| Chicopee River | |
|---|---|
 Chicopee Falls | |
 | |
| Etymology | "violent/raging/turbulent waters" in an Algonquian language[1] |
| Location | |
| Country | US |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Source | |
| • location | Palmer, Massachusetts |
| • coordinates | 42°10′51″N 72°21′55″W / 42.1807°N 72.3654°W |
| Mouth | |
• location | Connecticut River |
• coordinates | 42°08′54″N 72°37′18″W / 42.1482°N 72.6217°W |
| Length | 18.0 mi (29.0 km) |
| Basin size | 721 sq mi (1,870 km2) |
The Chicopee River is an 18.0-mile-long (29.0 km)[2] tributary of the Connecticut River in the Pioneer Valley, Massachusetts, known for fast-moving water and its extraordinarily large basin: the Connecticut River's largest tributary basin.[3] The Chicopee River originates in a Palmer, Massachusetts village called Three Rivers as a confluence of the Ware, Quaboag and Swift rivers. It passes through Wilbraham, Ludlow, and the Indian Orchard neighborhood of Springfield.
After forming the border between Springfield and Chicopee, Massachusetts for a short distance, the river then flows in a sharply curving path through the city of Chicopee and into the Connecticut River. (Chicopee was part of Springfield until 1848.)
- ^ Plourde-Barker, Michele (1998). Chicopee. Arcadia. p. 9. ISBN 978-0-7385-9006-6.
The word "Chicopee" has been variously interpreted as "birch bark place," "place of the elms," and "turbulent waters." The most reliable translations indicate that the name comes from an Algonquin word for "violent or raging waters."
- ^ U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline data. The National Map Archived 2012-03-29 at the Wayback Machine, accessed April 1, 2011
- ^ Chicopee River Watershed Council, Chicopee, MA - Frequently Asked Questions. Chicopeeriver.org. Retrieved on 2013-07-15.