Editing Warwick, Massachusetts

{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name            = Warwick, Massachusetts
|nickname                 =
|motto                    =
|image_skyline            = Warwick Town Hall, MA.jpg
|image_caption            = Warwick Town Hall
|image_seal               = Seal of Warwick, Massachusetts.png
|image_flag               =
|image_map                = Franklin County Massachusetts incorporated and unincorporated areas Warwick 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         = 1739
|established_title2       = Incorporated
|established_date2        = 1763
|established_title3       =
|established_date3        =
|government_type          = [[Open town meeting]]
|leader_title             = <!--[[Town Coordinator|Town<br/>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Coordinator]]-->
|leader_name              =
|leader_title1            = <!--Board of <br/>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Selectmen-->
|leader_name1             =
|area_magnitude           =
|area_total_km2           = 97.5
|area_total_sq_mi         = 
|area_land_km2            = 96.7
|area_land_sq_mi          = 
|area_water_km2           = 0.8
|area_water_sq_mi         = 
|population_as_of         = 2020
|settlement_type          = [[New England town|Town]]
|population_total         = 780
|population_density_km2   = auto
|population_density_sq_mi = 
|elevation_footnotes      = <ref name=gnis/>
|elevation_ft             = 922
|coordinates              = {{coord|42|40|55|N|72|20|22|W|region:US-MA|display=inline,title}}
|website                  = {{URL|www.warwickma.org}}
|postal_code_type         = ZIP code
|postal_code              = 01378
|area_code                = [[Area code 351|351]] / [[Area code 978|978]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 25-73265
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info              = 0618177<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|618177}}</ref>
|footnotes                =
}}

[[File:Wawbeek Rock.png|thumb|upright|Photograph of "Wawbeek Rock" a large, [[Glacial erratic|glacial boulder]] located in Warwick, MA, engraved with the phrase "In The Beginning God" by a stonecutter around 1916.]]

[[File:View of Mount Monadnock from the Mount Grace fire tower.jpg|upright|thumb|View from [[Mount Grace]] fire tower; [[Mount Monadnock]] visible in the distance]]

'''Warwick''' is a [[New England town|town]] in [[Franklin County, Massachusetts]], United States. The population was 780 at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]].<ref name="Census 2020">{{Cite web| url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?g=0600000US2501173265| title=Census - Geography Profile: Warwick 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]].

== History ==
Warwick was first settled in 1739 and was officially incorporated in 1763.

The land that became Warwick was one of four tracts of land established by Massachusetts in 1735 to compensate the descendants of the officers and soldiers who served during the "expedition to Canada" and the [[Battle of Quebec (1690)|Battle of Quebec]] in 1690.<ref name=Blake>{{cite book|last=Blake|first=Jonathan|title=History of the Town of Warwick Mass|url=https://archive.org/details/historyoftownofw00blakrich|year=1873|publisher=Noyes, Holmes and Company}}</ref> The area was initially called Gardner's Canada and original proprietors were named in 1736. A 1737 owners list names the initial land owners, few of whom appear to have remained to settle the town<ref name=Blake /> once it was incorporated in 1763.

It took another 25 years to attract sufficient numbers of settlers to support a town and its minister. In 1760, such numbers were reached and the town hired a young Reverend Lemuel Hedge. The town was formed officially, as Warwick, on February 17, 1763.<ref name=Blake/> Its first officers were James Ball (town clerk), Moses Evans, Jeduthan Morse, James Ball (selectman and assessors), Amzi Doolittle (treasurer), Samuel Ball (constable), and James Ball (collector).<ref name=Blake/>

As the [[American Revolutionary War|Revolutionary War]] approached, the town voted unanimously in favor of independence, although the town minister preached against it. Rev. Lemuel Hedge was barred from leaving the town in July 1775.<ref>Morse, Charles, ''Warwick: A Biography of a Town'', 1963.</ref> He died October 15, 1777, the day British General [[John Burgoyne|Burgoyne]] surrendered his troops to the colonists in [[Battles of Saratoga|Saratoga]]. In 1776, Lieutenant Thomas Rich was selected to represent the town at the General Assembly of [[Massachusetts Bay Colony|Massachusetts]].

Shortly before and after the turn of the 19th century, many of Franklin County's old families began to move into [[Windham County, Vermont]], in the generational quest for inexpensive land and frontiers to tame.  Among those from Warwick was the Nathan Hastings family who settled in [[Windham, Vermont]], in 1806.  They were joined in Windham by others from adjacent villages such as [[Royalston, Massachusetts|Royalston]] and that part of [[Orange, Massachusetts|Orange]] now known as the village of North Orange.

A significant event in Warwick's late 20th century history was the arrival of the [[Renaissance Community|Brotherhood of the Spirit Commune]], which remained in the area through the 1960s and into the 1970s. The commune was led by Michael Metelica Rapunzel. The population of Warwick was only about 450 then, and hundreds of young people came to Warwick to join the commune. There was some friction in the early days, but townspeople and commune members gradually became more cooperative. The commune left Warwick for good in the 1980s.

==Geography and recreation==
[[File:Richards Reservoir.jpg|thumb|center|Richards Reservoir is a large wetland enhanced by an old man-made dam on its southern end and a beaver dam on its northern end]]
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the town has a total area of {{convert|97.5|km2|disp=flip}}, of which {{convert|96.7|km2|disp=flip}} is land and {{convert|0.8|km2|disp=flip}}, or 0.83%, is water.<ref>{{Cite web| url=https://www.census.gov| title=Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Warwick town, Franklin County, Massachusetts| publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]| access-date=August 29, 2012}}</ref> The geography of Warwick is dominated by [[Mount Grace]]. This mountain is located in the center of town and has a network of hiking and cross-country ski trails. Most of the mountain is owned by the state (as part of [[Mount Grace State Forest]]) and open to the public. The [[Metacomet-Monadnock Trail]] passes over the 1617 foot (493m) summit.   Approximately a third of the town's land is protected as part of the Warwick State Forest thereby offering a variety of outdoor activities for the public.  There are several ponds, some created by dammed brooks in Warwick, including Moores Pond, Sheomet Lake, Laurel Lake, Wheeler Reservoir, Richards Reservoir, Hastings Pond and Stevens Swamp, a mosaic of wetlands.  A small wildlife management area is also located within town. The [[Mount Grace Land Conservation Trust]], which was founded by Warwick resident Keith Ross in 1986, pays homage to the mountain by dint of its name, though its land protection activities take place in 23 municipalities.<ref>{{cite book| last=Young| first=Allen| title=North of Quabbin revisited: a guide to nine Massachusetts towns north of Quabbin Reservoir| year=2003| publisher=Haley's| isbn=1-884540-64-3}}</ref>

==Transportation==
[[Image:Warwick-State Line.JPG|thumb|left|Entering Warwick from Winchester, NH, along Route 78]]
[[Image:Warwick MA Signpost.JPG|thumb|left|An antique signpost in Warwick village]]
Warwick lies along the borders of [[Worcester County, Massachusetts|Worcester County]], and [[Cheshire County, New Hampshire]], in the northeastern corner of Franklin County.  The town center lies nearly {{convert|10|mi|0}} northwest of [[Athol, Massachusetts|Athol]], {{convert|20|mi}} northeast of the county seat of [[Greenfield, Massachusetts|Greenfield]], {{convert|45|mi}} northwest of [[Worcester, Massachusetts|Worcester]], {{convert|49|mi}} north-northeast of [[Springfield, Massachusetts|Springfield]] and {{convert|77|mi}} west-northwest of [[Boston]].  Warwick is bordered by [[Winchester, New Hampshire|Winchester]] and [[Richmond, New Hampshire]], to the north, [[Royalston, Massachusetts|Royalston]] (in Worcester County) to the east, [[Orange, Massachusetts|Orange]] to the south and southeast, [[Erving, Massachusetts|Erving]] to the southwest, and [[Northfield, Massachusetts|Northfield]] to the west.

Warwick is a fairly isolated town, located {{convert|13|mi}} east of the nearest exit along [[Interstate 91]] and {{convert|8|mi|0}} north of [[Massachusetts Route 2]], the major east–west route through northern Massachusetts. The only state highway through town is [[Massachusetts Route 78|Route 78]], which passes between [[Massachusetts Route 2A|Route 2A]] in Orange and into New Hampshire, heading towards [[New Hampshire Route 10]]. There is no rail or bus service within town, the nearest rail service being in [[Brattleboro, Vermont]], along the [[Amtrak]] ''[[Vermonter (train)|Vermonter]]'' line. The nearest small airport is the [[Orange Municipal Airport]], with the nearest national air service at [[Logan Airport]] in Boston, [[Manchester-Boston Regional Airport]] in New Hampshire and [[Bradley International Airport]] in [[Connecticut]], all of which are approximately 90 minutes away from the town.

== Economy ==
Warwick has home-based businesses. There are farms that produce grass-fed organic dairy products, herbal products, flowers, and vegetables and logging and a few wood shops.

There is a farmer's market on the common on Saturday mornings.

{{Historical populations | type=USA
 | 1790|1246
 | 1800|1233
 | 1810|1277
 | 1820|1256
 | 1830|1150
 | 1840|1071
 | 1850|1021
 | 1860|932
 | 1870|769
 | 1880|713
 | 1890|565
 | 1900|619
 | 1910|477
 | 1920|327
 | 1930|367
 | 1940|444
 | 1950|429
 | 1960|426
 | 1970|492
 | 1980|603
 | 1990|740
 | 2000|750
 | 2010|780
 | 2020|780
 | 2022|780
 | footnote= {{Historical populations/Massachusetts municipalities references}}<ref>{{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}}</ref>
}}

==Demographics==
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 750 people, 293 households, and 210 families residing in the town.  The [[population density]] was 20.1 people per square mile (7.8/km{{sup|2}}).  There were 343 housing units at an average density of 9.2 per square mile (3.6/km{{sup|2}}).  The racial makeup of the town was 96.93% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.27% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.27% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 1.07% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 1.47% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 0.93% of the population.

There were 293 households, out of which 32.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.4% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together,  8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.0% were non-families. 20.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.  The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 2.99.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.7% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 29.1% from 25 to 44, 28.4% from 45 to 64, and 11.1% who were 65 years of age or older.  The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.7 males.  For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.6 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $42,083, and the median income for a family was $45,795. Males had a median income of $35,125 versus $26,875 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the town was $19,989.  About 5.9% of families and 8.0% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 7.6% of those under age 18 and 1.0% of those age 65 or over.
{{clear}}

==References==

{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite book|last=Metcalf|first=Harlan G.|title=Gold on Mount Grace : boyhood adventures in long-ago Warwick|year=1985|publisher=Millers River|isbn=0-912395-06-0}}
*{{cite book|title=The Millers River reader|year=1987|publisher=Millers River|isbn=0-912395-10-9|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/millersriverread0000unse}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*[http://www.warwickma.org Town of Warwick official website]
*[http://whs.steamkite.com Warwick Historical Society]
*[http://www.franklincountyhistory.com/warwick/everts/index.html/ Franklin County History]

{{Geographic location
 | Centre = Warwick
 | North = [[Winchester, New Hampshire]]
 | Northeast = [[Richmond, New Hampshire]]
 | East = [[Royalston, Massachusetts|Royalston]]
 | Southeast = [[Orange, Massachusetts|Orange]]
 | South = [[Orange, Massachusetts|Orange]]
 | Southwest = [[Erving, Massachusetts|Erving]]
 | West = [[Northfield, Massachusetts|Northfield]]
 | Northwest = [[Winchester, New Hampshire]]
}}

{{Franklin County, Massachusetts}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Warwick, Massachusetts| ]]
[[Category:Towns in Franklin County, Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Springfield metropolitan area, Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Towns in Massachusetts]]