Home & Business Security Systems in Chicopee, MA

Overview

Welcome to Alarm New England's business and home security page for Chicopee, Massachusetts. This informational page provides important crime data along with additional information for those living in or considering moving to Chicopee.

Population: 55,478
Number of Households:  23,008
County: Hampden
ZIP Codes: 01013, 01014, 01020, 01021, 01022

Chicopee Business and Home Security Facts

The rate of occurrence of crime in Chicopee is considerably higher than the average in communities of all sizes in the US. The crimes occur at a rate of 28 for every one thousand inhabitants, which makes the chance of becoming a victim of crime (violent or property crime) stand at one in 35.

Compared to other towns and communities in Massachusetts, the crime rate in Chicopee is higher than 93% of the other cities and towns of all sizes in the state. Relative to towns and cities of a similar size in the US, the crime rate in Chicopee is near the average making the town no more or less dangerous than other similar-sized towns in the US.

The rate of occurrence of violent crime in Chicopee is higher than most communities and towns of all population sizes in the US. The likelihood that a person will be the victim of a violent crime (such as armed robbery, rape, murder aggravated assault) in Chicopee is one out of 211, which is equivalent to five crimes for every one thousand residents.

The rate of occurrence of property crimes in Chicopee is 24 crimes for every one thousand residents. Consequently, there is an above average likelihood that a person will be the victim of a property crime in Chicopee than other communities of all population sizes in the US. The chance of becoming a victim of motor vehicle theft, arson, larceny and burglary in Chicopee is one out of 43.

History of Chicopee

William Pynchon, in 1636, bought land from Agawam Indians on the eastern side of the Connecticut River and in 1640 moved from Roxbury to Springfield to settle in the area. The area where he settled comprises of present day Chicopee Center (Cabotville).

The land which was bought from the Indians was divided into districts. The name given to Chicopee Center and Chicopee Falls, which was one district was Nayasett. Another district to the north was called Skipmuck and it was located on the south side of the river, above the falls. The falls was first settled in 1660.

The villages of Cabotville and the Falls started out as centers of manufacturing. The first river industry in the town was a sawmill built at Skenungonuck Falls (present-day Chicopee Falls) by Japhet Chapin, John Hitchcock and Nathaniel Foote in 1678.

Jonathan Dwight bought the water privilege at Skenungonuck Falls in Chicopee in 1823 and the textile mill in the area had in five years become the second-largest industrial operation in the entire state. The Chicopee River had, by 1831, two waterpower canals, tow giant dams and two manufacturing industries.
In 1848, Chicopee separated from Springfield which it had been a part of for more than two hundred years and became incorporated as a town. Chicopee became incorporated as a city in 1890.

Interesting Facts About Chicopee

• The indigenous people called Nipmucs were the ones who inhabited the land that is present-day Chicopee City before the European colonists arrived in the area.
• The name of the city derives from the Chicopee River. The mouth of the Chicopee River empties into the Connecticut River in its boundaries.
• Chicopee is a Nipmuc word which means violent waters. Chicopee also translates to cedar.
• The motto of Chicopee City is Various Industries and it was chosen because many industries were located in the town. Such industries include cotton mills, brass foundries, woolen mills, iron foundries, textiles, leather products, paper making, ship building, and the first lucifer matches.
• The nickname of Chicopee is Crossroads of New England because the city is conveniently located among different metropolitan areas and their transportation network. West Springfield also uses the same nickname.
• The first gasoline-powered automobile made in the US was produced in Chicopee.
• Chicopee Falls was a major manufacturing center of bicycles in the late 1800s.
• The first city west of Boston to form a publicly funded public library is Chicopee.
• The Ames Manufacturing Company in Chicopee was a manufacturer of swords, cutlery and tools, and the company was also a bronze and iron foundry. They supplied majority of the weapons (swords, sidearms, light artillery, heavy ordnance) to the Union during the American Civil War.
• The Thomas Ball’s monument equestrian statue of George Washington in Boston’s Public Garden was cast by Ames Manufacturing Company in Chicopee.

Notable Residents

Edward Bellamy, the American author and socialist, was born in Chicopee in March 1850. He is popular for his novel Looking Backward, which was set in the year 2000.

Fred Belcher, the American race car driver that participated in the first Indianapolis 500 race, was born in Chicopee in June 1881.

Philip Steven Labonte, the lead singer of the American heavy metal band All That Remains, was born in April 1975 in Chicopee. He was the former lead vocalist for the team Shadow Fall.

Local Resources

• http://www.chicopeema.gov/
• http://www.chicopeepubliclibrary.org/
• http://www.chicopeelocalnews.com/