Longmeadow, Massachusetts

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Longmeadow, Massachusetts
Town
Longmeadow Town Hall
Location in Hampden County in Massachusetts
Coordinates: 42°03′00″N 72°35′00″W / 42.05000°N 72.58333°W / 42.05000; -72.58333
Country United States
State Massachusetts
County Hampden
Settled 1644
Incorporated 1783
Government
 • Type Open town meeting
 • Town
   Manager		 Stephen Crane
 • Board of
   Selectmen		 Marie Angelides, Richard Foster, Mark Gold, Alex Grant, Paul Santaniello
 • School
   Committee		 Michael Clark, James Desrochers, Elizabeth Bone, Katherine Girard, Kimberly King, Janet Robinson, John Fitzgerald
Area
 • Total 9.5 sq mi (24.6 km2)
 • Land 9.0 sq mi (23.4 km2)
 • Water 0.5 sq mi (1.2 km2)
Elevation 160 ft (49 m)
Population (2000)
 • Total 15,633
 • Density 1,732.5/sq mi (668.9/km2)
 • Demonym Longmeadowite
Time zone Eastern (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) Eastern (UTC-4)
ZIP code 01106
Area code(s) 413
FIPS code 25-36300
GNIS feature ID 0618186
Website www.longmeadow.org

Longmeadow is a town in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 15,784 at the 2010 census.

History

Longmeadow was first settled in 1644, and officially incorporated on October 17, 1783. The town was originally farmland within the limits of Springfield. It remained relatively pastoral until the street railway was built about 1910, when the population tripled over a fifteen-year period. After Interstate 91 was built in the wetlands on the west side of town, population tripled again between 1960 and 1975.

During the 19th and early 20th centuries, Longmeadow was best known as the site from which Longmeadow brownstone was mined. Several famous American buildings, including Princeton University's Neo-Gothic library are made of Longmeadow brownstone. In 1894, the more populous and industrialized "East Village" portion of the town containing the brownstone quarries split off to become East Longmeadow.

Geography

Longmeadow is located in the western part of the state, just south of the city of Springfield, and is bordered on the west by the Connecticut River, to the east by East Longmeadow and to the south by Enfield, Connecticut. It extends approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) north to south and 2.5 miles (4.0 km) east to west. It is approximately 20 miles (32 km) north of Hartford. It is also home to Bay Path College.

More than 30% of the town is permanent open space. Conservation areas on the west side of town include more than 750 acres (3.0 km2) bordering the Connecticut River. The area supports a wide range of wildlife including deer, beaver, wild turkeys, foxes, and eagles. Springfield's Forest Park (Springfield), which at 735 acres (2.97 km2) is the largest city park in New England, forms the northern border of the town. The private Twin Hills and public Franconia golf courses, plus town athletic fields and conservation land, cover nearly 2/3 of the eastern border of the town. Two large public parks, the Longmeadow Country Club, and three conservation areas account for the bulk of the remaining formal open space. Almost 20% of the houses in town are in proximity to a "dingle", a tree-lined steep sided sandy ravine with a wetland at the bottom that provides a privacy barrier between yards.

Longmeadow has a town common located along U.S. Route 5, on the west side of town. It is about 0.75-mile (1.2 kilometers) long. Roughly 100 houses date back before 1900, most of which are in the historic district near the town green. Houses along the photogenic main street are set back farther than in most towns of similar residential density. The town has three recently remodeled elementary schools, two secondary schools, and one high school. The commercial center of town is an area called "The Longmeadow Shops," including restaurants and clothing stores.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 9.5 square miles (25 km2), of which 9.0 square miles (23 km2) is land and 0.5 square miles (1.3 km2) (5.05%) is water.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
18501,252
—
18601,3769.9%
18701,342−2.5%
18801,4014.4%
18902,18355.8%
1900811−62.8%
19101,08433.7%
19202,618141.5%
19304,43769.5%
19405,79030.5%
19506,50812.4%
196010,56562.3%
197015,63047.9%
198016,3014.3%
199015,467−5.1%
200015,6331.1%
201015,7841.0%
U.S. Decennial Census

As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 15,633 people, 5,734 households, and 4,432 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,732.5 inhabitants per square mile (668.9 /km2). There were 5,879 housing units at an average density of 651.5 per square mile (251.5 /km2). The racial makeup of the town was 95.42% White, 0.69% African American, 0.05% Native American, 2.90% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.26% from other races, and 0.62% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.09% of the population.

There were 5,734 households out of which 37.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.1% were married couples living together, 6.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.7% were non-families. 20.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.09.

In the town the population was spread out with 26.8% under the age of 18, 4.6% from 18 to 24, 22.0% from 25 to 44, 28.7% from 45 to 64, and 17.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 87.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.0 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $89,586, and the median income for a family was $105,578. Males had a median income of $68,238 versus $40,890 for females. The per capita income for the town was $38,949. About 1.0% of families and 2.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 0.3% of those under age 18 and 8.3% of those age 65 or over.

Government

The town government consists of a Select Board with five members.

Education

The Longmeadow public school system comprises six schools. Blueberry Hill School, Center School, and Wolf Swamp Road School are K−5 elementary schools. Williams Middle School and Glenbrook Middle School serve grades 6–8. Longmeadow High School serves all students in the town between grades 9 and 12. The town's elementary schools have been recently rebuilt, statements of interest for improvements to the two middle schools and Longmeadow High School were filed with the Massachusetts School Building Authority in 2007. In 2010, the voters of Longmeadow approved a 2.5% budget override to support the construction of a new 78 million dollar high school. The town received an estimated 34 million dollars in state funds to be used towards the new construction The new High School was completed and opened to students on February 26, 2013. After students and faculty had moved into the new school, the demolition of the old school was begun. The demolition was completed by June 2013. The school had its grand opening in September 2013 with both the brand new school and renovated business & administration wing open.

Longmeadow also hosts three private parochial schools, the Lubavitcher Yeshiva Academy (LYA), Heritage Academy and St. Mary's Academy. LYA was established in 1946 in response to the Greater Springfield Jewish community's need for a quality Jewish day school. In 1999, LYA became the first Jewish day school to be accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC). The more than 120 students that the school serves each year from across the spectrum of Jewish life includes orthodox, conservative, reform and unaffiliated families. St. Mary's School, located behind St. Mary's church, serves Catholic students grades Pre-K through Grade 8.

Approximately 50% of the students at Longmeadow High School participate in the music program. The choruses have won gold medals at the MICCA competition. The jazz ensemble has won numerous gold medals as well, but no longer competes. The wind ensemble and symphony orchestra have had the honor of performing in Indianapolis, Boston (Boston Symphony Hall), and New York (Carnegie Hall). In 2010, Longmeadow was awarded The American Prize in Orchestral Performance. The music program's crowning achievement has been receiving three national Grammy Awards based on the high level of excellence maintained throughout all groups in the music program.

Notable people

Johnny Appleseed once lived here, and Louisa May Alcott mentions a place called Longmeadow in Little Women. Longmeadow was also the home of Dr. Nathan Cooley Keep, a pioneer in the field of dentistry and the founding Dean of the Harvard School of Dental Medicine. Craig E. Campbell also hails from Longmeadow. He served as Alaska's Lieutenant Governor and commanded the Alaska National Guard, retiring in the grade of Lieutenant General (AK).

Many recent celebrities are former Longmeadow residents, including actress Bridget Moynahan, actress Erinn Bartlett, former Total Request Live host Damien Fahey, as well as New England Revolution defenseman Jay Heaps. Aaron Lewis of the band Staind graduated from Longmeadow High School. Joey Santiago of the band Pixies attended Longmeadow High School (and graduated from nearby Wilbraham and Monson Academy). Author Anita Shreve is a former town resident.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 

External links

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Municipalities and communities of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States
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Coordinates: 42°03′N 72°35′W / 42.050°N 72.583°W / 42.050; -72.583

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