Map of Alford
Alford:
Alford was settled in 1750 as a farming community, which it remained for more than two centuries. The town has no stores, hotels or gas stations. Its historic village is one of the best preserved in the county. Housing prices in the town, which is immediately west of Great Barrington, are among the highest in the Berkshires because of the attractiveness of Alford to second-home owners. Although there has been a steady development of second-homes in Alford, the town has been very successful in controlling its residential development. Alford Brook, which feeds into the Green River, is considered one of the best fishing streams in the Berkshires.
Website – townofalford.org
Population – 507
Size – 11.6 sq. miles
School Districts – Southern Berkshire Regional School District
Town Hall – 5 Alford Center Road
Town Clerk – Paula Doyle
Library – Alford’s Children’s Library dedicated in memory of Susan Smith Andersen located at Alford Town Hall
Fire Department – The Alford Fire Department located on North Egremont Road
Map of Egremont
Egremont:
Egremont was one of the first places to be settled in the 18th century by European immigrants, contributing to its long and rich tradition of farming. Egremont has the highest percentage of people working on farms in the Berkshires (5.2 percent) with the exception of Tyringham, and 20 percent of the land in town is used for agricultural purposes. More than a third of the houses in Egremont are second homes, an increasingly important part of the town’s make-up.
Website – egremont-ma.gov
Population – 1014
Size – 18.96 sq. miles
School Districts – Southern Berkshire Regional School District
Town Hall – 171 Egremont Plain Road
Town Clerk – Juliette Haas
Library – 1 Buttonball Lane
Police Station – 171 Egremont Plain Road
Fire Department – 175 Egremont Plain Road
Map of Great Barrington
Great Barrington:
Great Barrington serves as the regional hub of the southern Berkshires and is the fastest growing medium-sized town in the county. Founded in 1766, the town quickly earned a reputation for being rebellious. On August 18, 1774, a mob chased Royal judges out of town, the first open resistance to British rule in America. The town has been blessed with a balanced economy of farming and manufacturing for much of its history. Today there are only a handful of farms remaining, and tourism plays an increasingly important role in the town’s commerce and character. Great Barrington’s year-round population consists of an unusual blend of natives, transplants from metropolitan areas, students from nearby private schools and a college, and people pursuing alternative lifestyles.
Website – townofgb.org
Population – 6933
Size – 45.86 sw. miles
School Districts – Berkshire Hills Regional School District
Town Hall – 334 Main Street
Town Clerk – Marie Ryan
Library – Mason Library: 231 Main Street, Ramsdell Library: 1087 Main Street, Housastonic
Police Station – 465 Main Street
Fire Department – 37 State Road
Map of Monterey
Monterey:
The town of Monterey, once known as Township #1, was settled in the 1740’s by a group of Proprietors from Watertown, MA. While known as the Town of Tyringham from 1761 to 1847, the Town was given the name Monterey when it split from the Town of Tyringham. Losing out to the Midwest in the business of cheesemaking and to cities in the papermaking and tanning business, Monterey turned to its natural environment. From the late 1800’s, people in search of peaceful and recuperative surroundings began prolonged visits at various times of the year. It became a popular resort town. An 1889 tourist guide describes Monterey as “charmingly attractive” with two of the area’s most beautiful lakes: Lake Buel and Lake Garfield. The town has retained its rural character and has a large second home community.
Website – montereyma.gov
Population – 1017
Size – 27.23 sq. miles
School Districts – Southern Berkshire Regional School District
Town Hall – 435 Main Road
Town Clerk – Terry Walker
Library – Monterey Library: 452 Main Road
Map of Mount Washington
Mount Washington:
Mount Washington is the second smallest town in Massachusetts with only 129 residents and is the most sparsely populated with only eight residents per square mile. Founded in 1779, Mount Washington has an intriguing history for such a small community. In the 1800s, a section of Mount Washington called Clinton Corners was a notorious gathering point for rogues, ruffians, and fugitives. Because Clinton Corners was located in Massachusetts but was effectively isolated from state authorities by mountains it had a reputation for lawlessness. The problem was finally resolved by ceding the community to New York State. Mount Washington’s eastern slope was one of the first sections of Berkshire County to be populated by Dutch settlers and is the location of the oldest cemetery in the Berkshires. Mount Washington’s population dropped 34 people in the 1950s but has been steadily increasing since.
Website – townofmtwashington.com
Population – 129
Size – 22.4 sq. miles
School Districts – Southern Berkshire Regional School District
Town Hall – 118 East Street
Town Clerk – Gail Garrett
Library – East Street & Cross Road
Map of New Marlborough
New Marlborough:
New Marlboro consists of five villages (Clayton, Hartsville, Mill River, New Marlboro and Southfield). One of the first Berkshire towns to be settled, New Marlboro was established by the Massachusetts Legislature in 1735. The first resident, Benjamin Wheeler, built his house in 1739. Several mills were built in New Marlboro in the 19th century along the fast-moving Konkapot River. Among other things there were grist and cider mills, a box factory, and three major paper mills. Stage lines went through town bringing prosperity until the railroad usurped the traffic. New Marlboro today is very rural and has 284 second homes, or 35 percent of the housing stock.
Website – newmarlboroughma.gov
Population – 1351
Size – 43.82 sq. miles
School Districts – Southern Berkshire Regional School District
Town Hall – 807 Mill River Southfield Road
Town Clerk – Katherine Chretien
Library – 1 Mill River Great Barrington Road
Police Station – 807 Mill River Southfield Rd.
Fire Department – 205 Norfolk Road
Map of Otis
Otis:
An 1886 guidebook had this to say about Otis: “Otis, sloping down to the valley of the Farmington, has always been noted for the number and beauty of its so-called ‘ponds.’ The people, so far as the ‘old stock’ at least goes, are plain, warm-hearted country folk, hospitable and intelligent, always ready to enjoy the society of strangers who come for a season of rest and wholesome rural pleasure, and to help in making their stay pleasant. But city people have not yet actually appropriated the region.” All of this remains true, with the exception of the last comment. Otis and its lakes have been discovered. More than two-thirds (1,560) of its homes are seasonal, changing the relatively peaceful town into a bustling community every summer.
Website – townofotisma.com
Population – 1360
Size – 38 sq. miles
School Districts – Berkshire Hills Regional School District, Farmington River Regional School District, Lee Middle & High Schools
Town Hall – 1 North Main Road
Town Clerk – Lyn O’Brien
Library – 48 North Main Road
Police Station – 1 North Main Road
Fire Department – 15 South Main Road
Map of Sandisfield
Sandisfield:
Incorporated in 1762, Sandisfield was a prosperous and bustling town in its early days. As a stopping point on the Hartford to Albany stage line, Sandisfield (also known then as New Boston) grew to be the fourth largest town in the Berkshires in 1800. The railroad bypassed Sandisfield, however, and the population plummeted from about 2,000 to several hundred people by 1900. Today, Sandisfield is a small rural community that still retains some of the farming families that have formed the core of the town for 200 years.
Website – sandisfield.gov
Population – 915
Size – 53 sq. miles
School Districts – Farmington River Regional School District, Berkshire Hills Regional School District, Lee Middle & High School
Town Hall – 66 Sandisfield Road
Town Clerk – Dolores Harasyko
Library – 23 Sandisfield Road
Police Station – South Main Street
Fire Department – Station #1: 79 South Main Street, Station #2: 207 Sandisfield Road
Map of Sheffield
Sheffield:
In 1724, Sheffield was purchased from the Mahican Indians for 460 English pounds, three barrels of cider and 30 quarts of rum. From this tract of land, the settling committee created two townships, the Lower Township retaining the name of Sheffield and the Upper Township becoming Great Barrington in 1761. Settlers were attracted by the fertile Housatonic flood plain and the natural resources. The town developed rapidly, giving rise to gristmills, sawmills, plaster and paper mills, forges, tanneries, smithies, limekilns and shops for making clothing, furniture, wagons and harnesses. None of these industries survive today, except for the few large farms.
Website – sheffieldma.gov
Population – 3335
Size – 48.54 sq. miles
School Districts – Southern Berkshire Regional School District
Town Hall – 21 Depot Square
Town Clerk – Felecie Joyce
Library – 48 Main Street
Police Station – 10 South Main Street
Fire Department – 65 Depot Street