East Forest Park
Suburban Neighborhood in Springfield, Massachusetts
Hampden County 01118
Shaded Cape Cods and Colonial Revivals
East Forest Park was developed a few decades later than the Forest Park neighborhood to its west. As a result, its streets are lined with Cape Cods, ranch-style homes and Colonial Revivals rather than the Victorian and Craftsman houses found in Forest Park. The midcentury neighborhood has been around long enough for trees to mature into tall timbers that shade sidewalks and yards. They shed their leaves in the late fall, and winter brings an average of 27 inches of snow. If 3 or more inches of snow collect on the roads, the Department of Public Works and private contractors plow East Forest Park along with the rest of the city. A few homes on the north side of East Forest Park are in a flood zone created by the South Branch Mill River. Some mortgage lenders require homes in flood zones to have flood insurance. Prices for turnkey homes here typically range from $240,000 to $450,000.735 acres of outdoor space at Forest Park
Nathan Bill Park serves as the neighborhood’s central green space, with a playground, tennis courts and multiple baseball fields. Kids can play on the splash pad from June to August, and the park hosts one of the city’s free movie screenings each summer. A park hugging the shore of Watershops Pond bears the name of Gunnery Sgt. Thomas J. Sullivan, a Springfield native killed in action during a 2015 domestic terror attack on a Naval center in Tennessee. A paved trail leads from the park’s walking path to a kayak launch point. Springfield’s largest park is 2 miles west of the neighborhood: Forest Park. More than 700 acres of woodlands, lakes and gardens encompass a 200-animal zoo and an indoor ice-skating rink. “It’s a gem that makes it hard to believe you’re in the middle of the city,” says Beate Bolen, president of the Forest Park Civic Association. Children have played baseball at the park’s Walker Memorial Grandstand since the 1940s, and in 2024 the city started a $4 million renovation of the field used by high school, college and American Legion Baseball youth teams. South of the neighborhood, the 18-hole, par-72 Franconia Golf Course is open to the public.Robust AP offerings at Central High School
Mary A. Dryden Veterans Memorial Elementary School in East Forest Park gets a Niche grade of C-plus. The school was one of several campuses in the city where Springfield Public Schools built new playgrounds in 2024. After fifth grade, children can go to C-minus-rated Kiley Middle School and Central High School, which receives a B-minus. No high school in Massachusetts offers more Advanced Placement courses than the 21 classes available at Central High. High school seniors in the neighborhood are eligible for The Denise K. Shea Memorial Scholarship, a $1,000 grant that's awarded annually by the East Forest Park Civic Association.East Forest Park is home to Pope Francis Preparatory School. The B-rated private Catholic high school lets students tailor their experience with pathways that provide field trips, classes and shadowing opportunities in career fields such as environmental sciences and communications. North of the neighborhood, roughly 2,000 students attend Springfield College, a private four-year school. Locals can watch the men and women’s basketball teams at Blake Arena, as well as more than 20 other sports teams that compete on campus.
Pro hockey players read at East Forest Park library
Nathan Bill’s Bar and Restaurant throws one of the biggest St. Patrick’s Day parties in Western Massachusetts. Green-clad patrons fill the bar or crowd under an outdoor tent to hear live music, dance and drink beers. The East Forest Park Branch of the Springfield City Library hosts events throughout the week, including Boomer’s Book Club. Boomer, the mascot of the Springfield Thunderbirds professional hockey team, and the team's players visit several library branches each month to read to children. The city built a new building for the library branch in 2019, debuting a makerspace where locals of all ages can drop in and engage in hands-on projects such as learning how to create miniature scenes for model trains. The library is also a meeting spot for local groups including the East Forest Park Civic Association and Girl Scout Troop 65166.Taking Sumner Avenue across the neighborhood
East Forest Park doesn’t connect to interstates or highways, but Sumner Avenue runs through the middle of the neighborhood and extends 2 miles west to Interstate 91. A 2-mile drive north on the interstate leads to restaurants, museums and an MGM casino in downtown Springfield. The interstate continues north of downtown to Baystate Medical Center. Drivers can take Interstate 91 for 18 miles south of the neighborhood to Bradley International Airport, which has flights to more than 45 cities, or 15 miles farther to Hartford. Pioneer Valley Transit Authority buses stop along Sumner Avenue, reaching the X in about 10 minutes and downtown in about 30.Shops and restaurants nearby at the X
Most of East Forest Park’s businesses are in shopping centers. That’s the case on Island Pond Road, where people go to shop at Rocky’s Ace Hardware and Dollar Tree. The road is also where Nathan Bill’s Bar & Restaurant hosts rock bands and acoustic acts and serves Irish-inspired food including burgers topped with corned-beef hash and desserts covered in whiskey-infused gravy. Nearby Bumpys Natural & Organic Foods stocks hard-to-find produce like soursop fruits. Less than a mile west of the neighborhood, restaurants are packed into a walkable intersection known as the X. The commercial district has a selection of Vietnamese businesses such as Vihn Chau Restaurant and Saigon Market grocery store. A shopping center a mile east of the neighborhood houses Big Y supermarket, Burlington and Big Lots.More than a dozen houses of worship nearby
Many of the 10-plus churches in or just outside the neighborhood frequently engage with the community. For example, Holy Cross Catholic Church parishioners spend Sundays putting together 400 sandwiches to give to people experiencing homelessness in Springfield. Meanwhile, First Baptist Church hosts a fall festival, inviting families over for hot dogs, face-painting and firehose demonstrations by firefighters. Three synagogues are clustered about 3 miles away in the Forest Park neighborhood. Springfield’s three original Orthodox synagogues merged in 2007 to form Congregation B’nai Torah. The synagogue keeps a museum that preserves the history of the city’s Orthodox Jewish community through artifacts and documents.

Agents Specializing in this Area
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Juan Lopera-Martinez
eXp Realty
(339) 338-4961
92 Total Sales
1 in East Forest Park
$185,000 Price
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Tammy Sandomierski
Responds QuicklyWilliam Raveis R.E. & Home Services
(413) 241-5131
71 Total Sales
1 in East Forest Park
$295,000 Price
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Christina Pietras
Naples Realty Group
(413) 278-6757
49 Total Sales
4 in East Forest Park
$298K - $400K Price Range
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Ray Hoess-Brooks
Responds QuicklyHB Real Estate, LLC
(860) 356-3690
130 Total Sales
2 in East Forest Park
$226K - $287K Price Range
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Hometown Team
Real Broker MA, LLC
(978) 709-2942
106 Total Sales
1 in East Forest Park
$325,000 Price
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Dorothy Maiwald
HB Real Estate, LLC
(413) 779-8828
72 Total Sales
4 in East Forest Park
$203K - $325K Price Range
Schools
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Transit
Crime and Safety
1 - Low Crime, 10 - High Crime | East Forest Park | US |
---|---|---|
Homicide | 3 | 4 |
Sexual Assault | 3 | 4 |
Assault with Weapon | 3 | 4 |
Robbery | 3 | 4 |
Burglary | 3 | 4 |
Motor Vehicle Theft | 3 | 4 |
Larceny | 3 | 4 |
Crime Score | 3 | 4 |
Source: WhatIsMyCrimeRisk.com
East Forest Park Demographics and Home Trends
On average, homes in East Forest Park, Springfield sell after 28 days on the market compared to the national average of 49 days. The median sale price for homes in East Forest Park, Springfield over the last 12 months is $311,000, up 7% from the median home sale price over the previous 12 months.
Housing Trends
Neighborhood Facts
Open Houses
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Saturday, Jun 1412 - 2pm
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Saturday, Jun 1410 - 11:30am
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Saturday, Jun 1412 - 2pm
Distribution of Home Values
Homes for Sale
Homes for Rent
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Property Mix - Square Feet
This Neighborhood Has More Owners
Demographics
Finances
Education and Workforce
Weather
Area Factors
Somewhat Bikeable
Bike Score®
Somewhat Walkable
Walk Score®
Some Transit
Transit Score®
Sound Score® measures the noise level of any address. Transit Score® measures access to public transit. Bike Score® measures the bikeability of any address.
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