Pioneer Valley
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2008-06-07T23:03:58Z
Catgut
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Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/72.79.219.5|72.79.219.5]] to last version by SmackBot (using [[WP:HG|Huggle]])
[[Image:Pioneer Valley.png|200px|right]]The '''Pioneer Valley''' is a region consisting of the three [[county|counties]] that the [[Connecticut River]] passes through in [[Western Massachusetts]], and especially those towns that are in the lowlands of the [[Connecticut River Valley]]. A group of businessmen interested in promoting tourism gave the name to the region in 1939.
==Geology==
The Pioneer Valley covers approximately the second lowest quarter of the [[Connecticut River Valley]], an ancient [[Rift Valley]] created by the breakup of the [[supercontinent]] [[Pangea]] along the [[Mid-Atlantic Ridge]] during the [[Triassic]] and [[Jurassic]] periods of the [[Mesozoic]] Era. The [[Connecticut River]] has been flowing through the Valley for millions of years, and was dammed to form [[glacial lake]] [[Lake Hitchcock|Hitchcock]] during the last ice age.
Geologically interesting parts of the valley are the [[basalt]] flows and [[Connecticut River Valley trackways|dinosaur tracks]] in [[South Hadley, Massachusetts|South Hadley]], a chain of basaltic traprock ridges along the ancient tectonic rift including the [[Mount Holyoke]] and [[Mount Tom]] ranges, layers of rock deposit laid down by the river, and the [[Lake Hitchcock]] [[varve]]s and [[river delta|deltas]].
==Political geography==
[[Image:Pioneer Valley South From Mt. Sugarloaf.jpg|thumb|right|250px|The [[Connecticut River]], looking southward from [[Mount Sugarloaf State Reservation|Mount Sugarloaf]] in [[Deerfield, Massachusetts|Deerfield]].]]
The river valley and the neighboring [[Western Massachusetts#The Hill Towns|Hill Towns]] comprise the entirety of the Pioneer Valley.
===Franklin County===
The rural [[Franklin County, Massachusetts|Franklin County]] is the most rural county of Massachusetts. [[Greenfield, Massachusetts|Greenfield]] is the largest municipality.
===Hampshire County===
[[Hampshire County, Massachusetts|Hampshire County]] is the home of five prominent colleges.
Significant municipalites are [[Northampton, Massachusetts|Northampton]] and [[Amherst, Massachusetts|Amherst]].
=== Hampden County ===
The mostly urban [[Hampden County, Massachusetts|Hampden County]] is dominated by the cities of [[Springfield, Massachusetts|Springfield]], [[Chicopee, Massachusetts|Chicopee]], [[Westfield, Massachusetts|Westfield]], and [[Holyoke, Massachusetts|Holyoke]] (listed in order of population).
== Demographics ==
=== Ethnicity ===
The ethnic and racial diversity varies greatly between urban and rural areas. {{Fact|date=February 2007}}
Although long predominantly European-American, the region is rapidly growing in non-European diversity in urban areas, notably in [[Latino]] population. {{Fact|date=February 2007}} Among the European-American community, the population reflects the British Isles background of the original settlers and the immigrant population through the late-1800s, with large numbers of individuals with backgrounds of Irish, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, French Canadian, and Greek heritage. {{Fact|date=February 2007}} The Latino community has a significant Puerto Rican community. {{Fact|date=February 2007}} Amherst is home to the largest number of Asian-Americans, as well as South and East Asians. {{Fact|date=February 2007}}. [[Russian language newspapers|Russian]] and Ukrainian immigrants from the former Soviet Union are increasing in Springfield and surrounding communities.
== Educational institutions ==
The most well-known are the members of the [[Five Colleges (Massachusetts)|Five Colleges]] consortium:
* [[Amherst College]]
* [[Hampshire College]]
* [[Mount Holyoke College]]
* [[Smith College]]
* [[University of Massachusetts Amherst]]
Other four-year colleges include:
* [[American International College]]
* [[Bay Path College]]
* [[Elms College]]
* [[Springfield College]]
* [[Western New England College]]
* [[Westfield State College]]
Dedicated Graduate Schools include:
* [[Conway School of Landscape Design]]
[[Community college]]s in the area include:
*[[Greenfield Community College]]
*[[Holyoke Community College]]
*[[Springfield Technical Community College]]
In addition, there are private middle and high schools in the area, including:
*[[Deerfield Academy]]
*[[Stoneleigh-Burnham School]]
*[[Northfield Mount Hermon]]
*[[Williston Northampton School]]
*[[The Bement School]]
*[[Academy at Charlemont]]
*[[Eaglebrook]]
*[[Cathedral High School (Springfield, Massachusetts)]]
==History==
{{Expand-section|date=June 2008}}
==Culture==
The Pioneer Valley is sometimes known to its inhabitants as "Happy Valley", but more typically residents refer to it simply as "the Valley." It is the "valley full o' Pioneer" in "the sleepy west of the woody east" of which the [[Pixies]] sang in the song "UMass."
===Art===
Valley residents also have a love of arts, both visual and performing, as demonstrated by numerous art galleries, countless theaters and performances, the residencies of both [[Dr. Seuss]] and [[Eric Carle]] in the valley, the visual [[Dr. Seuss Memorial]] in Springfield, and the [[Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art]].
== Local media ==
*[[Predvestnik|PREDVESTNIK]], [[Russian language newspapers|The Russian Language Newspaper of Pioneer Valley]], ([http://www.predvestnik.com Official website])
===Independent bookstores===
[[Image:5266 bookmill small.jpg|300px|right|thumb|"Of the many quirks in the Montague Bookmill, a bookstore and cafe just outside Amherst and Northampton, perhaps the most serendipitous are on its bathroom walls."—The Boston Globe, 2005]]
The New York Times noted that
{{quotation|while this charming pocket of the state, known as the Pioneer Valley, may be wild turkey country, as well as the approach to Vermont ski country, it's also used-book country. Our three-day visit was dedicated to browsing and buying amid the valley's rich and collegial network of bookshops and private dealers. More members of the Massachusetts and Rhode Island Antiquarian Booksellers (36) are to be found in this area than in bookish Greater Boston (25).|<ref>Hellman, Peter (1998): "WEEKEND EXCURSION; Every Town Is One for the Books." ''The New York Times,'' March 13, 1998[http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=980DEED91E30F930A25750C0A96E958260&sec=travel&pagewanted=print]</ref>}}
with an independent bookstore in almost every town, several small publishers, and countless local authors, the Valley could well be counted as a reader's paradise. Amherst has at least four bookstores, South Hadley has at least one notable bookstore (''[[The Odyssey Bookshop]]''). Since the late 1980s, Montague has had the [[Bookmill]], and the World Eye Bookshop is in its 40th year in Greenfield. Northampton has least four independent bookstores. One of the more popular, Raven Used Books, features a wide variety of titles and subjects. [http://www.ravenusedbooks.com]
===Recreation===
==Economy==
{{Expand-section|date=June 2008}}
The Pioneer Valley has a broadly varied economic base{{Fact|date=February 2007}}.
===Franklin County===
[[Franklin County, Massachusetts|Franklin County]] in the north serves as a significant agricultural region despite its size, due to the rich [[topsoil]] found in the area. The valley's [[sweet corn]] and [[asparagus]] are considered, especially among [[New England]]ers to be some of the world's finest. [[Maize|Cow Corn]], [[potato]]es, and shade-grown [[tobacco]] are also major crops. Fields of all sort, particularly corn and tobacco fields, as well as numerous farmhouses and tobacco barns dot the landscape. Light industry is concentrated in the town of South Deerfield and the city of Greenfield, while service industries exist throughout the county. Increasingly Franklin County is becoming a place of bedroom communities, with the major transportation routes of Interstate 91, Route 2, and U.S. Route 5 facilitating a boom in residential building that has not kept pace with commercial development in many of the county's towns.
The [http://hallmark.edu/ Hallmark Institute of Photography] is located in [[Turners Falls, Massachusetts|Turners Falls]].
Two major corporations, [[Channing Bete]] and [[Yankee Candle]], are headquartered in [[South Deerfield, Massachusetts|South Deerfield]] and [[Greenfield, Massachusetts|Greenfield]]. Both communities have been had controversial zoning issues surrounding permitting variances to build [[big box store]]s such as [[Wal-Mart]]. [[Greenfield, Massachusetts|Greenfield]] received national attention when its decision prevented [[Wal-Mart]] from building a store in town.
The county also garners tourism due to such attractions as [[Historic Deerfield]] (which hosts a craft fair in the summer and an even larger and more popular fall craft fair) , and a [[Butterfly]] Garden located in South Deerfield. The annual arrival of thousands of American and foreign tourists to observe the area's spectacular autumn foliage is a welcome boost to revenue.
===Hampshire County===
With the [[Five Colleges (Massachusetts)|Five Colleges]], Hampshire County has a significant part of its economy devoted to serving college students, including numerous independent bookstores and stationery shops.
The area is also home to many restaurants, ranging in class from [[sports bar]]s to [[steakhouse]]s. [[Northampton, Massachusetts|Northampton]] (also known to some as Hamp and others as NoHo) is the culinary capital of Western Massachusetts as well as having a reputation as a lesbian Mecca. The practice of adding candy, crushed cookies, and nuts to [[ice cream]] was invented by Steve Herrell, proprietor of Herrell's ice cream parlor in Northampton.
With the exception of New England-based [[supermarket]]s (Big Y, Stop & Shop, Pricechopper), almost all of the big-box retailers in Hampshire County are located in the town of [[Hadley, Massachusetts|Hadley]] where the [[Hampshire Mall]] and the [[Mountain Farms Mall]] are located. Save for Hadley, and perhaps Northampton, the rest of the region is a land of "[[mom and pop]]" stores and a spattering of chain [[convenience store]]s.
===Hampden County===
With most of the large cities in Western Massachusetts, Hampden County generally has a more commercial-industrial economy than anywhere else in the region, a land of big-box retailers and heavy industry.
Tourism is also popular, particularly from the rest of [[New England]], due to the museums at [[The Quadrangle]], the [[Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame]], the [[Springfield Symphony Orchestra]], and [[CityStage]] in [[Springfield, Massachusetts|Springfield]], and attractions such as [[The Big E]] in the town of [[West Springfield, Massachusetts|West Springfield]], and [[Six Flags New England]] in [[Agawam, Massachusetts|Agawam]]. The [[Holyoke Mall at Ingleside]] in [[Holyoke, Massachusetts|Holyoke]], Memorial Drive in [[Chicopee, Massachusetts|Chicopee]], Riverdale Street (often referred to by locals as "Riverdale Road") in [[West Springfield, Massachusetts|West Springfield]], and Boston Road in [[Springfield, Massachusetts|Springfield]] are popular destinations for shopping.
Outlying towns such as [[Tolland, Massachusetts|Tolland]] are sparsely populated and close enough to [[the Berkshires]] that [[outdoors|outdoor]] activities such as [[camping]] make up a large part of their economy.
==Conservation==
Appreciation of the natural environs is a big part of the Valley life, with numerous non-profit nature sanctuaries, as well as state and municipal parks and forests. Because of the considerable natural and cultural resources of the Pioneer Valley, state environmental agencies have made a substantial investment in protecting undeveloped land in the region, particularly along the Connecticut River, and in the mostly rural 'hilltowns' to its west. Government conservation efforts have targeted wildlife and rare plant habitat, recreational sites and corridors including the [[Metacomet-Monadnock Trail]], and the very rich agricultural soils in farming towns such as [[Hadley, Massachusetts]]. Their efforts have been augmented and assisted by local and regional conservation [[land trust]]s, and state-wide and national conservation organizations. Many of these organizations also protect additional land through direct ownership of conservation areas and land held under [[conservation easement]]. Many municipalities in the area also have conservation holdings, usually under the aegis of the community's 'conservation commission', the appointed body which also applies local and state environmental regulations, or held as part of local water supply systems.
One notable area consists of [http://www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/central/mtom.htm Mount Tom State Reservation], [http://www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/central/hksp.htm Mount Holyoke Range State Park], and [http://www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/central/skin.htm Skinner State Park]
, which, joined with the 600-acre Arcadia Wildlife Sanctuary held by the [[Massachusetts Audubon Society]], form a long wildlife corridor stretching across the Connecticut River.
==References==
<references/>
==See also==
*[[Massachusetts geography]]
*[[Western Massachusetts]]
*[[Mount Sugarloaf State Reservation]]
==External links==
*[http://busacksblog.blogspot.com Busack's Blog (Pioneer in the Valley)]
* [http://www.chronos-historical.org/highway/index.html US-5: A Highway to History] (History of the Pioneer Valley)
* [http://www.valleyvisitor.com/ Greater Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau]
* [http://www.pvpc.org/ Pioneer Valley Planning Commission]
* [http://www.ecommunityguide.com/ Pioneer Valley Guide]
* [http://www.granbyma.net/whattodoinpioneervalley.php What to Do in Pioneer Valley]
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[[Category:Valleys of Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Regions of Massachusetts]]