In 2017, the Arts Vibrancy Index compiled by the National Center for Arts Research ranked Pittsfield and Berkshire County as the number-one medium-sized community in the nation for the arts.[5]
TheMohicans, anAlgonquian people, inhabited Pittsfield and the surrounding area until the early 18th century, when the population was greatly reduced by war and disease brought by European Colonists. Many migrated westward or were subjugated to live on the fringes of their land.[6]
In 1738, wealthy Bostonian Colonel Jacob Wendell bought 24,000 acres (97 km2) of land known originally as "Pontoosuck," from a Mohican word meaning "a field or haven for winter deer," as a speculative investment. He planned to subdivide and resell to others who would settle there. He formed a partnership withPhilip Livingston, a wealthy kinsman fromAlbany, New York, and Col. John Stoddard ofNorthampton, who had claim to 1,000 acres (4.0 km2) here.
A group of young armed militia men came and began to clear the land in 1743, but the threat of Indian resistance around the time ofKing George's War soon forced them to leave, and the land remained unoccupied by Englishmen for several years.
Soon, many colonists arrived fromWestfield, Massachusetts, and a village began to grow, which was incorporated as Pontoosuck Plantation in 1753 by Solomon Deming, Simeon Crofoot, Stephen Crofoot, Charles Goodrich, Jacob Ensign, Samuel Taylor, and Elias Woodward. Mrs. Deming was the first and the last of the original colonists, dying in March 1818 at the age of 92. Solomon Deming died in 1815 at the age of 96.[7]
Pittsfield was incorporated in 1761. Royal GovernorSir Francis Bernard named Pittsfield after Britishnobleman andpoliticianWilliam Pitt.[8] By 1761 there were 200 residents and the plantation became the Township of Pittsfield.
By the end of theRevolutionary War, Pittsfield had grown to nearly 2,000 residents, including Colonel John Brown, who in 1776 began accusingBenedict Arnold of being a traitor, several years before Arnold defected to the British. Brown wrote in his winter 1776–77 handbill, "Money is this man's God, and to get enough of it he would sacrifice his country."[9]
Pittsfield was primarily turned into an agricultural area because of the many brooks that flowed into theHousatonic River; the landscape was dotted with mills that produced lumber, grist, paper, and textiles. With the introduction ofMerino sheep from Spain in 1807, the area became the center of woolen manufacturing in the United States, an industry that dominated the community's economy for almost a century.[10]
The town was a bustling metropolis by the late 19th century. In 1891, the City of Pittsfield was incorporated andWilliam Stanley Jr., who had recently relocated his Electric Manufacturing Company to Pittsfield fromGreat Barrington, produced the first electric transformer. Stanley's enterprise was the forerunner of internationally known corporate giantGeneral Electric (GE). Thanks to the success of GE, Pittsfield's population in 1930 had grown to over 50,000. While GE Advanced Materials (now owned bySABIC-Innovative Plastics, a subsidiary of the Riyadh-based Saudi Basic Industries Corporation) is still one of the city's largest employers, a workforce that once topped 13,000 was reduced to less than 700 with the demise and/or relocation of General Electric'stransformer andaerospace portions. On October 8, 2015, SABIC announced it would relocate its headquarters from Pittsfield to Houston, Texas.[11]
In 2004, historian John Thorn discovered a reference to a 1791 bylaw prohibiting anyone from playing "baseball" within 80 yards (73 m) of the new meeting house in Pittsfield. A reference librarian, AnnMarie Harris, found the actual bylaw in theBerkshire Athenaeum library and its age was verified by researchers at the Williamstown Art Conservation Center. If authentic and if actually referring to a recognizable version of the modern game, the 1791 document would be, as of 2004, the earliest known reference to the game in America. (SeeOrigins of baseball.) The document is available on thePittsfield Library's web site.[13]
A finding thatbaseball was invented in 1839 byAbner Doubleday inCooperstown, New York, provided the rationale for baseball centennial celebrations in 1939 including the opening of a NationalBaseball Hall of Fame and Museum in that city. Few historians ever believed it and even the Hall's vice president,Jeff Idelson, has stated that "Baseball wasn't really born anywhere."[14]
In 1859, the first intercollegiate baseball game was played in Pittsfield.Amherst defeatedWilliams College, 73–32.[15]
Ulysses Frank Grant
Ulysses Frank Grant, born August 1, 1865, in Pittsfield (died May 27, 1937), was an African American baseball player in the 19th century who played in the International League and for various independent teams.
Mark Belanger, eight-time Gold Glove winning shortstop for the Baltimore Orioles,Turk Wendell, relief pitcher for the New York Mets, andTom Grieve, outfielder for the Texas Rangers, were all from Pittsfield.
The love of baseball in the Berkshires, and especially Pittsfield, extends to all ages. Pittsfield has two Little League teams, Pittsfield American and National, which are the two dominant powers in Berkshire County Little League and Western Massachusetts. The 2022 Pittsfield 13U Babe Ruth baseball team made a run to the Babe Ruth 13U World Series Championship game, winning the New England Regional and going to the Title Series, before losing to Kado, Hawaii. Pittsfield hosted the 2023 Babe Ruth 15U New England Regional Tournament at Wahconah Park. Pittsfield received an automatic bid for hosting and advanced to the championship game, but fell to Norwalk, Conn.
Both Pittsfield high schools are known for their baseball and softball prowess. Taconic High School won state championships in 2017 and 2019 and reached the Final Four in 2023. It was the No. 1 overall seed in the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) Division III bracket in 2022 and beat city-rival Pittsfield High three times. Twice in the regular season and once again in the PVIAC Western Massachusetts Class B Championship Game in front of a crowd of over 3,500 at Wahconah Park. However, the two teams met in the Division III Sweet 16 and Pittsfield High pulled off the upset to send its crosstown rival home.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the city has an area of 42.5 square miles (110.0 km2), of which 2.0 square miles (5.2 km2), or 4.70%, are covered by water.[17] Pittsfield is bordered byLanesborough to the north,Dalton to the east,Washington to the southeast,Lenox to the south,Richmond to the southwest, andHancock to the west. Pittsfield is 48 miles (77 km) northwest ofSpringfield, 99 miles (159 km) west ofWorcester, 135 miles (217 km) west ofBoston, and 39 miles (63 km) east ofAlbany, New York.
Most of the population occupies roughly one-quarter of the city's land. Pittsfield lies at the confluence of the east and west branches of theHousatonic River, which flows south from the city towards its mouth atLong Island Sound, some 149 miles (240 km) distant. The eastern branch leads down from the hills, while the western branch is fed fromOnota Lake and Pontoosuc Lake (which lies partly in Lanesborough). Like much of western Berkshire County, the city lies between theBerkshire Hills to the east and theTaconic Range to the west. Sections of the Housatonic Valley Wildlife Management Area dot the banks of the river. The western portion of the city contains Pittsfield State Forest, an 11,000-acre (4,500 ha) facility with hiking and cross-country skiing trails, camping, picnic areas, and a beach for swimming.[18][19]
Pittsfield is at the crossroads ofU.S. Route 7 andU.S. Route 20, which intersect in the city.Massachusetts Route 8 passes through the northeastern corner of town, with a portion of it combined withRoute 9, the central east-west road through the western part of the state, which terminates in the city at Route 20.Route 41 begins in the southwestern corner of town, heading south from Route 20. The nearest interstate highway,Interstate 90 (theMassachusetts Turnpike) is about 10 miles (16 km) south, inLee.
Long-distance ground transportation in Pittsfield is based at theJoseph Scelsi Intermodal Transportation Center, which serves as the station forAmtrak trains andPeter Pan buses. The Berkshire Regional Transit Authority, the transit provider for Pittsfield and vicinity, is based at the Intermodal Center and also uses it as a hub for most of its lines. Rail freight transportation is provided byCSX Transportation and theHousatonic Railroad.
Thefixed-base operator atPittsfield Municipal Airport offers access to the region via private and chartered aircraft ranging from single-engined piston to multiple-engined jet planes. They also offer scenic rides and flight training. The nearest airport with national service isAlbany International Airport.
Pittsfield has ahumid continental climate (Dfb). Winters are harsh due the city's high elevation at 1,039 ft (317 m), with an average annual snowfall of 73.0 inches (1,850 mm) and temperatures dipping to 0 °F (−18 °C) or colder 13 times per year. Summers, however, are typically warm and pleasant, with temperatures reaching 90 °F (32 °C) just six times per year. The record high and record low are 101 °F (38 °C) and −26 °F (−32 °C), recorded on July 23, 1926, and February 15, 1943, respectively. Over the course of a year, 173 days have measurable precipitation.
Flowing through a historically rural area,[22] theHousatonic River attracted increased industrialization in the late 19th century.William Stanley Jr., founded the Stanley Electric Manufacturing Company in 1890 at Pittsfield. The company manufactured small transformers, electrical motors and appliances. In 1903, GE acquired Stanley Electric and subsequently operated three major manufacturing operations in Pittsfield:transformer,ordnance, andplastics.[23]
During the mid-20th century, the Housatonic River and its floodplain were contaminated withpolychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and other hazardous substances released from theGeneral Electric Company (GE) facility in Pittsfield. The contaminated area, known as the General Electric/Housatonic River Site, includes the GE manufacturing facility; the Housatonic River, its riverbanks and floodplains from Pittsfield to Long Island Sound, and formerriver oxbows that have since been filled in; Allendale School; Silver Lake; and other contaminated areas.[24]
The highest concentrations of PCBs in the Housatonic River are found from the site of the GE plant in Pittsfield to Woods Pond inLenox, Massachusetts, where they were measured up to 140 mg/kg (140 ppm).[25] About 50% of PCBs in the river are estimated to be retained in the sediment behind Woods Pond dam. This is estimated to be about 11,000 pounds of PCBs.[25] Birds and fish that live in and around the river contain significant levels of PCBs.[26]
Cleanup activity at one of the GE Pittsfield plant Superfund sites on theHousatonic River.
Starting in 1991, legal proceedings by theU.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established the General Electric/Housatonic River Site. Initial cleanup work began in 1996 when EPA issued a unilateral order requiring GE to remove highly contaminated sediments and bank soils. EPA added the site to itsSuperfund list in September 1997.
The year 1999 was a milestone for Pittsfield, when negotiations between EPA, the state, General Electric, and the city resulted in asettlement agreement, valued at over $250 million, to clean up Pittsfield and the Housatonic River. The settlement was memorialized in a consent decree entered in federal court the following year, making it a binding legal agreement.[27] Between 2005 and 2018 GE completed remediation and restoration of the 10 manufacturing plant areas within the city, and continues to conduct inspection, monitoring and maintenance activities.[28]
Cleanup of the polluted downstream river areas is not complete as of 2025. Following a public comment period, EPA issued a permit in December 2020 for the final cleanup phase. In 2021, two citizen groups which were parties to the settlement filed an appeal of the permit, criticizing the design of a landfill planned for Berkshire County. In February 2022 the US Environmental Appeals Board (EAB) denied the appeal.[29] Following the EAB ruling, EPA continued to design the new PCB disposal facility and conducted public meetings in 2022.[30] Two citizen groups appealed the EAB decision to theFirst Circuit Court of Appeals, and in July 2023 the court rejected the plaintiffs' challenge.[31] EPA issued a conditional approval in March 2025 for GE's proposed disposal facility in Lee. Site preparation activities are expected to start in late 2025.[32]
In the years since the settlement, the EPA, state agencies, the City, and GE accomplished one of the largest and most complex cleanups in the country. Cleanup work on the first previously PCB-laden half mile of the Housatonic River, adjacent to the GE facility, was completed in September 2002.[24] $90 million was spent cleaning the 1.5-mile (2.4 km) reach between Lyman Street and Fred Garner Park, which was completed in June 2007. Biological and sediment samples showed reductions of approximately 99% of PCB concentrations.[24] GE removed contaminated soil and restored 27 residential properties abutting the river. As of 2006 over 115,000 cubic yards (88,000 m3) of PCB-contaminated sediment, bank, and floodplain soil have been removed from the river and residential property.[33] As of 2019 GE has completed remediation and restoration of the 10 manufacturing plant areas in the city and is conducting inspection, monitoring and maintenance activities.[34]
As of thecensus[48] of 2000, there were 45,793 people, 19,704 households, and 11,822 families residing in the city. Pittsfield is the largest city by population in Berkshire County, and ranks 27th out of the 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts. The population density was 1,124.3 inhabitants per square mile (434.1/km2), making it the most densely populated community in Berkshire county and 92nd overall in the Commonwealth. There were 21,366 housing units at an average density of 524.6 per square mile (202.5/km2).
In 2010, there were 19,704 households, out of which 27.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.9% weremarried couples living together, 13.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.0% were non-families. 34.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.89.
In 2010 in the city, the population was spread out, with 23.2% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 28.3% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 18.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city in 2010 was $35,655, and the median income for a family was $46,228. Males had a median income of $35,538 versus $26,341 for females. Theper capita income for the city was $20,549. About 8.9% of families and 11.4% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 16.7% of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over.
Pittsfield employs themayor-council form of government. The mayor is currently Peter Marchetti, who was elected to a four-year term in January 2024.[49][50] The city is fully functioning, with all the major public services, includingBerkshire Medical Center which is the only hospital in the northern part of the county, and the region's onlyVA medical clinic. The city's library, theBerkshire Athenaeum, is one of the largest in western Massachusetts, and is connected to the regional library system. Pittsfield is also thecounty seat of Berkshire County, and thus has many state facilities for the county. In 2011, the City of Pittsfield received 129 designs of prospective official flags from residents in honor of the 250th anniversary of Pittsfield's incorporation as a town, with the winning design submitted by Shaun Harris.[51]
Pittsfield operates a public school system which has more than 6,000 students. There are eight elementary schools (Allendale, Robert T. Capeless, Crosby, Egremont, Morningside, Silvio O. Conte, Stearns and Williams), two middle schools (Theodore Herberg and John T. Reid), two high schools (Pittsfield High School andTaconic High School), and one private school (Miss Hall's School). The high schools both offer internal vocational programs. Students also come to the high schools from neighboring Richmond. There were two parochial schools open for many decades, but both recently closed (Saint Mark's for elementary and middle school students, andSt. Joseph Central High School for high school students).
Downtown Pittsfield is home to the gilded-ageColonial Theatre, theBerkshire Museum, the Beacon Cinema (multi-plex), theBarrington Stage Company,Berkshire Athenaeum,Wahconah Park, andHebert Arboretum. In recent years, the city has undergone a transformation with significant investment in the historic downtown, including a variety of new restaurants (French, Asian, Latin American, etc.), condominium and other residential developments, and cultural attractions.
The Colonial Theatre, dating from 1903, was named byHillary Clinton as a National Historic Treasure in 1998. The community invested more than $22 million to refurbish the 100-year-old Colonial Theatre, one of the only theaters of its kind from theVaudeville age. The venue has been described as "one of the finest acoustical theaters in the world."
Barrington Stage Company, the Tony Award-winning producer ofThe 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee invested millions into its newly renovated stage in downtown Pittsfield, along with the development of other stages within the downtown for smaller performances. Barrington Stage's head of its Musical Theatre Lab,William Finn, told theBoston Globe that he was determined to make Pittsfield the "epicenter of the musical theater universe."
Many of the Berkshires' oldest homes, dating to the mid-18th century, can be found in Pittsfield, as well as many historic neighborhoods dating from the late 19th century and early 20th century.[57]
Several small multi-generational farms can still be found in Pittsfield, though suburban sprawl and land development have recently claimed some of this land.
Pittsfield has several country clubs, including the Pontoosuc Lake Country Club. Pittsfield is home to two major lakes,Onota and Pontoosuc, both used for swimming, boating, and fishing. The Berkshire Rowing and Sculling Society is on Onota Lake.
Pittsfield is home to Canoe Meadows Wildlife Sanctuary, 264 acres (107 ha) of woods, fields, and wetlands maintained by theMassachusetts Audubon Society.Bousquet Ski Area and Summer Resort entertains visitors and residents year-round with skiing, water slides, go-karts, and other fun activities.
Pittsfield State Forest, an 11,000-acre (4,500 ha) park, provides residents and tourists with hiking and cross-country skiing trails, camping, picnic areas, and a swimming beach. The highest body of water in Massachusetts, Berry Pond, is at the top of the Pittsfield State Forest just outside the city limits in the town of Hancock.[19]
The Berkshire Bike Path Council is working with the City of Pittsfield and local residents to extend theAshuwillticook Rail Trail, a 10.8-mile (17.4 km) paved trail just north of Pittsfield. The extension would pass through Pittsfield and lead south toLenox andGreat Barrington.
Pittsfield is in theAlbany television market and is thecommunity of license for two stations in that market,MyNetworkTV affiliateWNYA, and a low power TV station, W28DA, which rebroadcasts sister station andNBC affiliateWNYT on channel 13 from a location on South Mountain in the city.Springfield stations also serve the market with three stations (NBC affiliateWWLP, low-poweredCBS affiliateWSHM-LD, andPBS member stationWGBY-TV) on cable.WGGB-TV, Springfield'sABC affiliate, has never been carried on the cable system in Pittsfield, but is viewableover the air in some sections. Also carried on cable, but not necessarily serving Pittsfield, is Boston'sWCVB (theABC affiliate in that area).
Pittsfield Community Television is a not-for-profit, 501 (c)(3) organization and a member of the Alliance for Community Media. Programming on PCTV is available 24 hours per day, year-long, and is available online.
Pittsfield is home to several businesses, including:
SABIC-Innovative Plastics (formerly known asGeneral Electric (Plastics/Advanced Materials Division) and now a subsidiary of the Riyadh-based Saudi Basic Industries Corporation)
Roger E. Broggie, Disney Legend Award recipient (1990), selected byWalt Disney as first Imagineer, team that created Disneyland, Walt Disney World and similar themed amusement parks[62]
David Dunnels White, soldier of 37th Massachusetts Regiment, organized in Pittsfield during Civil War, captured Confederate Major General George Washington Custis Lee, son of famed GeneralRobert E. Lee, during Battle of Sailor's Creek Virginia, April 6, 1865
^Calloway, Colin G. (July 6, 2000).After King Philip's War : presence and persistence in Indian New England (Reencounters with Colonialism: New Perspectives on the Americas) (Kindle eBook ed.). Hanover: University Press of New England.ISBN978-1-61168-061-4.
^"Central Part of Pittsfield, Massachusetts". Rural Repository - A Semi-Monthly Journal Embellished with Engravings - One Dollar a Year - Hudson NY. August 31, 1844. Archived fromthe original on January 10, 2008. RetrievedFebruary 4, 2017.
^"1950 Census of Population"(PDF). Bureau of the Census. 1952. Section 6, Pages 21-10 and 21-11, Massachusetts Table 6. Population of Counties by Minor Civil Divisions: 1930 to 1950. RetrievedJuly 12, 2011.
^"1920 Census of Population"(PDF). Bureau of the Census. Number of Inhabitants, by Counties and Minor Civil Divisions. Pages 21-5 through 21-7. Massachusetts Table 2. Population of Counties by Minor Civil Divisions: 1920, 1910, and 1920. RetrievedJuly 12, 2011.
^"1890 Census of the Population"(PDF). Department of the Interior, Census Office. Pages 179 through 182. Massachusetts Table 5. Population of States and Territories by Minor Civil Divisions: 1880 and 1890. RetrievedJuly 12, 2011.
^"1870 Census of the Population"(PDF). Department of the Interior, Census Office. 1872. Pages 217 through 220. Table IX. Population of Minor Civil Divisions, &c. Massachusetts. RetrievedJuly 12, 2011.
^"1860 Census"(PDF). Department of the Interior, Census Office. 1864. Pages 220 through 226. State of Massachusetts Table No. 3. Populations of Cities, Towns, &c. RetrievedJuly 12, 2011.
^"1850 Census"(PDF). Department of the Interior, Census Office. 1854. Pages 338 through 393. Populations of Cities, Towns, &c. RetrievedJuly 12, 2011.
^"1950 Census of Population"(PDF). 1: Number of Inhabitants. Bureau of the Census. 1952. Section 6, Pages 21-7 through 21-09, Massachusetts Table 4. Population of Urban Places of 10,000 or more from Earliest Census to 1920. RetrievedJuly 12, 2011.{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal= (help)
^Nichols, Zella Wheeler (January 1947). Branham, Charles N. (ed.)."Obituary, Charles Brewster Wheeler".Assembly. West Point, NY: Association of Graduates, United States Military Academy. p. 38 – via West Point Digital Library.
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