ABOUT THE AREA

North Adams

North Adams, Berkshire County’s second largest city with a population of 16,000, is internationally known as the home of the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA), one of the premier centers for making and showing the best art of our time.  In recent years, North Adams has become a center for tourism, culture, and recreation.  From its industrial roots, this former bustling 19th-century mill city and industrial center is transforming itself into a progressive 21st-century arts and culture destination.  Patricia Schultz in her book “1,000 Places to See in the U.S.A. and Canada Before You Die” praised North Adams saying “No other erstwhile manufacturing community has reinvented itself quite so creatively or stylishly.”  Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA), ranked by U.S. News & World Report as one of “America’s Best Colleges” and noted by Newsweek as a “Hot College” in the category “Most for Your Money,” is another key institution involved in the city’s metamorphosis.

Location/Geography

Covering 20.4 sq. miles, North Adams is situated in the valleys created by the confluence of the north and south branches of the Hoosic River and surrounded by the breathtaking beauty of the Berkshire, Hoosac, and Taconic mountain ranges.  The city’s numerous church steeples punctuating the downtown skyline have become a North Adams trademark.  Nestled in the northwestern corner of Massachusetts, North Adams is bordered by Clarksburg on the north, Adams on the south, Florida on the east, and Williamstown on the west.  North Adams is easily accessible from Albany, NY (46 miles), and equidistant from both Boston and New York City (133 miles).  The city is 22 miles north of Pittsfield and within an hour’s drive of Saratoga, NY, and Manchester and Bennington, VT.

Culture

North Adams offers a diversity of progressive cultural offerings and annual celebrations.  MASS MoCA (Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art), located on a restored 19th-century factory campus, is one of the most visited institutions in the United States dedicated to new art. Within MASS MoCA, Kidspace is an art gallery and art-making space with exhibitions curated for kids.  North Adams’ former mill buildings are being transformed into artist studios/lofts such as the Windsor Mill at 121 Union Street, the Contemporary Artists Center & Gallery at the Beaver Mill, 189 Beaver Street, and the Eclipse Mill Artist Lofts & Gallery at 243 Union Street.  Art and antique galleries, including Kolok Gallery and MCLA Gallery 51, can be found throughout the city.

North Adams was headquarters for the construction and operation of the Hoosac Tunnel, a 4.75 mile tunnel through Hoosac Mountain linking Massachusetts and Albany, NY.  The railroad tunnel is the longest in America and considered one of the greatest engineering feats of the 19th century.  The Western Gateway Heritage State Park, located at a former railroad yard, uses historical artifacts and exhibits to illustrate the controversial and danger-filled construction of the Hoosac Tunnel and the impact the tunnel and the railroad industry had on the Northern Berkshires.  This urban park contains a visitors’ center, seasonal interpretive programs, shops, and restaurant.

North Adams enjoys its share of seasonal celebrations including the annual Fall Foliage Festival, Winterfest in February, the Food Festival and Car Show in June, the Concerts at Windsor Lake Series in the summer, and Beach Day on Eagle Street in July.

Recreation

North Adams has a variety of recreational offerings for every season.  The Natural Bridge State Park, McCauley Road, off Route 8, North Adams  413-663-6392 (May-October), contains the only natural white marble bridge in North America.  Formed by glacial melt by 11,000 BC, the arch and abandoned marble quarry intrigue visitors.  The Park contains a visitors’ center, seasonal interpretive programs, walking, hiking, and fishing opportunities.

Surrounded by the Northern Berkshire Mountains, trails for four seasons of outdoor fun are plentiful, including hiking, mountain biking, walking, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and snowmobile trails.  In addition to Mount Greylock State Reservation’s 70 miles of trails and being part of the famous Appalachian Trail, other trails include:  The Cascades Trail, at the end of Marion Avenue, a beautiful river walk following the Notch Brook to a 40-foot cascading waterfall; Witt’s Ledge located on Notch Road; Notch Reservoir on Reservoir Road; and Mount Williams Reservoir on Pattison Road.

Windsor Lake Park, known locally as Fish Pond, is located on Bradley Street and open daily June through Labor Day, offering a freshwater lake with beach and lifeguard on duty as well as a bathhouse, playground, snack bar, picnic tables and grills.  Parks and playgrounds are located throughout the city.  Ski areas, numerous golf courses, the Green Mountains of Vermont, Upstate New York, as well as many swimming, fishing, boating, and camping facilities are within a short drive from North Adams.  For a complete listing of four seasons of Recreation, please click here.

Business

North Adams’ revitalization is readily apparent in the upsurge of its diverse business community.  Northern Berkshire Healthcare, the parent corporation of North Adams Regional Hospital, the Visiting Nurse Association and Hospice of Northern Berkshires, REACH Community Health Foundation, and two facilities for seniors in Williamstown, is the largest private employer in the city.  The renovated Steeple City Plaza, offering name-brand apparel, sporting goods, office supplies, and an eight-screen cinema with stadium seating, is a recent addition.

The burgeoning creative arts community is transforming former mill buildings into artist studios/lofts.  Art and antique galleries as well as unique one-of-a-kind shops are located throughout the city’s downtown.  North Adams also boasts its share of award-winning restaurants and lodging establishments which visitors and community members alike enjoy.  The renovation of the Mohawk Theater and Performing Arts Center, a $7.7 million renovation project of an original E.M. Lowe family “Flagship Theater,” will contribute to the city’s metamorphosis.

History

Named in honor of Samuel Adams, a leader in the American Revolution, signer of the Declaration of Independence, and governor of Massachusetts, North Adams was settled in 1737 and, separating from Adams, was incorporated as a town in 1878.  North Adams became a city in 1895.  Harnessing the water power of the two branches of the Hoosic River, for much of its history North Adams prospered as a mill city and industrial center.  Businesses included wholesale shoe and boot manufacturers, a brickyard, a sawmill, machine shops for the construction of mill machinery, cabinet-makers, hat manufacturers, marble works, wagon- and sleigh-makers, and an ironworks.  North Adams was headquarters for the 24-year construction project of the Hoosac Tunnel.

Freeman Print Works, Sampson Shoe Company and O. Arnold & Company were the major employers as the city became a commercial and industrial hub at the turn of the century.  From 1860-1942, Arnold Print Works was known as one of the leading manufacturers of printed textiles in the world.  Arriving in 1929, Sprague Electric Company became a major economic force in the city from 1942-1985, employing 4,137 workers in a community of 18,000 in 1966.  During World War II, the company designed and manufactured crucial components for some of the government’s most advanced high-tech weapons systems.  After the war, the company’s products were used in the launch systems for Gemini moon missions and later the company produced components for the consumer electronics market.  After the closure of Sprague Electric Company and the ensuing decline in the city’s economy, a strategy was developed utilizing MASS MoCA as an engine of economic revival and downtown rejuvenation.

Public Buildings

City Hall, 10 Main Street (City Clerk):  413-662-3015
United States Post Office, Summer Street:  413-664-4554
North Adams Public Library, 74 Church Street:  413-662-3133

Internet Resources

Several internet resources for North Adams are listed below:

northadams-ma.gov

http://www.berkshireweb.com/themap/northadams/northadams.html

http://www.epodunk.com/cgi-bin/genInfo.php?locIndex=3059

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Adams,_Massachusetts

http://www.city-data.com/city/North-Adams-Massachusetts.html

http://www.berkshireeagle.com/northadams/ci_5897990