Pittsfield, Massachusetts

Pittsfield is the largest city and the county seat of Berkshire County, Massachusetts,^[2] United States. It is the principal city of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Berkshire County. Pittsfield’s population was 43,927 at the 2020 census.^[3] Although its population has declined in recent decades, Pittsfield remains the third-largest municipality in Western Massachusetts, behind only Springfield and Chicopee.^[4]

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Pittsfield
City
Park Square in downtown Pittsfield in 2014
Seal
Motto(s):  "Benigno Numine" (Latin) 'Benign Power'
Location in Berkshire County and the state of Massachusetts.
Pittsfield Location in Massachusetts Show map of Massachusetts Pittsfield Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 42°27′N 73°15′W / 42.450; -73.250][[Category:Pages using gadget WikiMiniAtlas]]"},"html":"Coordinates: </templatestyles>\"}' data-mw='{\"name\":\"templatestyles\",\"attrs\":{\"src\":\"Module:Coordinates/styles.css\"},\"body\":{\"extsrc\":\"\"}}'/>42°27′N 73°15′W / 42.450°N 73.250°W / 42.450; -73.250"}">
Country	United States
State	Massachusetts
County	Berkshire
Settled	1752
Incorporated (town)	1761
Incorporated (city)	1891
Named for	William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham
Government
• Type	Mayor–council
• Mayor	Peter Marchetti (D)
Area [1]
• Total	42.46 sq mi (109.98 km2)
• Land	40.47 sq mi (104.81 km2)
• Water	1.99 sq mi (5.17 km2)
Elevation	1,039 ft (317 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	43,927
• Density	1,085.47/sq mi (419.10/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (Eastern)
ZIP Code	01201
Area code	413
FIPS code	25-53960
GNIS feature ID	0607643
Website	cityofpittsfield.org

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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]

The Mohicans, an Algonquian people, inhabited Pittsfield and the surrounding area until the early 18th century, when the population was greatly reduced by war and disease brought by white invaders. Many migrated westward or were subjugated to live on the fringes of their land.^[6]

In 1738, a wealthy Bostonian named Col. 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 with Philip Livingston, a wealthy kinsman from Albany, New York, and Col. John Stoddard of Northampton, 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 of King George's War soon forced them to leave, and the land remained unoccupied by Englishmen for several more years.

Soon, many colonists arrived from Westfield, 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 Governor Sir Francis Bernard named Pittsfield after British nobleman and politician William Pitt.^[8] By 1761 there were 200 residents and the plantation became the Township of Pittsfield.

By the end of the Revolutionary War, Pittsfield had grown to nearly 2,000 residents, including Colonel John Brown, who in 1776 began accusing Benedict 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 the Housatonic River; the landscape was dotted with mills that produced lumber, grist, paper, and textiles. With the introduction of Merino sheep from Spain in 1807, the area became the center of woolen manufacturing in the United States, an industry that would dominate 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 and William Stanley Jr., who had recently relocated his Electric Manufacturing Company to Pittsfield from Great Barrington, produced the first electric transformer. Stanley's enterprise was the forerunner of the internationally known corporate giant, General Electric (GE). Thanks to the success of GE, Pittsfield's population in 1930 had grown to more than 50,000. While GE Advanced Materials (now owned by SABIC-Innovative Plastics, a subsidiary of the Riyadh-based Saudi Basic Industries Corporation) continues to be 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's transformer and aerospace portions. On October 8, 2015, SABIC announced it would relocate its headquarters from Pittsfield to Houston, Texas.^[11]

General Dynamics occupies many of the old GE buildings and its workforce is expanding. Much of General Dynamics' local success is based on the awarding of government contracts related to its advanced information systems.^{[citation needed]} In September 2018, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker, Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito, and other Baker administration officials attended the groundbreaking of a $13.7 million project to build a life sciences and advanced manufacturing center in the city.^[12]

Baseball in Pittsfield

In 2004, historian John Thorn discovered a reference to a 1791 by-law 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 by-law in the Berkshire 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. (See Origins of baseball.) The document is available on the Pittsfield Library's web site.^[13]

A finding that baseball was invented in 1839 by Abner Doubleday in Cooperstown, New York, provided the rationale for baseball centennial celebrations in 1939 including the opening of a National Baseball 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 defeated Williams College, 73–32.^[15]

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.

Professional baseball was played in Pittsfield's Wahconah Park from 1894 through 2003. Teams included the early Pittsfield Colts and Pittsfield Hillies, the Pittsfield Electrics of the 1940s, the Pittsfield Red Sox from 1965 to 1969 with such then A-league players and future major leaguers as George Scott, Carlton Fisk, and Reggie Smith, the Pittsfield Senators (later Rangers) of the 1970s, and the 1985–1988 AA Pittsfield Cubs featuring future stars Mark Grace and Rafael Palmeiro. From 1989 to 2001, the Pittsfield Mets and Pittsfield Astros (2001 only) represented the city in the New York–Penn League. The Astros have since moved to Troy, New York, and are now known as the Tri-City ValleyCats.

In 2005, Wahconah Park became the home stadium of the Pittsfield Dukes, a summer collegiate baseball franchise of the New England Collegiate Baseball League owned by Dan Duquette, former Boston Red Sox general manager. The Dukes had played the 2004 season in Hinsdale, Massachusetts, as the Berkshire Dukes. In 2009, the franchise changed its name to the Pittsfield American Defenders. The American Defenders' name refers to both the United States military and a line of baseball gloves produced by Nocona Athletic Goods Company. Duquette's ownership group also owned the American Defenders of New Hampshire, members of the independent Can-Am League.

Since 2012, Wahconah Park has been the home of the Pittsfield Suns of the Futures Collegiate Baseball League.

Mark Belanger, eight-time Gold Glove winning shortstop for the Baltimore Orioles, Turk Wendell, relief pitcher for the New York Mets, and Tom Grieve, outfielder for the Texas Rangers, were all from Pittsfield.

The love of baseball in the Berkshires, and especially Pittsfield, extends for all ages. Pittsfield has two Little League teams, Pittsfield American and National, who 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 all the way 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.

Pittsfield is at 42°27′N 73°15′W (42.4522, −73.2515).^[16]

According to the United 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 by Lanesborough to the north, Dalton to the east, Washington to the southeast, Lenox to the south, Richmond to the southwest, and Hancock to the west. Pittsfield is 48 miles (77 km) northwest of Springfield, 99 miles (159 km) west of Worcester, 135 miles (217 km) west of Boston, and 39 miles (63 km) east of Albany, 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 the Housatonic River, which flows south from the city towards its mouth at Long Island Sound, some 149 miles (240 km) distant. The eastern branch leads down from the hills, while the western branch is fed from Onota Lake and Pontoosuc Lake (which lies partly in Lanesborough). Like much of western Berkshire County, the city lies between the Berkshire Hills to the east and the Taconic 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 of U.S. Route 7 and U.S. Route 20, which join together in the city. Massachusetts Route 8 passes through the northeastern corner of town, with a portion of it combined with Route 9, the central east-west road through the western part of the state, whose western terminus is 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 (the Massachusetts Turnpike) is about 10 miles (16 km) south, in Lee.

Long-distance ground transportation in Pittsfield is based at the Joseph Scelsi Intermodal Transportation Center, which serves as the station for Amtrak trains and Peter 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 by CSX Transportation and the Housatonic Railroad.

The fixed-base operator at Pittsfield 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 is Albany International Airport.

Housatonic River

Background and historical overview

Flowing through a historically rural area,^[22] the Housatonic 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, and plastics.^[23]

Environmental issues

During the mid-20th century, the Housatonic River and its floodplain were contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and other hazardous substances released from the General 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 former river oxbows that have since been filled in; Allendale School; Silver Lake; and other areas contaminated as a result of GE's operations in Pittsfield.^[24]

The highest concentrations of PCBs in the Housatonic River are found from the site of the GE plant in Pittsfield to Woods Pond in Lenox, Massachusetts, where they have been measured up to 140 mg/kg (140 ppm).^[25] About 50% of all the PCBs in the river is 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]

Consent decree and cleanup

Starting in 1991, legal proceedings by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established the General Electric/Housatonic River Site. Initial cleanup work began in 1996 when EPA issued a unilateral order to GE that required the removal of highly contaminated sediments and bank soils. EPA added the site to its Superfund 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 a settlement 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 has not been completed as of 2023. Following a public comment period, EPA issued a permit in December 2020 for the final cleanup phase. In 2021 two of the citizen groups that were parties to the settlement filed an appeal of the permit, criticizing the design of a planned landfill to be located in Berkshire County. In February 2022 the US Environmental Appeals Board (EAB) denied the permit 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 the First Circuit Court of Appeals, and in July 2023 the court rejected the plaintiffs' challenge.^[31]

Groundwater and long-term monitoring

In the years since the settlement was reached, 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 up 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 compared to conditions before remediation.^[24] GE removed contaminated soil and restored 27 residential properties abutting the river. As of 2006 more than 115,000 cubic yards (88,000 m³) of PCB-contaminated sediment, bank, and floodplain soil have been removed from the river and residential property.^[32] As of 2019 GE has completed remediation and restoration of the 10 manufacturing plant areas within the city, and is conducting inspection, monitoring and maintenance activities.^[33]

As of the census^[47] 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).

The racial makeup of the city in 2017 was 87.4% white (84.4% non-Hispanic white), 4.7% black, 0.4% Native American, 2.0% Asian (0.6% Chinese, 0.5% Indian, 0.3% Pakistani, 0.2% Filipino, 0.2% Korean, 0.1% Vietnamese), 0.02% Pacific Islander, 2.0% from other races, and 3.5% from two or more races. Hispanics and Latinos of any race were 6.0% of the population (1.9% Puerto Rican, 0.9% Mexican, 0.6% Ecuadorian, 0.5% Dominican, 0.4% Spanish, 0.3% Peruvian, 0.3% Honduran, 0.2% Colombian, 0.2% Salvadoran, 0.1% Cuban). The ten largest ancestry groups in the city were Irish (22.5%), Italian (17.5%), French (11.7%), German (9.9%), English (8.6%), Polish (6.7%), American (4.1%), French-Canadian (3.7%), Scottish (1.7%), and Russian (1.5%). Immigrants accounted for 7.3% of the population. The ten most common countries of origin for immigrants in the city were, Ecuador, China, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, India, El Salvador, Canada, Ghana, and Brazil.

In 2010, there were 19,704 households, out of which 27.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.9% were married 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. The per capita income for the city was $20,549. About 8.9% of families and 11.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.7% of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over.

Pittsfield employs the mayor-council form of government. The mayor is currently Linda Tyer, who was elected for Pittsfield's first four-year term in January 2016,^[48] but will be succeeded in January 2024 by Peter Marchetti, who won the seat in the November 2023 municipal election.^[49] The city is fully functioning, with all the major public services, including Berkshire Medical Center which is the only hospital in the northern part of the county, and the region's only VA medical clinic. The city's library, the Berkshire Athenaeum, is one of the largest in western Massachusetts, and is connected to the regional library system. Pittsfield is also the county seat of Berkshire County, and as such 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.^[50]

On the state level, Pittsfield has a single elected representative to the Massachusetts House of Representatives: the Second Berkshire District, which covers the entire city proper and is represented by Tricia Farley-Bouvier.^[51] In the Massachusetts Senate, the city is represented by Paul Mark of the Berkshire, Hampshire, Franklin and Hampden district. Tara Jacobs (D-North Adams) represents Pittsfield as part of the Eighth Massachusetts Governor's Council district.^[52] The city is patrolled by the Fourth (Cheshire) Station of Barracks "B" of the Massachusetts State Police.^[53]

On the national level, Pittsfield is represented in the United States House of Representatives as part of Massachusetts's 1st congressional district, and has been represented by Richard Neal (D) of Springfield since 2013. Massachusetts is represented in the United States Senate by senior Senator Elizabeth Warren (D) and junior Senator Ed Markey (D).

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 and Taconic 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, and St. Joseph Central High School for high school students).

Pittsfield is the home to the main campus of Berkshire Community College and Mildred Elley's Pittsfield campus. The nearest state college is the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts in North Adams, and the nearest state university is Westfield State University. The nearest private colleges are Williams College in Williamstown and Bard College at Simon's Rock in Great Barrington. In addition, the Berkshire Music School, a non-profit music school, offers private and group lessons in multiple instruments.

Downtown Pittsfield serves as the crossroads of two US Highways: US 7 & US 20.

Pittsfield is served by Amtrak's Lake Shore Limited from Chicago to Boston, and seasonal Berkshire Flyer from New York City to Pittsfield, at the Joseph Scelsi Intermodal Transportation Center.

Local transit is provided by the Berkshire Regional Transit Authority.^[57][58]

Pittsfield is home to several businesses, including:

• SABIC-Innovative Plastics (formerly known as General Electric (Plastics/Advanced Materials Division) and now a subsidiary of the Riyadh-based Saudi Basic Industries Corporation)
• General Dynamics Mission Systems (Pittsfield facility originally known as General Electric Ordnance)
• Interprint Incorporated on the Pittsfield-Richmond line
• The Moscow Ballet, national touring dance company and producer of the Great Russian Nutcracker
• Pittsfield Generating Facility, natural gas fired generating station
• The Berkshire Humane Society operates animal welfare services and pet adoption facilities in Pittsfield

• List of mayors of Pittsfield, Massachusetts
• List of mill towns in Massachusetts