Hadley, Massachusetts
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Hadley is a town located in Hampshire County, Massachusetts. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 4,793.
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History
Early
Hadley was first settled in 1659 and was officially incorporated in 1661. 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. At the time, Hadley encompassed a wide radius of land on both sides of the Connecticut River, but mostly on the eastern shore. 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.
The two regicides, General Edward Whalley and General William Goffe, traitors for having ordered the beheading of King Charles I, were hidden in the home of John Russell.
An attack by Native Americans on June 12, 1676 was, reputedly, thwarted with the aid of General William Goffe; this developed into the legend of "The Angel of Hadley", which came to be included in the historical manuscript "History of Hadley" by Sylvester Judd.
The Civil War general Joseph "Fighting Joe" Hooker was a longtime resident of Hadley.
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 1960's. 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. The central Route 9 became a hotpoint for commercial development, and large corporations such as Stop & Shop and McDonald's moved in. To this day, the Hadley economy is a mixture of agriculture and sprawl.
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. The Town Meeting takes place the first Thursday in May.
Board of Selectmen
- Joyce Chunglo
- John P. Connor, Chair
- Kate Nugent
- Brian West
- Gerald Devine
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 64.0 km² (24.7 mi²). 60.4 km² (23.3 mi²) of it is land and 3.7 km² (1.4 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 5.74% water.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 4,793 people, 1,895 households, and 1,248 families residing in the town. The population density is 79.4/km² (205.7/mi²). There are 1,953 housing units at an average density of 32.3/km² (83.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the town is 95.91% White, 0.75% African American, 0.06% Native American, 1.56% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.58% from other races, and 1.13% from two or more races. 1.67% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 1,895 households out of which 26.6% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.1% are married couples living together, 9.8% have a female householder with no husband present, and 34.1% are non-families. 24.7% of all households are made up of individuals and 12.2% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.45 and the average family size is 2.90.
In the town the population is 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 are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 42 years. For every 100 females there are 88.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 87.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town is $51,851, and the median income for a family is $61,897. Males have a median income of $44,773 versus $34,189 for females. The per capita income for the town is $24,945. 6.9% of the population and 4.8% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 6.6% of those under the age of 18 and 3.2% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
External links
- Hadley's official website (http://www.hadleyma.org)
- Guide to Hadley (http://www.hadleyguide.com/)
- Mass.gov Hadley page (http://www.mass.gov/portal/index.jsp?pageID=mg2localgovccpage&L=1&L0=home&L1=Resident&sid=massgov2&selectCity=Hadley)
- Introduction to "History of Hadley" (http://www.rootsweb.com/~mikegoad/html/hadley__mass.htm)
- The Hadley Farm Museum (http://www.hadleyonline.com/farmmuseum/)