Whiting Farms | |
|---|---|
 Rowhouse apartments typical of Whiting Farms | |
  Whiting Farms  Whiting Farms  Whiting Farms | |
| Coordinates: 42°11′01″N 72°38′05″W / 42.183582°N 72.634845°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Massachusetts |
| City | Holyoke |
| Wards | 3, 5 |
| Precincts | 3A, 3B, 5B |
| Developed | 1961[1] |
| Area | |
| • Total | 0.64 sq mi (1.7 km2) |
| Elevation | 318 ft (97 m) |
| ZIP code | 01040 |
| Area code | 413 |
Whiting Farms is a neighborhood in Holyoke, Massachusetts, located to the southwest of the city center, approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) from downtown. Following the construction of Whiting Farms Road in 1961, the area was developed as a residential and commercial area in the 1960s and 1970s.[1] Its name derives from its original use as site of the farm of William Whiting, where the former mayor and papermaker bred a prizewinning herd of Jersey cattle in the late 19th and early 20th century, many of which were sold for breeding to all parts of the country.[3] A disastrous fire caused by arson in 1919 would kill off the entire herd of 75 head, and following this the farm, then-owned by William F. Whiting, became largely defunct.[4][5] At the end of the Second World War it was proposed that the property be redeveloped into an airpark, however these plans would never come to fruition.[6] Shortly after another case of arson in 1967 which destroyed a remaining barn,[7] the property began to see the medium-density residential development that characterizes it today, with the First Whiting Farms Cooperative Housing breaking ground later that year.[8] Initially criticized as the "Road to Nowhere" during Samuel Resnic's administration in the early 1960s, Whiting Farms Road today serves as a major artery for retail businesses and traffic to I-91 in the area.[9]
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