Chicopee, Industrial city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States.
Chicopee is an industrial city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, sitting along both banks of the Chicopee River. Neighborhoods such as Chicopee Center, Chicopee Falls, Willimansett, and Aldenville form distinct sections within the city, each with their own streetscape and former mill buildings.
Settlement began in 1640 as part of Springfield, and the area transformed into a factory center when cotton mills opened starting in 1825. Later industrial expansion brought metalworking shops, including sword production for the Union Army during the Civil War.
The World Kielbasa Festival celebrates Polish roots through food stalls, live dance performances, and cooking contests that fill downtown streets each spring. This tradition connects to immigrant families who settled here during factory boom years and maintained their recipes across generations.
Westover Air Reserve Base hosts regular air shows that draw visitors from across New England and offer a close look at military aircraft. Public events typically take place on weekends, with access granted during these open occasions without special registration.
The Ames Manufacturing Company produced tens of thousands of swords and sabers in local workshops between the 1840s and 1860s. These weapons bore serial numbers and are now sought after by collectors, coming from an era when metalworking still relied heavily on hand craftsmanship.
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