Erving is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 1,467 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
The area now known as Erving was part of the Native American trade route known as the Mohawk Trail. The surrounding area was first inhabited by the Pocomtuc Indian Nation. Nearby villages included Squawkeag in what is now known as Northfield, Massachusetts and Peskeompscut in what is now known as Turners Falls (MA).
Eventually, most of the native population was displaced and/or sold into slavery as a result of King Philip's War and after a series of massacres of local Indian villages.[1]
Subsequently, Erving was first colonized in 1801 and was officially incorporated in 1838. What is now Erving was once the farm of John Erving, the first colonial in the area. Today, Erving has a school, a police and fire department, public library, several small stores and restaurants.It is situated along Route 2, a heavily traveled state highway.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 14.4 square miles (37.3 km²), of which, 13.9 square miles (35.9 km²) of it is land and 0.5 square miles (1.3 km²) of it (3.61%) is water.
The Millers River, a tributary of the Connecticut River, passes through the town. The terrain of Erving is hilly and rugged; most of the developed area of the town is located along the river. Northfield Mountain and its peaks occupy much of the northern two-thirds of the town. The mountain is the location of a pumped storage hydroelectric facility.
Outdoor recreation
The town is home to a number of topographic features popular among outdoor recreation enthusiasts. The Millers River is used for fishing and whitewater kayaking. Northfield Mountain hosts cross country ski trails, hiking trails, and rock climbing ascents, including the 110 miles (180 km) Metacomet-Monadnock Trail and the Farley Ledges rock climbing area.
Demographics
As of the census[2][page needed] of 2000, there were 1,467 people, 600 households, and 400 families residing in the town. The population density was 105.7 people per square mile (40.8/km²). There were 630 housing units at an average density of 45.4/sq mi (17.5/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.80% White, 0.14% African American, 0.82% Native American, 0.14% Asian, 0.41% from other races, and 1.70% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.89% of the population.
There were 600 households out of which 29.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.3% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.3% were non-families. 26.7% 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 2.94.
In the town the population was spread out with 22.9% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 30.5% from 25 to 44, 26.3% from 45 to 64, and 13.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 101.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.1 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $40,039, and the median income for a family was $47,212. Males had a median income of $35,511 versus $26,711 for females. The per capita income for the town was $19,107. About 4.7% of families and 6.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.5% of those under age 18 and 5.1% of those age 65 or over.
References
- ^ * Peske-ompsk-ut. Turners Falls, Mass.: Printed at the "Reporter" job office. 1875. pp. 21. http://books.google.com/books?id=yzUuAAAAYAAJ&dq=Peske-ompsk-ut&printsec=frontcover&source=bl&ots=oZdJFxREel&sig=dI1wnm2KZtvDgRGNiKvG0PN8xoY&hl=en&ei=RrMiSpaOGsKltgfNxe3RBg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3.
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
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