A small Hampshire County Hilltown
Williamsburg, or “Burgy” as it’s known locally, is one of 28 bucolic Western Massachusetts Hilltowns. It was a busy industrial settlement until a dam burst and destroyed much of the town in 1874, leading to its transformation into the scenic small town it is today, more suburban than commercial. “It’s very rural and peaceful, surrounded by beautiful nature, but still close to Northampton,” says Realtor Kimberly Raczka of Five College Realtors, who has almost two decades of experience working with clients in the Pioneer Valley area. “Locals go to Northampton for things like date nights, but Williamsburg has some personality and a cute, quaint little small-town downtown area,” she says.
Cottages, Colonial Revivals, ranch-style homes and more
Most of Williamsburg’s housing stock consists of 19th-century Colonial Revivals and Queen Annes, early-20th-century farmhouses, midcentury cottages and ranch-style homes, as well as 21st-century New Traditionals. Prices start under $200,000 and quickly rise to over $1 million, depending on the home’s size, age and condition. Acreage and view factor into the prices, too. Typically, hilltop homes with mountain views and several acres of land sell for $825,000 and up.
Hampshire Regional Schools serve Williamsburg
The combined Hampshire Regional School Districts serve about 1,600 students in Hampshire County in four single-school elementary districts and one single-school secondary school district. School choice is available. Many Williamsburg kids attend Anne T. Dunphy School between preschool and sixth grade and continue to Hampshire Regional Middle and High School for seventh through 12th. Dunphy earns an A-minus from Niche. The middle and high schools, which share a campus, earn a B. The high school offers early college/joint admissions programs, allowing participating juniors and seniors to jump-start their college and/or career journeys.
Youth sports, golf and natural areas offer outdoor recreation
The Williamsburg Recreation Commission’s youth sports teams play at Ames Field in Haydenville, a small village and historic district on the south side of town. Beaver Brook Golf Course, Restaurant & Sports Bar, also in Haydenville, is a family-owned golf club with a 9-hole outdoor course and indoor, virtual golf facilities. Big View Trail is a marked, 1.5-mile hiking loop nearby, known for its sweeping views of the Connecticut River Valley and Mount Tom Range. To the north, the Williamsburg Wildlife Management Area is a nearly 90-acre nature preserve. In-season trout fishing, trapping and hunting for white-tailed deer, black bear and eastern coyote are permitted. Hiking is also allowed, but because the area is kept intentionally wild, there are no marked trails.
Shopping and dining in the Williamsburg Center Historic District
Downtown has locally owned stores, like Williamsburg Market, a full-service grocer, butcher and deli, and Williamsburg General Store, a gift shop and bakery. The Williamsburg Grange Community Hall hosts events, from poetry readings to seed exchanges. Their annual fundraiser, the Burgy Grange Fair, is held in September, with local vendors, an auction and “best in show” competitions. Dining options include A-1 Hilltown Pizza and Panda Garden Chinese Restaurant. Local Burgy, about halfway to Haydenville, is a popular food truck. “It’s affiliated with Local Burger, the regular restaurant in Northampton. It’s not a high-end date spot, it’s more of a fun, casual picnic place with very good burgers,” Raczka says.
Massachusetts Route 9, PVTA buses connect around Hampshire County
Massachusetts Route 9, called Main Street where it runs through Williamsburg, connects northwest toward Cummington and southeast into Northampton. Major regional employers in Northampton, like Cooley Dickinson Hospital and Smith College, are less than 8 miles away. The 14-mile drive to Amherst, east of Interstate 91, usually takes about 30 minutes. The Pioneer Valley Transit Authority provides bus service from Williamsburg to Northampton and Amherst.
