Chicopee River
| Chicopee River | |
|---|---|
Chicopee Falls | |
| Etymology | "violent/raging/turbulent waters" in an Algonquian language |
| 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) 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. 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.)