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

thumb|left|Print of Huntington by [[L.R. Burleigh from 1886 with listing of sights]]

What is now Huntington was first settled by Europeans in 1760, mostly migrants from Norwich, Connecticut who logged the land's valuable timber. It shared a colonial representative with Chester until 1786, when it became a full town.

Early industry grew slowly. The nearby parts of Blandford and Chester were annexed to Norwich in 1853.

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 . There were 935 housing units at an average density of . 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.

See also

  • Gateway Regional High School
  • Gateway Regional School District

References

  • Town of Huntington official website
  • Huntington Police Department
  • Huntington Historical Society
  • Huntington Public Library
  • Gateway Regional School District
  • MHC Survey Reconnaissance Town Report: Huntington—Massachusetts Historical Commission, 1982.
  • Huntington Vision: Huntington Community Development Plan—Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, 2003.