Mount Washington, Massachusetts
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- This article is about a town in southwestern Massachusetts. It should not be confused with Mount Washington, a mountain in New Hampshire.
| Mount Washington, Massachusetts | |
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| 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 (2000) | |
| - Total | 130 |
| - Density | 5.8/sq mi (2.2/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 |
Mount Washington is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 130 at the 2000 census. The name, Mount Washington does not refer Mount Washington of New Hampshire, New England's highest peak, but to an alternate, no longer used name for the southern Taconic Mountains wherein the town is located. The name Washington is a tribute to George Washington, the first president of the United States.
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[edit] 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 regarded as the hamlet of Boston Corners within its new town.
[edit] 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) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.4 km²) of it (0.67%) is water. Mount Washington is the southwestern-most town in western Massachusetts and Berkshire County. The town is bordered on the west by Columbia County, New York, on a .5 mile portion of its southern border by Dutchess County, New York, and on the rest of the southern border by Litchfield County, Connecticut. ed 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 south-southwest of Pittsfield, 58 miles west of Springfield, and 148 miles 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) feet 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 Tacnonic 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 east of the town border, over Mount Race and Mount Everett, before heading into Egremont.
Mount Washington is very 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 is in Great Barrington, and the nearest national air service is at Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Connecticut.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census[1] 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/sq mi (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. 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.
[edit] 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 a small police and fire department, but has no post office (it is served by the Egremont's 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.[2] The town is patrolled by the First (Lee) Station of Barracks "B" of the Massachusetts State Police.[3]
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 John Olver of Amherst since June of 1991. Massachusetts is represented in the United States Senate by senior Senator Ted Kennedy and junior Senator John Kerry.
[edit] Education
Mount Washington has an agreement with the South 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 and Great Barrington.
The nearest community college is the South County Center of Berkshire Community College in Great Barrington. The nearest state college is Westfield State College, and the nearest state university is the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The nearest private college is Bard College at Simon's Rock in Great Barrington.
[edit] References
- ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
- ^ Senators and Representatives by City and Town
- ^ Station B-1, SP Lee
[edit] External links
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