Mount Washington, Massachusetts
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| Mount Washington, Massachusetts | ||
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| Town | ||
| The town church and town hall
The town church and town hall
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| Motto: The Town Among the Clouds | ||
| Location in Berkshire County in Massachusetts Location in Berkshire County in Massachusetts |
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| Coordinates: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. | ||
| Country | United States | |
| State | Massachusetts | |
| County | Berkshire | |
| Settled | 1692 | |
| Incorporated | 1779 | |
| Government | ||
| • Type | Open town meeting | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 22.4 sq mi (57.9 km2) | |
| • Land | 22.2 sq mi (57.5 km2) | |
| • Water | 0.2 sq mi (0.4 km2) | |
| Elevation | 1,631 ft (497 m) | |
| Population (2010) | ||
| • Total | 167 | |
| • Density | 8/sq mi (2.9/km2) | |
| Time zone | Eastern (UTC-5) | |
| • Summer (DST) | Eastern (UTC-4) | |
| ZIP code | 01258 | |
| Area code(s) | 413 | |
| FIPS code | 25-43300 | |
| GNIS feature ID | 0618271 | |
| Website | townofmtwashington |
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Mount Washington is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 167 at the 2010 census,[1] making it the smallest town in Berkshire County and, after Gosnold and Monroe, the third smallest in Massachusetts. The name "Mount Washington" does not refer to Mount Washington of New Hampshire, New England's highest peak, but to an alternate, no-longer-used name for the southern Taconic Mountains in which the town sits. The name "Washington" is a tribute to George Washington, the first president of the United States.
Contents
History
Mount Washington was first settled in 1692 and was officially incorporated in 1779.
In 1857, a portion of the town that was much less accessible from the rest of Mount Washington than from the adjacent town of Ancram, New York, was ceded to New York state, and added to Ancram's territory; it is now the hamlet of Boston Corner within Ancram.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 22.4 square miles (57.9 km2), of which 22.2 square miles (57.5 km2) is land and 0.15 square miles (0.4 km2), or 0.67%, is water.[1] Mount Washington is the westernmost and southwesternmost town in Massachusetts.
The town is bordered on the west by Columbia County, New York, on a half-mile portion of its southern border by Dutchess County, New York, and on the rest of the southern border by Litchfield County, Connecticut. It is bordered on the north by Egremont, on the east by Sheffield, on the south by Salisbury, Connecticut, on the southwest by the Whitehouse Crossing section of North East, New York, and on the west by Ancram and Copake, New York. Mount Washington is 33 miles (53 km) south-southwest of Pittsfield, 58 miles (93 km) west of Springfield, and 148 miles (238 km) west-southwest of Boston.
Mount Washington is located on a plateau in the Taconic Mountains. To the east, Mount Everett, the highest point in town and the highest point in the southern Taconic Mountains, rises 2,602 feet (793 m) near the town's eastern border. To the north, several mountains and hills lie along the Egremont town line. Alander Mountain and the western escarpment of the southern Taconic Mountains lie along the western border of Mount Washington at the Columbia County, New York line. To the south, along the Connecticut border, stand another series of peaks including Mount Frissell. Although the summit of this mountain rests within the town of Mount Washington, its southern slope is located in Connecticut and is that state's highest elevation. Many brooks lie within the town, most of which feed into Roeliff Jansen Kill in Copake, New York. Mount Washington State Forest makes up a large portion of the town, as does Mount Everett State Reservation. The town is also home to Bash Bish Falls State Park, which is centered around its eponymous falls. The Appalachian Trail enters Massachusetts in Mount Washington, coming from Bear Mountain, then turning east before following near the eastern town border, over Mount Race and Mount Everett, before heading into Egremont.
Mount Washington is remote, with only four roads that lead out of the town, and only one, East Street, connected to the rest of Massachusetts via Egremont. There are no state roads within the town, with only New York State Route 344 entering the town, primarily as access to Bash Bish Falls from Route 22. The nearest state route in Massachusetts accessible to the town is Route 23 in Egremont. The nearest interstate, Interstate 90 (the Massachusetts Turnpike), is several miles north of the town, with the nearest exit, the "turn-around" exit 1, being in West Stockbridge. The nearest rail, bus and small airplane service are in Great Barrington, and the nearest national air service is at Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Connecticut.
Demographics
| Historical population | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
| 1850 | 351 | — |
| 1860 | 321 | −8.5% |
| 1870 | 256 | −20.2% |
| 1880 | 205 | −19.9% |
| 1890 | 418 | +103.9% |
| 1900 | 122 | −70.8% |
| 1910 | 110 | −9.8% |
| 1920 | 73 | −33.6% |
| 1930 | 60 | −17.8% |
| 1940 | 57 | −5.0% |
| 1950 | 34 | −40.4% |
| 1960 | 34 | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 52 | +52.9% |
| 1980 | 93 | +78.8% |
| 1990 | 135 | +45.2% |
| 2000 | 130 | −3.7% |
| 2010 | 167 | +28.5% |
| * = population estimate. Template:Historical populations/Massachusetts municipalities references | ||
As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 130 people, 64 households, and 36 families residing in the town. The town is the smallest town of the 32 cities and towns in Berkshire County, and the third-smallest of the 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts (only Monroe and Gosnold are smaller). The population density was 5.8 people per square mile (2.3/km²), the most sparsely populated town in the county and Commonwealth. There were 128 housing units at an average density of 5.8 per square mile (2.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 100.00% White.
There were 64 households out of which 15.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.4% were married couples living together, 4.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.2% were non-families. 37.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.03 and the average family size was 2.70.
In the town the population was spread out with 16.9% under the age of 18, 2.3% from 18 to 24, 21.5% from 25 to 44, 43.8% from 45 to 64, and 15.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 52 years. For every 100 females there were 109.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.8 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $53,125, and the median income for a family was $55,750. Males had a median income of $40,417 versus $31,250 for females. The per capita income for the town was $50,149. the highest in Berkshire County and the highest of any town in the four counties that make up Western Massachusetts. There were 4.5% of families and 8.2% of the population living below the poverty line, including no under eighteens and none of those over 64.
Government
Mount Washington employs the open town meeting form of government, and is led by a board of selectmen and administrative assistant. The town has no post office (it is served by the Egremont post office). The town has a small library which is connected to the regional library system.
On the state level, Mount Washington is represented in the Massachusetts House of Representatives by the Fourth Berkshire district, which covers southern Berkshire County, as well as the westernmost towns in Hampden County. In the Massachusetts Senate, the town is represented by the Berkshire, Hampshire and Franklin district, which includes all of Berkshire County and western Hampshire and Franklin Counties.[3] The town is patrolled by the First (Lee) Station of Barracks "B" of the Massachusetts State Police.[4]
On the national level, Mount Washington is represented in the United States House of Representatives as part of Massachusetts's 1st congressional district, and has been represented by Richard Neal of Springfield since January 2013. Massachusetts is currently represented in the United States Senate by senior Senator Elizabeth Warren and junior senator Ed Markey.
Education
Mount Washington has an agreement with the Southern Berkshire Regional School District to send its students to the regional schools. Kindergarten and first grade students attend the South Egremont School, second through sixth grade students attend Undermountain School in Sheffield, and seventh through twelfth grade students attend Mount Everett Regional High School in Sheffield. Additionally, there are private schools in Sheffield, Great Barrington and Salisbury, Connecticut.
The nearest community college is the South County Center of Berkshire Community College in Great Barrington. The nearest state college is Westfield State University. The nearest private college is Bard College at Simon's Rock in Great Barrington.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Senators and Representatives by City and Town
- ↑ Station B-1, SP Lee
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to [[commons:Lua error in Module:WikidataIB at line 506: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).|Lua error in Module:WikidataIB at line 506: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).]]. |
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Municipalities and communities of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States
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