At a glance ...

Incorporated: 1765.

Settled: 1753.

Named for: James Lane, Viscount Lanesborough, in the peerage of Ireland.

Population: 2,990 (2000 U.S. Census); 2,883 (2006 town census).

Area: 28.96 square miles.

Elevation: 1,130 feet (average).

Average annual snowfall: 78 inches (estimated).

Median resident age: 40.2.

Median household income: $46,496 (2000 U.S. Census).

Median family income: $51,887 (2000 U.S. Census).

Average house value: $203,190 (DOR, 2007).

Average property tax: $3,162, single-family home (DOR, 2007).

Unemployment rate: 6.1 percent (January 2007).

Races, national origin: White, 2,911; African-American, 21; Asian, 24; American Indian and Alaskan, 1; other, 5; mixed race, 27; Hispanic, 20. (2000 U.S. Census).

Ancestries: Irish, 17 percent; Italian, 17 percent; English, 13 percent; German, 10 percent; French, 10 percent; Polish, 7 percent; French Canadian, 3 percent; Scottish, 2 percent; Russian, 2 percent; Swedish, 1 percent; European, 1 percent; Scotch-Irish, 1 percent; Dutch, 1 percent; Danish, 1 percent; Ukrainian, 1 percent; Lithuanian, 1 percent; black or African American, 1 percent; Portuguese, 1 percent; Asian Indian, 1 percent; Lithuanian, 0.8 percent; Danish, 0.5 percent; Lebanese,

0.5 percent; Austrian, 0.5 percent; Greek, 0.4 percent; British, 0.3 percent; Canadian, 0.2 percent; Norwegian, 0.2 percent; Welsh, 0.2 percent; Brazilian, 0.2 percent. (2000 U.S. Census)

Official town Web site: www.lanesborough-ma.gov.

The town ...

is home to Balance Rock State Park, in southwestern Lanesborough. It is named after a 30-foot long, 15-foot wide triangular boulder whose tip lies atop another rock — a remnant of the Ice Age and the glaciers that carved out the region's landscape. Balance Rock was originally known as Rolling Rock, according to the 1885 Gazetteer of the Berkshires. The recreational area offers hiking, fishing, hunting and snowmobiling. ... Lanesborough and Pittsfield residents have joined the Friends of Pontoosuc organization to combat weed infestation and promote recreation while respecting environmental concerns. ... Property values are soaring as a three-year reassessment winds up with final values due this summer. The current tax rate for residential and commercial properties, $15.56, is down from last year's $16.48. ... has its own police department, a public-works department responsible for plowing and road maintenance, and a volunteer fire department, for which the town supplies trucks and pays some expenses. ... claims the champion elm tree, said to be the state's largest, at the intersection of Route 7 and Summer Street. ... The new Mountainview Cemetery is located off Prospect Street. The town's largest historic cemetery, off Main Street, contains graves of Revolutionary War soldiers. ... The Lanesborough Public Library, at the back of Town Hall on Route 7 at Bridge Street, circulates about 10,000 books, 200-plus videos and more than 150 audio books. Nearly 300 students pre-K through 6th grade attend the Lanesborough Elementary School on Summer Street, part of the Mount Greylock School Union (not to be confused with the Mount Greylock Regional School District). ... The Lanesborough Village Fire & Water District serves most of the homes and businesses around Pontoosuc Lake, and many along Route 7 and its side streets. The water is provided by two wells off Route 7, which feed into a large storage tank above Prospect Street. The water is tested regularly, and thus far has not needed any chlorination or other treatment in order to meet health regulations. ... Along the heavily traveled Route 7 corridor, Derek James (formerly Harrington's), the very popular Bob's Country Kitchen and the busy Old Forge Tavern are among the handful of eateries.