Springfield (Massachusetts), city Hampden County, western Massachusetts. It is located on the east bank of the Connecticut River in a region locally known as Pioneer Valley. Westover Air Force Base is north of the city. Springfield is avoiding decline experienced by other industrial cities in New England by revitalizing a central business district, where historically significant buildings are being restored and remodeled for retail and office use.

Among the points of interest in the city are the Basketball Hall of Fame, a museum which commemorates teacher James Naismith, who developed the game of basketball in Springfield in 1891; the Dr. Seuss Museum, honoring children’s author Theodor Seuss Geisel, who grew up on Mulberry Street in the city; and the Indian Motorcycle Museum, devoted to the famed motorcycle once manufactured in the city. The Springfield Library and Museums include four distinct museums clustered around the Quadrangle green, the cultural centerpiece of Springfield.

An important element of the city’s history is preserved at the Springfield Armory National Historic Site. The site was once a center for the manufacture of small arms for the United States military and now houses one of the country’s premier small arms and rifle collections. Also of note is the Hampden County Courthouse, designed by the architect Henry Hobson Richardson. Educational institutions include Western New England College (1919), Springfield College (1885), American International College (1885), and Springfield Technical Community College (1968).

The first European settlement in the region was developed in 1636 by followers of Puritanism led by William Pynchon. They settled first in what they called Agawam, on the west bank of the Connecticut River, but soon moved to the east bank to avoid clashes with resident Native Americans. In 1640 the community was renamed Springfield, commemorating Pynchon’s English birthplace. It became a town in 1641.

In the early 18th century, water-powered gristmills and sawmills were established along the river. The gunsmith shops located in the city greatly expanded at the onset of the American Revolution (1775-1783). In 1777, a U. S. arsenal was established to provide arms for the Continental Army. Daniel Shays led an abortive attack on the arsenal in 1787 during Shays’ Rebellion, an uprising against excessive land taxation. Congress established a federal armory in 1794, making the city a center for weapons research and development. By 1968, when the armory was closed, it had produced more than 9 million weapons, including the famous Springfield rifle (1903) and the Garand semiautomatic (1937), commonly called the M1.

Aside from the armory, a major stimulus to the economy was the opening of the railroad between Springfield and Worcester in 1839. In 1852 Springfield was incorporated as a city. It became a diversified manufacturing center during the late 19th century; among its products were the first successful gasoline-powered automobile in the United States, the Duryea (1893), and the first motorcycle manufactured in the United States (1901).

Springfield covers a land area of 83 sq km (32 sq mi), with a mean elevation of 21 m (70 ft). According to the 2000 census, whites are 56.1 percent of the population, blacks 21 percent, Asians 1.9 percent, Native Americans 0.4 percent, and Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders 0.1 percent. The remainder are of mixed heritage or did not report race. Hispanics, who may be of any race, are 27.2 percent of the people. Population 152,319 (1980); 156,983 (1990); 152,082 (2000); 151,732 (2005 estimate).