Erving, Massachusetts

Image:General View of Erving, MA.jpg

Erving is located along the Mohawk Trail. The area was part of the Pocomtuc Indian Nation, whose villages included Squawkeag in what is now Northfield, and Peskeompscut in what is now Turners Falls. Eventually, most of the native population was displaced and/or sold into slavery as a result of King Philip's War and a series of massacres of local Indian villages.{{cite book

| title = Peske-ompsk-ut

| publisher = Printed at the "Reporter" job office

| year = 1875

| location = Turners Falls, Mass.

| pages = 21

| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=yzUuAAAAYAAJ&q=Peske-ompsk-ut

}}

Subsequently, Erving was first settled by white settlers in 1801 and officially incorporated—it being nearly the last unincorporated land in Massachusetts—in 1838. What is now Erving was once the farm of John Erving, the first colonial in the area. Noted in the 19th century for timber and grazing, the town had seven sawmills, two chair factories, one pail factory, one children's carriage factory, and one bit-brace factory. Large numbers of railroad ties and telegraph poles were cut in the abundant forests here, as many as 1,495,000 in one year.[http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~mafrankl/zerv.html Genealogy in Franklin County, Massachusetts -- Town of Erving]

Today, Erving has a school, a police and fire department, public library, several small stores and restaurants. The biggest employer in town is Erving Industries, a paper mill with history to Holyoke, Massachusetts - 'Paper City era'.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of {{convert|14.4|sqmi|km2}}, of which {{convert|13.9|sqmi|km2}} is land and {{convert|0.5|sqmi|km2}} (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.

Erving is situated along Route 2, a heavily traveled state highway.

File:Farley Road Bridge.jpg Image:Briggs Brook Falls Massachusetts.jpg]]

The town is home to a number of topographic features popular among outdoor recreation enthusiasts. Erving State Forest has recreation and seasonal camping facilities. 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 114 mile (183 km) Metacomet-Monadnock Trail and the Farley Ledges rock climbing area.

{{Historical populations | type=USA | align=left | state=collapsed

| 1850|449

| 1860|527

| 1870|579

| 1880|872

| 1890|972

| 1900|973

| 1910|1148

| 1920|1295

| 1930|1263

| 1940|1328

| 1950|1322

| 1960|1272

| 1970|1260

| 1980|1326

| 1990|1372

| 2000|1467

| 2010|1800

| 2020|1665

| 2022*|1667

| footnote=* = population estimate. {{Historical populations/Massachusetts municipalities references}}{{cite web | title=City and Town Population Totals: 2020-2022| publisher=United States Census Bureau | access-date=November 4, 2023 | url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-total-cities-and-towns.html}}

}}

As of the census{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=January 31, 2008 |title=U.S. Census website }} of 2000, there were 1,467 people, 600 households, and 400 families residing in the town. The population density was {{convert|105.7|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 630 housing units at an average density of {{convert|45.4|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. 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.

Erving is home to one elementary school, the Erving Elementary School. Middle/High School students attend Great Falls Middle School, and Turner Falls High School in Montague.

{{Reflist}}

{{Commons category}}

• [http://www.erving-ma.org Town of Erving official website]
• [http://www.erving-ma.org/library Erving Public Library]
• [http://www.erving.com/ Erving Elementary School]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20110725214224/http://dlib.cwmars.org/cdm4/results.php?CISOOP1=any&CISOBOX1=Erving&CISOFIELD1=CISOSEARCHALL&CISOROOT=all Erving Digital Treasures]

{{Franklin County, Massachusetts}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Towns in Franklin County, Massachusetts

Category:Springfield metropolitan area, Massachusetts

Category:Towns in Massachusetts