Greater Hartford–Springfield | |
|---|---|
  Top to bottom: a view ofHartford as seen from East Hartford; a portion ofSpringfield's skyline, as seen from West Springfield | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Connecticut Massachusetts |
| Subregions | |
| Counties | Massachusetts Connecticut |
| Area | |
| • Seven-county | 4,092 sq mi (10,600 km2) |
| Population (2020) | |
| • Seven-county | 2,162,136[2] |
| • Density | 533/sq mi (206/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−05:00 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−04:00 (PDT) |
| Area codes | 413,860/959 |
Thegreater Hartford–Springfield area is anurban region and surrounding suburban areas that encompasses both north-centralConnecticut and the southernConnecticut River Valley inwestern Massachusetts; its major city centers areSpringfield, Massachusetts andHartford, Connecticut.[3]
The area is also sometimes called theKnowledge Corridor, initially employed as a 2012 rename ("New England's Knowledge Corridor") for the Hartford–Springfield Economic Partnership, an interstate cooperative venture to foster an economic, cultural, and civic partnership between the two major cities on theConnecticut River.[3][4] The term Knowledge Corridor has gained a degree of currency, mostly with some government organizations as well as local businesses and universities using the name.[5] TheNew Haven–Springfield Line andConnecticut River Line form the primary rail route through the region, and are sometimes themselves called the Knowledge Corridor in planning documents.[6]
The Hartford–Springfield region isNew England's second-most populousconurbation afterGreater Boston, with approximately 1.9 million residents and 160,000 university students.[7][8] The region also features "a dense concentration" of hospitals and over 29 universities andliberal arts colleges, including a large number of the United States' most prestigious higher-education institutions.[3] The Knowledge Corridor includes surrounding cities such asNorthampton andAmherst in the north, andNew Britain andMiddletown in the south.
Hartford and Springfield's urban cores lie only 23.9 miles (38.5 km) apart; however, their efforts to cooperate have long been hampered by state border issues, beginning with a lawsuit in 1638.[9] Hartford'sBradley International Airport is the closest airport, which sits equidistant between them inWindsor Locks, Connecticut.[10] The Hartford–Springfield Knowledge Corridor Partnership was formalized by regional civic, business, and education leaders in 2000 atthe Big E inWest Springfield.[11]
Since their respective foundings in 1635 and 1636, Hartford and Springfield have possessed a commonConnecticut River heritage – both were among the original four settlements of theConnecticut Colony; however, an early legal dispute between two of the cities' Founding Fathers led the settlements to side with different colonies. In 1638, Springfield founderWilliam Pynchon became embroiled in a legal dispute with one of theConnecticut Colony's leading citizens, Captain John Mason. Mason charged Pynchon—and the settlement of Springfield—with dominating the corn and beaver pelt trade with the Natives, to the detriment of Hartford and the Connecticut Colony. The dispute, which Pynchon and Springfield lost in 1638, led to Springfield's annexing itself toMassachusetts instead of aligning with its more geographically and ideologically compatible neighbor,Connecticut.[9] Only since the early 2000s have Hartford and Springfield – the two great cities on the Connecticut River – started to collaborate closely, i.e. as the Knowledge Corridor Partnership.
Both Hartford and Springfield were prosperous from the early 19th century through the 1960s as cultural, technological, and industrial centers.[citation needed] Hartford became the center of the United States' insurance industry, while Springfield became the United States' first epicenter of precision manufacturing, producing innovations like America's first gasoline-powered car, motorcycle, and commercial radio station, among many others.[12] Both cities were especially wealthy – at one point in the late 1800s, they were the two wealthiest cities per capita in the United States.[citation needed] Both cities still feature Victorian architecture built during that period.
During the mid-20th century, both Hartford and Springfield experienced a loss of manufacturing during economic restructuring. The growth of the highway system—in particularInterstate 91—engenderedwhite flight to the suburbs, where a disproportionate amount of both cities' wealthy citizens live, (e.g., inLongmeadow, Massachusetts andWest Hartford, Connecticut).[citation needed] During the 1960s and 1970s, the Connecticut River was polluted and Interstate 91 was built along both riverfronts – slicing through existing neighborhoods. During this period Hartford, which had historically always been slightly more populous than Springfield, hemorrhaged residents. By 1960, Springfield had become more populous than Hartford, and remains more populous as of 2011.[citation needed] During the 1990s, Hartford and Springfield established a professional hockey partnership, as the SpringfieldAmerican Hockey League team (first theIndians and then theFalcons) served as the development affiliate of theNational Hockey League'sHartford Whalers.
Since 2000, both cities have seen an increase in public and private investment, and a general increase in culture, vitality, and civic pride.[citation needed] TheKnowledge Corridor high-speed intercity rail line is one such project, intended to unite the region and ease residents' dependence onInterstate 91.[13] Also, both cities are pursuing different strategies to reconnect with theConnecticut River for economic and recreational opportunities.
For decades after the decline of New England manufacturing, Hartford and Springfield competed for similar businesses. During the early 1990s, a former Springfield mayor even went so far as to launch a campaign for Hartford businesses to "leave Hartford behind" for Springfield, touting Springfield's "quality of life".[14] Since the two cities started to work collaboratively in 2000, both Hartford and Springfield have consciously defined themselves in different but complementary ways, likeRaleigh–Durham,Minneapolis–Saint Paul orDallas–Fort Worth. Both cities still feature many of the same strengths (e.g., prestigious universities and healthcare centers); however, Hartford is increasingly being defined as the Knowledge Corridor's business center, with its postmodern skyline, numerous corporate headquarters, government district, and relatively wider main thoroughfares,[15] while Springfield is being defined as the Knowledge Corridor's recreational center, with numerous amusements for both children and adults; renovated, human-scaleVictorian architecture; and awalkable, livelyMetro Center.[16] Journalists note that the Springfield features culture that far outsizes its metropolitan population of 1.9 million (see below).[17] In 2018 the MGM company opened theMGM Springfield a destination resort casino in with over 2 million square feet of hotel, casino, shopping, and amenities in Springfield. The construction project involved the restoration of a number of historic buildings that had been damaged in the2011 New England tornado outbreak.[18]
The Hartford–Springfield area has a workforce of 1.1 million people and over 41,000 businesses. It is home to six Fortune 500 Companies. Its two major cities, Hartford and Springfield, have a combined GDP exceeding $100 billion per year, more than 16 U.S. states. This figure does not include the smaller cities and towns of the "Knowledge Corridor", (e.g., Northampton, Massachusetts and Middletown, Connecticut) but only the two principal cities.
As of its tenth anniversary in 2010, the Knowledge Corridor Partnership has been cited for both increasing jobs and keeping jobs in the Hartford–Springfield region, e.g.Eppendorf inEnfield, Connecticut, brought over 200 jobs to the Corridor, and MassMutual in Springfield brought over 300 new jobs. It is reported that "officials in Connecticut don’t get jealous if they lose a prospect to Massachusetts and vice versa... Because, if the [cities] weren't working together, these companies wouldn't even consider us."[19]
Public schools are highly regarded, in 2016 Massachusetts ranked first in the country for Pre-K through 12 education while Connecticut ranked fifth.[20]
The Hartford–Springfield area is home to a high concentration of preparatory schools.
