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is a city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 12,497 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. Although known as a town, Palmer adopted a home rule charter in 2004 with a council-manager form of government and is considered a city under Massachusetts law.
The communities of Bondsville, Thorndike, Palmer, and Three Rivers are located in the town.
Palmer is composed of four separate and distinct villages: Depot Village (named for the ornate railroad terminal designed by architect Henry Hobson Richardson), Thorndike, Three Rivers, and Bondsville. The villages began to develop their distinctive characters in the 18th century, and by the 19th century, two rail lines and a trolley line opened the town to population growth. Today, each village has its own post office and fire stations (except Thorndike).
Palmer's first settler was John King. He was born in Edwardstone, Suffolk, England. He built his home in 1716 on the banks of the Chicopee River. A large group of Scottish-Irish Presbyterians followed, arriving in 1727. In 1775, Massachusetts officially incorporated Palmer. Depot Village became Palmer's main commercial and business center during the late 19th century and remains so today. Palmer's industry developed in Bondsville. During the 18th century, saw and grist mills were established by the rivers. By 1825, Palmer woolen mills began to produce textiles. Subsequently, the Blanchard Scythe Factory, Wright Wire Woolen Mills, and the Holden-Fuller Woolen Mills developed major industrial capacity, and constructed large amounts of workers' housing. By 1900, Boston Duck (which made heavy cotton fabric) had over 500 employees in the town. Camp Ramah in New England is located in Palmer, and it is one of the older Ramah camps. The 20th century brought about a shift of immigrants in Palmer from those of French and Scottish origin to those of primarily Polish and French-Canadian extraction.
The New England Region of the Sports Car Club of America has reached an agreement with the Town of Palmer to construct a new road course near their town. Palmer Motorsports Park will operate along a similar vein as Buttonwillow Raceway Park in California, in that it will be owned and operated by a limited liability corporation formed by New England Region. This effort is to ensure that NER would have its own "flagship" racetrack, as the two tracks it currently uses - New Hampshire Motor Speedway and Lime Rock Park in Connecticut - are heavily used by NASCAR. The benefits to the town would include upwards of $50,000 a year in property income taxes and increased business at local gas stations, restaurants, motels and retail stores.