South Hadley, Massachusetts
South Hadley is a town in
Hampshire County,
Massachusetts,
USA. The population was 17,196 at the 2000 census. It is home to
Mount Holyoke College.
South Hadley was first settled in
1659 and was officially incorporated in
1775. It is the home of the first navigable canal in the United States as well as the first female college in the United States.The town is also the home of the 2004 Massachusetts Division II State Lacrosse Champions and 2005 Massachusetts Division IA State Football Champions.
Dan Barry, Former NASA astronaut and contestant on
Survivor: Exile Island, resides in South Hadley.
South Hadley is located in the
western part of Massachusetts, specifically in the
Pioneer Valley. It is bordered on the north by the towns of
Hadley and
Amherst, on the east by
Granby, and on the south by
Chicopee. The
Connecticut River defines South Hadley's western border and separates the town from the city of
Holyoke. South Hadley is 12 miles north of
Springfield, 45 miles south of
Brattleboro, Vermont, 87 miles west of
Boston, and 145 miles from
New York City.
Although no
Interstate Highways cross South Hadley's borders,
U.S. Route 202, and
Massachusetts Highways 33, 47, and 116 provide primary routes of transportation.
Interstate 91 can be accessed in
Holyoke while
Interstate 90 is accessible through
Chicopee.
Bradley International Airport, serving the greater
Hartford-
Springfield area, is located 17 miles to the south. The closest
Amtrak station is in
Springfield.
The Village Commons, a center for dining, shopping, and leisure, is located adjacent to the campus of
Mount Holyoke College. Additional commercial centers are located on Massachusetts Routes 116 and 33.
According to the
United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 47.6
km² (18.4
mi²). 45.9 km² (17.7 mi²) of it is land and 1.8 km² (0.7 mi²) of it (3.70%) is water.
As of the
census2 of 2000, there were 17,196 people, 6,586 households, and 4,208 families residing in the town. The
population density was 374.9/km² (971.0/mi²). There were 6,784 housing units at an average density of 147.9/km² (383.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 94.05%
White, 1.20%
African American, 0.12%
Native American, 2.53%
Asian, 0.06%
Pacific Islander, 0.77% from
other races, and 1.28% from two or more races.
Hispanic or
Latino of any race were 2.36% of the population.
There were 6,586 households out of which 26.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.6% were
married couples living together, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.1% were non-families. 30.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.93.
In the town the population was spread out with 19.6% under the age of 18, 14.9% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 22.4% from 45 to 64, and 17.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 72.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 65.8 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $46,678, and the median income for a family was $58,693. Males had a median income of $42,256 versus $31,219 for females. The
per capita income for the town was $22,732. About 4.1% of families and 5.9% of the population were below the
poverty line, including 5.8% of those under age 18 and 7.2% of those age 65 or over.
*
Official Site*
Mount Holyoke College
