Berkshire County (pronounced/ˈbɜːrkʃər/) is thewesternmostcounty in theU.S. state ofMassachusetts. As of the2020 census, the population was 129,026.[2] Its largest city and traditionalcounty seat isPittsfield.[3] The county was founded in 1761.[4] TheBerkshire Hills are centered on Berkshire County. Residents are known as Berkshirites. It exists today only as a historical geographic region, and has no county government, with the exception of the retirement board for former county workers, and the offices of the sheriff and the registrar of deeds.
Of the fourteenMassachusetts counties, Berkshire County is one of eight that exists today only as a historical geographic region; it has limited county government. Berkshire County government was abolished effective July 1, 2000. Most former county functions were assumed by state agencies, and there is no county council or commission.[5] Thesheriff became a Commonwealth employee, but remains locally elected to perform duties within the county region and retains administrative and operational control over the Berkshire Sheriff's Office, an independent state agency created after the county government was abolished. The Berkshire Sheriff's Office runs thecounty jail andhouse of correction.[5]
Local communities were granted the right to form their own regional compacts for sharing services, and the towns of Berkshire County have formed such a regional compact known as the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission.
Berkshire County has three Registry of Deeds Districts, one for each district.
Maria T. Ziemba[6] (Northern District at Adams) Patsy Harris (Middle District at Pittsfield) Michelle Laramee-Jenny (Southern District at Great Barrington)
First Berkshire. – Consisting of the towns of Adams, Cheshire, Clarksburg, Florida, Hancock, Hinsdale, Lanesborough, New Ashford, North Adams, Peru, Savoy, Williamstown, and Windsor, all in the county of Berkshire. John Barrett III(D) is the current Representative.
Second Berkshire. – Consisting of the city of Pittsfield in the county of Berkshire. Tricia Farley-Bouvier (D) is the current Representative.
Third Berkshire. – Consisting of the towns of Alford, Becket, Dalton, Egremont, Great Barrington, Lee, Lenox, Monterey, Mount Washington, New Marlborough, Otis, Richmond, Sandisfield, Sheffield, Stockbridge, Tyringham, Washington, and West Stockbridge, all in the county of Berkshire. William Smitty Pignatelli (D) is the current Representative.
Berkshire County comprises only part of one district for the Massachusetts Senate due to its low population. The district consists of all 32 cities and towns in Berkshire County as well as the following 25 communities: Ashfield, Buckland, Charlemont, Colrain, Conway, Hawley, Heath, Monroe, Shelburne, Rowe and Whately, in the county of Franklin; Blandford, Chester, Granville, Southwick, and Tolland in the county of Hampden; Chesterfield, Cummington, Goshen, Huntington, Middlefield, Plainfield, Westhampton, Williamsburg and Worthington, in the county of Hampshire. Paul Mark (D) is the current Senator.
The Massachusetts Governor's Council, also known as the Executive Council, is composed of eight individuals elected from districts, and the Lt. Governor who serves ex officio. The eight councillors are elected from their respective districts every two years. Berkshire County is part of the 8th District.
The Council generally meets at noon on Wednesdays in its State House Chamber, next to the Governor's Office, to act on issues such as payments from the state treasury, criminal pardons and commutations, and approval of gubernatorial appointments such as judges, notaries and justices of the peace.
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 946 square miles (2,450 km2) of which 927 square miles (2,400 km2) is land and 20 square miles (52 km2) (2.1%) is water.[7] It is the second-largest county in Massachusetts by land area, only behindWorcester. The highest natural point in Massachusetts,Mount Greylock at 3,492 feet (1,064 m), is in Berkshire County.
Berkshire County is one of two Massachusetts counties that borders three neighboring states (Vermont, New York and Connecticut); the other isWorcester County. The two counties are also the only ones to touch both the northern and southern state lines.
Running north-south through the county are the Hoosac Range of theBerkshire Hills in the eastern part of the county and theTaconic Mountains in the western part of the county. Due to their elevation, the Berkshires attract tourists and summer residents eager to escape the heat of the lowlands.
As of the2020 census, the county had a population of 129,026. Of the residents, 17.3% were under the age of 18 and 24.4% were 65 years of age or older; the median age was 47.8 years. For every 100 females there were 94.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 93.1 males. 65.3% of residents lived in urban areas and 34.7% lived in rural areas.[14][15][16]
There were 57,015 households in the county, of which 22.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them and 30.4% had a female householder with no spouse or partner present. About 35.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.[15]
There were 69,759 housing units, of which 18.3% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 66.7% were owner-occupied and 33.3% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.6% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.4%.[15]
Berkshire County, Massachusetts – Racial and ethnic composition Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos may be of any race.
At the2010 census, there were 131,219 people, 56,091 households, and 33,618 families in the county.[20] The population density was 141.6 inhabitants per square mile (54.7/km2). There were 68,508 housing units at an average density of 73.9 per square mile (28.5/km2).[21] Theracial makeup of the county was 92.5% white, 2.7% black or African American, 1.2% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 1.2% from other races, and 2.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 3.5% of the population.[20] The largest ancestry groups were:[22]
Of the 56,091 households, 25.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.9% were married couples living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 40.1% were non-families, and 33.0% of households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.82. The median age was 44.7 years.[20]
The median household income was $48,907 and the median family income was $64,783. Males had a median income of $47,401 versus $35,964 for females. The per capita income for the county was $28,300. About 7.9% of families and 11.6% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 15.5% of those under age 18 and 7.3% of those age 65 or over.[23]
Population density of Berkshire County by census block (2020)[24]
At the2000 census there were 134,953 people, 56,006 households, and 35,115 families in the county. The population density was 145 people per square mile (56 people/km2). There were 66,301 housing units at an average density of 71 per square mile (27/km2). The county's racial makeup was 95.02%White, 1.99%Black orAfrican American, 0.15%Native American, 0.99%Asian, 0.04%Pacific Islander, 0.59% from other races, and 1.23% from two or more races. 1.69%.[25] wereHispanic orLatino of any race. 16.5% were ofItalian, 16.4%Irish, 10.8%French, 10.3%English, 8.0%Polish, 7.1%German, 5.8%American and 5.1%French Canadian ancestry, 94.1% spokeEnglish, 1.6%Spanish and 1.1%French as their first language.
Of the 56,006 households 27.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.00% were married couples living together, 11.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.30% were non-families. 31.60% of households were one person and 13.90% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.89.
The age distribution was 22.40% under the age of 18, 8.40% from 18 to 24, 26.40% from 25 to 44, 24.90% from 45 to 64, and 17.90% 65 or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 91.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.10 males.
The county's median household income was $39,047, and the median family income was $50,162. Males had a median income of $36,692 versus $26,504 for females. The county's per capita income was $21,807. About 6.50% of families and 9.50% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 12.30% of those under age 18 and 7.20% of those age 65 or over.
The ranking of unincorporated communities included on the list are reflective if the census designated locations and villages were included as cities or towns. Data is from the 2007–2011 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates.[26][27][28]
TheMahican (Muh-he-ka-neew) Native American tribe lived in the area that now makes up Berkshire County until the early 18th century, when the first English settlers and frontiersmen appeared and began setting up farms and homesteads. On April 25, 1724, "The English finally paid the Indians 460 pounds, 3 barrels of cider, and 30 quarts of rum" for what is today southern Berkshire County.[32] This deal did not include modernStockbridge,Richmond, andLenox, or any northern towns. Berkshire County was the western part ofHampshire County until separated in 1761.
In the 19th century, Berkshire County became popular with the American elite, which built what they called "cottages" throughout the countryside. TheGilded Age ended in the early 20th century with the income tax, World War I, and theGreat Depression. In the 20th century, some of these cottages were torn or burned down, while others became prep schools, historic sites, orbed-and-breakfast inns.
Scholar and civil rights activistW.E.B. Du Bois was born in Great Barrington, MA. His birthplace and other sites of interest are part of theUpper Housatonic Valley African American Heritage Trail.
Folk singerArlo Guthrie resides in Berkshire County.
^"Cumulative Census of Peru, Massachusetts 1790-1920".Berkshire Genealogist. Vol. XXII. Berkshire Genealogical Society. 2001. p. 45.Some Berkshirites with children 'of parts unknown' left bequests to absent heirs...
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