The building growth of the city has kept pace with the manufacturing.  Where a few years ago were acres of woodland, swamps or brambly pastures, are now well-graded streets lined with pleasant houses.  Hills have been leveled, ponds and ravines filled and made into valuable real estate.  From the highlands in the western part of the city, there are river and mountain views of surpassing beauty.  Gradually the building centre is moving westward and many charming homes have been created on the suburban streets.  The old stage-road which led from Springfield to Northampton is now a wide, well-graded highway with handsome villas surrounded by spacious grounds.  Here are the fine residences of Treasurer R.B.  Johnson of the Holyoke Savings Bank, G.W.  Prentiss of the wire-mills, Westover, the residence of E.J.  Pomeroy, Lawnfield, the house of R.M.  Fairfield, “The Knolls” the fine residence of Mr. C.H.  Heywood, and on the higest point of all is Rus-in-Urbe, the lookout point of Mr. Foster Wilson.  Farther south on the same street are the residencies of Mr. Timothy Merrick, Donald Mackintosh, Oscar Ely, John Cleary and others.  The residence streets of Ward six are pleasant with shade trees, blooming gardens and lovely houses.  From the most sightly eminence of the ward, the house of William Skinner of the silk-mill overlooks the city.  A central and pleasant square encloses the home of W.A.  Chase, the agent of the Water Power Company, and houses with all the appointments of elegance and luxury are owned by Messrs. Whiting, Dillon, Farr, Metcalf, Mackintosh, W.A.  Prentiss Clark, E.W.  Chapin, Ramage, Newton, Corser and many others.  Fairmount Square is a new section just opened for good residences.  In the southerly part of the city is the farm of Congressman Wm. Whiting with its herds of beautiful Jerseys, and on the Springfield road is the model Brightside farm, the pet life-project of W.H.  Wilkinson, blanket manufacturer.  This farm is also the home of splendid specimens of the Jersey cow.  A majority of the principal streets of Holyoke bear the names that were given them when the town was first mapped out by its prophetic founders, At first Holyoke was chiefly a cotton manufacturing town and of the streets laid out from east to west the names of prominent cotton manufacturing companies of the state alternated with the names of Massachusetts counties.  There are Franklin, Hampshire, Essex, Suffolk, and Hampden streets, alternated with Jackson, Sargeant, Cabot, Appleton, Dwight and Lyman, named for noted cotton manufacturing firms.  Main street is a long thoroughfare extending north and south and terminating at the river.  Canal, Race, and Bridge streets were named from their location.  Bowers, Mosher and Ely from former landowners of Depot Hill.  John street and Oliver street perpetuate the name of John Oliver; High street was named for its sightly location.  West of, and parallel with, High, the streets have the names of woods, Maple, Chestnut, Elm, Walnut, Pine, Beach, Oak, Linden and Sycamore.  Many of the streets in Ward seven were named for persons first owning and or building upon them.  Northampton street, is the county highway from Springfield to Northampton.