Community Profile

The Quaboag region of Western Mass., or the Quaboag Valley, as it’s also known, is comprised of 12 communities across three counties: Hampden, Hampshire, and Worcester. Those communities – Belchertown, Brimfield, Brookfield, East Brookfield, Holland, Monson, North Brookfield, Palmer, Wales, Ware, Warren, and West Brookfield – have a combined population of nearly 70,000. While each community conducts its own economic development activities, the region is also marketed as a whole, and is promoted primarily through two groups — the Quaboag Valley Chamber of Commerce — (413) 283-2418;www.quaboag.com— and the Quaboag Valley CDC, a Palmer-based group that provides business assistance, business loans, computer skills training, and workforce development; (413) 283-3003;www.qvdc.com.

Tourism is perhaps the largest industry in the Quaboag region, but there are several large employers, including Wing Memorial Hospital in Palmer, Mary Lane Hospital in Ware, and Turley Publications in Palmer.