The Pioneer Valley is the colloquial name for the U.S. Commonwealth of Massachusetts's portion of the Connecticut River Valley. The Pioneer Valley is within three counties in Massachusetts that collectively feature much of New England's most fertile farmland. The term "Pioneer Valley" is approximately coterminous with Metropolitan Springfield, as Springfield, Massachusetts, is the region's urban center. Most of the cities and towns surrounding Springfield feature unspoiled forests, and Springfield itself, which has been nicknamed "The City in a Forest," features unspoiled nature in its city limits and over 12% parkland.
The Pioneer Valley is known for its scenery and as a vacation destination. The Holyoke Range, Mount Tom Range, and numerous rolling hills, bluffs, and meadows feature extravagant homes from the Gilded Age, many of which surround New England's longest and largest river, the Connecticut River, which flows through the region.
Read more about Pioneer Valley: Tourist Destination, Geology, Political Geography, History, Deerfield, Greenfield, Economy, Conservation
Famous quotes containing the words pioneer and/or valley:
“New pioneer of days and ways, be gone.
Hunt out your own or make your own alone.
Go down the street.”
—Gwendolyn Brooks (b. 1917)
“I will frankly declare, that after passing a few weeks in this valley of the Marquesas, I formed a higher estimate of human nature than I had ever before entertained. But alas! since then I have been one of the crew of a man-of-war, and the pent-up wickedness of five hundred men has nearly overturned all my previous theories.”
—Herman Melville (1819–1891)