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==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, Massachusetts|Holyoke]] to the northwest, [[West Springfield, Massachusetts|West Springfield]] to the southwest, [[Springfield, Massachusetts|Springfield]] to the south, [[Ludlow, Massachusetts|Ludlow]] to the east, [[Granby, Massachusetts|Granby]] to the northeast and [[South Hadley, Massachusetts|South Hadley]] to the north. Chicopee is located {{convert|29|mi|km}} away from [[Hartford, Connecticut|Hartford]], {{convert|89|mi|km}} away from [[Boston, Massachusetts|Boston]], {{convert|90|mi|km}} from [[Albany, New York|Albany]] and {{convert|140|mi|km}} from New York City. According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|23.9|sqmi|km2}}, of which {{convert|22.9|sqmi|km2}} is land and {{convert|1.0|sqmi|km2}} (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. ===Neighborhoods=== ====Willimansett==== 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 Chapin family dominated the area north of the Chicopee River for the settlement's first 70 years. Chicopee Street was part of the First Parish in Springfield. By the 1750s, Quabbin Road (now McKinstry Avenue) allowed the farmers to access the meadows and fields on the plains at the top of the hill. The Chapins used the land in common for grazing livestock and built ice houses near several large ponds. The ponds were drained by several brooks which flowed into the Connecticut River. At the end of the 19th century, the city voted to build the [[Willimansett Bridge]], connecting Willimansett with Holyoke across the Connecticut River. The results were profound. Willimansett and Aldenville would develop close ties to Holyoke; even postal and telephone service were (and still are) tied to the "Paper City." The legislative act ordering the building of the bridge was passed in 1892. L.L. Johnson reports that the completion of the bridge was grandly celebrated. By the 20th century, Willimansett village had developed into quintessential Americana with a high percentage of French Canadian inhabitants. In total, Chicopee became four distinct commercial and political sub-divisions, each with its own ethnic makeup representing its own special interests and, much too frequently, in conflict with each other. Located between Fairview and Willimansett, the Smith Highlands section once had its own school (first and second grades), [[Holyoke Street Railway Company|Holyoke Street Railway]] bus service from Ingham Street across Irene, Factory, and Prospect streets, and two locally owned markets. The former Robert's Pond swimming area was a popular summer attraction, and the fields where the current Bellamy Junior High School is located were a popular sledding and skiing location winters. ====Fairview==== Fairview is the northernmost neighborhood (village) in Chicopee and originally included the lands that are now part of Westover ARB. Primarily agricultural, Fairview was known for its tobacco farms. After 1939, Westover helped to rapidly develop the village into a residential and commercial district. Memorial Drive (Route 33) flows north–south connecting Chicopee Falls with South Hadley. ====Aldenville==== On August 18, 1870, Edward Monroe Alden purchased 600 acres of land just east of Willimansett for the sum of $9,000 with the intent to create a "little city on the hill," which would become Aldenville. In 1890, he began laying out streets which he named for family members and divided the land up into 60-by-170 feet lots. French-Canadian factory workers from Chicopee Falls, Cabotville (Chicopee Center), and Holyoke began to build up the community. Sold for a selling price of $150 with $10 down, the first house was bought and built by French-Canadian builder and carpenter Marcellin Croteau.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.masslive.com/holyokeplus/republican/index.ssf?/base/news-6/1302507943103390.xml&coll=1 |title= |website=www.masslive.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120924105715/http://www.masslive.com/holyokeplus/republican/index.ssf?%2Fbase%2Fnews-6%2F1302507943103390.xml&coll=1 |archive-date=2012-09-24}}</ref>
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