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| The town of Hatfield
was founded in 1670, and is a community that is rich in
agricultural history. Located on the banks of the
Connecticut River, Hatfield is a small rural town that
prides itself on its' close-knit community. The town is
part of Hampshire County in Western Massachusetts, and
consists of approximately 3,500 citizens. For more
information about different aspects of the town, please
view the links to the left. |
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| Town History |
| English colonists
moving up the Connecticut River settled in Hatfield
about 1660 on land that had been purchased from the
nearby Native American Indian village of Norwottuck. The
location was desirable because of the large amounts of
relatively flat, rich, and stone-free agriculture land
and the small waterfall which could power a mill on what
became known as the Mill River. For a decade the
settlement was legally part of the Town of Hadley, but
in 1670 Hatfield separated from Hadley and built its own
meeting house which served as the center of government
and the Congregational Church. (more) |
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| History of Hatfield
Business |
| The first officially
recognized business in the town of Hatfield was the Old
Grist Mill located on the banks of the Mill River
waterfall. Other early commerce and business in
the town was very much centered on agriculture and
factory work, with a significant amount of farming and
several mill and factory buildings existing in town.
Some of the major events in Hatfield business included
the creation of the Railroad in 1846 and the completion
of Interstate 91 in 1964. (more) |
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| Demographics |
| For a profile of
Hatfield's Demographics, please
click here. |
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| Economic
Development |
| The Town of Hatfield
is actively seeking commercial and/or light industrial
organizations to help complement our small community of
3500 people and enhance funding for current and future
town services. So that we do this intelligently and
maintain the character of our town, Hatfield has
developed and approved a comprehensive growth master
plan to include an overhaul of its zoning regulations.
The town has also completed its first Economic
Development Plan and is in the process of forming an
economic development entity to facilitate the plan’s
implementation and to work with interested developers
and/or businesses. (more) |
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