West Springfield's northernmost parish (alternately called Third Parish, North Parish, or Ireland Parish) became Holyoke, named after earlier Springfield settler William Pynchon's son-in-law, Elizur Holyoke, who had first explored the area in the 1650s. The village of Holyoke was first settled in 1745 and was officially incorporated in 1850. (Wikipedia)

Holyoke was one of the first planned industrial communities in the United States. Holyoke features rectilinear street grids — a novelty in New England. This street hierarchy is seen as a potential economic development tool as it lends well to high-rise buildings, and the surrounding canals could be landscaped into a source of recreation and relaxation. (Wikipedia)

There was once 25 paper mills in this town and its immediate areas, supporting a population of 60,000. Now half the place looks left to rot, and the population has dropped to 40K. Click on the upper right-hand corner "+" to see a larger version of this picture.