| Ludlow, Massachusetts | |
|---|---|
| — Town — | |
| Ludlow Town Green | |
| Location in Hampden County in Massachusetts | |
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Massachusetts |
| County | Hampden |
| Settled | 1751 |
| Incorporated | 1774 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Representative town meeting |
| Area | |
| • Total | 28.2 sq mi (73.1 km2) |
| • Land | 27.2 sq mi (70.3 km2) |
| • Water | 1.1 sq mi (2.8 km2) |
| Elevation | 550 ft (168 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 21,103 |
| • Density | 748.3/sq mi (288.7/km2) |
| Time zone | Eastern (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | Eastern (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 01056 |
| Area code(s) | 413 |
| FIPS code | 25-37175 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0618187 |
| Website | http://www.ludlow.ma.us/ |
Ludlow is a town in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 21,103 as of the 2010 census. It is located in western Massachusetts, north of Springfield, east of Chicopee, southeast of Granby, southwest of Belchertown, west of Wilbraham and is considered part of the Springfield Metropolitan Statistical Area. It has a sizable and visible Portuguese community.
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Although plans were drawn up for settlement in 1685, the northeast partition of Springfield, Massachusetts was settled in 1751 as Stony Hill.[1] However, the town was later renamed Ludlow and incorporated as a separate entity in 1774, just before the breakout of the American Revolution.[2] For much of its early history the town was agrarian and today many of Ludlow's street names are derived from the names of these farming families (e.g. Chapin Street, Miller Street, Alden Street, Fuller Street). Ludlow was home to many sawmills and gristmills, utilizing the power from several sources of water nearby, including the Chicopee River, Broad Brook, Higher Brook, and Stony Brook. Before the Civil War, the town began to develop into a New England mill town. This included the manufacturing of glass bottles by the many glassware companies, including John Sikes.[3]
Shays' Rebellion was an armed uprising in central and western Massachusetts from 1786 to 1787. The rebellion is named after Daniel Shays, a veteran of the American Revolution who led the rebels, known as "Shaysites" or "Regulators". Most of Shays' compatriots were poor farmers angered by crushing debt and taxes. Failure to repay such debts often resulted in imprisonment in debtor's prisons or the claiming of property by the government. On the night they set fire on the Springfield Armory, they snuck into Chicopee, Massachusetts and later into Ludlow around by present day West Street. They passed the town into Belchertown, Massachusetts. They stayed there for the night, then went into Enfield, Massachusetts the next day. Shay and his rebellioners were captured and surrendered at Petersham, Massachusetts.
In 1868, the largest mill was opened and operated by the Ludlow Company (whose clock tower is depicted on the town seal), who produced jute yarns, twine, and webbing. This company helped shape the town by providing housing, a library, schools, playgrounds, and even a clubhouse for the increasingly diverse community.[4][5] In the 20th century, this company moved to India and is now known as Ludlow Jute and Specialties of Mumbai.[6]
In the early 20th century Ludlow developed from a mill town into a streetcar suburb of Springfield, Massachusetts, as a trolley line ran over the bridge from Indian Orchard. Ludlow also had two railroads that traversed the town. The Springfield, Athol and North-eastern Railroad and the Hamden Railroad. The Hamden Railroad was closed and Interstate 90 was constructed over its former tracks. The Springfield, Athol, and Northeastern Railroad was reduced in length in the late 1930s as a result of the creation of Quabbin Reservoir. The train station for this line was at the corner of Windsor Street and Sewall Street and was the last station from Boston when the railroad closed in the 1950s. The train station was demolished in 1960 and today the Windsor Apartments and Charter Communications offices are located at its former site.
The population however did not boom until the 1950s with the creation of the Massachusetts Turnpike or Mass Pike. Known as the "Iron Duke", the late John F. Thompson wielded much influence in state and local politics as Speaker of the House of Representatives in the Massachusetts General Court. He was incredibly influential in gaining an exit on the Mass Pike for Ludlow (now Exit 7) and subsequently the Mass Pike influenced the growth of Ludlow as a suburb of Springfield. Since the 1950s, Ludlow has experienced numerous subdivisions adding to its growth in population.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 28.2 square miles (73 km2), of which 27.1 square miles (70 km2) are land and 1.1 square miles (2.8 km2) (3.83%) is water. Ludlow is bordered by Chicopee on the west, Granby on the north, Belchertown on the northeast, Palmer on the east, Wilbraham on the south, and Springfield on the southwest.
| Granby | Belchertown | Belchertown | ||
| Chicopee | Palmer | |||
| Ludlow, Massachusetts | ||||
| Springfield | Wilbraham | Wilbraham |
| Historical populations | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1850 | 1,186 | — |
| 1860 | 1,174 | −1.0% |
| 1870 | 1,136 | −3.2% |
| 1880 | 1,526 | +34.3% |
| 1890 | 1,939 | +27.1% |
| 1900 | 3,536 | +82.4% |
| 1910 | 4,948 | +39.9% |
| 1920 | 7,470 | +51.0% |
| 1930 | 8,876 | +18.8% |
| 1940 | 8,181 | −7.8% |
| 1950 | 8,660 | +5.9% |
| 1960 | 13,805 | +59.4% |
| 1970 | 17,580 | +27.3% |
| 1980 | 18,150 | +3.2% |
| 1990 | 18,820 | +3.7% |
| 2000 | 21,209 | +12.7% |
| 2001* | 21,413 | +1.0% |
| 2002* | 21,582 | +0.8% |
| 2003* | 21,641 | +0.3% |
| 2004* | 21,805 | +0.8% |
| 2005* | 21,996 | +0.9% |
| 2006* | 22,371 | +1.7% |
| 2007* | 22,382 | +0.0% |
| 2008* | 22,149 | −1.0% |
| 2009* | 22,165 | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 21,103 | −4.8% |
| * = population estimate. Source: United States Census records and Population Estimates Program data.[7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16] |
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As of the census[17] of 2000, there were 21,209 people residing in the town. The population density was 752.1 people per square mile (290.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.78% White, 2.19% African American, 0.27% Native American, 0.68% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, and 1.09% from other races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.47% of the population.
Portuguese-Americans make up 21% of the population of the town.[18] The Portuguese church Our Lady of Fatima puts on an annual Festa, which is one of the most significant cultural events for Portuguese-Americans in the country.[19] Ludlow is also home to many Polish and French Canadians. Soccer is an extremely popular sport in Ludlow. The town's high school soccer team is the most dominant in Western Mass and has recently been ranked 16th nationally by the NSCAA and has won many state championships as well, including the most recent one in 2011. The town is also home to the amateur Gremio Lusitano, and the Western Mass Pioneers and Western Mass Lady Pioneers professional soccer teams. The Pioneers play in the USL Second Division while the Lady Pioneers compete in the USL W-League. Both teams play their home games at Lusitano Stadium in Ludlow. In 1996, the National Soccer Hall of Fame added Ludlow to its soccer history display.[20]
The town is served by three public elementary schools, East Street School, Chapin Street School, and Veteran's Park Elementary School. Previously students attended elementary school based on their residence, but starting with the 2009-2010 school year a reorganization plan took effect. Now Kindergarten and First Grade attend East Street, grades 2-3 attend Chapin Street, and grades 4-5 attend Veteran's Park. There is one public middle school, Paul R. Baird Middle School, and Ludlow High School is the town's only public high school.
The town also features St. John the Baptist School, a private school serving grades K-8 affiliated with St. John the Baptist Church. For high school residents of Ludlow have the option of attending private schools such as Cathedral High School in Springfield or Holyoke Catholic High School in Chicopee. The nearest vocational high school is Pathfinder High School in Palmer, and the nearest university-preparatory school is Wilbraham & Monson Academy in Wilbraham.
The nearest community colleges are Springfield Technical Community College and Holyoke Community College. The nearest state universities are the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Westfield State University. The nearest private colleges from the center of Ludlow are Western New England College, American International College, and Springfield College, all in Springfield.
Ludlow is a transportation hub, having Massachusetts exit 7 on I-90 (the Massachusetts Turnpike, "Masspike", or "The Pike"), Route 21 connections to Springfield and Belchertown, and bus routes to Springfield.
Exit 7 is the first Masspike exit to require a toll going Eastbound, and the last exit to require a toll going Westbound, as exits 1-6 are free. There are rest stops on East and Westbound sides of the Pike less than a mile from Exit 7. The area has McDonald's and Honey Dew Donuts on the eastbound side. Boston Market and D'Angelos Subs serve westbound travelers.
Center Street (Massachusetts Route 21), runs northerly through Ludlow from the Putts Bridge (known simply at "The Ludlow Bridge") on the Springfield side to Belchertown Center. East Street, which goes through the Portuguese section of town, also starts at Putt's bridge , but leads easterly to Palmer. Chapin Street, which connects Center to East, runs through Ludlow from Wilbraham to Chicopee. The area in between these three main roads is called "the Triangle" by locals. Westover Air Force Base is partially in Ludlow, though the majority is in Chicopee, MA.
Bradley International Airport is 23 miles away and Logan International Airport is 74 miles away in Boston. There are bus stops along Center St., Winsor St. and East St. that connect Ludlow to Springfield.
Ludlow High graduate Maura West of "As The World Turns" won the award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series at the 34th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles in 2007. Dean Lombardi, a 1976 graduate of Ludlow High and star hockey player for the high school and Springfield Olympics, is the current president and general manager of the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League. Matt Trusz, a 2003 graduate of Wilbraham & Monson Academy in Wilbraham was also a Springfield Olympics standout hockey goaltender; he is currently playing professionally in the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) and the Eastern Professional Hockey League (EPHL). Tom Matera, a 1994 graduate of Ludlow High School, went on to become World Wrestling Entertainment Superstar Antonio.
These are other notable people who reside or have resided in Ludlow:
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