Helpful Resources: Population (2006): 1,859
Tax Rate (2006): $16.73/1,000
Town Office – 413-624-3454
Administrative Assistant – 413-624-6306
Building Inspector – 413-624-3356
Description: The Town of Colrain abuts the Vermont state line several miles northwest of Greenfield, the northern terminus of the Connecticut River Valley, and just north of the Mohawk Trail. It was settled by Scots-Irish immigrants in the mid-17th century who named their settlement after Lord Coleraine of northern Ireland.
Once known for its apples, and its sheep and dairy farms, Colrain, like all the hilltowns of Western Massachusetts, has seen the decline of its agricultural base. Today, a half-dozen dairy farms, two commercial orchards and several specialty or niche farms (raising llamas, angora goats and organic produce) are the only ones remaining. However, despite the widespread loss of manufacturing jobs throughout the Commonwealth, a cotton bleachery and a cotton products factory provide employment for many townspeople.
Many craftspeople and artists, attracted by the fact that the town offers privacy but also access to nearby college communities for marketing and supplies, have built or purchased homes and studios in Colrain.
Revitalization of the town's major center at the junction of two tourist routes to Vermont is being actively pursued by the newly formed Colrain Business Association, which also sponsors the annual Coleraine Village Fair in September. Two of the town center's churches are currently being restored, one as a community cultural center, the other as a retail and studio shop.
A substantial portion of the town's current budget of $1.7 million is used to fund three school districts. There are 85 miles of road, of which about half are paved.
Northwestern Massachusetts, bordered by Halifax, Vermont, on the north; Leyden on the east; Greenfield and Shelburne on the south; Charlemont on the southwest corner; and Heath on the west. Colrain is 17 miles northwest of Greenfield and 112 miles northwest of Boston.
Narrative compiled by the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD)..
For more information, check out this Colrain source, click here
Wanda Mooney, CRS, GRI, SRES 413- 337-8344 • fax 413 337-8304 email : wanda@wandamooney.com office: 7 Bridge Street, Shelburne Falls, MA 01370 413 625-6366 x 13
Wanda specializes in properties for sale in the Franklin County area of Pioneer Valley in Western Massachusetts. Including real estate in Western Massachusetts, Shelburne Falls or along the Mohawk Trail consisting of farms, acreage and building lots, new home construction, condominiums, farms, and antique homes.
>Click here to view information on select homes for sale and real estate in: Ashfield, Bernardston, Buckland, Charlemont, Colrain, Conway, Deerfield, Gill, Greenfield, Hawley, Heath, Leverett, Leyden, Montague, Northfield, Rowe, Shelburne, Sunderland, and Whately. This area is known for the several private schools including Stoneleigh Burnham, Northfield Mount Hermon, Deerfield Academy, Eaglebrook School, Bement School and the Academy at Charlemont. Franklin County is also near several colleges including Greenfield Community College, University of Massachusetts, Smith College, Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke, and Amherst College.
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