Huntington

History

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. In 1855, the Massachusetts General Court changed the name of the town to Huntington, in honor of Charles P. Huntington of Northampton, who had helped secure the annexation. Chester Village then became known as "the village" of Huntington. Charles Huntington donated $100 for the establishment of a library in his namesake town. In the Colonial Massachusetts tradition, Norwich initially functioned as both a secular town government and a church parish. Its town meetings were held at the town church ("meeting-hall") until 1841; a town hall was constructed in Knightville in 1842. Town meetings were held at a private Union Hall above a schoolhouse in Huntington village in the 1860s; the building burned in 1863 but was replaced and the new building served as the town hall until 1954. Springfield Street Railway was extended to the town in 1905, and another trolley line operated to the town of Lee for a time. U.S. Route 20 was constructed through the town in 1920. The Huntington Textile Company supplied cloth to the U.S. military during the World Wars, but closed in 1952.

Geography

Huntington is in southwestern Hampshire County, bordered to the south and west by towns in Hampden County. The Westfield River runs through the town, joined by its West Branch at the village of Huntington in the southern part of the town. U.S. Route 20 follows the lower Westfield River and its West Branch through the town, leading southeast to the city of Westfield and northwest to Lee. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town of Huntington has a total area of , of which are land and , or 1.78%, are water.

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• Hampshire Regional High
  High · Westhampton · 662 students · 8.9:1 ratio
• William E Norris
  Elementary · Southampton · 477 students · 12.6:1 ratio
• Littleville Elementary School
  Elementary · Huntington · 299 students · 10.7:1 ratio
• Gateway Regional Middle School
  Middle · Huntington · 188 students · 9.4:1 ratio
• Gateway Regional High
  High · Huntington · 163 students · 7.1:1 ratio
• Westhampton Elementary School
  Elementary · Westhampton · 104 students · 8:1 ratio