In the 2000 census, the city population was 154,082. It is the third largest city in Massachusetts and fourth largest in New England (behind Boston, Worcester, and Providence). Springfield holds two nicknames — The City of Homes and The City of Firsts.
Historically the first Springfield in the United States, it is also the largest city in Western Massachusetts and the Pioneer Valley.
Springfield is notable as birthplace of Theodor Seuss Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss, as well as the city in which James Naismith invented basketball. It is home to the Basketball Hall of Fame and the Springfield Falcons AHL hockey team. It also holds the western world's largest collection of Chinese cloisonné at the G.W. Vincent Smith Art Museum.
The Springfield Metropolitan Statistical Area consists of three counties - Hampden, Hampshire, and Franklin. As of the 2000 census, the Springfield MSA had a population of 680,014 (though a July 1, 2007 estimate placed the population at 682,657). It is also part of a larger metropolitan area known as the Northeast megalopolis.
In an economic and cultural partnership with Hartford, Connecticut, the Springfield-Hartford region constitutes New England's Knowledge Corridor - the second-largest concentration of institutions of higher learning in New England, after Greater Boston.
As of the 2000 census, there were 152,082 people, 57,130 households, and 36,391 families residing in the city. The population density was 4,737.7 people per square mile (1,829.3/km²). There are nearly 2 million residents in the greater Springfield-Hartford metro region. In Springfield proper, there were 61,172 housing units at an average density of 1,905.6/sq mi (735.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 56.11% White, 1.92% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 21.01% African American, 0.37% Native American, 16.45% from other races, and 4.04% from two or more races. 27.18% of the population were Hispanic of any race. Ancestries include: Irish (12.6%), Italian (9.3%), French (8.2%), Polish (6.0%), and English (4.8%).[4]
There were 57,130 households out of which 33.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.7% were married couples living together, 23.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.3% were non-families. 30.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.19.
In the city the population was spread out with 28.9% under the age of 18, 11.4% from 18 to 24, 28.4% from 25 to 44, 18.8% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31.7 years. For every 100 females there were 89 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $30,417, and the median income for a family was $36,285. Males had a median income of $32,396 versus $26,536 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,232. 19.3% of families and 23.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 34.3% of those under age 18 and 11.7% of those age 65 or over.
The 2007 Springfield, MA, population is 151,176. 51.80% of people are white, 22.36% are black, 2.37% are Asian, 0.46% are native American, and 22.97% claim 'Other'.
30.90% of the people in Springfield, MA, claim Hispanic ethnicity (meaning 69.10% are non-Hispanic).
As of 2007 The median age is 32.7. The US median is 37.6. 44.06% of people in Springfield, MA, are married. 10.10% are divorced.
The average household size is 2.63 people. 15.04% of people are married, with children. 18.53% have children, but are single.
The Pioneer Valley is often referred to as the "Crossroads of New England" because of the crossing of major east-west and north-south railroads. While the same railways exist and operate today, the city is also served by a number of Interstate Highways including I-90 (Mass Pike) and I-91, which connect New Haven, Hartford, Holyoke, Northampton, and Vermont to Springfield. One of the few spurs of I-91 in Massachusetts, I-291, runs through the city and provides a secondary connection between I-90 and I-91. (There is an unnumbered connector in West Springfield.)
Springfield also has an Amtrak station served by trains destined for New York City, Washington, D.C., Boston, Vermont, and Chicago. Amtrak operates out of its own station facility built into one of the old platforms of the city's long condemned train station on Frank B. Murray St. with an entrance on Lyman street, which lies on the side of the railroad embankment opposite the station.
Plans exist for redevelopment of the city's Union Station into an Intermodal Transportation facility for both Amtrak and bus lines. While significant federal, state, and civic investment has been appropriated for this project, disputes between the owners of the right-of-way and the planners in charge of the project, originally scheduled for completion in 1998, the PVTA, have slowed progress. In 2005, it was revealed that the project and the PVTA had been embroiled in the city's ever-widening corruption probe, throwing its future into question.
Plans also exist for a New Haven-Hartford-Springfield Commuter Rail Line. As of August 2006, the Connecticut General Assembly has committed $146 million to the project, which is considered only a first step. In order to complete the project, the state of Connecticut must provide further funding, as must the state of Massachusetts if the line is to cross the state line. The line could become operational as soon as 2011.
Buses running into the city use a facility owned and operated by Peter Pan Bus Lines, located on the corner of Main and Liberty streets. The Pioneer Valley Transit Authority is the regional public transit provider, operating a fleet of buses from the Peter Pan terminal.
The Springfield-Hartford, Connecticut area is served by Bradley International Airport in nearby Windsor Locks, Connecticut and Westover Metropolitan Airport in Chicopee.
Westover Metropolitan is nearby to Springfield and is 5 miles (8 km) from downtown. It is 3 miles (5 km) from the Massachusetts Turnpike.
Springfield and Hartford are located 25 miles (40 km) apart with Bradley International between them.