The city ...

The city's Natural Bridge State Park contains the only natural white marble bridge in North America. Formed by glacial melt by 11,000 B.C., the arch and abandoned quarry have long attracted attention from hikers, including Nathaniel Hawthorne in 1838, who wrote about it in his "An American Notebook." The site was an active commercial quarry from 1810 to 1947, producing coarse-grained white marble used in local buildings and cemeteries. From 1950 to 1983, it was a privately owned and a popular roadside tourist attraction off the Mohawk Trail. Natural Bridge, on McCauley Road off Route 8, became a state park in 1985 to preserve its unique geologic features. In the summer, park interpreters are on hand to explain the natural forces that created the bridge and its more recent human-related history. There is a quarter-mile walkway above and through the chasm, and a half-mile wooded walking trail. ... Western Gateway Heritage State Park offers a Visitors Center dedicated to the history of the Hoosac Tunnel project, as well as a restaurant and pub open daily. The North Adams History Museum is also at the site. ... About 13.5 percent of families and 18.2 percent of the population was below the poverty line, according to the 2000 federal census, including 30.1 percent of those under age 18, and 9.9 percent of those age 65 or over. Fourteen percent of the population had a four-year college education or more. ... The largest employer is the city government (including the school system) with 584, followed by North Adams Regional Hospital with 475 and MCLA with 268. ... There are three elementary schools (Brayton, Greylock and Sullivan), the Silvio Conte Middle School, McCann Tech High School and Drury High School. ... The Contemporary Artists Center is a nonprofit art organization founded by Eric Rudd in 1990. Through its artists' residencies, workshops, lectures, exhibitions and performances, the CAC seeks to promote the creation and appreciation of contemporary art. The Beaver Mill, home of the CAC, is a 130,000-square-foot historic brick and stone mill situated on 27 acres of woodland and adjoining the Natural Bridge State Park. The CAC comprises 25,000 square feet of the building and houses five galleries, a residency hall, and about 12,000 square feet of studio space. ... Monument Square is located at the head of Main Street, site of the Civil War Soldiers' Monument. The statue was dedicated to the town of North Adams on July 4, 1878, the same year North Adams became a town, and it is dedicated to the memory of the many residents who joined the Union Army. ... The North Adams Public Library circulates nearly 32,000 books, 1,600 audio materials and about 3,000 videos. Its historic building was completed as Blackinton Manor in 1869 for the family of a local mill owner, Sanford Blackinton. In 1896, it was purchased by A.C. Houghton, first mayor of North Adams, as a gift to the city; its renovation for use as a library was completed two years later. A major expansion and renovation project was completed in 2005. ... The road system of Mount Greylock State Reservation, with access from North Adams via Notch Road, is closed to all public access — automobiles, bicycles, and foot traffic — for the 2007 and 2008 seasons. Roads are currently under repair for safety and access improvements. This affects public access to certain facilities; as a result the summit is not accessible by automobile, Bascom Lodge and the Veterans War Memorial Tower are closed, the campground (primitive overnight area) and Stony Ledge are accessible by hiking only. Full operation and access to these facilities are scheduled to resume in spring 2009 upon completion of the historic parkway road repairs. The Visitors Center and trails remain open. ... Windsor Lake, at the intersection of Bradley Street and Kemp Avenue, offers swimming (with lifeguards), boating, picnics, camping, playgrounds, fishing, hiking as well as winter recreation. Free summer concerts are presented Wednesday evenings at 7. ... The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Skating Rink, at 1010 S. Church St., offers public skating at scheduled hours from July through April. Information: (413) 664-8185. A long list of recreational areas in the city can be accessed on the official North Adams Web site. ... The SteepleCats is a collegiate summer baseball team that brings the best college baseball players from across the country to play summer baseball at Joe Wolfe Field. The team is part of the New England Collegiate Baseball League. The team operates as a nonprofit corporation that depends entirely on community support and volunteers for its existence and continued operation. Its Board of Trustees is comprised of local community investors. The team is supported by the city of North Adams, Hoosac Bank as presenting sponsor and more than 100 additional businesses. ... Founded by John Watterson and his grandson, Jon, of Keene, N.H., the SteepleCats played their inaugural game at Joe Wolfe Field in June 2002. After two successful seasons with the team reaching the playoffs each year, the Watterson family sold the team to a local ownership group that allowed the SteepleCats to remain in North Adams. ... Notable residents or natives of North Adams include former acting Gov. Jane Swift; philosopher, historian and writer Will Durant; Peter Laird, co-creator of "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles"; painter Henry Darby; professional baseball player Jonah Bayliss; and actor Frank Vincent (Gattusso), who plays gangster Phil Leotardo in the HBO series, "The Sopranos."

The city's Natural Bridge State Park contains the only natural white marble bridge in North America. Formed by glacial melt by 11,000 B.C., the arch and abandoned quarry have long attracted attention from hikers, including Nathaniel Hawthorne in 1838, who wrote about it in his "An American Notebook." The site was an active commercial quarry from 1810 to 1947, producing coarse-grained white marble used in local buildings and cemeteries. From 1950 to 1983, it was a privately owned and a popular roadside tourist attraction off the Mohawk Trail. Natural Bridge, on McCauley Road off Route 8, became a state park in 1985 to preserve its unique geologic features. In the summer, park interpreters are on hand to explain the natural forces that created the bridge and its more recent human-related history. There is a quarter-mile walkway above and through the chasm, and a half-mile wooded walking trail. ... Western Gateway Heritage State Park offers a Visitors Center dedicated to the history of the Hoosac Tunnel project, as well as a restaurant and pub open daily. The North Adams History Museum is also at the site. ... About 13.5 percent of families and 18.2 percent of the population was below the poverty line, according to the 2000 federal census, including 30.1 percent of those under age 18, and 9.9 percent of those age 65 or over. Fourteen percent of the population had a four-year college education or more. ... The largest employer is the city government (including the school system) with 584, followed by North Adams Regional Hospital with 475 and MCLA with 268. ... There are three elementary schools (Brayton, Greylock and Sullivan), the Silvio Conte Middle School, McCann Tech High School and Drury High School. ... The Contemporary Artists Center is a nonprofit art organization founded by Eric Rudd in 1990. Through its artists' residencies, workshops, lectures, exhibitions and performances, the CAC seeks to promote the creation and appreciation of contemporary art. The Beaver Mill, home of the CAC, is a 130,000-square-foot historic brick and stone mill situated on 27 acres of woodland and adjoining the Natural Bridge State Park. The CAC comprises 25,000 square feet of the building and houses five galleries, a residency hall, and about 12,000 square feet of studio space. ... Monument Square is located at the head of Main Street, site of the Civil War Soldiers' Monument. The statue was dedicated to the town of North Adams on July 4, 1878, the same year North Adams became a town, and it is dedicated to the memory of the many residents who joined the Union Army. ... The North Adams Public Library circulates nearly 32,000 books, 1,600 audio materials and about 3,000 videos. Its historic building was completed as Blackinton Manor in 1869 for the family of a local mill owner, Sanford Blackinton. In 1896, it was purchased by A.C. Houghton, first mayor of North Adams, as a gift to the city; its renovation for use as a library was completed two years later. A major expansion and renovation project was completed in 2005. ... The road system of Mount Greylock State Reservation, with access from North Adams via Notch Road, is closed to all public access — automobiles, bicycles, and foot traffic — for the 2007 and 2008 seasons. Roads are currently under repair for safety and access improvements. This affects public access to certain facilities; as a result the summit is not accessible by automobile, Bascom Lodge and the Veterans War Memorial Tower are closed, the campground (primitive overnight area) and Stony Ledge are accessible by hiking only. Full operation and access to these facilities are scheduled to resume in spring 2009 upon completion of the historic parkway road repairs. The Visitors Center and trails remain open. ... Windsor Lake, at the intersection of Bradley Street and Kemp Avenue, offers swimming (with lifeguards), boating, picnics, camping, playgrounds, fishing, hiking as well as winter recreation. Free summer concerts are presented Wednesday evenings at 7. ... The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Skating Rink, at 1010 S. Church St., offers public skating at scheduled hours from July through April. Information: (413) 664-8185. A long list of recreational areas in the city can be accessed on the official North Adams Web site. ... The SteepleCats is a collegiate summer baseball team that brings the best college baseball players from across the country to play summer baseball at Joe Wolfe Field. The team is part of the New England Collegiate Baseball League. The team operates as a nonprofit corporation that depends entirely on community support and volunteers for its existence and continued operation. Its Board of Trustees is comprised of local community investors. The team is supported by the city of North Adams, Hoosac Bank as presenting sponsor and more than 100 additional businesses. ... Founded by John Watterson and his grandson, Jon, of Keene, N.H., the SteepleCats played their inaugural game at Joe Wolfe Field in June 2002. After two successful seasons with the team reaching the playoffs each year, the Watterson family sold the team to a local ownership group that allowed the SteepleCats to remain in North Adams. ... Notable residents or natives of North Adams include former acting Gov. Jane Swift; philosopher, historian and writer Will Durant; Peter Laird, co-creator of "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles"; painter Henry Darby; professional baseball player Jonah Bayliss; and actor Frank Vincent (Gattusso), who plays gangster Phil Leotardo in the HBO series, "The Sopranos."