Western Massachusetts
Western Massachusetts is a geographical region of the state of Massachusetts which contains the Berkshires and the Pioneer Valley. Although there is no exact definition of the boundaries of Western Massachusetts, the most common definition consists of the counties of Berkshire, Franklin, Hampshire, and Hampden. A number of towns in Worcester County are often included, especially those near the Quabbin Reservoir, such as Athol, Petersham and Royalston. Some people of the Berkshires will assume the term only applies to their region of the state.
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Geography
Western Massachusetts can be divided into approximately four zones running from north to south across the region.
The Berkshires
The Berkshire Mountains are a branch of the ancient Appalachian Mountains in the extreme west of the state, consisting approximately of Berkshire County. The chief cities in the area are Pittsfield and North Adams.
The Hill Towns
The Hill Towns more or less include the areas of Franklin, Hampshire, and Hampden Counties between the Connecticut River valley towns and the Berkshires.
The Valley
The Connecticut River valley is formed on a fault line from when Africa subducted under North America millions of years ago, leaving part of itself behind. Cities in this region include Springfield, Greenfield, Northampton, South Hadley, and Holyoke.
See also: Pioneer Valley
The Amherst Hill Towns
The area to the east of the Valley does not have a general name, and thus is often mistakenly considered part of the valley itself. Pelham, Shutesbury, and Leverett are part of the Amherst school district, and also called the "Hill Towns," despite being on the other side of the river from other hill towns. This area includes the Quabbin Reservoir.
People
By the definition described at top, in the year 2000 the region had 834,358 residents, a population greater than that of five US states; however, Springfield and Hartford are often considered twin cities, which almost doubles the number of inhabitants in the region.
Personality
Many residents of Western Massachusetts take a cynical attitude towards Boston, the state's capital and largest city. The widespread belief -- fueled by incidents such as the former state House Speaker's use of parliamentary rules to deny Northampton an election to fill a vacant House seat -- is that Bostonians little know nor care about their part of the state.
Long a haven for small businesses, the region has expressed conflicted feelings towards corporate encroachment, leading to heated debates as to whether large companies such as Wal-Mart should be allowed in. The debate has been particuarly strong in some of the more northern towns, particularly Greenfield, Massachusetts.
In Crash!ng the Party, Ralph Nader includes Amherst, along with Vermont and his home state of Connecticut, as one of the few places in the country where he believes small-town spirit is still strong.
History
Western Massachusetts was originally settled by several native tribes including the Pocumtuck, Nonotuck Mohawk, and Mahican. The first European settlers came up from Connecticut to Springfield in 1636, and from Springfield to Northampton in 1654. In 1704 the French and their Native American allies led an attack on Deerfield, Massachusetts as part of the French and Indian War. After the revolution, a rebellion led by Daniel Shays, a farmer from East Pelham, culminated in a small battle at the federal arsenal in Springfield. Shays and his followers, the Regulators, hoped to win government reforms, including the issue of new currency and help for Continental soldiers who had incurred crushing debts while fighting for independence. Although crushed, this rebellion led Thomas Jefferson to declare that "a little revolution every twenty years or so is a good thing." Shays' Rebellion is often considered a watershed event in the creation of the United States Constitution.
Higher Education
- Amherst College
- Five Colleges
- Hampshire College
- Mass College of Liberal Arts
- Mount Holyoke College
- Simon's Rock College
- Smith College
- Springfield College
- University of Massachusetts
- Williams College
Claims to Fame
- The Hoosac Tunnel which runs from Florida to North Adams was once the second longest tunnel in the world and the longest tunnel in North America, and is still the longest transportation tunnel east of the Rocky Mountains.
- Noah Webster of Amherst produced the first American Dictionary in 1806.
- James Naismith invented basketball in Springfield in 1891.
- New England's largest theme park, Six Flags New England is located in Agawam.
- The Springfield Armory was the main target of Shays' Rebellion. The Springfield Armory also produced the famous Springfield Rifle for the United States Armed Forces.
- In 1892, the first gasoline-powered car was produced in Springfield.
- William G. Morgan invented volleyball in Holyoke in 1895
- In 1901, the first American motorcycle company, Indian Motorcycle was founded in Springfield.
- The Milton Bradley, Merriam-Webster, Spalding, Smith and Wesson, Channing Bete, Yankee Candle Company, Friendly's Ice Cream, Peter Pan Bus, and Big Y corporations are all based out of Western Massachusetts.
- Northampton has a national reputation as a lesbian mecca.
- The Clark Museum has one of the greatest collections of impressionist paintings in the world.
Famous residents
- John Brown began his career as an abolitionist in 1847 in Springfield
- Eric Carle, children's book author and illustrator of The Very Hungry Caterpillar, among other things, currently lives in Northampton
- Calvin Coolidge first entered politics in Northampton
- Bill Cosby currently resides in Franklin County
- Emily Dickinson spent her entire life isolated in her house in Amherst
- Robert Frost spent several years of his life in Amherst
- Dr. Seuss (Theodor Seuss Geisel) was born in Springfield, Massachusetts
- Sylvester Graham, dietary reformer, health food pioneer, inventor of graham flour, lived in Northampton
- Arlo Guthrie attended school and later lived in Stockbridge
- Joseph Hooker was born in Springfield
- Tracy Kidder lives in Northampton
- Timothy Leary, scientist, writer, and drug pioneer, was born in Springfield
- J Mascis of Dinosaur Jr. was born and raised in Amherst
- Norman Rockwell worked in The Berkshires
- Uma Thurman was raised in Amherst; her father taught at Amherst College
Tourism sites
- Basketball Hall of Fame
- Clark Art Institute
- Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art
- Historic Deerfield
- Emily Dickinson Museum: The Homestead and The Evergreens
- MassMoCA
- National Yiddish Book Center
- The Quadrangle
- Norman Rockwell Museum
- Dr. Seuss Memorial
- Tanglewood
