Driving north on Routes 5 and 10 through Deerfield, you pass any number of souvenir shops and candy stores trying to capitalize on the visitors drawn by the area's biggest attractions: Historic Deerfield and the Yankee Candle Co. flagship store.
But as you enter Greenfield, new sidewalks and street lights appear. You make a sharp right turn, pass under the railroad bridge , come up the hill to the intersection of Main and Federal streets , and arrive in the heart of a modern downtown rich with historic buildings and successful local businesses.
The Town of Greenfield, established in 1753, became a city in July 2003, but the name wasn't changed . Local historian Peter Miller grew up here and says Greenfield is thriving, despite the odds faced by old mill towns.
"Greenfield was a major shopping center all the way up through, I guess I could say 1980," Miller said . But then retailers like Sears and JC Penney left town. Only a few of the industries that sustained Greenfield for generations remain -- among them BETE Fog Nozzle and
Miller predicts that small businesses will play a significant role in shaping Greenfield's future. Pierce Brothers Coffee Roasters on Hope Street and The People's Pint brew pub on Federal Street demonstrate that his prediction has some merit. And the busy shops along Main Street also offer reason for optimism.
Mary Walsh-Martel moved her toy store , Magical Child , from nearby Shelburne Falls to Main Street in 1995.
"Greenfield in the last 10 years or whatever has really been experiencing a bit of a renaissance," she said. "Little by little, some wonderful shops have appeared and Greenfield still has a viable downtown. That's hugely important to me."
Among her neighbors are Wilson's, a multilevel department store reminiscent of decades past, the independent World Eye Bookshop, and Greenfield Games. The cooperatively-owned Green Fields Market has a cafe and you can get your java fix at Café Koko. There's a movie theater in the historic Garden Theater building. And just a few blocks from downtown, Foster's offers a full-service grocery store.
Greenfield's population of about 18,000 has held pretty steady for decades, though demographics have shifted. Housing stock is cheaper than in nearby Amherst or Northampton, luring some home buyers north. As the seat of rural Franklin County, Greenfield also attracts migrant workers looking for jobs. They sometimes congregate on the town common, which dates to the 1730s and is surrounded by historic buildings.
Miller, who has been involved with the Greenfield Historical Society for more than 35 years, said those buildings are one of the town's great assets.
"Architecturally, it's a jewel," Miller said of Greenfield's downtown. He points to the Colonial Revival style of the Town Hall and the First National Bank building's Art Deco design. But Miller acknowledged that too many buildings are vacant and said rehabilitating them is vital to the town's economy.
Amy Clarke, 52, raised her four children in the Madison Circle neighborhood where she grew up. "It was a great place for us to grow up and it was a great place to raise our kids," she said .
She values the downtown shopping district, which is walking distance from her home. She treasures Wilson's, especially, which has a candy counter, a toy section, clothes, shoes for all ages -- and competitive prices.
"Not many towns are fortunate to have a family-owned store that's been there as long as Wilson's has," she said. Next spring, Wilson's will celebrate its 125th anniversary.
Drew Hutchison, 45, loves Greenfield despite what he describes as its lack of self-confidence.
"Greenfield is like a woman who is really beautiful and doesn't realize it," he said. "It's not that you have to have the perfect figure or the perfect features to be beautiful. You have to have something that's a little bit different, a little bit funky. And Greenfield has that."
Hutchison, who works at a local printing company, sees great potential in Greenfield's blue-collar roots and its smaller size. He bought a home here last year after living in nearby towns for decades. "It's beautiful because it's not too big, it's not too overgrown. It's always been behind the times and by being behind the times, it's saved itself," he said.
Greenfield made headlines in 1993 when residents prevented development of a Wal-Mart store through a citizen initiative. But changes in zoning rules, and local attitudes, now make the arrival of a big box discount store a question not of "if" but "when." Many who opposed Wal-Mart are now resigned to development. Clarke, executive director of the Franklin County Community Meals program, and her husband voted against the super-retailer.
Doug Clarke, 53, operations manager for the Greenfield/Hadley district of the Western Massachusetts Electric Co., says he remains concerned about the potential impact.
"It would be great if we had the best of both worlds in which you've got a discount store nearby to shop at but you also have a fairly vibrant downtown Main Street," he said.
Greenfield Mercantile Inc. hopes to achieve that by opening a cooperatively owned discount department store. The US Department of Agriculture recently awarded the group a rural business enterprise grant to pursue the project. Walsh-Martel, who serves on the board of the Greenfield Business Association, thinks the idea could work.
"And what's important to me is they're looking to position it in the downtown area," she said. By keeping the downtown vibrant, the whole town stays healthy, she added.
Outside the downtown area, Greenfield maintains considerable open space. The Green River Festival is a big summer draw that began as a hot air balloon event. Music has almost eclipsed ballooning as the focus of the two-day celebration each July. At the other end of town, you can climb the steps inside Poet Seat's Tower for a panoramic view of the Pioneer Valley.
Or, drive north on Leyden Road and you will pass through lands that have been farmed for centuries. If you take a left turn at Eunice Williams Drive, you approach the Green River. Near the crossing, the road is flanked by pine trees, but closed to cars. You have to get out and walk across the covered bridge.
Markers on both sides of the road commemorate this spot because Eunice Williams, wife of the Reverend John Williams, was killed here in the 1704 Deerfield Massacre. Another stone recognizes the volunteer labor of 66 people who constructed this covered bridge after its predecessor was burned. These days, the bridge sees the most traffic during the annual Greenfield Lightlife Triathlon in August.
Bob Schilling , who helps organize the triathlon and teaches at Greenfield Community College, said , "There's a lot of pressure to keep Greenfield a small, community-oriented place."
Groups and individuals are heeding the call. The Northeast Sustainable Energy Association has created the Greenfield Energy Park by the shuttered train station. The Caboose Museum shares the space with displays about gardening, solar power, and sustainability. Stroll up the hill and you find the Greenfield Solar Store, which sells energy-efficient appliances, compact fluorescent light bulbs , and biodiesel fuel. Co-op Power, a local consumer-owned energy company, plans to break ground this winter on a biodiesel plant in Greenfield.
Whether Greenfield is poised for an economic boom or has simply escaped a precipitous decline is hard to say. But shoppers committed to buying locally and history buffs can both find plenty to interest them in this place that remains in touch with its past.
Contact Amy Mayer, a freelance writer in Western Massachusetts, at amymayer@yahoo.com. 
