Sixteen Acres is a neighborhood in
Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield is the most populous city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, and its county seat. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the ea ...
. Much of the neighborhood was constructed after
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
and is
suburban
A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area. They are oftentimes where most of a metropolitan areas jobs are located with some being predominantly residential. They can either be denser or less densely populated ...
in character.
Unlike what its name might suggest, the neighborhood covers 4,506 acres.
Neighborhood
Sixteen Acres includes
Western New England University,
SABIS International High School,
Pioneer Valley Christian Academy, and the 18-hole Veterans Memorial
Golf
Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various Golf club, clubs to hit a Golf ball, ball into a series of holes on a golf course, course in as few strokes as possible.
Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standa ...
Course.
Besides streets of newer ranches, colonials, split-levels, and
capes, the neighborhood has large
condominium
A condominium (or condo for short) is an ownership regime in which a building (or group of buildings) is divided into multiple units that are either each separately owned, or owned in common with exclusive rights of occupation by individual own ...
complexes on Nassau Drive.
Sixteen Acres also features the Greenleaf Park, the Greenleaf community center,
a branch library,
and two private beach clubs (Bass Pond and the Paddle Club). Commercial clusters on Wilbraham Road and Allen Street provide shopping.
Sixteen Acres residents have a quick drive to East Longmeadow's employers, such as
Hasbro
Hasbro, Inc. (; a syllabic abbreviation of its original name, Hassenfeld Brothers) is an American multinational corporation, multinational toy manufacturing and entertainment holding company founded on December 6, 1923 by Henry, Hillel and Herma ...
and American Saw, as well as a short drive up Parker Street to the
Massachusetts Turnpike
The Massachusetts Turnpike (colloquially the "Mass Pike" or "the Pike") is a controlled-access toll road that runs concurrently with Interstate 90 (I-90) in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. It the longest Interstate Highway in Massachu ...
.
History
In the early 1900s, Theodore Granger (after whom Granger Street is named) bought a parcel of land which was 16 acres in size in pursuit of his dream to become a farmer.
His skills at farming were less than his skills as a carpenter, and the farm did not thrive, but parcels of land were given to family members and also sold.
The residents of the area were largely isolated from the rest of Springfield, as no public transportation served the area.
The area remained largely rural until after World War II.
References
External links
Sixteen Acres Civic Association
{{Coord, 42, 6, 56.0, N, 72, 31, 11.0, W, display=title
Neighborhoods in Springfield, Massachusetts