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Easthampton, Massachusetts

Easthampton is a city in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The city is in the Pioneer Valley, near the five colleges in the college towns of Northampton and Amherst. The population was 16,211 at the 2020 census.

History
Easthampton was first settled by European immigrants beginning in 1664 as the village of Pascommuck and was originally part of Northampton. On 24 May 1704 during Queen Anne's War, a party of 72 Native Americans attacked the village, killing 19 of 38 residents. The village was soon resettled, and by 1785, Easthampton was established as a "district" by Massachusetts (a former type of political entity with less independence than a town), and in 1809, it was incorporated as a town. Easthampton is the youngest municipality in Hampshire County by date of incorporation. (It was not, however, the last incorporated; two of the three disincorporated towns of the Quabbin Reservoir in Hampshire County, Enfield and Prescott, were incorporated afterwards.)

The town grew primarily around the Manhan River, both through its phase as a strictly agricultural community and later, through the Industrial Revolution, when mills and factories were first built in Easthampton, mainly in connection with textile manufacturing and its offshoots. The first of these, the Williston-Knight Button Company, was established in 1847 by Samuel Williston, son of the town's first minister, a Congregationalist named Payson Williston. The company specialized in cloth-covered buttons—a coveted item at the time—and to facilitate the operation of the machinery, a local brook was dammed, creating Nashawannuck Pond. Other mills soon opened nearby, a number of them specializing in elastic and rubber thread manufacturing.

Following this spurt of industrial development, the town's first high school and first national bank opened in 1864, and a town hall was built in 1869. Constables were replaced by the town's first police officer in 1871, the same year that Easthampton became a regular stop on the railroad. The town's public library opened in 1881, and fourteen years later in 1895 the community was introduced to two new innovations, telephones and streetcars. With the influx of new residents came a number of new churches, founded for Catholic, Episcopalian, Lutheran, and Methodist parishioners, as well as a second Congregational church. In 1899, the West Boylston Manufacturing Company and the Hampton Company, both specializing in cloth production, moved to Easthampton, recruiting a larger immigrant labor force, particularly from Poland and Canada.

During World War I, the town's mills all obtained federal wartime contracts and did well financially, but long before the Great Depression hit, many factories owners were already laying off employees, seeking mergers with other companies, or looking for buyers for their facilities. One of the few successes during this time was the American Character Doll Company, also known as Paragon Rubber, whose cofounder, Edward Schaeffer, was credited with inventing the first rubber doll mass-marketed in the United States.

World War II provided some relief for the Easthampton economy, as several of the older textile companies as well as newer heavy manufacturing corporations received another round of federal contracts. However, beginning in the early 1960s a number of critical closures hit the town hard. Revitalization attempts began with the opening of a new industrial park and continued with a joint government-private industrial mall which has failed to solve significantly higher rates of unemployment and poverty compared to Hampshire County as a whole.

Small farms and well-established small businesses remain the economic core of Easthampton. Easthampton changed its charter in 1996 to become a city. Since 1996 the downtown area has attracted a small community of artists and young people migrating due to Easthampton's lower cost of living compared to nearby Northampton, a hub of the bohemian community regionally. Small stores around Main Street, Union Street, and Cottage Street have changed business due to the influx of this new demographic. This growth has produced new arts and cultural events such as the monthly Art Walk Easthampton in which visual, music and performance artists showcase their talents at venues around the city. In November 2018, the administration of Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker announced a $3.5 million grant through the MassWorks program to the Ferry Street Mill redevelopment project in the city.

Geography
Easthampton is just south of the geographic center of Hampshire County. It is bordered by Southampton and Westhampton to its west, by Holyoke in Hampden County to its east and south, and by Northampton to its north. It also has a river boundary with Hadley to its northeast across the Connecticut River. The western flanks of Mount Tom and Mount Nonotuck form its eastern boundary.

Massachusetts Route 10 passes through the center of Easthampton as Main Street and Northampton Street, leading northeast 5 mi to the center of Northampton and southwest 4 mi to Southampton. Massachusetts Route 141 (Union Street, Cottage Street, and Holyoke Street) leads southeast from the center of Easthampton 6 mi past Mount Tom to Holyoke. Interstate 91 and U.S. Route 5 cross the northeastern tip of Easthampton near the Connecticut River, leading north to Northampton and south to Holyoke.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city of Easthampton has a total area of 35.2 sqkm, of which 34.5 sqkm are land and 0.7 sqkm, or 2.02%, are water. The Manhan River crosses Easthampton north of the city center, flowing into The Oxbow, a former channel of the Connecticut River, at the northeastern end of the city.

Education
In 1797, the town was divided into four school districts. By the middle of the 19th century, the town offered over twelve small schools. Over the following century, the town began to reduce the number of small schools and to build schools suited for higher volume. In 1897, an eight-room school was constructed on Maple Street. The Maple Street School was later enlarged to 16 rooms. The junior high school was consolidated here from 1950 to 1962. After 1962, this school was used for elementary classes.

Mount Holyoke College graduate Sarah Chapin, the last principal of girls at Williston Seminary, became the town's first high school principal in 1864. Chapin designed the initial curriculum, and served as principal until ill health in 1891. She retired with the class of 1901 and died that summer. In 1864, Williston Seminary decided to stop offering classes for girls. The town constructed a two-story school for use as the town's first high school. In 1912, the school district constructed a new high school and enlarged this building (then called Park Primary School) using brick salvaged from the Center Union School. It was used as an elementary school until 1939 and again from the 1950s to the 1970s. This building, now called the Memorial Building, is currently being used as municipal offices.

In 1902, the town responded to the population increase resulting from the growth of the West Boylston and Hampton Companies. The Center Street School, an eight-room school, replaced the Center Union School. In 1920, the interior of this building was reconfigured as a 12-room school. It has served as a middle school, high school, and grade school. Replacing the Lovefield Street School in 1902, the Parsons Street School was built to serve children in the New City section of town.

In 1912, a new high school was built. An eight-room school was expanded in 1934, adding a gymnasium and an auditorium. After a new high school was built in 1962, this building was used for a junior high school and middle school. In 1975, it was converted for use as a grade school and renamed the Neil A. Pepin School.

As of March 2023, the city's public school district includes a single PK-8 school, Mountain View School, and a high school (Easthampton High School), which was built in 2013. In addition, Hilltown Cooperative Charter Public School (K–8), and the Williston Northampton School (7–12), a private preparatory school are based out of Easthampton.

Demographics
As of the census of 2010, there were 16,053 people, 7,224 households, and 4,066 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,192.1 PD/sqmi. There were 7,615 housing units at an average density of 527.9 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 93.6% White, 3.7% Hispanic, 1.1% African American, 0.2% Native American, 2.4% Asian, <0.1% Pacific Islander, 1.1% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races.

There were 7,224 households, out of which 21.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.2% were married couples living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.7% were non-families. 33.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 25.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.85.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 18.0% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 32.4% from 25 to 44, 24.8% from 45 to 64, and 14.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 women and girls, there were 92.5 men and boys. For every 100 women age 18 and over, there were 89.7 men.

The median income for a household in the city was $45,185, and the median income for a family was $54,312. Men had a median income of $36,446 versus $28,756 for women. The per capita income for the city was $21,922. About 5.9% of families and 8.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.0% of those under age 18 and 9.9% of those age 65 or over.

Government
Easthampton was first established in 1785 as a town, with a board of selectmen acting as the executive. It had a town meeting form of legislature. Local voters enacted their newest charter in July 1996, establishing a city form of governance while retaining the name "Town" in its official name. Michael Tautznik was elected the first mayor of Easthampton in September 1996, after a charter was passed making the mayor the chief executive officer. The town council replaced town meeting as the legislative branch and consists of four at-large members and five district councilors. In 1999 the mayor and council petitioned the General Court to remove the word "town" from its name and to replace the word town with "city". Mayor Tautznik was elected to an eighth term in November 2010. In November 2013, Karen Cadieux was elected mayor after Mayor Tautznik did not seek reelection. In 2017, lawyer Nicole LaChapelle defeated long-time district councilor Joy Winnie to become the city's next mayor.

In 2019, the city voted by referendum to adopt single-winner ranked-choice voting to elect the mayor as well as city council members from single-winner districts, while retaining plurality first-past-the-post elections for the four at-large council seats. The reform took effect for the 2021 city elections. In 2023, the city voted by referendum to adopt proportional multi-winner ranked-choice voting for the four at-large districts.

At the state level, Easthampton is in the Hampshire & Hampden district of the Massachusetts Senate, represented by John Velis (D-Westfield), and the 2nd Hampshire district of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, represented by Daniel R. Carey (D-Easthampton). Easthampton is located in the Eighth Massachusetts Governor's Council district and is represented by Tara Jacobs (D-North Adams).

Notable people

 * Lloyd Cole, musician
 * Amy Gardiner, animator
 * Andrew Hussie, webcomic artist
 * Jeph Jacques, webcomic artist
 * Kelly Link, author
 * John D. Ludden, businessman and politician
 * Thomas Lux, poet, nonfiction writer, teacher
 * Lauren D. Lyman, journalist
 * Jeff Mason, professional ice hockey defenseman and coach, Belfast Giants
 * Jeremy Powers, cyclist (2012, 2014, 2015, & 2016 US Cyclocross national champion)
 * Jeffrey Rowland, webcomic artist

Points of interest
Easthampton has a number of points of interest.

The Mount Tom State Reservation extends into the eastern part the city, and many local residents hike up to enjoy the view of the Pioneer Valley from the rock ledges. Mount Tom, with a summit elevation of 1202 ft, is the highest traprock peak on the Metacomet Ridge, a linear mountain range that extends from Long Island Sound to the Vermont border. Mount Tom is characterized by its high cliffs, sweeping vistas, and microclimate ecosystems. The 110 mi Metacomet-Monadnock Trail traverses the mountain.

The Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary, part of the Massachusetts Audubon Society, is split between Easthampton and neighboring Northampton. Recently, the Manhan Rail Trail bicycle path was built over an old railroad line, and there are plans to connect the path to others in the area. Near the rail trail and wildlife sanctuary are three conservation areas owned by the local non-profit land trust, Pascommuck Conservation Trust, part of the trust's 200 acre of holdings in Easthampton. The Old Town Hall is a historic building located in the Main Street Historic District in Easthampton, Massachusetts. The High Victorian Gothic town hall was built in 1869 by Boston architect Charles Edward Parker. In 1987, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Old Town Hall is managed by the nonprofit CitySpace, Inc. as a center for the arts.

In and around downtown Easthampton, attractions include:
 * The Cottage Street Cultural District, named by the Massachusetts Cultural Council and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in 2013.
 * The Emily Williston Memorial Library, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987, provides a collection of over 45,000 books, movies, and other media for Easthampton and the surrounding towns. Designed by Peabody & Stearns.
 * The Williston Northampton School, a private secondary prep school
 * One Cottage Street, an old factory building, renovated in the late 1970s to make workshops and studios for artists and craftspeople
 * Riverside Industries, also at One Cottage Street, a human service organization offering a variety of innovative programs for people with disabilities
 * Eastworks, the old Stanley Home Products factory building, recently converted into artists' studios, offices, and restaurant space
 * The historic old fire station, recently made into a workshop by local furniture maker Silas Kopf

Events
Easthampton has many events throughout the year. Every February the Friends of the Nashawannuck Pond host WinterFest to raise funds for Nashawannuck Pond and develop public awareness about ongoing efforts to keep the pond healthy.

Thunder in the Valley is a summer music concert featuring fireworks. All proceeds are donated to the Children's Miracle Network.

Every summer, MillPond.Live brings a festival series designed to unite people from all walks of life to Easthampton's Millside Park, with local and international music, food, art, and community. This festival sees thousands of attendees.

Easthampton City Arts (ECA) is a city organization that creates positive, innovative and accessible arts programming and cultural events. Some of the events that ECA organizes include: Art Walk (a free and family-friendly event held throughout the city every second Thursday of the month); Cultural Chaos (a street festival that celebrates the Cottage Street Cultural District); and Porchfest (Easthampton's very first Porchfest was held in September 2023 and will return in 2024).

Easthampton also features several Open Studios throughout the year, hosted by various artists and studios located in some of the city's many converted mill buildings. Cottage Street Open Studios will take place in May, and Eastworks Open Studios will take place in November.

title: Easthampton, Massachusetts


text:
Goshen, Massachusetts

Goshen is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 960 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town has a rural atmosphere, with one general store, a post office, a fire station, a regional elementary school in nearby Chesterfield, and a town hall. The town encompasses both the Upper and Lower Highland lakes, Upper being a part of the D.A.R. State Forest. The Lower Highland Lake is privately held by a homeowners' association for families who own yearlong and summer properties on the lake.

History
Goshen was first settled in 1761 and was officially incorporated on May 14, 1781.

Home to natural beryl deposits, colorless beryl was first discovered in Goshen, leading it to be called goshenite by the gem industry.

Parent Town: Chesterfield, Massachusetts.

Historic sites and societies

 * Goshen Historical Commission Museum

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 921 people, 365 households, and 247 families residing in the town. The population density was 53.0 PD/sqmi. There were 536 housing units at an average density of 30.9 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 99.02% White, 0.11% Native American, 0.22% Asian, and 0.65% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.09% of the population.

There were 365 households, out of which 29.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.2% were married couples living together, 6.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.3% were non-families. Of all households, 18.4% were made up of individuals, and 5.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 2.94.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 21.9% under the age of 18, 4.3% from 18 to 24, 32.0% from 25 to 44, 31.1% from 45 to 64, and 10.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.2 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $49,583, and the median income for a family was $58,750. Males had a median income of $37,159 versus $27,500 for females. The per capita income for the town was $22,221. About 4.3% of families and 7.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.3% of those under age 18 and 9.5% of those age 65 or over.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 17.7 sqmi, of which 17.4 sqmi is land and 0.3 sqmi (1.98%) is water. Coordinates are 42.44°N, -72.81°W.

Goshen and Baker, Missouri, are the only two towns or villages in the United States within 29 miles of four different states. Goshen is 28.5 miles from New York, 28 miles from Connecticut, 26 miles from New Hampshire, and 20 miles from Vermont.

Education
Goshen is part of the Hampshire Regional School district along with Chesterfield, Southampton, Westhampton, and Williamsburg. Students in Goshen attend New Hingham Regional Elementary School in Chesterfield from K–6. High School students attend Hampshire Regional High School.

Points of interest

 * D.A.R. State Forest A property of the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation.
 * Camp Howe
 * The Institute for the Musical Arts
 * Three Sisters Sanctuary Arts & Performance space

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Goshen, Massachusetts


text:
Hadley, Massachusetts

Hadley is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 5,325 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The area around the Hampshire and Mountain Farms Malls along Route 9 is a major shopping destination for the surrounding communities.

Early
Hadley was first settled in 1659 and was officially incorporated in 1661. The former Norwottuck was renamed for Hadleigh, Suffolk. Its settlers were primarily a discontented group of families from the Puritan colonies of Hartford and Wethersfield, Connecticut, who petitioned to start a new colony up north after some controversy over doctrine in the local church. The settlement was led by John Russell. The first settler inside of Hadley was Nathaniel Dickinson, who surveyed the streets of what is now Hadley, Hatfield, and Amherst. At the time, Hadley encompassed a wide radius of land on both sides of the Connecticut River (but mostly on the eastern shore) including much of what would become known as the Equivalent Lands. In the following century, these were broken off into precincts and eventually the separate towns of Hatfield, Amherst, South Hadley, Granby and Belchertown. The early histories of these towns are, as a result, filed under the history of Hadley.

Lt. Gen. Edward Whalley and Maj. Gen. William Goffe, two Puritan generals hunted for their role in the execution (or "regicide") of Charles I of England, were hidden in the home of the town's minister, John Russell. During King Philip's War, an attack by Native Americans was, by some accounts, thwarted with the aid of General Goffe. This event, compounded by the reluctance of the townsfolk to betray Goffe's location, developed into the legend of the Angel of Hadley, which came to be included in the historical manuscript History of Hadley by Sylvester Judd.

In 1683, eleven years before the Salem witch trials, Mary Webster, wife to William Webster son of the former governor of Connecticut and a founder of the very town of Hadley (John Webster), was accused and acquitted of witchcraft. She was unsuccessfully hanged by rowdy town folk. A description is given in Cotton Mather's Magnalia Christi Americana.

The Civil War general Joseph Hooker was a longtime resident of Hadley. Levi Stockbridge, one of the founders of the Massachusetts Agricultural College (now the University of Massachusetts Amherst), was also from Hadley where he was a farmer.

Recent
Hadley's transformation from an old agricultural order to the new form is the direct result of expansion of the nearby University of Massachusetts Amherst during the 1960s. Much of its former farmland was swallowed in the housing market stimulated by incoming faculty and off-campus students. Route 116 was redirected in an attempt to solve traffic congestion. Route 9, which runs east–west through the town to connect Amherst and Northampton, became a hotpoint for commercial development due to Amherst not wanting development on its land while large corporations opened stores along the strip. Today, the Hadley economy is a mixture of agriculture and commercial development, including big-box stores and the Hampshire Mall.

In 2003, an organization called Hadley Neighbors for Sensible Development was formed that opposed continued large-scale commercial development in Hadley by emphasizing the downside of such growth. However, many local residents support commercial development, and about 1,000 people signed a petition asking for a new Wal-Mart, saying it would save them money on their groceries. In 2008, Wal-Mart pulled its plans to build the Supercenter after the Conservation Commission ruled that the plan did not comply with wetlands regulations. The developer of the site (Hampshire Mall) filed and lost numerous appeals but continued its legal challenges of the commission's findings. Many residents also opposed rezoning to accommodate a new Lowe's store because they said it would be too big and would require more filling of wetlands than allowed by state law. However, the rezoning passed in 2004 and the store was built in 2009. Lowe's then sued the town because it didn't want to pay the required sewer hookup fees. And, in 2010, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection found that Lowe's had illegally filled large areas of wetlands on that site and fined the developer more than $15,000.

The World Monuments Fund listed the "Cultural Landscape of Hadley, Massachusetts" on the 2010 World Monuments Watch List of Most Endangered Sites.

"Watch listing seeks to raise awareness about this rare survivor of 17th-century agriculture, promote visitation, and engage the local community in its stewardship."

The landscape of Hadley is largely open-field farming, which was only used in the earliest New England settlements and had mostly disappeared by the 18th century; its survival in Hadley on such a large scale is unusual. According to the World Monument Fund 165 acre are zoned for residential and commercial use, providing no long-term protection for the historic landscape.

Economy
Hadley's economy can be in large part characterized by agriculture and retail services, having the thoroughfare Massachusetts Route 9 traversing it east to west with abundant stores, and a wide variety of farms which benefit from the area's Hadley loam. Due to its climate and soils, one of its staple crops for the last two centuries has consistently been its asparagus, which has been described as competing in Boston markets despite local availability of the crop from other nearby regions, as well as in restaurants in France and Germany, and Queen Elizabeth II's own annual spring feast in England. Its ubiquity and reputation in Hadley agriculture has lent it the nickname "Hadley grass".

Education
Hadley is home to Hadley Elementary School serving children in kindergarten through sixth grade, and Hopkins Academy, serving grades seven through twelve. Hopkins Academy was founded in 1664 through money that was donated by Edward Hopkins, a wealthy Connecticut merchant, and it is the fourth oldest public high school in the United States. Hadley is also home to the Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 63.7 km2, of which 59.8 km2 is land and 3.9 km2, or 6.18%, is water. The land boundaries of Hadley are Sunderland to the north, Amherst to the east, and South Hadley to the south. Across the Connecticut River, Hadley borders Hatfield to the northwest, Northampton to the west, and Easthampton and Holyoke along a short length of river to the southwest. The Mount Holyoke Range forms the boundary with South Hadley and is where the highest point of Hadley is found. This is on Mount Hitchcock at an elevation of 990 to 1000 ft. The Metacomet-Monadnock Trail traverses the Holyoke Range with panoramic vistas from several locations.

Climate
In a typical year, Hadley, Massachusetts temperatures fall below 50 F for 205 days per year. Annual precipitation is typically 44.7 inches per year (high in the US) and snow covers the ground 66 days per year or 18.1% of the year (high in the US). It may be helpful to understand the yearly precipitation by imagining nine straight days of moderate rain per year. The humidity is below 60% for approximately 18.4 days, or 5% of the year.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 4,793 people, 1,895 households, and 1,248 families residing in the town. The population density was 205.7 PD/sqmi. There were 1,953 housing units at an average density of 83.8 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 95.91% White, 0.75% African American, 0.6% Native American, 1.56% Asian, 0.58% from other races, and 1.13% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.67% of the population.

There were 1,895 households, out of which 26.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.1% were married couples living together, 9.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.1% were non-families. 24.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.90.

The population was spread out, with 20.0% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 27.7% from 25 to 44, 25.7% from 45 to 64, and 19.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.4 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $51,851, and the median income for a family was $61,897. Males had a median income of $44,773 versus $34,189 for females. The per capita income for the town was $24,945. About 4.8% of families and 6.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.6% of those under age 18 and 3.2% of those age 65 or over.

Government
Hadley is governed by open Town Meeting, a form of government most common to New England. The Board of Selectmen consists of five members and is elected annually on the second Tuesday in April. There is a Town Administrator as well. The Town Meeting takes place the first Thursday in May.

Select Board
First Elected to Select Board 2003
 * Joyce A. Chunglo, Member – Term Expires 2024

First Elected to Select Board – 2018
 * David J. Fill II, Chair – Term Expires 2022

First Elected to Select Board – 2021
 * Jane Nevinsmith, Clerk – Term Expires 2023
 * Amy Parsons – Term Expires 2024

First Elected to Select Board – 2013
 * John C. Waskiewicz II, Member – Term Expires 2022

Town Administrator

 * Carolyn Brennan 2019–Present

Points of interest

 * Porter-Phelps-Huntington Museum
 * Skinner State Park and Historic Summit House
 * Hopkins Academy (fourth oldest school in the United States; currently Hadley's public middle and high school)
 * Hadley Farm Museum
 * Hadley Town Common
 * Regicides monument commemorating the site where Rev. John Russell sheltered Edward Whalley and William Goffe in his home
 * Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium, the University of Massachusetts Amherst football stadium
 * Norwottuck Branch Rail Trail (bike path which can be traveled from Northampton, MA to Belchertown, MA; the path runs through Hadley)
 * Connecticut River (the longest river in New England)
 * Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge (the only refuge of its kind to encompass an entire watershed). The Fort River Birding and Nature Trail, Fort River Division in Hadley, MA features a storybook trail along a 1.1 mile fully accessible loop that can be enjoyed by walkers, parents with strollers or people who use wheelchairs.

Notable people

 * William Goffe, English parliamentarian and regicide
 * Lisa Green, Distinguished University Professor of Linguistics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst
 * Thomas Hannum, band director at UMass Amherst with the Minuteman Marching Band. Percussion instructor and director with Boston Crusaders Drum and Bugle Corps. Member of the Drum Corps International Hall of Fame.
 * Sara Northrup Hollister, occultist
 * Joseph Hooker, Civil War general
 * Clifton Johnson, American writer, illustrator and photographer
 * Elizabeth Porter Phelps, early American diarist
 * Levi Stockbridge, Farmer and Scientist. Helped found Massachusetts Agricultural College (now known as the University of Massachusetts Amherst) and served as first Professor of Agricultural at the school. Also served as Farm Superintendent and President
 * John Webster, governor of the Colony of Connecticut (1656–1657)
 * Mary Webster, accused of witchcraft, later survived an attempted lynching
 * Edward Whalley, English parliamentarian and regicide

title: Hadley, Massachusetts


text:
Huntington, Massachusetts

Huntington is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 2,094 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area.

The main village of Huntington is in the south of the town, with the villages of Norwich and Norwich Bridge in the center. (The villages are unofficial neighborhoods representing clusters of buildings in an otherwise rural town.)

The villages of Knightville (or Knightsville) and Indian Hollow toward the north were removed by the construction of the Knightville Dam from 1939 to 1941.

History

What is now Huntington was first settled by Europeans in 1760, mostly migrants from Norwich, Connecticut who logged the land's valuable timber. Settlers were mainly subsistence farmers, who also raised animals, caught fish, tapped maple trees, and manufactured their own domestic goods. Most of what is now the towns of Huntington and Chester were sold at auction (along with other parcels) on June 2, 1762, as Plantation Number 9, to William Williams for £1,500. It was resold, and the three new proprietors allowed the 19 existing settlers to remain on the condition they build houses, clear land, and hire a Protestant minister.

On June 29, 1773, the eastern portion of the town of Murrayfield (renamed Chester in 1783) was split off to form the district of Norwich, with most of the powers of a town. It shared a colonial representative with Chester until 1786, when it became a full town.

Early industry grew slowly. Just before 1800, Daniel and Richard Falley opened a tavern (which also functioned as a hotel) and store near the three-way boundary of Norwich, Blandford, and Chester, which was also the boundary between Hampshire and Hampden Counties. A post office opened nearby, on the Boston-Springfield-Albany stagecoach line; the neighborhood and the post office were named "Falleys' Cross road" or "Falley's X Roads". In 1841, the Western Railroad (later part of the Boston and Albany Railroad) was constructed, drawing settlers and enabling profitable manufacturing to the vicinity of the stop, known as Chester Village to distinguish from the Chester Factories stop. The post office and the neighborhood soon became known as Chester Village.

Jurisdictional boundaries split streets and in some cases houses, causing problems with transportation of school children and law enforcement. The nearby parts of Blandford and Chester were annexed to Norwich in 1853. In 1855, the Massachusetts General Court changed the name of the town to Huntington, in honor of Charles P. Huntington of Northampton, who had helped secure the annexation. Chester Village then became known as "the village" of Huntington. Charles Huntington donated $100 for the establishment of a library in his namesake town.

In the Colonial Massachusetts tradition, Norwich initially functioned as both a secular town government and a church parish. Its town meetings were held at the town church ("meeting-hall") until 1841; a town hall was constructed in Knightville in 1842. Town meetings were held at a private Union Hall above a schoolhouse in Huntington village in the 1860s; the building burned in 1863 but was replaced and served as the town hall until 1954.

Springfield Street Railway was extended to the town in 1905, and another trolley line operated to the town of Lee for a time. U.S. Route 20 was constructed through the town in 1920.

The Huntington Textile Company supplied cloth to the U.S. military during the World Wars, but closed in 1952.

Geography
Huntington is in southwestern Hampshire County, bordered to the south and west by towns in Hampden County. The Westfield River runs through the town, joined by its West Branch at the village of Huntington in the southern part of the town. U.S. Route 20 follows the lower Westfield River and its West Branch through the town, leading southeast 12 mi to the city of Westfield and northwest 23 mi to Lee.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town of Huntington has a total area of 69.4 km2, of which 68.2 km2 are land and 1.2 km2, or 1.78%, are water.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,174 people, 809 households, and 597 families residing in the town. The population density was 81.6 PD/sqmi. There were 935 housing units at an average density of 35.1 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 97.56% White, 0.41% African American, 0.18% Native American, 0.41% Asian, 0.28% from other races, and 1.15% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.84% of the population.

There were 809 households, out of which 35.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.4% were married couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.2% were non-families. Of all households, 19.2% were made up of individuals, and 6.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.10.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 27.7% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 30.0% from 25 to 44, 26.1% from 45 to 64, and 9.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.2 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $18,958, and the median income for a family was $12,308. Males had a median income of $16,893 versus $17,414 for females. The per capita income for the town was $19,385. About 74.4% of families and 75.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 36.2% of those under age 18 and 40.7% of those age 65 or over.

title: Huntington, Massachusetts


text:
Middlefield, Massachusetts

Middlefield is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 385 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History
Middlefield was first settled in 1780 and was officially incorporated in 1783.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 24.2 sqmi, of which 24.2 sqmi is land and 0.04% is water.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 542 people, 213 households, and 161 families residing in the town. The population density was 22.4 people per square mile (8.7/km$2$). There were 263 housing units at an average density of 10.9 per square mile (4.2/km$2$). The racial makeup of the town was 98.89% White, 0.18% African American, 0.18% Native American, 0.18% from other races, and 0.55% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.55% of the population.

There were 213 households, out of which 28.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.7% were married couples living together, 5.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.4% were non-families. Of all households 17.4% were made up of individuals, and 6.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 2.86.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 23.1% under the age of 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 31.2% from 25 to 44, 30.3% from 45 to 64, and 9.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.4 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $50,938, and the median income for a family was $53,889. Males had a median income of $35,208 versus $30,375 for females. The per capita income for the town was $24,137. About 7.3% of families and 8.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.2% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

Government
The town is part of the First Franklin District in the Massachusetts House of Representatives, represented by Natalie Blais, and the Berkshire, Franklin, Hampshire and Hampsen Senate district, represented by Adam Hinds.

Notable people

 * Israel Bissell, Patriot post rider
 * Elijah Churchill, Revolutionary War hero, recipient of one of the three Purple Hearts Washington presented
 * Ebenezer Emmons, geologist
 * Martha Stewart, businesswoman and television hostess

Sites of interest
Glendale Brook provides one of Massachusetts' most impressive waterfalls. The brook eventually feeds into the Westfield River, which has been federally designated as a Wild and Scenic River. The Glendale Falls site itself is part of the Glendale Falls Reservation. The Middlefield Fair, a small country-style fair, established in 1855, is hosted annually by the Highland Agricultural Society, and is held in August over three days. The 2013 event was the 158th occurrence. There are many events for attendees of all ages, including tractor pulls, pie eating contests, and agricultural contests.
 * Glendale Falls
 * Middlefield Fair

title: Middlefield, Massachusetts


text:
North Amherst, Massachusetts

North Amherst is a census-designated place (CDP) in the city of Amherst in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 6,819 at the 2010 census, up from 6,019 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography
North Amherst is located in the northern part of the city of Amherst at 42.40611°N, -72.52111°W (42.406192, -72.521217). It is bordered to the south by the Amherst Center CDP and to the southwest by the town of Hadley. The CDP border follows the Mill River north from the Hadley town line, then east across Massachusetts Route 116 as far as Massachusetts Route 63. The border then follows Pulpit Hill Road, Mill Street, Sand Hill Road, and Pine Street east to the New England Central Railroad line, which it follows south to Tilson Farm Road. The CDP boundary then proceeds west along Tilson Farm Road and Eastman Lane to North Pleasant Street, which it follows north to a brook near the Hadley town line.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 5.5 sqkm, of which 3930 sqm, or 0.07%, are water.

There are several large apartment complexes in North Amherst, housing mostly students of the University of Massachusetts Amherst along with low-income families (a plurality of whom are graduate students). Apart from these housing developments, North Amherst also sports many beautiful old houses, and North Amherst Center Historic District is on the National Register of Historic Places. The village is said to be an excellently-preserved example of a 19th-century farm community.

North Amherst is home to a large majority of Amherst middle income families, as the main street (North Pleasant Street) has many housing developments built off it. This includes "Grantwood", which is the largest neighborhood/development in Amherst. North Amherst is also home to two cohousing communities: Pioneer Valley and Pine Street Cohousing.

Cushman Village is located just east of North Amherst. This small area is unique, as the roads turn back into each other unlike the square roads off East Pleasant Street. Cushman Village has many historical homes, as well as the Cushman Common and the Cushman Store.

North Amhearst is also known for its amphibian tunnels. The Henry Street salamander tunnels are tunnels which run under Henry Street in North Amherst. The tunnels help spotted salamanders cross Henry Street to get to vernal pools that the salamanders use for breeding. They are the first amphibian tunnels in the United States.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 6,019 people, 1,915 households, and 813 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 1,101.4/km$2$ (2,856.1/mi$2$). There were 1,947 housing units at an average density of 356.3/km$2$ (923.9/mi$2$). The racial makeup of the CDP was 75.76% White, 4.44% African American, 0.25% Native American, 13.09% Asian, 0.22% Pacific Islander, 3.11% from other races, and 3.14% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.43% of the population.

There were 1,915 households, out of which 25.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 30.9% were married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 57.5% were non-families. 22.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 2.99.

In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 14.2% under the age of 18, 50.4% from 18 to 24, 19.7% from 25 to 44, 10.8% from 45 to 64, and 4.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 22 years. For every 100 females, there were 105.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.3 males.

The median income for a household in the CDP was $28,063, and the median income for a family was $43,423. Males had a median income of $37,202 versus $29,079 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $14,336. About 12.8% of families and 33.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.5% of those under age 18 and 2.2% of those age 65 or over.

title: North Amherst, Massachusetts


text:
Northampton, Massachusetts

The city of Northampton is the county seat of Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of Northampton (including its outer villages, Florence and Leeds) was 29,571.

Northampton is known as an academic, artistic, musical, and countercultural hub. It features a large politically liberal community along with numerous alternative health and intellectual organizations. Based on U.S. Census demographics, election returns, and other criteria, the website Epodunk rates Northampton as the most politically liberal medium-size city (population 25,000–99,000) in the United States. The city has a high proportion of residents who identify as gay and lesbian and a high number of same-sex households and is a popular destination for the LGBT community.

Northampton is part of the Pioneer Valley and is one of the northernmost cities in the Knowledge Corridor—a cross-state cultural and economic partnership with other Connecticut River Valley cities and towns. Northampton is part of the Springfield Metropolitan Area, one of western Massachusetts's two separate metropolitan areas. It sits approximately 19 mi north of the city of Springfield.

Northampton is home to Smith College, the Hotel Northampton, Northampton High School, Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School, and the Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech.

Early settlement
Northampton was known as "Norwottuck", or "Nonotuck", meaning "the midst of the river", named by its original Pocumtuc inhabitants. According to various accounts, Northampton was given its present name by John A. King (1629–1703), one of the first white settlers in Northampton, or possibly in King's honor, since it is supposed that he came to Massachusetts from Northampton, England, his birthplace.

The Pocumtuc confederacy occupied the Connecticut River Valley from what is now southern Vermont and New Hampshire into northern Connecticut. The Pocumtuc tribes were Algonquian and traditionally allied with the Mahican confederacy to the west. By 1606 an ongoing struggle between the Mahican and Iroquois confederacies led to direct attacks on the Pocumtuc by the Iroquoian Mohawk nation. The Mahican confederacy had been defeated by 1628, limiting Pocumtuc access to trade routes to the west. The area suffered a major smallpox epidemic in the 1630s following the arrival of Dutch traders in the Hudson Valley and New England settlers in the Massachusetts Bay Colony during the previous two decades. It was in this context that the land making up the bulk of modern Northampton was sold to settlers from Springfield in 1653.

On May 18, 1653, a petition for township was approved by the general court of Springfield. While some settlers visited the land in the fall of 1653, they waited till early spring 1654 to arrive and establish a permanent settlement. The situation in the region further deteriorated when the Mohawk people escalated hostilities against the Pocumtuc confederacy and other Algonquian tribes after 1655, forcing many of the plague-devastated Algonquian groups into defensive mergers. This coincided with a souring of relations between the Wampanoag and the Massachusetts Bay colonists, eventually leading to the expanded Algonquian alliance, which took part in King Philip's War.

Partition
Northampton was part of the Equivalent Lands compromise. Its territory was enlarged beyond the original settlement, but later portions would be carved up into separate cities, towns, and municipalities. Southampton, for example, was incorporated in 1775 and included parts of the territories of modern Montgomery (incorporated in 1780) and Easthampton. Westhampton was incorporated in 1778 and Easthampton in 1809. A hamlet of Northampton, called Smith's Ferry, became separated from the rest of the city with the drawing of boundaries for Easthampton. Because the village was separated by Mount Tom, the shortest path to from the downtown to this area was a road near the Connecticut River oxbow, which was frequently subject to flooding. This led to many services such as fire and police being provided by the city of Holyoke rather than Northampton's own municipal departments, and after a number of negotiations between the two cities, Smith's Ferry was ceded to Holyoke in 1909 for a sum of $62,000.

The Great Awakening
Congregational preacher, theologian and philosopher Jonathan Edwards was a leading figure in a 1734 Christian revival in Northampton. In the winter of 1734 and the following spring it reached such intensity that it threatened the town's businesses. In the spring of 1735 the movement began to subside and a reaction set in. But the relapse was brief, and the Northampton revival, which had spread through the Connecticut River Valley and whose fame had reached England and Scotland, was followed in 1739–1740 by the Great Awakening, under the leadership of Edwards.

For this achievement, Edwards is considered one of the founders of evangelical Christianity.

Northampton hosted its own witch trials in the 1700s, although no alleged witches were executed.

After the Revolution
Members of the Northampton community were present at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia.

On August 29, 1786, Daniel Shays and a group of Revolutionary War veterans (who called themselves Shaysites) stopped the civil court from sitting in Northampton, in an uprising known as Shays' Rebellion.

In 1805 a crowd of 15,000 gathered in Northampton to watch the executions of two Irishmen convicted of murder: Dominic Daley, 34, and James Halligan, 27. The crowd, composed largely of New England White Anglo-Saxon Protestants, lit bonfires and expressed virulently anti-Irish and anti-Catholic sentiments. The trial evidence against Daley and Halligan was sparse, circumstantial, contrived, and perjurious. The men were hanged on June 5, 1806, on Pancake Plain. Their bodies were denied a burial; they were destroyed in the local slaughterhouse. This trial "later came to be seen as epitomizing the anti-Irish sentiment that was widespread in New England in the early 19th century." Daley and Halligan were exonerated of all crimes by governor Michael Dukakis in 1984. Today a simple stone landmark stands marking the site of Daley and Halligan's executions.

In 1835 Northampton was linked to the ocean by the New Haven and Northampton Canal, but the canal enterprise foundered and after about a decade was replaced by a railroad running along the same route. A flood on the Mill River on May 16, 1874, obliterated almost the entire Northampton neighborhood of Leeds, killing 139 people in Leeds and areas of neighboring towns.

The "Paradise of America"
From 1842 until 1846 Northampton was home to a transcendentalist utopian community of abolitionists. Called the Northampton Association of Education and Industry, the community believed that the rights of all people should be "equal without distinction of sex, color or condition, sect or religion". It supported itself by producing mulberry trees and silk. Sojourner Truth, a former slave who became a national advocate for equality and justice, lived in this community until its dissolution (and later in a house on Park Street until 1857).

In 1851 opera singer Jenny Lind, the "Swedish Nightingale", declared Northampton to be the "Paradise of America", from which Northampton took its nickname "The Paradise City".

Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech (formerly the Clarke School for the Deaf) was founded in Northampton in 1867. It was the United States' first permanent oral school for the deaf. Alexander Graham Bell and Grace Coolidge have served as heads of school.

Smith College for women was founded in Northampton in 1871. Today Smith is the largest of the Seven Sisters colleges. Well-known Smith alumnae include Sylvia Plath, Barbara Bush, Nancy Reagan, Tammy Baldwin, Gloria Steinem, Madeleine L'Engle, and Julia Child. The first game of women's basketball was played at Smith College in 1892.

A theft of $1.6 million ($46.5 million in 2023) from the Northampton National Bank took place on January 27, 1876.

Northampton officially became a city on September 5, 1883, when voters accepted the city charter, "The act to establish the city of Northampton. 1883-Chapter 250," as passed and approved.

Immigrant groups that settled Northampton in large numbers included Irish, Polish, and French-Canadians. In 1890 a small number of German-Jewish families arrived in Northampton, most of them coming from New York or Boston. By 1905 there were almost 5000 foreign-born residents among the 20,000 people of the city.

Decline
During the mid-20th century, Northampton experienced several decades of economic decline, bottoming in the 1970s, related to the emergence of the Rust Belt phenomenon. Though western Massachusetts lies outside of the Rust Belt geographically, the centrality of commerce and the arts to Northampton's economy left it economically vulnerable, in particular when compounded with the decline of Springfield's manufacturing sector, Holyoke's paper industry, and massive plant closures in the New York Capital District.

Cultural renaissance
Northampton has a thriving cultural center and is a popular tourist destination. The city has many eclectic restaurants and a lively arts and music scene. Three Northampton farmers markets, held weekly, sell fresh produce from local farms.

Since 1982, Northampton has been host to an annual LGBT Parade and Pride event held the first Saturday in May.

Since 1995 Northampton has been home to the twice-yearly Paradise City Arts Festival, held at the Three County Fairgrounds on Memorial Day weekend and Columbus Day weekend. The festival is a national juried showcase for contemporary craft and fine art.

Since 2004, Northampton has been the site of Django in June, a week-long gypsy jazz music camp held annually on the campus of Smith College.

In recent years, downtown Northampton has seen a decline, with nearly 1 out of 5 storefronts being vacant as of September, 2022.

Geography
Northampton sits on the west side of the Connecticut River in the Pioneer Valley of western Massachusetts. It is located at 42.33333°N, -72.65°W.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 92.6 km2, of which 88.7 km2 are land and 3.9 km2, or 4.22%, are water. A total of 21% of the city is permanently protected open space.

Within Northampton's city limits are the villages of Florence and Leeds.

Northampton is bordered to the north by the towns of Hatfield and Williamsburg, to the west by Westhampton, to the east by Hadley (across the Connecticut River), and to the south by Easthampton.

The art deco Calvin Coolidge Bridge connects Northampton with Hadley across the Connecticut River. The college town of Amherst is located 7 mi east of Northampton, next to Hadley. Springfield, the Connecticut River Valley's most populous Massachusetts city, is located 19 mi southeast of Northampton. Boston is 104 mi by highway east of Northampton. New York City is 161 mi southwest of Northampton.

The Connecticut River's Oxbow is within Northampton's city limits, at the northern base of Mount Nonotuck.

Climate
Northampton has a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfb), typical of western Massachusetts. Winters are cold and snowy, and summers are warm and humid. Precipitation is evenly distributed year-around, with an annual average of 46.14 in.

Demographics
As of the census of 2010, there were 28,549 people, 12,000 households, and 5,895 families residing in the city. Northampton has the most lesbian couples per capita of any city in the US. The population density was 833.7 PD/sqmi. There were 12,728 housing units (12,000 occupied) at an average density of 360.0 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 87.7% White, 2.7% African American, 0.3% Native American, 4.1% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 2.4% from other races, and 2.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 6.8% of the population.

There were 12,000 households, out of which 21.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.6% were characterized as "husband-wife" married couples living together, 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 50.9% were non-families. Of all households 37.2% were made up of individuals, and 10.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.12 and the average family size was 2.81.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 20.7% age 19 and under, 9.8% from 20 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 30.2% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 75.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 71.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $56,999, and the median income for a family was $80,179. Males had a median income of $40,470 versus $32,003 for females. The per capita income for the city was $33,440. About 7.8% of families and 13.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.1% of those under age 18 and 7.2% of those age 65 or over.

Northampton's public schools include four elementary schools (kindergarten through 5th grade), one middle school (6th to 8th grade), one high school (9th to 12th grade), and one vocational-agricultural high school (9th to 12th grade). There are several private schools in Northampton and a number of charter schools in surrounding towns.

According to the website ePodunk's Gay Index, which is based on figures from the 2000 US Census, Northampton has a score of 535, vs. a national average score of 100 (i.e., Northampton's population includes 5.35 times the national average of same-sex unmarried households). According to the Human Rights Campaign, Northampton scored a 100 out of 100 on its Municipality Equality Index.

Government
Gina-Louise Sciarra is the mayor of Northampton. Previous mayors have included future President of the United States Calvin Coolidge (1910–1911) and James "Big Jim" Cahillane, who served from 1954 to 1960. Well-known Judge Sean M. Dunphy was the youngest elected mayor in its history, at age 28.

The city also has a nine-member city council, composed of seven ward representatives and two at-large members. Councilors are elected to two-year terms and the council meets twice monthly for 10 months out of the year. The three other elected city-wide bodies are the School Committee, the Trustees of Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School and the Trustees of Forbes Library.

Northampton is represented in the 1st Hampshire District of the Massachusetts House of Representatives by Democrat Lindsay Sabadosa, in the Hampshire, Franklin and Worcester District of the Massachusetts Senate by Democrat Jo Comerford, and on the Eighth Massachusetts Governor's Council District by Democrat Tara Jacobs.

Colleges and universities
Northampton is home to Smith College, founded in 1871, A women's college (one of the Seven Sisters), it is also one of the Five Colleges Consortium. Smith students (along with those of the associated Five Colleges) contribute to Northampton's college town atmosphere.

Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech
Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech (formerly the Clarke School for the Deaf) specializes in oral education (speech and lip-reading, as opposed to signing) and holds an annual summer camp, the theme varying from summer to summer. Clarke is the oldest oral school for the deaf in the country, established in 1867 on Round Hill Road overlooking the Connecticut River Valley.

Media
The Daily Hampshire Gazette, a six-day a week morning newspaper and the oldest surviving newspaper in Massachusetts, is based in Northampton, covering Hampshire and Franklin counties.

Northampton is the city of license for three commercial radio stations: WLZX-FM, WEIB, and WHMP. Northampton is also home to WXOJ-LP, a low-power community radio station owned and operated by Valley Free Radio. The station was built by more than 400 volunteers from Northampton and around the country in August 2005 at the eighth Prometheus Radio Project barnraising, in conjunction with the tenth annual Grassroots Radio Coalition conference. Valley Free Radio broadcasts music, news, public affairs, and locally produced radio content to listeners at 103.3 FM.

In addition, Northampton is home to Northampton Community Television, which has existed in numerous forms since the mid-1980s but experienced a radical change in 2006 when it became an independently run nonprofit community media center. After a new public unveiling in November 2007, NCTV grew to over 200 active members in less than 18 months and had already attracted statewide and national attention in the community media landscape. In 2012, 2013 and 2014 NCTV won awards for best web sites (for two different sites) in the United States for community media organizations with budgets under $300,000.

Roads
Northampton is served by four exits of Interstate 91, which passes to the east of downtown along the Connecticut River. U.S. Route 5, Massachusetts Route 9, and Massachusetts Route 10 all intersect in the city's downtown area. Massachusetts Route 66 also is partially in Northampton.

The city of Northampton faces daily traffic congestion in the downtown area and connector roads, often resulting in long delays and traffic buildup. The limitation of one bridge across the Connecticut River (the only route to the nearby college town of Amherst) and a busy main street results in unsafe driving behavior and danger to pedestrians. The City of Northampton is attempting to solve this long-time problem by redesigning problematic intersections and installing traffic cameras.

Rail
Northampton enjoys a moderate amount of passenger rail service via Amtrak’s Vermonter and Valley Flyer lines, with three daily round trips operating between Springfield, Northampton, and Greenfield, Massachusetts. These trains serve intermediate and connecting points that include New York City, Boston, New Haven, and other destinations along the Northeast Corridor. Additional and more frequent service is located a 25-minute drive south at Springfield Union Station, which also houses the Peter Pan bus terminal.

In addition to passenger service, rail freight is offered by Pan Am Southern LLC via the Berkshire and Eastern Railroad, which is owned, in turn, by the Genesee & Wyoming.

The rail route through Northampton was historically known as the Connecticut River Line. Although passenger service through the area lapsed in the later part of the twentieth century, service resumed in 2014 following decades of local advocacy and government investment.

Bus
The Pioneer Valley Transit Authority operates several local passenger buses that originate in Northampton, with service to local towns such as Amherst, Williamsburg, Hadley, South Hadley, and Holyoke as well as the nearby universities and colleges: Mount Holyoke College, Amherst College, University of Massachusetts Amherst, and Hampshire College. The Franklin Regional Transit Authority operates a bus to Greenfield, Massachusetts, with seven round trips per day. There is a Peter Pan Bus stop with services to Springfield, Amherst, and other locations in New England.

Airports
Northampton Airport is a small general aviation airport located one mile northeast of the Northampton central business district. The closest major airport is Bradley International Airport, located roughly 27 miles to the south in Windsor Locks, Connecticut, near the CT-MA state line.

Bicycle
Northampton serves as the hub of a growing rail trail network. The north-south Manhan Rail Trail extends from the downtown into neighboring Easthampton, and as part of the Farmington Canal Trail is planned eventually to reach New Haven, Connecticut. The Norwottuck Rail Trail runs eastward from Woodmont Road through Hadley, Amherst, and into Belchertown, with planned future integration into the Central Mass Rail Trail to Boston. To the west, the Northampton Bikeway provides access to the city's Florence and Leeds neighborhoods, including a route through historic Look Park, while downtown, the bikeway provides an alternative to the congested King and Main Streets.

Points of interest

 * First Church on Main Street was the home church of Jonathan Edwards, 18th century theologian, philosopher, and leader of the First Great Awakening.
 * The Elm Street/Round Hill Historic District runs from the commencement of Elm at State Street almost one mile westerly to Woodlawn Avenue and includes a section of Round Hill Road. A local historic district, it includes a range architectural styles from 18th century colonial to contemporary, with an abundance of Queen Anne and Colonial Revival homes and other styles.
 * The Sojourner Truth Memorial at the intersection of Pine and Park Streets in Florence commemorates abolitionist, orator, and Florence resident Sojourner Truth.
 * The Connecticut River and The Oxbow are popular areas for boaters.
 * 21% of Northampton is protected open space; this includes the Broad Brook/Fitzgerald Lake Conservation Area, Connecticut River Greenway (Elwell and Rainbow Beach), Mill River Greenway, Mineral Hills Conservation Area, and Saw Mill Hills/Roberts Hill Conservation Area.
 * Look Park is a recreational park covering over 150 acre, founded in 1930. The park is free for visitors arriving by foot or bicycle, consistent with the will of Frank Newhall Look, who left the property to the city and requested that the park would always have free admission for the public. A day-use fee or annual membership fee provides for parking. Musicians such as Bob Dylan have played at the park's amphitheater.
 * Childs Park is a serene 40 acre city park near Cooley Dickinson Hospital. It features two ponds, formal gardens and rose gardens, and an Italian-style garden house.
 * The Botanic Garden of Smith College is a diverse, outdoor collection of trees, shrubs, and plants as well as a fine collection of plant conservatories for the tropics, semitropics, and desert regions. It also includes an indoor greenhouse.
 * The Mill River Greenway is a walking path on Smith College and adjacent land along the Mill River in the Bay State Village neighborhood of Northampton. The path is sometimes also called the Paradise Pond Trail based on a misleadingly named portion of the river near Smith College's boathouse and pier.
 * Northampton is a rail trail hub. Currently, the Norwottuck Rail Trail extends 18 mi from Leeds, Florence, and the downtown sections of Northampton to Amherst and Belchertown. The Manhan Rail Trail extends 8 mi from the Norwottuck Rail Trail through Northampton and Easthampton to Southampton. Four other rail trail extensions are in the planning process.
 * The Three County Fair is the "longest consecutive running agricultural fair in the country", having been established and incorporated in 1818.
 * The Calvin Theater, Iron Horse Music Hall, and Pearl Street Nightclub are among the many venues that play host to Northampton's music scene.
 * The Academy of Music, built in 1890 by Edward H. R. Lyman, is the only municipally owned theater in the United States and is the first to be so owned. Boris Karloff and Harry Houdini (who installed a trap door in the stage) performed there. Today it serves as a music venue, cinema, and performance space.
 * The Northampton Independent Film Festival (NIFF) is held each fall. Founded as the Northampton Film Festival in 1995 by Howard Polonsky and Dee DeGeiso, it has continued to grow under a variety of directors. It is now one of the largest in New England.
 * Forbes Library, built in 1894, is Northampton's public library. The second floor houses the Calvin Coolidge Presidential Library and Museum. Charles Ammi Cutter, an important figure in American library science, was the library's first director, and the library is one of few in the world that use the Cutter Expansive Classification system, rather than Dewey Decimal or Library of Congress.
 * Mirage Studios, creators of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise. Mirage Studios is closed.
 * As part of an annual Springfest celebration, students from the Northampton Community Music Center (NCMC) fill the streets with music on the third Saturday of May.
 * LGBT Pride, on the first Saturday of May, is an annual lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender pride march and rally, with a colorful parade down Main Street that ends with an all-day festival at a designated location in town.
 * Thornes Marketplace in downtown Northampton has many shops and eateries.
 * Northampton State Hospital was a large psychiatric hospital constructed in 1856. All of the site has been redeveloped.
 * On a small hill overlooking the city, near the site of the former Northampton State Hospital, a simple stone monument marks the spot of the hangings of Domenic Daley and James Halligan, two Irishmen wrongfully convicted of murder in 1806.
 * Pioneer Valley Roller Derby, the first co-ed flat track roller derby league, trains in the village of Florence.

Notable people
U.S. President Calvin Coolidge worked as a lawyer in Northampton and served as the city's mayor from 1910 to 1911. He went on to be a Massachusetts state senator, lieutenant governor, and governor before becoming vice-president and president of the United States. After retiring from the U.S. presidency in 1929, Coolidge moved back to Northampton. He died in the city on January 5, 1933.

In popular culture
Films shot in Northampton include Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966), Malice (1993), In Dreams (1999), The Cider House Rules (1999), Sylvia (2003), and Edge of Darkness (2010). Other cultural references include:

 * Northampton is the birthplace of the eponymous protagonist in Henry James's 1875 novel Roderick Hudson.
 * Northampton is the setting for several stories throughout various Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles media, especially the original Mirage comics (1984–2014) as well as the 2003 animated series. While not specifically referred to by name, the city is featured in the 1990 live-action movie. It is also the real-life headquarters for Mirage Studios, former owners of the franchise.
 * Writer Tracy Kidder documented the many layers of Northampton society at the end of the 20th century in his 1999 nonfiction book Home Town.
 * Augusten Burroughs' 2002 memior Running with Scissors takes place in Northampton
 * A 2011 episode of Saturday Night Live (season 37, episode 8) featured a sketch titled "Massachusetts Afternoon" set in Northampton.

title: Northampton, Massachusetts


text:
Pelham, Massachusetts

Pelham is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 1,280 at the 2020 census. Its ZIP Code is shared with Amherst.

Pelham is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History
Pelham (the "h" is silent) was part of the Equivalent Lands compromise, and was first settled in 1738 by mostly Presbyterian Scotch-Irish immigrants. It was officially incorporated in 1743. The town is named for the Pelham family; Henry Pelham was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom at the time of the town's incorporation. The town is best known as being home to Daniel Shays, leader of Shays' Rebellion, a series of protests against crushing austerity measures in Massachusetts during 1786 and 1787. The rebellion, planned in Conkey's Tavern in town, drew support from many towns in central and western Massachusetts, but it met its practical end when the angry farmers' force refused to fight Governor Bowdoin's army and they were dispersed in a rout in nearby Petersham. Pelham also holds the distinction of having the oldest town hall in continuous use in the United States. A town meeting is held there for that primary purpose each year.

Pelham's boundaries have changed twice in its history. Originally a much larger town, rectangular in shape (except for a small extension southward taking up part of the modern area of Knight's Corner) and extending eastward to the top of Prescott Hill (where Daniel Shays once lived), the land east of the West Branch of the Swift River was annexed by the town of Prescott in the latter half of the nineteenth centuries (maps made in 1855 and 1862 both show this land still belonging to Pelham). The landscape would change once again, however, when the Quabbin Reservoir was formed along the branches of the Swift River. The reservoir filled along the river, and protected lands along its edge became part of the Quabbin Reservation. It was at this time as well that the towns of the valley were dis-incorporated, and a portion of Enfield which now constitutes the town's southeast corner (roughly east of Caldwell Brook and Knight's Corner) was given to the town. Because the reservoir divided the town from its old lands in Prescott, however, that portion of land was not returned to the town, but given to New Salem instead.

On March 23, 1860, a young man named Warren Gibbs, who lived in the town, died after eating some oysters prepared for him by his wife, Mary Felton. His brother had a tombstone produced that claimed that Felton poisoned him. After that, the tombstone was repeatedly destroyed, and the brother had to hire guards to protect it.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 26.5 sqmi, of which 25.1 sqmi is land and 1.4 sqmi (5.40%) is water. The town lies along the western edge of the Quabbin Reservoir, its town line following the former path of the West Branch of the Swift River, which once flowed through the town. The town lies along the hills which divide the Pioneer Valley along the Connecticut River to the west from the Quabbin Valley to the east. The brooks in town also flow in both these directions; those in the eastern third of town drain towards the Quabbin, with the western brooks draining towards the Connecticut. The town is fairly forested, some of which are protected; these include Cadwell Memorial Forest, Buffam Falls Conservation Area and the Quabbin lands.

Pelham is the northeasternmost town in Hampshire County, bordering Franklin County to the north and east. (Prior to the formation of the Quabbin Reservoir, the town of Prescott was the northeast corner of the county, but its lands were absorbed by New Salem.) Pelham is bordered by Shutesbury to the north, New Salem to the east, Belchertown to the south and Amherst to the west. (Because of the reservoir, there is no direct connection between Pelham and New Salem.) The historical center of town is located 14 mi east of the county seat of Northampton, 25 mi north-northeast of Springfield, 45 mi northwest of Worcester, and 84 mi west of Boston (though the latter two distances are hampered by not having direct routes across the Quabbin).

Transportation
U.S. Route 202, which was rerouted due to the Quabbin Reservoir project along the Daniel Shays Highway, runs through the eastern side of town. Other than a small portion of Route 9 which clips the town's southwestern corner, Route 202 is the only highway through town. The town is roughly equidistant from Interstate 90, Interstate 91 and Route 2 to the south, west, and north, respectively.

The nearest rail service is the Amtrak Vermonter service in Northampton. Several general aviation airports are located in nearby towns, but the nearest national air service can be reached at Bradley International Airport in Connecticut.

Education
The town is part of the Amherst Regional School District along with Amherst, Leverett, and Shutesbury. Pelham has one elementary school, the Pelham Elementary School, which serves K–5. Students in Pelham then attend Amherst Regional Middle School for grades six through eight, followed by Amherst Regional High School for grades nine through twelve..

Demographics
As of 2000, the US census records there were 1,403 people, 545 households, and 382 families residing in the town. The population density was 56.0 PD/sqmi. There were 556 housing units at an average density of 22.2 per square mile (8.6/km$2$). The racial makeup of the town was 95.08% White, 1.43% African American, 1.07% Asian, 0.64% from other races, and 1.78% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.85% of the population.

There were 545 households, out of which 32.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.2% were married couples living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.9% were non-families. Of all households, 19.8% were made up of individuals, and 6.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 2.95.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 23.2% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 24.4% from 25 to 44, 32.1% from 45 to 64, and 12.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.1 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $61,339, and the median income for a family was $71,667. Males had a median income of $50,435 versus $33,500 for females. The per capita income for the town was $29,821. About 2.6% of families and 4.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.1% of those under age 18 and 5.8% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

 * Daniel Shays (1747–1825), rebellion leader
 * Lettie S. Bigelow (1848/49–1906), author
 * Deb Talan (born 1968), singer-songwriter
 * H. W. Harkness (1821–1901), mycologist and natural historian

title: Pelham, Massachusetts


text:
Plainfield, Massachusetts

Plainfield is a town on the northwestern edge of Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States, about 25 miles east of Pittsfield and 30 miles northwest of Northampton. The population was 633 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Plainfield was first settled in 1770, primarily by settlers from the town of Bridgewater, and was officially incorporated as a district within the Town of Cummington in 1785, and as a town on June 15, 1807. Plainfield is the youngest town in Hampshire County.

In the 1800s, Plainfield was a thriving agricultural community, primarily producing sheep and leather for tanning. With the widespread adoption of the steamship, and the resultant globalization in the 1870s, the expense of importing both mutton and leather from Australia and New Zealand was greatly reduced. Consequently, the agricultural industries in Plainfield became less profitable, and the population declined substantially over the following decades.

Sixty-one men from Plainfield joined the Union Army late in the Civil War. Six were killed in battle, or died as a consequence of their service, including resident Michael Bashaw, who died of dysentery at the battle of Wilson's Creek. Of those who survived, many settled elsewhere after the war.

After over a century of population decline, modern Plainfield has experienced population growth since 1950.

Geography
The Town of Plainfield is situated in the scenic Berkshire Highlands where Hampshire County merges into neighboring Franklin and Berkshire Counties. Plainfield is part of the Hilltowns of Western Massachusetts.

Plainfield sits 1620′ above sea level, and the peaks of West Mountain (at 2125′) are the highest elevation in Hampshire County.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 21.3 sqmi, of which 21.0 sqmi is land and 0.2 sqmi (0.99%) is water.

Plainfield's waterways serve as the headwaters of the Westfield and Deerfield rivers.

Plainfield is bordered by the towns of Cummington, Ashfield, Hawley, Savoy, and Windsor.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 589 people, 243 households, and 166 families residing in the town. The population density was 28.0 PD/sqmi. There were 311 housing units at an average density of 14.8 per square mile (5.7/km$2$). The racial makeup of the town was 98.13% White, 0.34% Native American, 0.17% Asian, and 1.36% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.68% of the population.

There were 243 households, out of which 31.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.9% were married couples living together, 4.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.3% were non-families. Of all households, 25.9% were made up of individuals, and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.92.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.8% under the age of 18, 4.2% from 18 to 24, 26.1% from 25 to 44, 31.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.5 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $37,250, and the median income for a family was $46,042. Males had a median income of $31,625 versus $26,875 for females. The per capita income for the town was $20,785. About 4.8% of families and 8.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.9% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

Government
Plainfield is governed by a Town Meeting open to all registered voters in the town. Ongoing town matters are managed by an elected Board of Selectmen and other Boards and Commissions. The town is part of the First Hampshire District in the Massachusetts House of Representatives, represented by Lindsay Sabadosa, and the Berkshire, Franklin, and Hampshire Senate district, represented by Adam G. Hinds.

Notable people

 * Erastus Newton Bates, Illinois and Minnesota legislator
 * John Brown (1800–1859), abolitionist who played a role in starting the Civil War
 * William Cullen Bryant (1794–1878), poet, philosopher
 * Ralph Ellison, novelist, essayist. African-American novelist, literary critic, scholar and writer
 * Martha J. Lamb, author, historian
 * Charles McCarry (born 1930), author of more than ten novels and numerous works of non-fiction
 * James Naismith, inventor of basketball
 * Talcott Seelye, former United States Ambassador to Tunisia and Syria, Arabist
 * Charles Dudley Warner, born in Plainfield on September 12, 1829, author, editor Hartford Courant
 * Marcus Whitman (1802–1847), missionary physician

Points of interest

 * Plainfield Pond
 * Deer Hill State Reservation
 * Dubuque Memorial State Forest
 * Shaw Hudson House; museum and historical home of note
 * Old Millers site; one of eight mills on the Old Mill stream; Plainfield Historical Society.

title: Plainfield, Massachusetts


text:
South Amherst, Massachusetts

South Amherst is a census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Amherst in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 4,994 at the 2010 census. The CDP includes the village of South Amherst and residential subdivisions south of the Amherst town center.

South Amherst is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography
South Amherst is located in the southwest part of the town of Amherst at 42.33972°N, -72.5225°W (42.339586, -72.522426). It is bordered to the north by Amherst Center and to the west by the Hadley town line. The CDP extends south to Bay Road.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 11.0 sqkm, of which 0.06 sqkm, or 0.58%, are water.

The original village of South Amherst is near the eastern edge of the CDP, at the junction of Shays Street, South East Street, and Station Road. The village has a town common area between South East and Middle streets, known as the South Amherst Common or Fiddlers Green, which, together with several of the surrounding houses, constitutes the South Amherst Common Historic District.

Demographics
At the 2000 census, there were 5,039 people, 1,500 households and 870 families residing in the CDP. The population density was 458.9/km$2$ (1,187.2/mi$2$). There were 1,530 housing units at an average density of 139.3/km$2$ (360.5/mi$2$). The racial makeup of the CDP was 71.66% White, 7.01% African American, 0.22% Native American, 10.82% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 5.40% from other races, and 4.78% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino were 9.82% of the population.

There were 1,500 households, of which 34.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.5% were married couples living together, 17.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.0% were non-families. 18.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.12.

19.8% of the population were under the age of 18, 37.4% from 18 to 24, 21.6% from 25 to 44, 15.4% from 45 to 64, and 5.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 23 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.1 males.

The median household income was $44,628 and the median family income was $58,438. Males had a median income of $43,793 compared with $35,288 for females. The per capita income for the CDP was $17,191. About 8.3% of families and 17.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.1% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

title: South Amherst, Massachusetts


text:
South Hadley, Massachusetts

South Hadley is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 18,150 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area.

South Hadley is home to Mount Holyoke College, South Hadley High School, Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter Public School, and the Berkshire Hills Music Academy.

History
South Hadley was an unsettled area of Hadley from 1659 until 1721, when English settlers moved in from Hadley. A separate town meeting was held in 1753, and the town was officially split and incorporated in 1775.

The town is the home of the nation's first successful navigable canal as well as the oldest continuing institution of higher education for women (Mount Holyoke College).

The Civil War Monument (believed to be by Jerome Connor) in the center of the Commons was given to South Hadley by William H. Gaylord in the 1900s. The Gaylords also donated the Gaylord Memorial Library, located near the center of town.

Geography
South Hadley is located in the western part of Massachusetts, specifically in the Pioneer Valley. It is bordered on the north by Hadley and Amherst, on the east by Granby, and on the south by Chicopee. The Connecticut River defines the town's western border and separates it from the cities of Holyoke and Easthampton. South Hadley is 45 mi south of Brattleboro, Vermont, 87 mi west of Boston, and 145 mi from New York City.

Although no interstate highways cross South Hadley's borders, U.S. Route 202 and Massachusetts Highways 33, 47, and 116 provide primary routes of transportation. Interstate 91 can be accessed in Holyoke while Interstate 90 is accessible through Chicopee. Westover Metropolitan Airport is located in neighboring Chicopee and offers air services throughout the region. Bradley International Airport, serving the greater Hartford–Springfield area, is located 17 mi to the south. The closest Amtrak station is the Holyoke station.

The Village Commons, a center for dining, shopping, and leisure, is located at the juncture of Massachusetts Routes 116 and 47, in the area commonly called South Hadley Center. Additional commercial centers are located on Massachusetts Route 33 and farther south on Route 116, including South Hadley Falls, which is across the river from Holyoke. South Hadley is also the home of Mount Holyoke College, the oldest continuously operating institution of higher education for women, founded in 1837.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 18.4 sqmi, of which 17.7 sqmi is land and 0.7 sqmi (3.70%) is water. The mountain range called the Holyoke Range or Mount Holyoke Range passes through the north of the town and separates it from Hadley and Amherst. There are 12 reservoirs in the town fed by eight distinct streams and six natural ponds.

Geology
The first confirmed evidence of a dinosaur to be found in North America was unearthed in South Hadley by Pliny Moody while plowing in 1802, 40 years before dinosaurs were identified as a fossil group. The sandstone slab bearing large, mysterious footprints was later purchased by Elihu Dwight, who gave the prints the name of "Noah's Raven". Professor Edward Hitchcock then obtained the slab, which is now on prominent display in the Beneski Museum of Natural History at Amherst College. Hitchcock believed the fossils were made by gigantic ancient birds, long before scientists accepted that modern birds and dinosaurs are related.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 17,196 people, 6,586 households, and 4,208 families residing in the town. The population density was 971.0 PD/sqmi. There were 6,784 housing units at an average density of 383.1 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 94.05% White, 1.20% African American, 0.12% Native American, 2.53% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.77% from other races, and 1.28% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.36% of the population.

There were 6,586 households, out of which 26.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.6% were married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.1% were non-families. Of all households, 30.4% were made up of individuals, and 13.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.93.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 19.6% under the age of 18, 14.9% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 22.4% from 45 to 64, and 17.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 72.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 65.8 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $46,678, and the median income for a family was $58,693. Males had a median income of $42,256 versus $31,219 for females. The per capita income for the town was $22,732. About 4.1% of families and 5.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.8% of those under age 18 and 7.2% of those age 65 or over.

Economy
Although South Hadley's economy has changed greatly in the last two centuries, reflecting the trends of the Commonwealth and country, today it still retains businesses in agriculture, education, and manufacturing. With Mount Holyoke College being by far the largest employer in the area, a number of other contractors, service providers, and businesses support the college. Additionally the area maintains a small agricultural sector with several farms, and is home to several small machine shops and manufacturing firms, including a research and manufacturing facility of the E Ink Corporation.

Education
Mount Holyoke College, a member of the Five College Consortium, and the oldest of the Seven Sisters colleges, is located in South Hadley.

South Hadley High School is home of the 2004 state champion lacrosse team that won Division II with the smallest high school enrollment of all 81 teams. It is also home of the 2022 Division IV Boys Soccer State Champions, as well as the 2019 Division III Girls Soccer State Champions. It also won the 2005 Division IA Super Bowl in football. The 2008 boys' golf team won the Division 1 state championship. The Tigers Hockey team, composed of students from Holyoke, Granby, and South Hadley High Schools, has won WMass Championships in 1989,2009,2010,2011,2012, and 2017 as well as the 2009 and 2011 Massachusetts Division IIIA Ice Hockey State Championship. The South Hadley football team won the Division II Super Bowl vs. Putnum in 2010 after completing a season with only one loss to Division I for Longmeadow. The baseball team won the Division II Massachusetts' state championship in 2012.

The South Hadley High School Marching Band has competed in the state and/or New England USSBA Championship each year. In 2005 they placed second nationally and won Best Percussion. In 2006 they won the United States Marine Corps Esprit De corps award, second place in USSBA, and Best Percussion. In 2007 they took the best percussion for the third year in a row, Massachusetts USSBA championship, New England Championship, and seventh place in the Northern States championship. In 2008 they repeated as best percussion (for the fourth straight year) and seventh place in the Northern States championship. South Hadley continues to have one of the only competitive marching band programs in all of Western Massachusetts.

Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Charter Public School is a public charter school located in South Hadley, focusing in the performing arts.

Berkshire Hills Music Academy (BHMA), founded in 1999 and opened in 2001, is a private post-secondary residential school for young adults with learning or developmental disabilities. The school is located on 40 acre at the former Joseph Skinner estate.

Notable people

 * Daniel T. Barry, retired NASA astronaut; contestant on the CBS reality television program Survivor: Panama-Exile Island
 * Gerald Warner Brace (1901–1978), American writer, educator, sailor and boat builder
 * Joseph Brodsky (1940–1996), Russian poet and essayist, who began teaching at Mount Holyoke in 1974. For the last fifteen years of his life until his death in 1996, he was Andrew W. Mellow Professor of Literature at the college. He died at the age of fifty-five. He was a recipient of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1987 and was appointed United States poet laureate in 1991
 * Joseph Goodhue Chandler (1813–1884), portrait painter
 * Alfred C. Chapin (1848–1936), lawyer, Congressman, and mayor of Brooklyn, New York 1888–1891
 * Donald R. Dwight (born 1931), Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts from 1971 to 1975
 * A. Bartlett Giamatti (1938–1989), the seventh commissioner of Major League Baseball and former president of Yale University
 * Mary Lyon (1797–1849), educator, founder of the female seminaries which became Mount Holyoke College and Wheaton College
 * George Herbert Mead (1863–1931), American philosopher, sociologist and psychologist, primarily affiliated with the University of Chicago, where he was one of several distinguished pragmatists. He is regarded as one of the founders of social psychology
 * Phoebe Prince (1994–2010), teenage girl who was bullied and committed suicide as a result
 * Erastus G. Smith (1855–1937), member of the Wisconsin State Assembly and Dean of Beloit College
 * Peter Viereck (1916–2006), American poet, political thinker, and professor of history at Mount Holyoke College
 * Lesley Visser (born 1953), the first woman to be recognized by the Pro Football Hall of Fame as the 2006 recipient of the Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award. During her 40-year career in sports journalism she has worked for The Boston Globe, ESPN, ABC Sports, and CBS Sports
 * Edwin White (1817–1877), American painter
 * Phineas White (1770–1847), United States Representative from Vermont
 * Benjamin Ruggles Woodbridge (1739–1819), doctor, colonel of the Massachusetts militia during the American Revolutionary War, and a member of the Massachusetts legislature

title: South Hadley, Massachusetts


text:
Southampton, Massachusetts

Southampton is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It was established first as a district of Northampton in 1732. It was incorporated in 1775. The name Southampton was given to it during its first town meeting in 1773. Its ZIP code is 01073. Southampton is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town had a population of 6,224 at the 2020 census.

Southampton was rated having the best tasting tap water in the country in 2008 by the National Rural Water Association.

In 1964, former U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy was involved in a plane crash in the town.

Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 29.1 sqmi, of which 28.1 sqmi is land and 0.9 sqmi (3.20%) is water. Southampton is bordered by Easthampton to the northeast, Holyoke to the southeast, Westfield to the south, Montgomery to the southwest, Huntington for a very short length on the west, and Westhampton to the northwest. Southampton is located 17 miles northwest of Springfield and 100 miles west of Boston.

Climate
In a typical year, Southampton temperatures fall below 50 F for 205 days per year. Annual precipitation is typically 45.9 inches per year (high in the US) and snow covers the ground 66 days per year or 18.1% of the year (high in the US). It may be helpful to understand the yearly precipitation by imagining nine straight days of moderate rain per year. The humidity is below 60% for approximately 18.4 days, or 5% of the year.

Demographics
As of the 2000 census there were 5,387 people, 1,985 households, and 1,556 families residing in the town. The population density was 191.4 PD/sqmi. There were 2,025 housing units at an average density of 71.9 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 98.29% White, 0.20% African American, 0.13% Native American, 0.63% Asian, 0.20% from other races, and 0.54% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.87% of the population.

There were 1,985 households, out of which 36.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.9% were married couples living together, 8.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.6% were non-families. Of all households 16.8% were made up of individuals, and 6.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.07.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.5% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 29.1% from 25 to 44, 29.2% from 45 to 64, and 9.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.0 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $61,831, and the median income for a family was $64,960. Males had a median income of $41,544 versus $31,250 for females. The per capita income for the town was $26,205. About 1.8% of families and 2.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.8% of those under age 18 and 6.5% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

 * Lewis Strong Clarke (1873–1906), Louisiana sugarcane planter and 19th century Republican politician
 * Nancy Conz (1957–2017), marathoner

title: Southampton, Massachusetts