[6] Land was "incrementally purchased from the Native Americans and granted by the Springfield town meeting to English settlers, beginning in 1658."

Due to its alluvial lands, the inhabitants of the Westfield area were entirely devoted to agricultural pursuits for about 150 years.

Meanwhile, with cheap land and convenient access to east–west and north–south interstate highways, the north side developed into a warehousing center to C & S Wholesale, Home Depot, Lowes and other corporations.

South of the river, the intersecting trends of growth of Westfield State University and declining manufacturing changed the city's character.

Students comprise some 15% of Westfield's population, and the old downtown business district caters increasingly to them while mainstream shopping relocates to a commercial strip called East Main Street, part of U.S. Route 20.

Until a major fire on January 6, 1952, the Westfield Professional Building covered half a downtown city block and was six stories tall.

In June 2017, the administration of Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker announced a $300,000 grant to the city for an industrial park expansion.

[8] In 1939, Westfield became the first city in Massachusetts, as well as all of New England, to elect a female Mayor when Alice Burke defeated incumbent Raymond H.

In spite of a complicated system of pumps, dikes, waterways, and upstream dams, Westfield lies in a floodplain zone and is still considered flood-prone.

They are part of the Metacomet Ridge, a mountainous trap rock ridgeline that stretches from Long Island Sound to nearly the Vermont border.

Both mountains are traversed by the 114-mile (183 km) Metacomet-Monadnock Trail, that also crosses the Westfield River with an ill-advised fording or a safer road-walk across the bridge at the junction of Routes 187 and 20.

Westfield is on the fringe of the greater Northeast megalopolis—the most densely populated region of the United States—and has experienced substantial land development for suburban residential and commercial uses for the past six decades.

With population dipping below ten per square kilometer in some upland townships, forests are reverting almost to pre-settlement conditions with wild turkey, bears, coyotes and even moose returning after absences perhaps measured in centuries.

This transition over a few miles from the 21st century urbanization to population densities nearly as low as early colonial times is notable if not unique.

[31] In the Massachusetts General Court, the current senator, representing the Second Hampden and Hampshire district, is John Velis.

According to NeighborhoodScout in 2020[34] violent crime in Westfield such as armed robbery, aggravated assault, rape or murder occurs at a rate of 1 in every 375, or 3 in every 1000.

Its mission is to "enrich the community of Westfield by providing open access to educational, cultural, recreational and informational resources and programs.

The "Mass Pike" is part of Interstate 90 extending east to Boston and west to Albany and across the United States to Seattle.

About 3 miles (5 km) east of Westfield, the turnpike intersects Interstate 91 which generally follows the Connecticut River Valley south to Springfield, Hartford and New Haven or north to Canada (Quebec).

In November 2016, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker announced a $1.93 million grant to the city for upgrades to its segment of U.S. Route 20.

The proposed East-West Passenger Rail service connecting Boston and Pittsfield via Worcester and Springfield would run through Westfield.

[46] The city is presently served by multiple Pioneer Valley Transit Authority (PVTA) bus routes: Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport in Westfield has charter passenger services.

Bradley International Airport at Windsor Locks, Connecticut, 18 miles (29 km) to the south, has scheduled flights by most airlines.