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Jobs in Holyoke, Massachusetts, United States
Holyoke is a small city in Hampden County, Massachusetts. It has an estimated population of about 40,000 people. It’s only 15 minutes from Springfield, and an hour from Hartford. Boston is 1.5 hours away, and New York 3.
Holyoke is known for being the place where volleyball was invented, and is home to the Volleyball House of Fame, where all athletes and coaches are inducted every year. It’s also known as the Paper City to some, because of its once monumental paper industry.
Economy of Holyoke
Between the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Holyoke dominated the paper industry, and the paper industry dominated Holyoke. Almost its entire economy was based around the paper industry, and for good cause. It used to be the biggest manufacturer of stationary and other writing goods in the world.
Although not as magnificent as it once was, the paper industry still makes up a good chunk of the Holyoke economy pie in the form of specialty paper producers based in the city, both domestic and international. Today, the city also houses many tech companies and even a data center built by a group of universities and businesses that banded together because of the easy access to hydropower in the city. The former includes the likes of Harvard and MIT.
Another major part of the economy is the retail sector, ever since Holyoke Mall was built which was one of the largest of its kind in New England. Holyoke is also where PeoplesBank has its corporate headquarters.
Life in Holyoke
Holyoke is located between the Connecticut River and the Mount Tom Range, so it comes as no surprise that rowing and hiking are common local hobbies. The city has the largest percentage of Puerto Ricans in any population other than Puerto Rico itself, and it’s always been a place where immigrants have found a home.
Its early Irish settlers still have a lasting legacy in the form of its Saint Patrick’s day parade every year, which is the second largest in the country, behind New York’s.
