Chicopee

City in Hampden County, south-central Massachusetts, USA, at the junction of the Chicopee and Connecticut rivers, north of and adjoining Springfield; population (1998 est) 54,050. The city has numerous plants manufacturing radios, tyres, rubber goods, athletic equipment, plastics, textiles, brewing equipment, and forgings.

The Chicopee Falls, which drop 21 m/70 ft in about 5 km/3 mi, provided power for 19th-century cotton mills. Industrial buildings, houses, and historic districts of the area are included on the national register of historic places. Some 19th-century industrial buildings have been re-used for modern small companies, for example in the Cabotville Industrial Park. Noted bronze work is produced in Chicopee, including the doors of the US Capitol.

The College of Our Lady of the Elms and Hampden College of Pharmacy are here; Westover Air Force Base is in the northeastern part and was used as a staging post in the Gulf War. The Polish Festival each spring attracts attendances of up to 700,000. Villages within the city include Chicopee Falls and Willimansett.