Editing Gill, Massachusetts

{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name            = Gill, Massachusetts
|nickname                 = 
|motto                    = 
|image_skyline            = IMG_3758_view_north_from_French_King_Bridge.jpg
|imagesize                = 
|image_caption            = The [[Connecticut River]] looking north in the early evening, from the [[French King Bridge]] at the [[Erving, Massachusetts|Erving]]–Gill town line
|image_seal               = Seal of Gill, Massachusetts.png
|image_flag               = 
|image_map                = Franklin County Massachusetts incorporated and unincorporated areas Gill highlighted.svg
|mapsize                  = 250px
|map_caption              = Location in Franklin County in Massachusetts
|image_map1               = 
|mapsize1                 = 
|map_caption1             = 
|subdivision_type         = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
|subdivision_name         = United States
|subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
|subdivision_name1        = [[Massachusetts]]
|subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in Massachusetts|County]]
|subdivision_name2        = [[Franklin County, Massachusetts|Franklin]]
|established_title        = Settled
|established_date         = 1776
|established_title2       = Incorporated
|established_date2        = 1793
|established_title3       = 
|established_date3        = 
|government_type          = [[Open town meeting]]
|leader_title             = 
|leader_name              = 
|leader_title1            = <!--Board of <br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Selectmen-->
|leader_name1             = 
|area_magnitude           = 
|area_total_km2           = 38.3
|area_total_sq_mi         = 
|area_land_km2            = 35.6
|area_land_sq_mi          = 
|area_water_km2           = 2.7
|area_water_sq_mi         = 
|population_as_of         = 2020
|settlement_type          = [[New England town|Town]]
|population_total         = 1551
|population_density_km2   = auto
|population_density_sq_mi = 
|elevation_footnotes      = <ref name=gnis/>
|elevation_ft             = 377
|timezone                 = [[Eastern Standard Time Zone|Eastern]]
|utc_offset               = −5
|timezone_DST             = [[Eastern Standard Time Zone|Eastern]]
|utc_offset_DST           = −4
|coordinates              = {{Coord|42|38|25|N|72|30|00|W|region:US-MA_type:city|display=inline,title}}
|website                  = {{URL|www.gillmass.org}}
|postal_code_type         = ZIP Code
|postal_code              = 01354
|area_code                = [[Area code 413|413]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 25-25730
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info              = 0618164<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|618164}}</ref>
|footnotes                = 
}}

'''Gill''' is a [[New England town|town]] in [[Franklin County, Massachusetts]], United States. The population was 1,551 at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]].<ref name="Census 2020">{{Cite web |url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?g=0600000US2501125730|title=Census - Geography Profile: Gill town, Franklin County, Massachusetts |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=November 14, 2021}}</ref> It is part of the [[Springfield, Massachusetts]] [[Springfield metropolitan area, Massachusetts|Metropolitan Statistical Area]]. The campus of [[Northfield Mount Hermon School]] is located in the Mount Hermon section of the town.

By sheer coincidence, "Gill" is the only full municipality of the [[List of municipalities in Massachusetts|351 towns and cities]] currently administered in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts whose name has characters entirely in alphabetical order.

== History ==
Prior to the arrival of English colonists, the Massachusetts portion of the [[Connecticut River]] valley was occupied by the [[Nipmuc]], an [[Algonquin language|Algonquin-speaking]] tribe.  A [[Riverside Archeological District|site on the river]] near the great falls shows evidence of human habitation dating back 10,000 years or more.  In the 1670s the Nipmuc had a village called Peskeompscut in that area.  During [[King Philip's War]] in 1676, Captain William Turner led 150 colonists in [[Battle of Turner's Falls|an attack]] on this settlement, in which 100-200 Indians (mostly women, children, and elderly) were slain.  The falls came to be known as Turners Falls after Turner, who was slain in the battle.  (The falls thereafter gave that name to the village of [[Turners Falls, Massachusetts|Turners Falls]] in neighboring [[Montague, Massachusetts|Montague]].)

Gill was first settled in 1776 and was officially incorporated in 1793. The town is named in honor of [[Moses Gill]], a member of Massachusetts' [[Massachusetts Governor's Council|Executive Council]] who became [[Lieutenant governor (United States)|lieutenant governor]] in 1794 and [[acting governor]] in 1799 when Governor [[Increase Sumner]] died.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.gillmass.org/about.php |title=Gill, Massachusetts official website |access-date=April 15, 2010 |archive-date=February 1, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100201100601/http://www.gillmass.org/about.php |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite book | url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ | title=The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States | publisher=Govt. Print. Off. | author=Gannett, Henry | year=1905 | pages=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ/page/n136 137]}}</ref>

The first town meeting was held December 18, 1793, with Moses Bascom as moderator. Elected officers were Moses Bascom Jr. as town clerk and treasurer, Moses Bascom, William Smalley and Noah Munn as selectmen and assessors, and David Squires as constable.

==Geography==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the town has a total area of {{convert|38.3|km2|order=flip}}, of which {{convert|35.6|km2|order=flip}} is land and {{convert|2.7|km2|order=flip}}, or 6.96%, is water.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.census.gov |title=Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Gill town, Franklin County, Massachusetts |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=August 28, 2012 }}</ref>

Gill is located on the west bank of the [[Connecticut River]], which flows along the town's eastern and southern edges. The river forms most of the town's boundary with [[Northfield, Massachusetts|Northfield]], to the east, and separates the town from [[Erving, Massachusetts|Erving]] to the southeast, and [[Montague, Massachusetts|Montague]] to the south. The Fall River, a small tributary, forms the boundary with [[Greenfield, Massachusetts|Greenfield]] to the southwest. Continuing clockwise, the town shares land boundaries with [[Bernardston, Massachusetts|Bernardston]] in the northwest, and a portion of Northfield to the north.

==Demographics==
{{Historical populations | type=USA
 | 1850|754
 | 1860|683
 | 1870|653
 | 1880|733
 | 1890|960
 | 1900|1015
 | 1910|942
 | 1920|879
 | 1930|983
 | 1940|931
 | 1950|1070
 | 1960|1203
 | 1970|1100
 | 1980|1259
 | 1990|1583
 | 2000|1363
 | 2010|1500
 | 2020|1551
 | 2022|1560
 | footnote=* = population estimate.  {{Historical populations/Massachusetts municipalities references}}<ref>{{cite web | title=City and Town Population Totals: 2020-2022| publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] | access-date=October 29, 2023 | url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-total-cities-and-towns.html}}</ref>
}}
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2">{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=January 31, 2008 |title=U.S. Census website }}</ref> of 2000, there were 1,363 people, 537 households, and 373 families residing in the town.  The population density was {{convert|97.5|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}.  There were 560 housing units at an average density of {{convert|40.1|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}.  The racial makeup of the town was 97.43% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.29% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.07%  [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.81% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.37% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 1.03% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 0.73% of the population.

There were 537 households, out of which 32.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.1% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.5% were non-families. 23.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.  The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.03.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 23.7% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 30.2% from 45 to 64, and 12.8% who were 65 years of age or older.  The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.3 males.  For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.5 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $50,750, and the median income for a family was $61,339. Males had a median income of $35,402 versus $26,613 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the town was $23,381.  About 3.9% of families and 4.4% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 2.5% of those under age 18 and 11.8% of those age 65 or over.

==Education==
Gill is home to one elementary school, the Gill Elementary School. Middle/High School students attend Great Falls Middle School, and [[Turner Falls High School]] in Montague.

==Points of interest==

* [[Northfield Mount Hermon School]]
* [[French King Bridge]]
* [[Gill–Montague Bridge]]
* [[Renaissance Community]], a commune (1968–1988)
* [[Gill-Montague Bridge|Turners Falls Dam]]

== Notable people==

* [[Bryan Callen]], American stand-up comedian, actor, writer and podcaster
* [[E. Stevens Henry]], U.S. Representative
* [[Sereno Merrill]], Wisconsin State Assemblyman
* [[Matt Striebel]], Professional lacrosse midfielder

== Gallery ==
<gallery  widths="180px" heights="130px">
Image:IMG_3998_Turner_Monument.jpg|Monument on the Gill side of the [[Turners Falls–Gill Bridge]], with the text "Captain William Turner with 145 men surprised and destroyed over 300 Indians encamped at this place May 19, 1676"
Image:Gill Town Hall, MA.jpg|Gill Town Hall
</gallery>

==References==

{{reflist}}

{{commons category}}

{{Franklin County, Massachusetts}}
{{Connecticut River}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Gill, Massachusetts| ]]
[[Category:Towns in Franklin County, Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Springfield metropolitan area, Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Massachusetts populated places on the Connecticut River]]
[[Category:Towns in Massachusetts]]
[[Category:1776 establishments in the Province of Massachusetts Bay]]