Upper Hill, Springfield, Massachusetts

Upper Hill, Massachusetts
Neighborhood
Springfield College, birthplace of basketball Indian Motorcycle factory Homer Street School
Upper Hill, Massachusetts Show map of Massachusetts Upper Hill, Massachusetts Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 42°06′35″N72°33′13″W / 42.1098164°N 72.5536989°W / 42.1098164; -72.5536989
Country	United States
State	Massachusetts
County	Hampden
Elevation	197 ft (60 m)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (Eastern)
GNIS feature ID	609100 [1]

Upper Hill is a neighborhood in the city of Springfield, Massachusetts, United States.

Watershops Pond borders the south of Upper Hill.

History

A branch of the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad —the "Highland Division"—was constructed along the western boundary of Upper Hill in the 1800s, fostering industrial development along its route. ^{[2] [3]} Hendee Manufacturing Company (later Indian Motorcycle) established a factory here, where it remained until 1953. ^[2] The factory has since been converted to apartments. ^[2] Knox Automobile Company also established a factory in Upper Hill, one of several automobile manufacturers in Springfield. ^[2] The rail line was abandoned in 1993. ^[4] Upper Hill had been "sparsely settled" until the factories arrived, and by the 1910s, new streets and house lots had been planned. ^[2] Neighborhood residential development accounts for approximately 90 percent of the zoned land in Upper Hill. ^[2]

Two colleges are located in Upper Hill, American International College and Springfield College, where basketball was invented in 1891. ^{[2] [5]}

Arts and culture

Winchester Square Historic District in Upper Hill is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. ^[6]

References

1. U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Upper Hill
2. "Upper Hill Neighborhood Investment Plan 2024-2034" (PDF). Pioneer Valley Planning Commission. Retrieved November 23, 2025.
3. "Hutchins Narrow Fabric Building". Springfield Preservation Trust. Retrieved November 23, 2025.
4. Goonan, Peter (April 18, 2018). "See the Abandoned Rail Line Some Springfield Residents Want Transformed Into a $3 million Bike-Pedestrian Trail". MassLive.
5. "James Naismith". Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. Retrieved November 23, 2025.
6. "Springfield Neighborhood Profiles" (PDF). City of Springfield, Massachusetts. Retrieved November 23, 2025.