Goshen is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

in Hampshire County,

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

, United States. The population was 960 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts

Metropolitan Statistical Area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally incorporated as a city or tow ...

. The town has a rural atmosphere, with one general store, a post office, a fire station, a regional elementary school in nearby Chesterfield, and a town hall. The town encompasses both the Upper and Lower Highland lakes, Upper being a part of the D.A.R. State Forest. The Lower Highland Lake is privately held by a homeowners' association for families who own yearlong and summer properties on the lake.

History

Goshen was first settled in 1761 and was officially incorporated on May 14, 1781. Home to natural

beryl Beryl ( ) is a mineral composed of beryllium aluminium silicate with the chemical formula Be3Al2Si6O18. Well-known varieties of beryl include emerald and aquamarine. Naturally occurring, hexagonal crystals of beryl can be up to several ...

deposits, colorless beryl was first discovered in Goshen, leading it to be called

goshenite Goshenite is a colorless gem variety of beryl. It is called the mother of all gemstones because it can be transformed into other like emerald, Morganite (gem), morganite, or Red beryl, bixbite. Goshenite is also referred to as the purest form of b ...

by the gem industry. Parent Town: Chesterfield,

Historic sites and societies

* Goshen Historical Commission Museum

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2000, there were 921 people, 365 households, and 247 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 536 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 99.02%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 0.11% Native American, 0.22% Asian, and 0.65% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

or Latino of any race were 1.09% of the population. There were 365 households, out of which 29.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.2% were married couples living together, 6.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.3% were non-families. Of all households, 18.4% 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 2.52 and the average family size was 2.94. In the town, the population was spread out, with 21.9% under the age of 18, 4.3% from 18 to 24, 32.0% from 25 to 44, 31.1% from 45 to 64, and 10.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.2 males. The median income for a household in the town was $49,583, and the median income for a family was $58,750. Males had a median income of $37,159 versus $27,500 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the town was $22,221. About 4.3% of families and 7.9% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 7.3% of those under age 18 and 9.5% of those age 65 or over.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...

, the town has a total area of , of which is land and (1.98%) is water. Coordinates are . Goshen and Baker, Missouri, are the only two towns or villages in the United States within 29 miles of four different states. Goshen is 28.5 miles from New York, 28 miles from

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...

, 26 miles from

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec to the nor ...

, and 20 miles from

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

Education

Goshen is part of the Hampshire Regional School district along with Chesterfield,

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

, Westhampton, and Williamsburg. Students in Goshen attend New Hingham Regional Elementary School in Chesterfield from K–6. High School students attend Hampshire Regional High School.

Points of interest

* D.A.R. State Forest A property of the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation. * Camp Howe * The Institute for the Musical ArtsThe Institute for the Musical Arts
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Three Sisters Sanctuary Arts & Performance space

References

External links

''MHC Survey Reconnaissance Town Report: Goshen''
Massachusetts Historical Commission, 1982. {{authority control Springfield metropolitan area, Massachusetts Towns in Hampshire County, Massachusetts Towns in Massachusetts