The Berkshires join the ranks of the most accomplished communities in the country. Expansion Management, a nationally distributed magazine, recently released its list of communities that garnered a four- and five-star rating for their quality of life in its May/June issue. Now in its 8th year, the magazine compares 49 different quality of life factors in all 362 metropolitan statistical areas (MSA). The four-star designation was given to Pittsfield MSA, which represents Pittsfield and nine Berkshire towns, from Adams to Stockbridge.
The vibrant city of Pittsfield has population of approximately 45,000, yet there are 2 million people within a fifty mile radius. Located in the heart of the county, the cost of living is almost 30% lower than in the Boston area, 10% lower than Hartford, CT, 21% lower than Providence, Rhode Island, and 8% lower than Burlington, Vermont. Berkshire County has 30% fewer violent crimes than the national average, and 51% less property-related crimes. Although Berkshire County offers big city attractions, it still
Not only do the cultural and scenic attractions offer tremendous appeal, Berkshire County also has excellent K-12 public school system with an average student/teacher ratio of 18:1. It is also the home of four remarkable institutions of higher education-Berkshire Community College, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, Williams College and Simons Rock of Bard College.
What's more, within a fifty mile radius, there are more than thirty colleges and universities.
Of the over 4800 businesses in the county, many have a national reputation: General Electric, General Dynamics, Crane & Co, Canyon Ranch, Interprint, Jiminy Peak, Petricca Industries, Berkshire Health Systems and Berkshire Life are just a few of the major employers in the area.
According to William R. Wilson Jr., President and CEO of the Berkshires Visitors Bureau, “We now have over sixty cultural venues in the county, and many of them are world class.” That, and the seemingly limitless recreational attractions, have lured visitors from all over the world for centuries. Why do tourists flock to the Berkshires year after year, and season after season? It could be because the Berkshires are at the nexus of learning, art, culture, wellness, natural beauty and commerce. “The Berkshires have always inspired creativity,” says Wilson. Diverse and fascinating venues in the worlds of art, sports and commerce can be found in the Berkshires. These include Tanglewood, the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra; MASS MoCA, the largest contemporary museum of its kind in the country; the Norman Rockwell Museum; the Clark Art Museum with its incredible Renoir collection and breathtaking mountain views; Pittsfield's cutting edge Storefront Artists Project, and the Barrington Stage Company. Programs such as MCLA's Patrons of the Arts series and Williams College Lecture Series that are accessible to all. Historic Wahconah Park hosts summer league collegiate baseball and popular concerts. Berkshire residents have access to an incredible array of ski terrain and unsurpassed beauty on a multitude of lakes, parks and trails. Irresistible boutique, mall and outlet shopping can be found in many local towns. In addition, the Berkshires have long been at the forefront of spa culture, including Kripalu and Canyon Ranch, as two of its famous retreats. This is an area where the world's best performing arts coexist with the raw beauty of unspoiled nature, all nestled in one of the most affordable, conveniently-located places on Earth.
“There is no other place in the country that has the breadth, depth and quality of world class culture in a scenic rural country environment,” says Wilson. “You can find our kind of culture in New York City, Boston, Los Angeles, and you could find our kind of scenery in Vermont or New Hampshire, but you can't find the combination to the degree found in the Berkshires anywhere in America. It's beautiful, it's scenic, it's country, it's unlike anything urban or coastal, and visitors from the city can get to the Berkshires easily. It is the place to live, learn, work and play.”
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