Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Most of Chicopee was built recently: 9% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1991. Below: maps from 1945 on and old-book passages.
The Chicopee post office opened in 1889, the earliest record of the town by name.
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Chicopee’s history is told.
From Wikipedia’s history of Chicopee.
The post office opened June 10, 1889, closed September 30, 1892, reopened October 8, 1892, and reclosed March 30, 1918.
Chicopee was the home of the defunct Idlehour amusement park.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Passages that mention Chicopee, cut from the printed page as they were published.
and another camp, named Chicopee. was established, and mine Xo. 4 was sunk there. The railroad was built on to the new camp from Pitts* burg, and that was made the terminus of the railroad, passenger trains from Pittsburg running to Chicopee to carry the miners out. This tram service was maintained until the electric railway was built a few years ago. It was at this time that the merchants of Pittsburg raised a fund of $7,000. which -was given the company in consideration of their agreement not to maintain company stores in Frontenac and Chicopee. This
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
South America studying for the priesthood; Clarence is also preparing to lie a priest, being a -indent in Kentucky: Legora is at home; Beatrice is a sifter of charity at Nazareth, Kentucky: James Mark is a miner at Chicopee, Kansas: and George A. is also at Chicopee. The family are
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Chicopee. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.
U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Chicopee.
The Chicopee post office opened in 1889, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →
From Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
