Greenfield

History

Pocumtuck Indians first settled and originally inhabited the Greenfield area. Native American artifacts found in the area have been dated between 7,000 and 9,000 BCE. The Pocumtucks planted field crops and fished local rivers. Some sources claim that they were wiped out by the Mohawks in 1664 and that the land was left unoccupied. Other sources show that the Pocumtucks joined the Wampanoag chief Metacom in August 1675 in the fight against English encroachment, indicating a continued presence in the area. The Pocumtuck also played an important role in the Battle of Turner's Falls on May 19, 1676, and tribal oral tradition indicates that following the battle, elements of the Pocumtuck fled to and were incorporated into the Abenaki people to the north and the Mahican people to the west. The area was colonized as part of Deerfield by the English in 1686. In 1753, Greenfield, named for the Green River, was incorporated as a separate town from Deerfield. In 1795, the South Hadley Canal opened, enabling boats to bypass the South Hadley falls and reach Greenfield via the Connecticut River. Located at the confluence of the Deerfield and Green rivers, and not far from where they merge into the Connecticut River, Greenfield developed into a trade center. Falls provided water power for industry, and Greenfield grew into a prosperous mill town. John Russell established the Green River Works in 1834, hiring skilled German workers at what was the country's first cutlery factory. The Connecticut River Railroad was the first of several railways to enter the town, replacing the former canal trade. During the 19th and 20th centuries, Greenfield was one of the most important American centers of the tap and die business and was the home of Greenfield Tap & Die Company (GTD). It was…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 2.08%, is water. Greenfield is located at the center of the county and is bordered by Colrain, Leyden, and Bernardston to the north; Gill to the east; Montague to the southeast; Deerfield to the south; and Shelburne to the west. Greenfield is located north of Springfield and west-northwest of Boston. Greenfield lies at the confluence of the Deerfield, Green, and Connecticut rivers. The Green River runs from the north, through town to the Deerfield, which lies along the city's southern border. From there, the Deerfield meets the Connecticut, which flows southward along the Montague border before bending eastward briefly before continuing southward. Several brooks flow into the three rivers, as well as a fourth river, the Fall River, which makes up the city's border with Gill. The city is located beside the Pocumtuck Range, the northernmost subridge of the Metacomet Ridge, and is surrounded by hills, with the town center lying on an elevated point above the rivers. Like most of New England, Greenfield has a humid continental climate, exactly on the border between Köppen Dfa and Dfb with its warmest-month (July) mean of , with cold, snowy winters and warm, humid summers. Extreme temperatures range from , recorded on July 22, 1926, and August 26, 1948, to , recorded on January 22, 1961. Precipitation is abundant and well distributed (every month except February receives over three inches) and averages per year.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  9,521
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  8,855
• Tufted Titmouse

  Baeolophus bicolor (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  7,581
• American Goldfinch

  Spinus tristis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  7,085
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  6,911
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  6,799
• White-breasted Nuthatch

  Sitta carolinensis Latham, 1790 · Aves
  6,428
• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  6,327

Largest nearby schools

• Greater Commonwealth Virtual School
  Other · Greenfield · 1,155 students · 16:1 ratio
• Frontier Regional
  High · South Deerfield · 606 students · 11:1 ratio
• Franklin County Technical
  High · Turners Falls · 602 students · 10.6:1 ratio
• Greenfield High
  High · Greenfield · 454 students · 10.8:1 ratio
• Deerfield Elementary
  Elementary · South Deerfield · 309 students · 9.4:1 ratio
• Greenfield Middle
  Middle · Greenfield · 300 students · 10:1 ratio
• Buckland-Shelburne Regional
  Elementary · Shelburne Falls · 274 students · 16.1:1 ratio
• Mohawk Trail Regional School
  High · Shelburne Falls · 271 students · 7.1:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.8 — 2016-03-21
  4 km ESE of Warner, New Hampshire
• M 2.61 — 2013-10-11
  New Hampshire
• M 2.5 — 2007-10-19
  2 km WSW of Littleton Common, Massachusetts
• M 2.8 — 2002-09-28
  2 km N of Wilton, New Hampshire
• M 2.5 — 2002-06-07
  3 km NNW of Hopedale, Massachusetts