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Western Massachusetts is a geographical region of the state of Massachusetts which contains the Berkshires and the Pioneer Valley. Although there is no exact definition of the boundaries of Western Massachusetts, the most common definition consists of the counties of Berkshire, Franklin, Hampshire, and Hampden, as well as Athol and Royalston in Worcester County. Generally Franklin, Hampshire, and Hampden counties are referred to as the "Tri-County Area", "Connecticut River Valley", "Pioneer Valley" or "the Valley." The Berkshires are generally referred to as just that.
Geography
Western Massachusetts can be divided into approximately four zones running from north to south across the region.
The Berkshire Mountains are a branch of the ancient Appalachian Mountains in the extreme west of the state, consisting approximately of Berkshire County. Larger towns in the area include Pittsfield and North Adams.
The Hill Towns
The Hill Towns more or less include the areas of Franklin, Hampshire, and Hampden Counties between the Connecticut River valley towns and the Berkshires.
The Valley
The Connecticut River valley is formed on a fault line from when Africa subducted under North America millions of years ago, leaving part of itself behind. Cities in this region include Springfield, Greenfield, Northampton, South Hadley, and Holyoke.
See also: Pioneer Valley
The Amherst Hill Towns
The area to the east of the Valley does not have a general name, and thus is often mistakenly considered part of the valley itself. Pelham, Shutesbury, and Leverett are part of the Amherst school district, and also called the "Hill Towns," despite being on the other side of the river from other hill towns. This area includes the Quabbin Reservoir.
People
By the definition described at top, in the year 2000 the region had 834,358 residents, a population greater than that of five US states; however, Springfield and Hartford are often considered twin cities, which almost doubles the number of inhabitants in the region.
Personality
The people of Western Massachusetts tend to take a cynical attitude towards Boston -- the state's capital and largest city -- and have conflicted feelings towards corporate encroachment. A haven of small businesses, the region has experienced heated debates as to whether large companies such as Wal-Mart should be allowed in. The debate has been particuarly strong in some of the more northern towns, particularly Greenfield, Massachusetts.
Each town takes on its own personality, and residents often prefer to name their town over their state as their place of origin or residence. The lack of significant county governments in the region may have something to do with this.
In Crash!ng the Party, Ralph Nader includes Amherst, along with Vermont and his home state of Connecticut, as one of the few places in the country where he believes small-town spirit is still strong.
History
Western Massachusetts was originally settled by several native tribes including the Pocumtuck, Nonotuck Mohawk, and Mahican. The first European settlers came up from Connecticut to Springfield in 1636, and from Springfield to Northampton in 1654. In 1704 the French and their Native American allies led an attack on Deerfield, Massachusetts as part of the French and Indian War. After the revolution, Daniel Shays, a farmer from Shutesbury led a rebellion, largely in Springfield, in hopes of gaining exemption for Continental soldiers from the crushing debts that they had incurred while fighting for independence. Although crushed, his rebellion led Thomas Jefferson to declare that "a little revolution every twenty years or so is a good thing."
Claims to fame
- Amherst College and Williams College are considered among the best in the country.
- Mount Holyoke College was the first women's college in the United States.
- Noah Webster of Amherst produced the first American Dictionary in 1806.
- James Naismith invented basketball in Springfield in 1891.
- The Springfield Armory was the site of Shay's Rebellion. The Springfield Armory also produced the famous Springfield rifle for the United States Armed Forces.
- In 1892, the first gasoline-powered car was produced in Springfield.
- William G. Morgan invented volleyball in Holyoke in 1895
- In 1901, the first American motorcycle company, Indian Motorcycle was founded in Springfield.
- The Milton Bradley, Merriam-Webster, Spalding, Smith and Wesson, Channing Bete, Yankee Candle Company, Friendly's Ice Cream, Peter Pan Bus, and Big Y corporations are all based out of Western Massaschusetts.
- The concept of mixing candy, nuts, and crushed cookies, and other stuff into ice cream was invented by Steve Herrell at his restauraunt Herrell's in Northampton
- Northampton has a national reputation as a lesbian mecca.
- The Clark Museum has one of the greatest collections of impressionist paintings in the world.
Famous Residents
Sites to See
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