East Longmeadow, Massachusetts | |
|---|---|
 East Longmeadow Town Hall | |
 Flag  Seal | |
 Location in Hampden County in Massachusetts | |
| Coordinates:42°03′52″N72°30′47″W / 42.06444°N 72.51306°W /42.06444; -72.51306 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Massachusetts |
| County | Hampden |
| Settled | 1720 |
| Incorporated | 1894 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Town Council and Town Manager |
| Area | |
• Total | 12.94 sq mi (33.5 km2) |
| • Land | 13.0 sq mi (33.6 km2) |
| • Water | 0.039 sq mi (0.1 km2) |
| Elevation | 226 ft (69 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 16,430 |
| • Density | 1,270/sq mi (489/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (Eastern) |
| ZIP code | 01028 |
| Area code | 413 |
| FIPS code | 25-19645 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0618182 |
| Website | www |
East Longmeadow is atown[1] inHampden County, Massachusetts, United States, in thePioneer Valley region ofWestern Massachusetts. It had a population of 16,430 at the2020 census.[2] East Longmeadow is 5 mi (8.0 km) southeast of downtownSpringfield, part of theSpringfieldMetropolitan Statistical Area. It is 25 mi (40 km) north ofHartford, 88 mi (142 km) southwest ofBoston, and 142 mi (229 km) northeast ofNew York City.
The development of East Longmeadow around the turn-of-the century was largely reliant on thebrownstone quarrying industry. The industry brought manySwedish immigrants, formerly ofConnecticut, along with largeFrench andItalian populations to the area. These immigrants typically labored in thequarries.
East Longmeadow hosts an annualFourth of July Parade, one of the largest Fourth of July parades inWestern Massachusetts.[3]East Longmeadow High School also hosts an annual Fourth of July fireworks display, traditionally held on July 3.
The town ofLongmeadow, Massachusetts was first settled in the17th century. In the 1750s houses started appearing in the eastern part of the town known as "East Village". In 1894, East Village separated fromLongmeadow, and became officiallyincorporated as East Longmeadow in the same year.[4] The town became well known for itsbrownstonequarries, even when it was still a part ofLongmeadow.
Arailroad was built through the town in the late 19th century bySpringfield and New London Railroad. The railroad wasn't a part of a major route so it becameabandoned by the 1980s.[5] In the early 2010s, abike path called TheRedstone Rail Trail was built on a 1.6 mile section of where the tracks ran. It runs from Maple Street to Denslow Road. In 2020, the oldtrain depot was bought and renovated into anice cream stand. It opened in spring 2021.
East Longmeadow andLongmeadow compete in an annualThanksgiving Dayfootball game that routinely attracts a few thousand spectators. The town is also the home to the 2007 and 2019Western Massachusetts champions in Varsity High School Baseball, along with the Western Massachusetts champions in Girls Indoor Track in 2010 and 2011.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the town has an area of 12.94 square miles (33.5 km2) as of 2020.[6]
East Longmeadow is bordered byEnfield andSomers,Connecticut, to the south;Hampden to the east;Wilbraham on the northeast;Springfield on the north and northwest; andLongmeadow on the west.[7]
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 1,187 | — |
| 1910 | 1,553 | +30.8% |
| 1920 | 2,352 | +51.4% |
| 1930 | 3,327 | +41.5% |
| 1940 | 3,403 | +2.3% |
| 1950 | 4,881 | +43.4% |
| 1960 | 10,294 | +110.9% |
| 1970 | 13,029 | +26.6% |
| 1980 | 12,905 | −1.0% |
| 1990 | 13,367 | +3.6% |
| 2000 | 14,100 | +5.5% |
| 2010 | 15,720 | +11.5% |
| 2020 | 16,430 | +4.5% |
| 2022* | 16,343 | −0.5% |
| * = population estimate. Source:United States Census records andPopulation Estimates Program data.[8][9][10][11][12][13][14] | ||
As of thecensus[15] of 2010, there were 16,187 people, 5,248 households, and 3,988 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,087.1 inhabitants per square mile (419.7/km2). There were 5,363 housing units at an average density of 413.5 per square mile (159.7/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 97.52%White, 0.74%African American, 0.04%Native American, 0.88%Asian, 0.05%Pacific Islander, 0.24% fromother races, and 0.52% from two or more races.Hispanic orLatino of any race were 0.92% of the population.
There were 5,248 households, out of which 34.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.7% weremarried couples living together, 7.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.0% were non-families. 21.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 3.10.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.8% under the age of 18, 5.5% from 18 to 24, 26.4% from 25 to 44, 24.6% from 45 to 64, and 18.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.2 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $62,680, and the median income for a family was $70,571. Males had a median income of $51,062 versus $32,267 for females. Theper capita income for the town was $27,659. About 2.1% of families and 3.4% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 4.7% of those under age 18 and 5.9% of those age 65 or over.
A point of interest in East Longmeadow is Heritage Park. Heritage Park has a body of water (Blackman's Pond) with fish, as well as baseball fields, soccer field, playscape, and a picnicking area. Historic places in East Longmeadow include the numerous red and brown sandstone quarries that gave the town its industrial beginnings and from which the originalSmithsonian Institution Building inWashington was mined, theElijah Burt House, The Seward Pease House, The Train depot, and the First Congregational Church. Another point of interest is the area around thecentral rotary called "The rotary". Here, there are small shops, including many restaurants. East Longmeadow is also home (or partial home) to a fewgolfcourses. The Rotary itself was made famous byRobert Ripley, author ofRipley's Believe It or Not and listed because of the seven streets feeding into it with no traffic lights.
Also an integral part of East Longmeadow are the many churches, such as St. Michael's (Catholic), St. Paul's (Lutheran), St. Mark's (Episcopal),[16] First Congregational (UCC), First Baptist, Cornerstone Church, East Longmeadow United Methodist, St. Luke's (Greek Orthodox) and many more.
East Longmeadow was home toMilton Bradley Company for many years, and still houses one of its largest facilities afterHasbro bought the corporation in 1984. In 2016 theHasbro location was purchased byCartamundi.
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Until June 30, 2016, East Longmeadow had an annual open town meeting held on the third Monday in May and presided over by a town moderator, who also was responsible for appointing the town's Appropriations Committee. The chief executive board in the town was the Board of Selectmen. It consisted of three popularly elected members who held staggered three-year terms.
Besides this board, which also served the role of Fire and Police Commissioners and the Board of Health, the town had a series of independent Executive Boards: the Boards of Public Works, Planning, Library Trustees, Assessors, a School Committee, and an independent, elected Housing Authority Board. The town also has numerous advisory boards under these executive boards.
Charter Review Commission: The East Longmeadow Charter Review Commission was elected in April 2015 to review the form of town government and to write a town charter for submission to the voters. It passed in April 2016.
In June 2016, East Longmeadow elected a seven-member Town Council. Current Town Councilors are listed below.[17]
| Town Councilor | Year elected- End of Current Term |
|---|---|
| Anna Jones (Vice President) | 2022–2028 |
| Ralph Page | 2019–2028 |
| Kathleen Hill | 2016–2028 |
| Connor O'Shea (President) | 2021–2027 |
| James Leydon | 2024–2027 |
| Jonathan Torcia | 2023–2026 |
| Marilyn Richards | 2019*–2026 |
*Appointed by Town Council to fill vacancy, won election in the next year's annual election
In December 2016, the Town Council voted unanimously (7–0) to offer Denise Menard the job of Town Manager. She was the first Town Manager in East Longmeadow history until her retirement in August 2019. Mary McNally was hired as the town's second-ever Town Manager in late 2019. In June 2023, McNally resigned as Town Manager. Deputy Town Manager Tom Christianson became Town Manager on July 1, 2023.
With the adoption of the new charter, East Longmeadow became a statutory city under Massachusetts state law on July 1, 2016.
Elected by the voters is a five-member school committee. They serve staggered three-year terms.[18]
| School Committee Member | Years Elected- Current term end |
|---|---|
| Aimee Dalenta | 2022–2025 |
| Antonella Raschilla-Manzi | 2019–2025 |
| Sarah Truoiolo (Vice Chair) | 2018–2027 |
| Gregory Thompson (Chair) | 2008–2026 |
| William Strother | 2025-2026 |
The East Longmeadow public library began in 1896, but in 2004 a new library was built.[19][20] In fiscal year 2008, the town of East Longmeadow spent 1.4% ($584,361) of its budget on its public library; $38 per person.[21]
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Municipalities and communities ofHampden County, Massachusetts,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
| Towns | ||
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| Other villages | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
