At a glance ...

The town

... was settled by Rhode Island Quakers in 1776

... is named after Samuel Adams, Revolutionary War patriot and publicist ... is the birthplace of suffragist Susan B. Anthony (1820) ... was originally known as East Hoosuc Plantation (1739) ... is the home of the state's highest elevation, Mount Greylock (3,491 feet) ... is home to 70 Victorian homes on the National Register of Historic Places ... boomed originally as a center of textile manufacturing ... boasts a statue of President William McKinley, who, during his tenure, cited his policies on behalf of the domestic textile industry. McKinley was a friend of the Plunkett brothers, founders of Berkshire Cotton Manufacturing Co., a textile firm.

At a glance ...

Incorporated: 1778 (included North Adams until 1878).

Population: 8,809 (2000 U.S. Census); 9,311 (2006 town census); 53 percent female, 47 percent male.

Area: 22.94 square miles.

Elevation: 799 feet, average. Peak elevation: Mount Greylock, 3,491 feet.

Average annual snowfall: 72 inches (estimated).

Median resident age: 41.3 years.

Median

household income: $32,161 (2000 U.S. Census) (National: $41,994).

Median house value: $193,200 (2005).

Unemployment rate: 4 percent.

Town Web site: town.adams.ma.us

Races: White non-Hispanic, 97.5 percent; two or more races, 1 percent; Hispanic, 0.8 percent; American Indian, 0.5 percent.

Ancestries: Polish, 27.1 percent; French, 22.9 percent; Irish, 14.4 percent; Italian, 13 percent; French Canadian, 9.9 percent; German, 8.2 percent.