Westfield, Massachusetts

The area was originally inhabited by the Pocomtuc, and was called Waranoke{{cite book |editor-last=Gille |editor-first=Frank H. |date=1998 |title=Encyclopedia of Massachusetts Indians |location=St. Clair Shores, Michigan |publisher=Somerset Publishers, Inc. |page=245 |isbn=0-403-09330-9 |quote=Waranoke was an Algonquian band or village near the site of Westfield, Hampden County Massachusetts. The natives were probably a minor part of the Pennacook confederacy. Descendants are most likely among the Saint Francis Abnaki in Quebec, Canada.}} or Woronoco (meaning "the winding land"An Historical Address Delivered before the citizens of Springfield in Massachusetts at the public celebration May 26, 1911, of the Two Hundred and Seventy-Fifth Anniversary of the Settlement with Five Appendices, by Charles H. Barrows. Copyright 1916, Connecticut Valley Historical Society. Thef. A. Bassett Co. Printers, Springfield, Mass. Appendix A, "Meaning of Local Indian Names".). Trading houses were built in 1639 to 1640 by European settlers from the Connecticut Colony. Massachusetts asserted jurisdiction, and prevailed after a boundary survey. In 1647, Massachusetts made Woronoco part of Springfield.[http://www.hampdencountyhistory.com/westfield/wf250/p07.html "Chronology of Westfield (1)"], Louis M. Dewey, copyright 1905–1919. Land was "incrementally purchased from the Native Americans and granted by the Springfield town meeting to English settlers, beginning in 1658." The area of Woronoco or "Streamfield" began to be permanently settled in the 1660s. In 1669, "Westfield" was incorporated as an independent town;[https://web.archive.org/web/20070829023324/http://www.hampdencountyhistory.com/westfield/wf250/p08.html "Chronology of Westfield (2)"], Louis M. Dewey, copyright 1905–1919. in 1920, it would be re-incorporated as a city. The name Westfield would be named for being at the time the most westerly settlement. "Streamfield" was considered a name for the town for being settled in between two "streams" that flow downtown, the Westfield River and the Little River.

From its founding until 1725, Westfield was the westernmost settlement in the Massachusetts Colony, and portions of it fell within the Equivalent Lands. Town meetings were held in a church meeting house until 1839, when Town Hall was erected on Broad Street. This building also served as City Hall from 1920 to 1958. Due to its alluvial lands, the inhabitants of the Westfield area were entirely devoted to agricultural pursuits for about 150 years.

Early in the 19th century, the manufacture of bricks, whips, and cigars became economically important. At one point in the 19th century, Westfield was a prominent center of the buggy whip industry, and the city is still known as the "Whip City". Other firms produced bicycles, paper products, pipe organs, boilers and radiators, textile machinery, abrasives, wood products, and precision tools. Westfield transformed itself from an agricultural town into a thriving industrial city in the 19th century, but in the second half of the 20th century its manufacturing base was eroded by wage competition in the U.S. Southeast, then overseas.

Meanwhile, with cheap land and convenient access to east–west and north–south interstate highways, the north side developed into a warehousing center to C & S Wholesale, Home Depot, Lowes and other corporations. South of the river, the intersecting trends of growth of Westfield State University and declining manufacturing changed the city's character. Students comprise some 15% of Westfield's population, and the old downtown business district caters increasingly to them while mainstream shopping relocates to a commercial strip called East Main Street, part of U.S. Route 20.

Only four buildings exceed four stories in height. Until a major fire on January 6, 1952, the Westfield Professional Building covered half a downtown city block and was six stories tall. The entire building was consumed with extensive damage to neighboring buildings because the fire department's ladder and snorkel vehicles weren't tall enough and the building did not have a sprinkler system. Subsequent zoning prohibited virtually all new construction over three stories, even after improvements in fire suppression technologies and vehicles became available. No building is allowed to be taller than the town's firetruck ladders.

In the early 20th century, Westfield was at the center of the Pure Food movement, an effort to require stricter standards on the production of food. Louis B. Allyn, a Westfield resident and pure foods expert for McClure's Magazine, lived in Westfield until his murder. In 1906, Congress passed the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906. In June 2017, the administration of Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker announced a $300,000 grant to the city for an industrial park expansion.{{cite news|last=Ropek|first=Lucas|title=Baker-Polito administration awards $300,000 for industrial park expansion in Westfield|website=MassLive.com|publisher=Advance Publications|url=https://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2017/06/baker-polito_administration_aw.html|date=June 23, 2017|access-date=July 11, 2018}}

In 1939, Westfield became the first city in Massachusetts, as well as all of New England, to elect a female Mayor when Alice Burke defeated incumbent Raymond H. Cowing.{{cite news|title=First Woman Mayor In Bay State Elected By Westfield Voters|newspaper=The Boston Daily Globe|date=November 8, 1939}}

File:Beneath the Mass Pike.JPG

Westfield is located at {{Coord|42|7|46|N|72|44|46|W|type:city}} (42.129492, −72.745986).{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=2011-04-23|date=February 12, 2011|title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990}} It is bordered on the north by Southampton, on the northeast by Holyoke, on the east by West Springfield, on the southeast by Agawam, on the south by Southwick, on the southwest by Granville, on the west by Russell, and on the northwest by Montgomery. Westfield is split into the "South Side" and the "North Side" by the Westfield River, and the northwestern section of town is known as Wyben.

File:Eastmountain snakepond.jpg ]]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of {{convert|122.7|km2|order=flip}}, of which {{convert|120.0|km2|order=flip}} are land and {{convert|2.8|km2|order=flip}}, or 2.24%, are water.{{cite web| url=https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/G001/1600000US2576030| title=Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Census Summary File 1 (G001): Westfield city, Massachusetts| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau| work=American Factfinder| access-date=August 2, 2017| archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213112042/https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/G001/1600000US2576030| archive-date=February 13, 2020| url-status=dead}}

Westfield is situated at the western edge of the downfaulted Connecticut River Valley where the Westfield River emerges from the Berkshire Hills and flows through the center of the city on its way to the Connecticut River some {{convert|10|mi|0}} downstream. Because of its large, steep and rocky upstream watershed, the river has a history of severe flood episodes, inundating adjacent parts of Westfield several times. In spite of a complicated system of pumps, dikes, waterways, and upstream dams, Westfield lies in a floodplain zone and is still considered flood-prone.

Westfield is bordered on the east by linear cliffs of volcanic trap rock known as East Mountain and Provin Mountain. They are part of the Metacomet Ridge, a mountainous trap rock ridgeline that stretches from Long Island Sound to nearly the Vermont border. Both mountains are traversed by the {{convert|114|mi|adj=on}} Metacomet-Monadnock Trail, that also crosses the Westfield River with an ill-advised fording or a safer road-walk across the bridge at the junction of Routes 187 and 20. The next road obstacle for hikers in Westfield is the Massachusetts Turnpike, beneath which hikers can safely walk.

Westfield is on the fringe of the greater Northeast megalopolis—the most densely populated region of the United States—and has experienced substantial land development for suburban residential and commercial uses for the past six decades. Yet it borders hilltowns to the west that were depopulated of subsistence farmers in the 19th century as land became readily available on the western frontier. With population dipping below ten per square kilometer in some upland townships, forests are reverting almost to pre-settlement conditions with wild turkey, bears, coyotes and even moose returning after absences perhaps measured in centuries. This transition over a few miles from the 21st century urbanization to population densities nearly as low as early colonial times is notable if not unique.

Westfield is located {{convert|10|mi|0}} west of Springfield, {{convert|39|mi}} southeast of Pittsfield, {{convert|95|mi}} west of Boston, {{convert|30|mi}} north of Hartford, Connecticut, {{convert|76|mi}} southeast of Albany, New York, and {{convert|145|mi}} northeast of New York City.

{{Weather box

|location = Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport, Massachusetts (1981–2010 normals, extremes 1926–present{{efn|Records maintained at Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport since August 1998, and at the Westfield COOP before December 1995.{{Cite web|url=http://threadex.rcc-acis.org/|title=Threaded Extremes|website=threadex.rcc-acis.org}}}})

|collapsed =

|single line = Y

|Jan record high F = 71

|Feb record high F = 79

|Mar record high F = 83

|Apr record high F = 95

|May record high F = 98

|Jun record high F = 102

|Jul record high F = 103

|Aug record high F = 101

|Sep record high F = 97

|Oct record high F = 87

|Nov record high F = 76

|Dec record high F = 73

|Jan high F = 32.9

|Feb high F = 37.0

|Mar high F = 45.9

|Apr high F = 59.1

|May high F = 70.5

|Jun high F = 78.0

|Jul high F = 82.8

|Aug high F = 81.5

|Sep high F = 74.0

|Oct high F = 61.6

|Nov high F = 49.4

|Dec high F = 38.2

|year high F= 59.3

|Jan low F = 12.9

|Feb low F = 17.4

|Mar low F = 25.1

|Apr low F = 35.4

|May low F = 45.5

|Jun low F = 54.7

|Jul low F = 59.0

|Aug low F = 58.5

|Sep low F = 49.8

|Oct low F = 38.2

|Nov low F = 30.0

|Dec low F = 21.0

|year low F= 37.4

|Jan record low F = −14

|Feb record low F = −20

|Mar record low F = −14

|Apr record low F = 17

|May record low F = 25

|Jun record low F = 34

|Jul record low F = 40

|Aug record low F = 41

|Sep record low F = 28

|Oct record low F = 18

|Nov record low F = 2

|Dec record low F = −14

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation inch = 3.26

|Feb precipitation inch = 2.83

|Mar precipitation inch = 4.10

|Apr precipitation inch = 4.37

|May precipitation inch = 4.44

|Jun precipitation inch = 4.35

|Jul precipitation inch = 4.09

|Aug precipitation inch = 4.16

|Sep precipitation inch = 4.49

|Oct precipitation inch = 4.75

|Nov precipitation inch = 4.12

|Dec precipitation inch = 3.43

|year precipitation inch=48.39

|source 1 = NOAA{{cite web|url = https://w2.weather.gov/climate/xmacis.php?wfo=box |title = NowData – NOAA Online Weather Data |publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |access-date = 2020-09-17

}}{{cite web |url=ftp://ftp.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/normals/1981-2010/products/station/USW00014775.normals.txt |publisher=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201031180519/ftp://ftp.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/normals/1981-2010/products/station/USW00014775.normals.txt |archive-date=2020-10-31 |url-status=dead |title=Station Name: MA WESTFIELD BARNES MUNI AP |access-date=2018-05-15}}

}}

;Notes:

{{notelist}}

{{Historical populations

|type= USA

|1790|2204

|1800|2185

|1810|2130

|1820|2668

|1830|2940

|1840|3526

|1850|4180

|1860|5055

|1870|6519

|1880|7587

|1890|9805

|1900|12310

|1910|16044

|1920|18604

|1930|19775

|1940|18793

|1950|20962

|1960|26302

|1970|31433

|1980|36465

|1990|38372

|2000|40072

|2010|41094

|2020|40834

|2022|40535

|source={{center|U.S. Decennial Census{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}}}

|footnote={{Historical populations/Massachusetts municipalities references}}{{cite journal |title=1950 Census of Population|volume=1: Number of Inhabitants|at=Section 6, Pages 21–7 through 21-09, Massachusetts Table 4. Population of Urban Places of 10,000 or more from Earliest Census to 1920|publisher=Bureau of the Census|access-date=July 12, 2011|year=1952|url=http://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/23761117v1ch06.pdf}}{{cite web | title=City and Town Population Totals: 2020-2022| publisher=United States Census Bureau | access-date=November 23, 2023 | url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-total-cities-and-towns.html}}

}}

At the 2010 census,{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=United States Census Bureau|access-date=2008-01-31|title=U.S. Census website}} there were 41,094 people, 15,335 households and 10,041 families residing in the city. The population density was {{convert|860.3|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 16,075 housing units at an average density of {{convert|331.5|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the city was 92.8% White, 1.6% African American, 0.3% Native American, 1.3% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 2.2% from other races, and 1.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 7.5% of the population.

There were 14,797 households, of which 31.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.0% were married couples living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.3% were non-families. Of all households 25.9% were made up of individuals, and 10.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.07.

Age distribution was 23.8% under the age of 18, 12.6% from 18 to 24, 28.0% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 13.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.8 males.

The median household income was $45,240, and the median family income was $55,327. Males had a median income of $38,316 versus $27,459 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,600. About 6.9% of families and 11.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.2% of those under age 18 and 9.5% of those age 65 or over.

Westfield is governed by a mayor and a city council, elected every two years. The office of the mayor is responsible for a variety of services throughout the city, and the mayor also serves as chairman of the School Committee. The City Council meets the first and third Thursday of every month at 7:30 p.m. in City Hall.{{Cite web |title=City Council |url=https://www.cityofwestfield.org/122/City-Council |publisher=City of Westfield |access-date=14 January 2020}}

Westfield was involved in a mitigation action regarding water contaminated with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances.{{Cite web |title=PFASProject Westfield |date=April 21, 2017 |url=https://pfasproject.com/westfield-massachusetts/ |access-date=17 August 2020}}

The current mayor of Westfield is Michael A. McCabe.{{Cite web |title=Mayor |url=https://www.cityofwestfield.org/122/City-Council |publisher=City of Westfield |access-date=14 January 2020}} In the Massachusetts General Court, the current senator, representing the Second Hampden and Hampshire district, is John Velis. The representative for the Fourth Hampden district is Kelly Pease. Westfield is located in the Eighth Massachusetts Governor's Council district and is represented by Tara Jacobs{{cite web|title=Councillors|url=https://www.mass.gov/info-details/councillors|access-date=2023-09-23}}

The Westfield City Council is composed of the following members:

The current city council president is Brent Bean II.

File:Westfield Mass.jpg

File:1899 Westfield public library Massachusetts.png

According to NeighborhoodScout in 2020{{Cite web |title=NeighborhoodScout Westfield Crime Archive |url=https://www.neighborhoodscout.com/ma/westfield/crime#description |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200817120649if_/https://www.neighborhoodscout.com/ma/westfield/crime#description |url-status=dead |archive-date=2020-08-17 |access-date=17 August 2020}} violent crime in Westfield such as armed robbery, aggravated assault, rape or murder occurs at a rate of 1 in every 375, or 3 in every 1000.

• Amelia Park Ice Rink and Memorial Garden
• Stanley Park of Westfield
• The Metacomet-Monadnock Trail
• East Mountain
• United States Whip Company Complex
• Columbia Greenway Rail Trail

Westfield's public school system consists of one preschool, seven elementary schools, a middle school, and two high schools.

• Fort Meadow Early Childhood Center
• Westfield Area Head Start. Head Start is no longer referenced on the Westfield schools' website.

• Abner Gibbs Elementary School
• Franklin Avenue Elementary School
• Highland Elementary School
• Munger Hill Elementary School
• Paper Mill Elementary School
• Southampton Road Elementary School
• Westfield River Elementary School

• Westfield Intermediate School (formerly North Middle School)

• Westfield Middle School (formerly South Middle School)

• Westfield High School
• Westfield Technical Academy

• St. Mary Preschool and Pre-K
• St. Mary Elementary School
• St. Mary Middle School
• St. Mary High School
• The White Oak School

The city is home to Westfield State University.

The Westfield Athenaeum is a free library that is open to the public. It is located in Westfield, Massachusetts and is part of the CW MARS consortium.{{Cite web|title=Member Libraries|url=https://www.cwmars.org/memberlibraries|access-date=1 November 2021|website=CW MARS}} The library was incorporated by an act of the Massachusetts Legislature, Chapter 88, in 1864.{{Cite journal|title=1864 Chap. 0088. An Act To Incorporate The Westfield Athenaeum.|url=https://archives.lib.state.ma.us/handle/2452/99410|access-date=1 November 2021|website=State Library of Massachusetts|year=1864}}

File:Westfield Athenaeum Children's Library Entrance.jpg

The Westfield Athenaeum opened at 26 Main Street on January 1, 1868, with an annual membership fee of $2. In 1895, it became free to Westfield residents. In 1899, the library was moved and a new building was dedicated at 6 Elm Street, the former home of James Fowler.{{Cite web|title=History of the Westfield Athenaeum|url=https://www.westath.org/history/|access-date=1 November 2021|website=Westfield Athenaeum}}

The Athenaeum is a non-profit organization, governed by a board of directors. Its mission is to "enrich the community of Westfield by providing open access to educational, cultural, recreational and informational resources and programs."{{Cite web|title=Mission Statement & Annual Report|url=https://www.westath.org/mission/|access-date=1 November 2021|website=Westfield Athenaeum}}

In fiscal year 2008, the city of Westfield spent 0.87% ($811,000) of its budget on its public library—approximately $19 per person, per year ($25.04 adjusted for inflation to 2022).July 1, 2007, through June 30, 2008; cf. The FY2008 Municipal Pie: What's Your Share? Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Board of Library Commissioners. Boston: 2009. Available: [http://mblc.state.ma.us/advisory/statistics/public/repmunicpie/index.php Municipal Pie Reports] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120123010127/http://mblc.state.ma.us/advisory/statistics/public/repmunicpie/index.php |date=January 23, 2012 }}. Retrieved 2010-08-04

• The Westfield News Group LLC., publishers of The Westfield News, PennySaver, The Longmeadow News and The Enfield Press

The Massachusetts Turnpike crosses Westfield just north of Westfield Center. The "Mass Pike" is part of Interstate 90 extending east to Boston and west to Albany and across the United States to Seattle. About {{convert|3|mi|0}} east of Westfield, the turnpike intersects Interstate 91 which generally follows the Connecticut River Valley south to Springfield, Hartford and New Haven or north to Canada (Quebec).

Westfield's main north–south thoroughfare is U.S. 202/Route 10, which includes parts of Southwick Road, S. Maple Street, W. Silver Street, Pleasant Street, Court Street, Broad Street, Elm Street, and Southampton Road. At the intersection of Southampton Road and North Road, Route 10 continues on Southampton Road toward Southampton while U.S. 202 follows North Road toward Holyoke.

Apart from limited-access I-90, the main east–west thoroughfare is U.S. 20, which includes parts of Russell Road, Franklin Street, Elm Street, Main Street, and Springfield Road. Route 187 also ends in Westfield. Other main roads include Western Avenue, Granville Road, Union Street, and Montgomery Road. East Mountain Road is the longest road in Westfield. In November 2016, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker announced a $1.93 million grant to the city for upgrades to its segment of U.S. Route 20.{{cite news|last=LaBorde|first=Ted|title=Westfield gets $1.93 million in MassWorks money for Route 20 upgrades|website=MassLive.com|publisher=Advance Publications|url=https://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2016/11/westfield_gets_193_million_for.html|date=November 1, 2016|access-date=July 11, 2018}}

{{Main|Great River Bridge (Westfield)}}

File:Westfield Great River1.jpg

A notable choke point for north–south travel is the Great River Bridge, commonly known as the "Green Bridge", over the Westfield River. This is a three-lane through truss bridge. As of August 2007, there was an active project to create a second bridge just to the east (downstream).[http://www.mhd.state.ma.us/ProjectInfo/Main.asp?ACTION=ViewProject&PROJECT_NO=600933 MassHighway Great River Bridge project page] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090803075453/http://www.mhd.state.ma.us/ProjectInfo/Main.asp?ACTION=ViewProject&PROJECT_NO=600933 |date=August 3, 2009 }} The new bridge is a similar through-truss bridge with two spans totaling {{convert|368|ft|1}}.Phone call to MassHighway District 2 engineer on 2008-06-25 After the second bridge was completed, the existing bridge was refurbished; each bridge now carries traffic in one direction. Blessed Sacrament Church on North Elm Street was torn down for this project to start. The church was reconstructed on Holyoke Road and was finished in October 2009. The new bridge opened for traffic and the old one was closed for renovations on August 18, 2009. The old bridge reopened in July 2011, with each bridge carrying traffic in one direction.{{cite news| title =Great River Bridge opens in Westfield| first =Barry| last =Kriger| url =http://www.wwlp.com/dpp/news/local/wwlp_local_Great_River_bridge_opens_in_Westfield_200908182218| publisher =WWLP-TV| location =Springfield, Massachusetts| date =August 19, 2009| access-date =2009-08-21| url-status =dead| archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20110809112022/http://www.wwlp.com/dpp/news/local/wwlp_local_Great_River_bridge_opens_in_Westfield_200908182218| archive-date =August 9, 2011| df =mdy-all}}

Westfield is at the junction of the former east–west Boston and Albany Railroad and a former north–south spur of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad (now a rail trail south of the junction). The town last had eastbound passenger service in 1954, local Albany, New York – Boston, Massachusetts service operated by the New York Central Railroad; and Westfield last had local westbound service in 1953.New York Central Railroad timetable, December, 1954, Tables 10, 11 http://www.canadasouthern.com/caso/ptt/images/tt-1254.pdfNew York Central Railroad timetable, December, 1953, Tables 10, 11 http://www.canadasouthern.com/caso/ptt/images/tt-1253.pdf But Pioneer Valley Railroad, a short line, and CSX, provide freight service. More than 35 motor freight carriers with nearby terminals provide competitive freight service locally and to all distant points. CTrail's Hartford Line, as well as Amtrak's Lake Shore Limited, Vermonter and Hartford Line continue to operate in Springfield, Massachusetts, 9.6 miles to the east.

The proposed East-West Passenger Rail service connecting Boston and Pittsfield via Worcester and Springfield would run through Westfield. As of May 2023, no formal plans exist to establish a station in the city, though local officials have expressed interest in doing so.{{Cite web |last=aporter@thereminder.com |first=Amy Porter {{!}} The Westfield News {{!}} |date=2023-04-25 |title=Westfield Mayor Michael McCabe will kick off reelection campaign next week |url=https://www.masslive.com/news/2023/04/westfield-mayor-michael-mccabe-will-kick-off-reelection-campaign-next-week.html |access-date=2023-05-31 |website=masslive |language=en}}

The city is presently served by multiple Pioneer Valley Transit Authority (PVTA) bus routes:

• R10: Westfield / Westfield State University / West Springfield via Route 20{{Cite web|url=http://pvta.com/schedules/R10.pdf|title=R10}}
• Provides service between Westfield and Springfield via Route 20 and West Springfield.
• Connects with many other public transit services at Springfield Union Station:
• Most Springfield-area PVTA routes, for service within Springfield and nearby communities.
• Amtrak Northeast Regional, Lake Shore Limited, Hartford Line, Valley Flyer, and Vermonter passenger rail service.
• Peter Pan and Greyhound intercity bus service.
• Hartford Line, a regional rail service to Hartford and New Haven, CT operated by CTrail.{{Cite web|url=https://www.nhhsrail.com/|title=New Haven - Hartford - Springfield Rail Program|website=www.nhhsrail.com}}
• B23: Holyoke / Westfield via Holyoke Community College{{Cite web|url=http://pvta.com/schedules/B23.pdf|title=B23}}
• Provides service between Westfield Center and Holyoke Transportation Center via Holyoke Community College.
• WSU Shuttle{{Cite web|url=https://www.pvta.com/schedules/WSU.pdf|title=WSU Shuttle}}
• Provides service between Westfield Center and Westfield State University when school is in session. Also provides service to the Horace Mann Center at 333 Western Ave.

Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport in Westfield has charter passenger services.

Bradley International Airport at Windsor Locks, Connecticut, {{convert|18|mi}} to the south, has scheduled flights by most airlines.

• Edward Bancroft (1744–1821), physician and double-agent spy during the American Revolution{{cite web|url= http://www.fas.org/irp/ops/ci/docs/ci1/ch1c.htm|title= Dr. Edward Bancroft |publisher= National Counterintelligence Center |access-date=August 29, 2012}}
• Lou Barlow (born 1966), American alternative rock musician and songwriter
• Kacey Bellamy (born 1987), Olympian, 2010 Winter Olympics, Women's Ice Hockey Silver Medalist{{cite web|url= http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2010/04/westfield_olympian_kacey_bella.html |title= Westfield Olympian Kacey Bellamy adds White House visit to accomplishments|date= April 22, 2010|publisher= The Republican Massachusetts |access-date=August 29, 2012}}
• Sybil Moseley Bingham (1792–1848) teacher, missionary in Hawaiian Islands
• Emma Helen Blair (1851–1911) historian, journalist and editor who attended high school in town
• Asahel Bush (1824–1913), printer and publisher the Oregon Statesman newspaper; His estate is now preserved as Bush's Pasture Park and his home, Asahel Bush House, is on the National Register of Historic Places
• Joseph Buell Ely (1881–1956), 52nd Governor of Massachusetts
• Richard Falley Jr. (1740–1808) an ensign at the Battle of Bunker Hill and armorer during the American Revolutionary War
• Ray Fitzgerald (1904–1977), Major League Baseball player who died in town
• Frederick H. Gillett (1851–1935), U.S. Congressman, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives
• Manuel Gonzales (1913–1993), comics artist
• James H. Gray Sr. (1916–1986), Georgia politician
• Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden (1829–1887) pioneering geologist
• Thomas Ingersoll (1749–1812), early settler of Ingersoll, Ontario, and for whom that town is named
• Neil Jenney, artist
• William Allen Johnson, organ builder; Johnson Organs
• Jackie French Koller, author and painter
• Walt Kowalczyk (born 1935), professional football player with the Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys and Oakland Raiders
• Jesse Leach, rock singer and musician
• Grey Lock (1670–1750), Abenaki warrior chieftain
• Jim Matheos (born 1962), guitarist, best known of Fates Warning
• Mary L. Moreland (1859–1918), minister, evangelist, suffragist, author
• Gilbert Clifford Noble (1860–1936), Founder of Barnes and Noble Book Stores
• Ralph E. Van Norstrand, minority leader of the Connecticut General Assembly, 1979–1985; Speaker of the Connecticut House of Representatives, 1985–1987{{cite news| work= The New York Times | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/01/03/obituaries/ralph-e-van-norstrand-57-ex-house-speaker-in-hartford.html|title=Ralph E. Van Norstrand, 57, Ex-House Speaker in Hartford|author= Wolfgang Saxon|date= January 3, 1995 |page= C41}}
• Don Pardo, longtime Saturday Night Live announcer
• Gorham Parks, U.S. Congressman from Maine and American Consul in Rio de Janeiro
• Rufus Parks, Wisconsin politician
• Dale Quarterley, part-time ARCA Menards Series West racecar driver
• Frederic Rzewski, composer
• William Shepard, Revolutionary War general
• Nettie Stevens, early geneticist who discovered chromosomes determined one's sex
• Walter Scott Story (1879–1955), author
• Clara Harrison Stranahan (1831–1905), author; founder of Barnard College
• Rick Sullivan, current Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the former Mayor of Westfield
• Edward Taylor ({{circa|1642}}–1729) poet, physician, and pastor
• Adonis Terry (1864–1915), former MLB pitcher for four teams
• Alfred Topliff (1799–1879), Wisconsin State Assemblyman and surveyor
• Mark Trafton, U.S. congressman
• Daniel P. Trant, NBA player (Boston Celtics), killed on September 11, 2001 in the World Trade Center attack

• Killswitch Engage, metalcore band
• Outpatients, hardcore/metal band
• Sebadoh, indie rock band
• Within the Ruins, deathcore band
• Deep Wound, hardcore punk band
• The Prozacs, pop punk band

{{reflist|2}}

{{commons category}}

• [http://www.cityofwestfield.org/ City of Westfield official website]
• [http://www.hampdencountyhistory.com/westfield/wfvr/index.html A Record of Marriages, Births and Deaths in Westfield, Massachusetts Prior to the Year 1700 – Communicated by the Rev. Emerson Davis of that town, Corresponding Member of the New England Historic-Genealogical Society]
• [http://www.sec.state.ma.us/mhc/mhcpdf/townreports/CT-Valley/wsf.pdf MHC Reconnaissance Town Survey Report: Westfield], Massachusetts Historical Commission, 1982.

{{Hampden County, Massachusetts}}

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Category:1660 establishments in the Massachusetts Bay Colony

Category:Cities in Hampden County, Massachusetts

Category:Cities in Massachusetts

Category:Populated places established in 1660

Category:Russian communities in the United States

Category:Russian-American culture in Massachusetts

Category:Springfield metropolitan area, Massachusetts

Category:Ukrainian communities in the United States