Longmeadow, Massachusetts

Longmeadow, Massachusetts
Town
Longmeadow Town Hall
Location in Hampden County in Massachusetts
Land	Vereinigte Staaten
State	Massachusetts
County	Hampden
Settled	1644
Incorporated	1783
Regierung
• Type	Open town meeting
• Town    Manager	Robin L. Crosbie
• Board of    Selectmen	Rob Aseltine (Chair) Robert Barkett (Vice Chair),Christine Swanson (Clerk),Mark Gold, Paul Santaniello
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	UTC-5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (Eastern)
ZIP code	01106
Area code	413
FIPS code	25-36300
GNIS feature ID	0618186
Website	http://www.longmeadow.org/

Longmeadow is a town in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 15,633 at the 2000 census. Its town government consists of a Select Board with five members. It is the home of Bay Path College.

Longmeadow is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area.

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. Today it is the most affluent suburb in the state west of Worcester, featuring the highest per capita income of any location in that region.

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.

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 graduated from Longmeadow High School. Author Anita Shreve is a former town resident.

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 close 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 US Highway 5, on the west side of town. It is about 0.75 miles (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) of it is land and 0.5 square miles (1.3 km²) of it (5.05%) is water.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR 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 $75,461, and the median income for a family was $87,742. 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.

Athletics

Longmeadow is also known for excellence in athletics, particularly their rivalry against neighboring suburb, East Longmeadow, and their Thanksgiving Day football game is very popular among residents of both towns. Longmeadow High School's team name is the Lancers. Other rivals include Minnechaug Regional High School, Agawam, Springfield Central, Westfield, and South Hadley. Approximately 85% of students are involved in sports at Longmeadow High School.

Lacrosse

• Longmeadow is widely known for their storied high school lacrosse tradition in both the boys' and girls' programs. Since 1970, the first year of varsity play for the Boy's Lacrosse program at Longmeadow, the team has established a tradition of excellence and earned a position as one of the top programs in the State, winning Massachusetts State Championships (a total of 17) in 1970, '74–'75, '77, '79–'81, '83–'86, '88–90, '92 and '97 and most recently 2008 (Boys), a win over Medfield (14–10). The 1981 team was legendary coach Dan Stockwell's final year at the helm; the team went undefeated.
• Longmeadow's Boys team has produced 36 All-American selections and 6 Academic All-American selections, and many of the lacrosse alumni have gone on to play lacrosse for top collegiate programs.

Football

• Longmeadow High School's Football team has gone to fourteen straight Western Mass-Central Mass Super Bowls under Head Coach Alex Rotsko.
• Longmeadow has won 8 of the 12 Western Mass-Central Mass Super Bowls (which began in 1997) and 10 overall since 1972. These Super Bowls can be broken down by: two Western Mass Super Bowls, three Division II Super Bowls, one Division IA, and four Division I Super Bowls.
• Four out of the last five seasons, the football team has gone undefeated, including back to back to back perfect seasons. The 2005 football (12–0) team beat Leominster in the Division 1 Super Bowl 21–20 in Holyoke.
• The 2006 team (12–0) beat Leominster again, but in a more dominant fashion, 42–0 at Worcester State College.
• The 2007 team finished 13–0, a school record due to the new playoff system, and beat Leominster 21–0 in the Division 1 Super Bowl at Westfield State College.
• Longmeadow now holds a 47–0 record over the past 4 seasons, the best current streak in the state. Recently losing to East Longmeadow High School (ELHS) on 11/27/08 on the Thanksgiving Day game ending their 48–0 streak with a 16–13 score. They however went on to their 13th consecutive Super Bowl and won their 9th title over the Fitchburgh Red Raiders.

The Longmeadow Lancers won 21 to 19 over the East Longmeadow Spartans at the Thanksgiving Day game in 2009. The game was played in Longmeadow. In 2010, Longmeadow beat Springfield Central to capture the Western Massachusetts Super Bowl.

Boys Tennis

• Longmeadow's Boys Tennis program has won twelve straight Western Mass titles (D1). In 2006, the team ended a 9 year losing streak to St. Johns (All 9 loses came in the state semi-final). Recently, the program proves to be a contender every year. Meadow fell short in 2006 against Sharon, 2008 against CC, and lost 3–2 in 2009 against CC.

• Many players have gone on to play at the college level.

• The longmeadow boys tennis team has not lost a match against a western mass team in four years.

Other Notable High School Sports

• In 2006 Longmeadow High School's Hockey Team was the Division III state champions, and again in 2010. They were the 2009 Western Mass Champions, and in 2007, they lost to East Longmeadow in the semifinals and in 2008 lost to Westfield in the Western Mass finals. In 1980, the team went to Boston Garden for the first time, losing the Division II State Final to Barnstable in overtime.
• The 2004 Girls Lacrosse were Division I State Champions. The girls lacrosse team currently holds a streak of more than 100 games won against Western Massachusetts opponents. The 2005, 2006 (Framingham), 2007 (Framingham), and 2008 (West Wood) teams have all been State Finalists.
• The 2004 Girls Soccer team were Division I Western Massachusetts Champions. Truly an underdog going into the finals and seeded 6th, they beat Cathedral to earn the spot against Minnechaug, the number one team. The team beat Cathedral in a shoot out and beat Minnechaug 1–0. Longmeadow went on to State Semi-Finals, losing to Nashoba 1–0.
• The Boy's basketball team won their first ever Western Massachusetts championship over West Springfield in 2008 under head coach Tim Allen (a former standout at Longmeadow)
• The 2007 Girl's Volleyball team won their first ever Western Mass championship over Amherst, Massachusetts. In 2008, they repeated, and beat East Longmeadow in the Western Mass Finals. Both teams lost in the State-Semifinals, the 2008 team to Central Catholic.
• In 2004 and 2005 the Golf team won back-to-back Division I state championships.

Bildung

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 Longemeadow 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 High School is expected to be completed before the opening of the 2013 school year.

Longmeadow is known for its outstanding public education. The high school newspaper talked to 172 seniors in 2007, of whom 10 have decided to enroll in Ivy League colleges, 13 more in other schools in the top quarter of the US News & World Report "Top National Universities," including the US Air Force Academy.

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.

Longmeadow is also known for its phenomenal music program. 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 residents

• Eric W. Bascom III, Professional jazz musician, leader of the band Eric Bascom Trio
• J.H. Colton - leading 19th century cartographer
• Meghann Fahy – One Life to Live character Hannah, Natalie on Broadway's Next To Normal
• Jay Heaps – Professional soccer player for the New England Revolution and walk-on to Duke men's basketball team, where he played from 1996–1999
• Aaron Lewis – guitarist and vocalist for the band Staind
• Kathryn Bridget Moynahan – Longmeadow High School class of 1989. Model and movie star known for her performances in Coyote Ugly (2000), I Robot (2004) and her connection to Tom Brady, New England Patriots QB. Gave birth to Brady's baby John Edward Thomas Moynahan August 22, 2007.
• Steven Purugganan
• Anita Shreve – an award winning American writer.
• John Chapman (Johnny Appleseed) – an American pioneer nurseryman who introduced apple trees to large parts of Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois.
• Damien Fahey – MTV VJ and host of TRL. Moved to Longmeadow in 1992 and attended Longmeadow High School, attended college at Northeastern University. Began his career/internship at Boston's KISS108 FM. He's been linked and or dated Lindsey Lohan and Lydia Hearst.
• Joey Santiago – Lead Guitarist for the influential alternative rock band Pixies. Grew up in Longmeadow and attended Longmeadow High School.
• Craig E. Campbell, Alaska's Lieutenant Governor and retired National Guard Lieutenant General (AK). The Glenbrook middle school eighth grade chorus is going to sing at Tower Square in Springfield, MA their neighboring town.
• Johnny Appleseed -an American pioneer and renowned for planting apples across America
• John J. Fitzgerald - Co-author - The Vietnam War: A History in Documents - New York: Oxford University Press, 2002.