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Ashfield
Ashfield is a 40 square mile town in the Berkshire foothills in
the southwestern corner of Franklin County. The town was originally
named Huntstown in 1736 as a land grant plantation, but was incorporated
under its present name in 1765 under the auspices of Lord Thurlow
of Ashfield, England.
Bernardston
Bernardston is a rural commercial center abutting the Vermont border
and located on the primary corridor between Greenfield and Vermont.
The town is known for its mountain peaks and its black slate quarries
which supplied local gravestone carvers in the early 19th century.
Buckland
The Town of Buckland is a small rural predominately farming community
with a population of less than 2,000 people. It is a member of a
regional school district comprised of nine towns. There is some
light manufacturing, and its downtown business district, known as
Shelburne Falls, is a shared small business district contiguous
with the Town of Shelburne.
Charlemont
Charlemont is a highland town with peaks like Pocumtuck Mountain
as high as 1872 feet. The town is on the Mohawk Trail, the primary
Indian route between the Hudson River Valley and the Connecticut
River Valley, and was the site of forts built in 1744 as part of
the line of defense to protect settlers further south from Indian
attack during the French and Indian wars.
Colrain
Though once primarily a farming town, it has, like many Western
Massachusetts towns, attracted a growing artist community. Colrain
is bordered by Halifax, Vermont, on the north; Leyden on the east;
Greenfield and Shelburne on the south; Charlemont on the southwest
corner; and Heath on the west.
Conway
Home of one of the few remaining covered bridges in Massachusetts,
Conway was first settled in 1760 and incorporated in 1767. The town
is a small rural community which was named in honor of General Henry
Conway, who supported the repeal of the Stamp Act in Parliament.
Deerfield
The Town of Deerfield is an historic rural suburban center on the
primary corridor between Northampton and Greenfield in the Connecticut
River Valley. It was the earliest community settled in Franklin
County. Deerfield is also the home of Yankee Candle. It is bordered
by Greenfield on the north, the Connecticut River on the east, Montague
and Sunderland, Whatley on the south, and Conway and Shelburne on
the west.
Erving
The Town of Erving is a highland industrial town on the primary
corridor between Boston and Greenfield. Despite its manufacturing
history, sections of the town retain a rural character and Erving
is also host to Laurel Lake and Erving State Forest. These sites
boast beach, boathouses, picnic areas and tenting sites for residents
and visitors to the area. The French King Bridge, with a span of
750 feet hanging 140 feet above the banks of the Connecticut River,
connects Erving with the Town of Gill.
Gill
The Town of Gill offers education, recreation and quiet, peaceful
living opportunities within its 15 square miles. The rural character
of the town has been preserved, even though the last 50 years has
seen a transition from a farming community to a bedroom community.
The fewer than 1600 inhabitants live mostly in single-family homes,
although there is one development of condominiums.
Greenfield
The Town of Greenfield is a residential community located at the
cross roads of Interstate 91, Route 2 and the famous Mohawk Trail
in Western Massachusetts, 98 miles from Boston. There are airports
nearby and travel to New York City, Springfield, Brattleboro, Vt.,
Keene, New Hampshire and Montreal, Canada by bus or automobile is
convenient. Greenfield offers all the amenities for residents and
visitors for the whole of Franklin County: theaters, drama groups,
local newspapers, restaurants, radio stations, library, YMCA, churches,
golf courses, centralized shopping with free parking, Farmers Market,
covered bridge, historic walking district, skiing and skating areas,
museum, hospital, motels, post office, senior center, full time
police and fire departments, industrial park, financial institutions,
internationally famous private schools, court house and professional
services.
Hawley
Hawley is a very rural mountainous town dominated by more than 8,000
acres of state forest (DuBucque, Mohawk Trail and Savoy Mountain).
Hawley has no stores and no industry but does have limited potato
and dairy farming. Sixteen percent of the citizens of Hawley work
at home businesses, while the balance of the population commute
25 or more miles to work. Hawley is the site of a prehistoric bog
and a recently rebuilt stone charcoal kiln. The town is also one
of the most wintery towns in Massachusetts, averaging 100 to 110
inches of snowfall (170 inches in 1992-1993).
Heath
Heath is a Massachusetts hill town midway between the Connecticut
River and the New York state line, along the Vermont Border. From
any direction it is a climb to reach Heath's town center, which
consists of the Heath Union Church, the Community Center, some town
offices in the old Grange building, the library and the post office.
Also on the windswept common are the old general store, which now
serves as a home, the 1834 Town Hall and the 1844 one-room schoolhouse,
both traditional white clapboard New England style buildings, and
a large colonial house and barn.
Leverett
Quietly nestled in the Pioneer Valley, slightly to one side of the
major highways, Leverett enjoys country living in comfortable proximity
to town and city life. Diversity is reflected in Leverett road names.
Amherst, Montague and Shutesbury Roads lead to those neighboring
towns, Long Plain Road suggests ithe town's flat, agricultural area.
Rattlesnake Gutter is a legacy of the last ice age, with glacial
ravine and soaring cliffs. Cave Hill, Teawaddle Hill, Juggler Meadow,
and January Hills tickle imaginations. Tree-lined stone walls accompany
the roads, which climb, dip and curve to expose varied vistas.
Leyden
The Town of Leyden is one of the northernmost towns in Massachusetts
and abuts Vermont. It is an isolated rural hill town on the suburban
corridor from Greenfield to Vermont and residents are proud of its
lofty location in the southern highlands of the Green Mountains.
The town was named for a town in Holland.
Monroe
The Town of Monroe is the smallest town in Franklin County, covering
about 12 square miles and named for President James Monroe. It is
an isolated town within the Berkshire Hills of western Massachusetts
with rugged uplands and an overall terrain that was not enticing
to early settlers. During the Colonial years, there was a small
native population but only occasional hunters or lumbermen from
Rowe, Charlemont or Heath using the town. The native population
increased as they were pushed out of more desirable areas by increasing
European populations but the limited access to Monroe and its limited
resources for farming or water power production tended to slow its
development by colonists.
Montague
The motto on Montague's town seal says, "Five fingers on one
hand". The
five fingers are Montague's five separate villages, namely, Turners
Falls,
Millers Falls, Lake Pleasant, Montague City and Montague Center.
Each has
a very distinct character and personality and has developed differently.
Turners Falls is the municipal and industrial center, hosting the
town
offices, paper mills and manufacturing companies, schools, an industrial
park and municipal airport. The Millers River bisects the Village
of
Millers Falls, whose commercial center is in Montague and industrial
center
in Erving. Montague City borders the Connecticut River and hosts
the
Farren long-term care facility.
New
Salem
New Salem is a small town that borders the Quabbin Reservoir and
boasts one of the most beautiful, traditional town commons in the
state, residents feel. New Salem, which itself is listed with the
National Register of Historic Places, also houses the largest private
collection of artifacts from the four towns which were unincorporated
and buried by the Quabbin in the 1940's.
Northfield
The Town of Northfield was an early attraction for colonial settlers
due to its rich and fertile plains along the Connecticut River,
and Europeans had begun farming there in 1673. However, its history
was bumpy and the town was twice abandoned before a permanent settlement
was achieved in 1714. Northeast Utilities sited their pumped-storage
hydroelectric facility in Northfield and use the location for a
wildlife exhibit and visitor center. The utility company also provides
boat tours on the Connecticut River and has year-round recreational
and education programs, including cross-country skiing. Northfield
is also one of the cultural centers of Franklin County as the site
of the Bolger Arts Center, theater group and community chorus.
Orange
The Town of Orange is an industrial and population center on the
eastern boundary of Franklin County. Industrial products from Orange
today include heavy machinery, precision tools, plastics and wood
products. The Rodney Hunt Company, producing water control equipment,
is one of the largest employers in Franklin County. Orange Airport
Industrial Park provides a site for industrial expansion, while
open lands offering camping and maple sugaring to visitors provide
some rural character.
Rowe
Rowe is a small hilltown in northwestern Massachusetts, with a population
of 347. The town is one of scenic beauty, with wooded mountains,
clear brooks, and the Deerfield River on its border. Rowe is close
to ski areas and enjoys great hiking, fishing, hunting and canoeing.
Rowe has its own elementary school and tuitions grades 7-12 to Mowhawk
Regional District.
Shelburne
Graced by the beautiful Deerfield River, Shelburne is located just
off the famous Mohawk trail and is minutes from I-91. It is like
stepping back in time to visit this living example of a nineteenth
century New England village. Shelburne is a community dedicated
to preserving the purity and simplicity of an earlier day and residents
are proud of the restored buildings, spectacular surroundings and
undiluted New England spirit. Visitors are invited to stroll across
the river on the internationally known Bridge of Flowers, to walk
from there to an old Indian fishing ground and to see Salmon Falls
and the Glacial Potholes.
Shutesbury
The Town of Shutesbury has carried some of its past history forward.
Once known as a lumbering town, Shutesbury still retains some lumbering
interests. Shutesbury is bordered by the Quabbin Reservoir, and
the town's proximity to the huge body of water ensures preservation
of some of its rural character because of the restrictions placed
on development within the watershed of the Quabbin. The reservoir
itself also creates opportunities for boating, swimming, camping
and fishing.
Sunderland
The Town of Sunderland is a rural-residential community in the southeast
corner of Franklin County. Sunderland has a long history of agricultural
operations, many of which continue today, including several active
dairy farms, tobacco farms, produce farms and maple sugaring businesses.
Sunderland is home to Mount Toby State Forest, a favorite hiking,
biking and trail-riding spot. The Connecticut River provides the
town's border to the west. The college town of Amherst is the town's
most populous near neighbor and is in large part responsible for
the high number of rental units in the town.
Warwick
Warwick is a small rural town, though it has one of the highest
growth rates in the county and is bordred by Royalston on the east;
Orange on the southeast and south; Erving and Northfield on the
southwest and west; and Winchester and Richmond, New Hampshire,
on the north.
Wendell
Wendell is a unique community that combines traditional and alternative
lifestyles. It is a small rural town where the spirit of volunteerism
and a helping hand sense of community prevail. The town's land area
is comprised of approximately 50% state forest or conservation trust
acres, resulting in a lowpopulation density as 900 residents spread
out over 20,000 acres. Wendell is bordered on the north by Bear
Mountain, which rises 1,281 feet above sea level.
Whately
The Town of Whately is the southernmost town in Franklin County.
Whately is the home of the Smith College Observatory, which is located
at the summit of Poplar Hill. The observatory is used by the students
of the Five College Program which involves distinguished colleges
and universities in the western part of the state, including Amherst,
Hampshire, Mount Holyoke, Smith and the University of Massachusetts.
Presently, Whately has become the home of a number of artists and
craftsmen who value its beauty and small town character. The town
is proud of its local history exhibits at the S. White Dickinson
Library and its monthly displays of the artworks and crafts of local
artists.
Source: Massachusetts Department of Housing
and Community Development.
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