Boston Road, Springfield, Massachusetts

Boston Road is Springfield, Massachusetts's principal commercial and retail corridor, located on the eastern edge of the city.[1] The Boston Road neighborhood, historically known as Springfield Plain,[2] is named for being a major waypoint on the Boston Post Road system.

Neighborhood

Boston Road remains a commercial stronghold, home to the Eastfield Mall, various big-box stores, and a movie theater.

Springfield city parks, including Five Mile Pond and Loon Pond, provide places to swim, fish, boat, and picnic. The High School of Science & Technology and the controversially renovated Putnam Vocational High School are located in this neighborhood.[3]

The neighborhood also features numerous local and chain restaurants and a handful of independently owned restaurants and bars.

Site of first Friendly's Restaurant on Boston Road - now the Pizza Royal Restaurant

History

The area was sparsely settled until the 1890s.[4]

The first Friendly's Restaurant opened on Boston Road.[5]

References

1. "Boston Road Neighborhood Profile" (PDF). www.springfield-ma.gov. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
2. Jenkins, Stephen (1913). The Old Boston Post Road. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons. p. 304. After reaching the top of State Street, the Post Road continues on a plain until it reaches the Chicopee River near Indian Orchard and Ludlow, northeast of the main part of the city. This was called in the old days Springfield Plain.
3. "City of Springfield, Mass.: Boston Road". Springfield City Hall. Archived from the original on 2011-07-19. Retrieved 2011-04-25.
4. Strahan, Derek (2020-12-18). "Boston Road from Coleman Street, Springfield, Mass". Lost New England. Retrieved 2023-01-30.
5. Strahan, Derek (2016-03-26). "First Friendly's Restaurant, Springfield, Mass". Lost New England. Retrieved 2023-01-30.

42°8′19.6″N 72°30′35.8″W