Savoy is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

in Berkshire County,

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield,

Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 645 at the 2020 census.

History

Savoy began its existence within the Massachusetts Colony as part of "Northern Berkshire Township #6", which included the present-day towns of Adams, North Adams,

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Merseyside to the north-west, Greater Manchester to the north-east, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire to the south-east, and Shrop ...

and Lanesborough. The land was auctioned off several times before it was finally purchased by Colonel William Bullock of Rehoboth. Savoy, or "New Seconk" as it was originally called by its inhabitants, was first settled in 1777 by a group led by Colonel Lemuel Hathaway. The town was officially incorporated in 1797, and was supposedly named for the land's resemblance to the Duchy of Savoy in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. The town started off with a grazing agrarian industry, before several lumber mills took off in town. The town was very diverse religiously, with several faiths practicing by the mid-19th century. Today the town is mostly a quiet rural community, known for its scenery and natural beauty.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.48%, is water. The town is the 45th largest town by area in the state, and ninth largest in the county. Savoy is located among the Berkshire Hills, with much of the town being dominated by Savoy Mountain State Forest, as well as parts of three other state forests ( Mohawk Trail State Forest, Windsor State Forest and Kenneth Dubuque Memorial State Forest), and a wildlife management area in the southwest corner of town. The Cold River, a branch of the Deerfield River, forms part of the town's northern border, and feeds several brooks. Several tributaries of the Westfield River also flow through the southern portion of town. The highest point in town is the summit of Borden Mountain, at above sea level. Savoy is located along the eastern border of Berkshire County, and shares a border with Franklin County and Hampshire County. The town is bordered by

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

to the north, Charlemont, Hawley and Plainfield to the east, Windsor to the south,

to the southwest, and Adams to the west. Charlemont and Hawley are both located in Franklin County, and Plainfield is in Hampshire County. Savoy is northeast of Pittsfield, northwest of Springfield and approximately west by northwest of

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

(although it is closer to both

Hartford Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...

and Albany than its own state capital). A short portion of Massachusetts Route 2, also known as the Mohawk Trail, crosses along the northeast border of town before crossing the Cold River into Florida. In the south, Route 116 (coming from Adams in the west) and Route 8A (coming from Windsor in the south) meet near the center of town and continue as one road towards the southeast corner of town. There are no railroad lines through the town, the nearest being the freight line which passes through the neighboring town of

via the Hoosac Tunnel. The nearest regional bus service can be found in North Adams, as can Harriman-and-West Airport, the nearest small airport. The town is roughly equidistantly located between the nearest airports with national service, Bradley International Airport in Connecticut and Albany International Airport in New York.

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 705 people, 287 households, and 202 families residing in the town. By population, Savoy ranks 26th out of the 32 towns in Berkshire County, and 336th out of the 351 Massachusetts cities and towns. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was 19.7 people per square mile (7.6/km), ranking it 27th in the county, and 11th least densely populated in the Commonwealth. There were 326 housing units at an average density of 9.1 per square mile (3.5/km). The racial makeup of the town was 97.45%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.71%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.43% Native American, 0.28% from other races, and 1.13% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 0.71% of the population. There were 287 households, out of which 31.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.3% were married couples living together, 5.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.6% were non-families. 23.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.90. In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.4% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 30.5% from 25 to 44, 29.5% from 45 to 64, and 10.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 115.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 107.4 males. The median income for a household in the town was $41,477, and the median income for a family was $50,114. Males had a median income of $36,500 versus $28,182 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $20,223. About 4.9% of families and 5.4% 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 ...

, including 9.2% of those under age 18 and 3.7% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Savoy employs the open town meeting form of government, and is led by a

board of selectmen The select board or board of selectmen is commonly the Executive (government), executive arm of the government of New England towns in the United States. The board typically consists of three or five members, with or without staggered terms. Three ...

. The town has its own services, including fire, police and public works. The town runs the Savoy Hollow Library, which is connected to the regional library network, but is only open three days a week. On the state level, Savoy is represented in the

Massachusetts House of Representatives The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the State legislature (United States), state legislature of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from 14 counties each divided into ...

by the Second Berkshire district, represented by Paul Mark, which covers central Berkshire County, as well as portions of Hampshire and Franklin counties. In the Massachusetts Senate, the town is represented by the Berkshire, Hampshire and Franklin district, represented by Ben Downing, which includes all of Berkshire County and western Hampshire and Franklin counties. The town is patrolled by the Fourth (Cheshire) Station of Barracks "B" of the Massachusetts State Police.Station B-4, SP Cheshire
/ref> On the national level, Savoy is represented in the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

as part of Massachusetts's 1st congressional district, and is represented by Richard Neal. Massachusetts is currently represented in the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

by senior Senator Elizabeth Warren and junior senator Ed Markey.

Education

Savoy operates its own elementary school, the Emma L. Miller Memorial Elementary School, which serves students from pre-kindergarten through sixth grade. Savoy is part of the Northern Berkshire School Union. Students then attend Hoosac Valley Regional Middle School, and Hoosac Valley High School. There are also private, parochial, charter and vocational schools located in nearby Adams and North Adams. The nearest community college is Berkshire Community College in Pittsfield. The nearest state college is Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts in North Adams, and the nearest state university is the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

References

{{authority control Towns in Berkshire County, Massachusetts Towns in Massachusetts