What is moving in Springfield this week.
Openings, closings, developments, fun facts. The Springfield desk publishes editorial pieces that point at the businesses, neighborhoods, and projects that shape the city.
Forest Park is the 735 acres Olmsted gave Springfield
Frederick Law Olmsted's firm laid Forest Park in the 1890s. The rose garden, the zoo, and the Bright Nights drive through have all grown out of that original plan.
Springfield AI Cloud Editorial · April 30, 2026 · 5 min read
HistoryHow Springfield invented basketball, and why the dome is on the river
Naismith invented basketball at the YMCA training school in Springfield in 1891. Thirty years later, the Hall of Fame opened nearby. The orange dome on the riverfront is the city's tourism anchor.
DevelopmentsMGM Springfield, seven years in
MGM Springfield was the largest single private investment in Western Massachusetts when it opened in 2018. The complex stitched the South End back into downtown.
Fun factsThe Connecticut Valley pizza tradition explained
Springfield, Holyoke, and the rest of the Connecticut River valley run on a Greek style pan pizza tradition that does not look like New York or Chicago. It is its own thing.
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Developments
1Construction, redevelopment, public projects, and the people behind them.
Events
1Festivals, concerts, civic moments, and the calendar that runs the year.
Things to do
1Where to go this weekend, what to bring the kids to, and what to plan for the season.
History
2Where Springfield came from, written like the city deserves.
Fun facts
1The trivia that turns out to be true. Springfield is the city of firsts.
The full feed
HistoryForest Park is the 735 acres Olmsted gave Springfield
Frederick Law Olmsted's firm laid Forest Park in the 1890s. The rose garden, the zoo, and the Bright Nights drive through have all grown out of that original plan.
HistoryHow Springfield invented basketball, and why the dome is on the river
Naismith invented basketball at the YMCA training school in Springfield in 1891. Thirty years later, the Hall of Fame opened nearby. The orange dome on the riverfront is the city's tourism anchor.
DevelopmentsMGM Springfield, seven years in
MGM Springfield was the largest single private investment in Western Massachusetts when it opened in 2018. The complex stitched the South End back into downtown.
Fun factsThe Connecticut Valley pizza tradition explained
Springfield, Holyoke, and the rest of the Connecticut River valley run on a Greek style pan pizza tradition that does not look like New York or Chicago. It is its own thing.
EventsThe Big E, West Springfield's 17 day fall obsession
The Eastern States Exposition is a 17 day fair that runs every September in West Springfield. It hosts the six New England state buildings and pulls more than a million visitors each year.
Things to doBright Nights at Forest Park, the city's quietest tradition
Bright Nights is a drive through holiday lights display at Forest Park. It runs from late November through early January each year and funds free public events through the Spirit of Springfield.