Learn what the residents of Southwick, MA 01077 say are the top ten reasons they love their hometown,. To see this post and other information on Southwick including market reports visit: http://westernmahomes.net/top-ten-reasons-to-love-southwick-ma/ Presented by Lesley Lambert, Park Square Realty 413-575-3611

1. Moore House, Southwick, MA (Photo credit:
LesleyLambert)
Top Ten Reasons to Love Southwick, MA
westernmahomes.net /top-ten-reasons-to-love-southwick-ma/
Lesley Lambert
I have told you all before that I am a Southwick
native.
I lived there my entire childhood and, like most kids, couldn’t wait to
move out of my hometown. (Incidentally, I moved all the way f ar
away to Westf ield). It wasn’t until I was solidly in my adulthood that
I started to look at Southwick with new eyes. There was one day in
my early 20′s that I vividly recall driving down College Highway and
being smacked with the realization that Southwick was simply
beautif ul. How had I lived there, driven up and down that very
stretch of road daily and never noticed just how lovely the barns
are with the rising mountain behind them? How had I missed the
lovely lines of a stately f armhouse or the rolling lushness of a
f allow tobacco f ield? How had I never noticed the rosy glow of the sunset over Congamond Lakes? At that
point, I made a vow to pay more attention to the beauty that was right there and relish the unexpected
loveliness in the f amiliar landscapes.
Dedicated to this cause, I drove the streets and country roads that I had traversed thousands of times in my
youth, but this time I really soaked it up. I looked f or the scenic spots and I stopped and took in the sights and
scents of the area. I immersed myself in all things Southwick and made an ef f ort to spend more time being
social in Southwick.
Do you know what happened next?
I f ell in love. I f ell in love with my hometown of Southwick and I have never stopped loving it since.
While I retained my love f or my hometown in the years af ter this, the vivid urgency in rediscovery had f aded and
I started to take this lovely town f or granted again, until this past weekend. I held an open house on
Pineywood Road in Southwick last Sunday and a high school f riend of mine came by to see the house and
ended up staying the length of the event chatting. In the course of our conversation we shared the reasons
that Southwick tugs at our hearts and draws us geographically. We have a mutual f ondness f or the scenery,
but it is the people that make this town special. There is a unique bonding to the residents and an old
f ashioned concern f or neighbors, f riends and even old classmates that isn’t as common as it should be. Some
people don’t like small town lif e or even Southwick, specif ically, because they f ind that everyone is in everyone
else’s business. My f riend and I decided a couple of things about that: #1- they are usually only interested
because they care about you somehow, #2- even those that are interested f or the wrong reasons are not
typically malicious and #3- when push comes to shove, Southwickians have each other’s back.
No matter how you look at it, Southwick, MA is an amazing small town in Western Massachusetts and there are
many reasons to love it. I decided to ask my Southwick f riends on Facebook why they love the town and here
are some of their responses along with my own additions to the “Top Ten Reasons To Love Southwick, MA”
#1 – The Summer House.

2. Did you know that the original Summer House was run by Friendly’s and was really only open in the Summer? It
was much smaller than it is now. I lived on Sef ton Drive and would take a shortcut through the woods and the
yard of the Lutheran Church to get my ice cream cone there on a hot day. Now it is a year round f amily style
restaurant with f un outdoor seating and a wooden stationary train that the kids love.
#2- Mrs. Murphy’s
No question about it, these are THE BEST DONUTS ever. I don’t even like donuts and I love Mrs. Murphy’s.
This hometown operation is legendary and people who move away make sure to take a special trip here when
they are home. It still has the old f ashioned f eel of a cof f ee shop and there is nothing more yummy than a
cinnamon donut f rom Mrs. Murphy’s. My breakf ast in high school was of ten a coconut donut f rom Mrs.
Murphy’s purchased in the caf eteria. If you live in Western MA and haven’t been, you need a road trip STAT.
#3- The Congamond Lakes
I never appreciated the f act that Southwick is a lake community as a kid. I am not sure why, but I do now. A year
or so ago, I took a lovely sunset cruise on the lake with some f riends and we saw the most amazing sunset
over a glass of wine. Another day the kids were tubing and swimming and I always love to listen to the bands
at Louie B’s. Amusing geographical f act, the reason f or the “jog” in the Massachusetts border is probably so
that MA could retain most of the Congamond Lakes. On my Facebook poll my boyf riend, Morriss, added this:
“…Southwickians are keeping a whole bunch of land that ought to belong to Connecticut in the mitts of the
Massachusettonians.”
#4- Farmstands
Many people in my inf ormal Facebook poll said that they love all of the
f armstands. There does seem to be a seasonal f armstand all over
the place, but my year round f avorite is Putnam Farms/ Blossoming
Acres. In Southwick you will f ind the best that Western MA produce
can provide including corn, strawberries, asparagus, apples and much
more!
#5- The Granville Gorge
Not just a spot f or delinquent teenagers to hide out (not that I would know ANYTHING about THAT), the
Gorge is an absolutely amazing spot f or a hike, brisk dunk in the mountain waters or a picnic. While the name
would suggest it is in Granville, it is still within Southwick town borders and is worth a day trip f or sure. I hadn’t
been in decades until last year when I made an impromtu stop with my girls who had a blast swimming in the
chilly waters.
#6- The scenery
The scenery was mentioned by many people in my questioning and I
agree. Southwick is set in the lower Pioneer Valley and as such is
verdant, green and blessed with many amazing views. We are at the
f oothills of the mountains and there are many wide open f arm spaces
with lovely vistas. We have gorgeous homes on tree lined streets and
the lake area, too!
#7- The schools

3. Many respondents said that they love the f amily oriented nature of the
town and the schools f or their kids. It was at least a decade af ter my
high school graduation bef ore I realized how lucky I had been with such
a wonderf ul and caring background in my education. One of my best
f riends f rom school is now a high school counselor and I am so glad
that she is there to guide the next generation.
#8- Close but not too close
There is such a thing as being too f ar in the country f or many
homeowners. There are a lot of people (myself included) who crave
some level of country f eel and solitude, but don’t want to live away
f rom conveniences that a larger city provides. Southwick is set in an
ideal spot to solve that issue f or most people. Westf ield, Agawam and
Springf ield are very close with even bigger cities like Hartf ord and
Boston being a reasonable driving distance.
#9- Pizza!
Yes, little did you outsiders realize that Southwick is the hot bed of a long-lived pizza war. Many of the
participants change along the way, but the two main combatants are Roma Restaurant and Village Pizza.
Shout out to me…which slice is the best? (I am a Roma girl, f or the record).
#10- The People
I already mentioned this, but it bears repeating. I see lovely outpourings of support and love f or f ellow
Southwick natives EVERY DAY on Facebook. We may not all live in Southwick, still, but it is still in our hearts
and we still reach out to one another to share and assist. There is something wonderf ul about a small town
that f osters this level of caring concern and I am glad to have been raised in Southwick, MA.
If you are looking to make a move in or to Southwick, MA, I would love to
be your REALTOR.
Lesley Lambert, Park Square Realty 413-575-3611