County's second-largest city boasts MCLA, Mass MoCA
The best of times, the worst of times, as Charles Dickens opens his "A Tale of Two Cities," could well apply to North Adams, the second-largest city in Berkshire County but the state's smallest city (by population). Once a thriving mill city and industrial center with a population of more than 24,000 in 1900, ahead of Pittsfield's 22,000, a rebirth is well under way.   Full Story and slide show

Tuesday, May 15 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.   Full Story

Tuesday, May 15 Settled: 1739. Incorporated: 1878 (as a town); 1895 (as a city). Named for: Samuel Adams, American Revolution leader, signer of the Declaration of Independence, and governor of Massachusetts. Population: 14,681 (U.S. Census, 2000); 14,417 (City Census, 2006); 16,000 (mayor's estimate)   Full Story