The Springfield we publish.
Editorial pieces written from the ground. Landmarks like the Hall of Fame and Forest Park. Neighborhoods like McKnight and Sixteen Acres. The moments when the city comes out, and the industries that keep it running.
Landmarks
7 pieces
City of FirstsThe orange dome on the riverfront
Springfield is where basketball was invented, and the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is where the city tells that story.
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Downtown anchorMGM Springfield and the South End
The casino opened in 2018 on the block bounded by Main, State, Howard, and Union, stitching the South End back into the rest of downtown.
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The spineState Street, downtown's east-west spine
From the Quadrangle museums down to the Armory, State Street is the artery the rest of downtown branches off.
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Olmsted's other parkForest Park, the city's 735 acres of green
Frederick Law Olmsted's firm laid out Forest Park in the 1890s, and the result is one of the largest urban parks in the country.
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From the riverThe Springfield skyline
Crossing the Memorial Bridge from West Springfield, the skyline is the postcard the rest of the country still has not figured out.
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After the lightsDowntown after dark
MGM lit the South End. Symphony Hall lit Court Square. The Civic Center lit State Street. Downtown evenings finally have a calendar again.
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Where it startedSpringfield College, where Naismith taught
The school on Alden Street is the birthplace of basketball, the home of the Pride, and one of three colleges inside the city.
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2 pieces
City limitsSpringfield's city neighborhoods
McKnight, Bay, Old Hill, the South End, the North End, Brightwood, Memorial Square, Liberty Heights. The city is a stack of distinct places.
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Just past the lineThe suburbs that work like Springfield
Longmeadow, East Longmeadow, Wilbraham, Agawam, West Springfield. Towns that share a paper, a high school rivalry, and a downtown.
Read the pieceMoments
4 pieces
On a SaturdayFamily Saturdays in Springfield
Forest Park has the swings and the rose garden. Van Horn has the playground that gets busy by 9 a.m. Sixteen Acres has the soccer fields. Saturdays stay outside.
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On the greenSpringfield comes out for its festivals
The Puerto Rican Day Parade on Main, the Stone Soul Festival in the South End, the Pancake Breakfast on the highway. Civic moments stack up.
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Around the tableBirthdays, anniversaries, and the local supply chain
The cake from the bakery on Sumner. The party room at the pizza shop. The balloon arch the same vendor has done for fifteen years. Family moments run on local commerce.
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Behind the badgeSpringfield's professional networks
The Springfield Regional Chamber, EforAll, Valley Venture Mentors, and a calendar of breakfasts that operators actually attend.
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6 pieces
Where Springfield eatsLocal restaurants and the Saturday rotation
Carvana on Boston Road. Mom and Rico's on Mill. The diner on Belmont. The pho shop on Boston. Springfield's restaurant scene is wider than the chains let on.
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Slice cultureSpringfield's pizza tradition
The Connecticut River valley has its own pizza dialect. Greek style pans, white pies, the corner shops on every neighborhood street.
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Boston RoadAuto sales and service in Springfield
Boston Road, Riverdale, and East Springfield carry the regional auto trade. New, used, body, glass, transmission. The whole stack lives within a few miles.
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On the truckHome services in Springfield
Plumbing, HVAC, roofing, electrical, paving. The home services trade in Springfield runs on word of mouth and on the right truck arriving the same day.
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On ChestnutHealthcare in the Pioneer Valley
Baystate Health is the dominant employer. Mercy and Shriners round out the hospital map. Independent practices fill the rest.
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On Court SquareSpringfield's professional services corridor
Court Square holds the courthouse. The blocks around it hold the law firms, accountants, insurance brokers, and financial planners that make Springfield a regional hub.
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