Along the Connecticut River in the southern part of Massachusetts, beautiful Hampden County is located in an area that dates back to Colonial times. In fact, Hampden County was created from Hampshire County in 1812. Hampshire County was one of the original counties of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, organized in 1643. The population of this county is highly educated – so much so that the area is sometimes referred to as a “knowledge corridor.”

Although Hampden County is a county in name only – there’s no county government – Springfield is still considered the county seat. Springfield is a busy, heavily-populated city that was settled in 1636. It is home to several colleges and universities, including Cambridge College, Springfield Technical Community College, Springfield College, Tufts University School of Medicine, and Western New England University, among others.

Settled in 1636, Springfield has a rich history and several claims to fame. It is the location of the very first accusations of witchcraft in the New World – 46 years before the Salem Witch Trials. It is also where William Pynchon wrote the first book to be banned in America in 1649. Springfield also gave us basketball. In 1891, James Naismith invented the game of basketball at what is now Springfield College.

Forest Park, one of the largest urban parks in the US, is located in Springfield and was designed in 1891. It is home to Forest Park Zoo as well as an ice hockey and skating rink, an aquatic park, the country’s first public swimming pool, playgrounds, ball fields, tennis and basketball courts, a bocce court, and an exhibit containing dinosaur tracks.

Other cities and towns in Hampden County include Chicopee, Holyoke, Agawam, Westfield, Longmeadow, Palmer, Southwick, Chester, Agawam, Blandford, Tolland, Russell, Montgomery, Monson, and Wales.