Page 8 - BusinessWest January 23, 2023

Deerfield
at a Glance
Year Incorporated: 1677
Population: 5,090
Area: 33.4 square miles
County: Franklin
Residential Tax Rate: $14.97
Commercial Tax Rate: $14.97
Median Household Income: $74,853
Median Family Income: $83,859
Type of Government: Open Town Meeting
Largest Employers: Yankee Candle Co., Pelican Products Inc.
* Latest information available
Oh honey...
Kick pests out for good.
413-566-8222 | GraduatePestSolutions.com
COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT >>
Deerfield Marks 350 Years as a Destination
BY KAILEY HOULE
[email protected]
This year, the town of Deerfield, though incorporated in 1677, will mark its 350th anniversary since the first Eng- lish settlers called the upper Pioneer Valley their home in 1673. Since the beginning, a lot has changed, but the town has tried to keep some aspects the same.
“It was a farming community,” Town Administrator Kayce Warren said. “If you’re going to Historic Deerfield, you’re going to see a lot of agricultural land. Most of it is pre- served; most of it is still used for agricultural purposes. That was an element for many, many years that probably goes back to incor- porating the town because of where we are; we had a great ability to grow things.”
Jessye Deane, executive director of the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce, said the town, while maintaining that agricultural focus, has also become a true tourist destina- tion. In fact, tourism contributes about $79 million to Franklin County’s economy, and Deerfield is one of the driving forces behind those numbers.
“We’re seeing just about 27,000 visitors to Yankee Candle each year, and Historic Deer- field has just under 14,000,” Deane told Busi- nessWest. “These are people that are driving
more than 50 miles to reach these destina- tions. In a lot of cases, these people are stay- ing over at Champney’s and the Deerfield Inn. They’re taking in the sights, and they’re hope- fully enjoying all of what Franklin County has to offer.”
Celebrating the Old
Historic Deerfield — an open-air destina- tion that boasts a history museum, an art museum, and several historic house muse- ums, as well as the Deerfield Inn and its historic restaurant, Champney’s — certainly reflects those roots. As one of the best-pre- served collections of original historic houses in New England, Old Main Street, or simply “the Street,” as Historic Deerfield President John Davis called it, is lined with 40 houses that predate the Civil War.
As a frontier settlement, Deerfield regular- ly suffered from attack. The village was aban- doned during King Philip’s War after the 1675 attack at Bloody Brook and resettled in 1682, only to face several more raids in the 1690s and into the early 1700s.
Today, the 18th- and 19th-century houses of the village center, many on their original
“You get an amazing look at how the Puritans designed their towns and those houses along the street; 12 of them are museum houses that our visitors can go into.”
JOHN DAVIS
8 JANUARY 23, 2023
<< COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT >>
BusinessWest