Goshen, Massachusetts

Goshen is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 1,054 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town has a rural atmosphere, with one general store, a post office, a fire station, a regional elementary school in nearby Chesterfield, and a town hall. The town encompasses both the Upper and Lower Highland lakes, Upper being a part of the D.A.R. State Forest. The Lower Highland Lake is privately held by a homeowners' association for families who own yearlong and summer properties on the lake.

History

Goshen was first settled in 1761 and was officially incorporated in 1781.

Parent Town: Chesterfield, Massachusetts

Historic sites and societies

Goshen Historical Commission Museum

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 17.7 square miles (46 km²), of which 17.4 square miles (45 km²) is land and 0.3 square miles (0.78 km²) (1.98%) is water. Coordinates are 42°26′N 72°49′W / 42.44°N 72.81°W / 42.44; -72.81.

Goshen and Baker, Missouri are the only two towns or villages in the United States within 29 miles of four different states. Goshen is 28.5 miles from New York, 28 miles from Connecticut, 26 miles from New Hampshire, and 20 miles from Vermont.^[1]

Demographics

Historical population
Year	Pop.	±%
1850	512	—
1860	439	−14.3%
1870	368	−16.2%
1880	327	−11.1%
1890	297	−9.2%
1900	316	+6.4%
1910	279	−11.7%
1920	224	−19.7%
1930	248	+10.7%
1940	237	−4.4%
1950	321	+35.4%
1960	385	+19.9%
1970	483	+25.5%
1980	651	+34.8%
1990	830	+27.5%
2000	921	+11.0%
2010	1,054	+14.4%

As of the census^[2] of 2000, there were 921 people, 365 households, and 247 families residing in the town. The population density was 53.0 people per square mile (20.5/km²). There were 536 housing units at an average density of 30.9 per square mile (11.9/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 99.02% White, 0.11% Native American, 0.22% Asian, and 0.65% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.09% of the population.

There were 365 households out of which 29.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.2% were married couples living together, 6.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.3% were non-families. 18.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 2.94.

In the town the population was spread out with 21.9% under the age of 18, 4.3% from 18 to 24, 32.0% from 25 to 44, 31.1% from 45 to 64, and 10.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 88.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.2 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $49,583, and the median income for a family was $58,750. Males had a median income of $37,159 versus $27,500 for females. The per capita income for the town was $22,221. About 4.3% of families and 7.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.3% of those under age 18 and 9.5% of those age 65 or over.

Points of interest

D.A.R. State Forest A property of the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation.
Camp Howe Youth Summer Camp

References

↑ From United States Geological Survey sources, which have a small unpopulated area of Cimarron County, Oklahoma as little as 27 miles from four different states and Goshen, MA and Baker, MO as the only towns or villages within 29 miles of four different states.
↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Goshen, Massachusetts.

MHC Survey Reconnaissance Town Report: Goshen Massachusetts Historical Commission, 1982.

Municipalities and communities of Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States

Cities	Easthampton Northampton

Towns	Amherst Belchertown Chesterfield Cummington Goshen Granby Hadley Hatfield Huntington Middlefield Pelham Plainfield South Hadley Southampton Ware Westhampton Williamsburg Worthington

CDPs	Amherst Center Belchertown Bondsville‡ Granby Hatfield Huntington North Amherst South Amherst Ware

Other villages	Florence Leeds Mount Tom

Footnotes	‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 9/3/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.