filed

Every storm recorded in Hampden County

Newspapers printed here

0 digitised pages

2 papers published in this town, digitised by the Library of Congress and free to read: 0 issues, 0 pages. Every page is searchable, so a name or a street can be looked for directly in what the town printed about itself at the time.

NewspaperPublished
Springfield Weekly Republican1851 to 1946
Springfield Republican1838 to 1851

What the paper printed

42,248 words

Front pages of the local paper, read from the Library of Congress scans: 10 issues spread across its run from 1841 to 1946, 42,248 words in total. Each is reproduced on its own page, exactly as the recogniser returned it.

These pages read less well than anything else here, and the number is worth stating: about three words in four come through cleanly, against nine in ten for the building records. An 1896 broadsheet sets eight-point type in seven columns on microfilm, which is the hardest thing in this archive to read by machine. We tested our own recognisers against the Library's and they were not better, so the Library's text is what appears, with the wholly unreadable columns removed. Read it as a guide to what the paper covered, and follow the link to the scan before quoting anything.

IssuePaper Length
1841-05-08Springfield Republican692 words
1841-06-05Springfield Republican610 words
1841-10-02Springfield Republican666 words
1841-10-30Springfield Republican656 words
1847-12-25Springfield Republican8,034 words
1855-04-07Springfield Weekly Republican6,200 words
1855-06-16Springfield Weekly Republican7,915 words
1855-08-25Springfield Weekly Republican7,752 words
1855-11-03Springfield Weekly Republican6,904 words
1946-09-26Springfield Weekly Republican2,819 words

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
South End0.5 miles50
North End1.1 miles50
Old Hill1.2 miles50
Forest Park1.3 miles50
Liberty Heights1.5 miles50
McKnight and Bay1.6 miles50
West Springfield1.7 miles50
Brightwood1.8 miles50

Elsewhere

Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.

Wikipedia article on SpringfieldAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q49158The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0).

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 609092. 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.