Hawley is a very rural mountainous town dominated by more than 8,000 acres of state forest (DuBucque, Mohawk Trail and Savoy Mountain). Hawley has no stores and no industry but does have limited potato and dairy farming. Sixteen percent of the citizens of Hawley work at home businesses, while the balance of the population commute 25 or more miles to work. Hawley is the site of a prehistoric bog and a recently rebuilt stone charcoal kiln.
The town is also one of the most wintery towns in Massachusetts, averaging 100 to 110 inches of snowfall (170 inches in 1992-1993). Despite its small size, Hawley, which celebrated its 200th Birthday in 1992, thrives on community spirit, even passing six (out of six) proposition 2 1/2 overrides. Hawley is the home of true volunteer government. The town has just two full-time employees but a 12 person volunteer fire department and 5 EMTs.
