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Williamstown, Massachusetts
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Williamstown, Massachusetts
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Massachusetts |
| County | Berkshire |
| Settled | 1749 |
| Incorporated | 1765 |
| Government | |
| - Type | Open town meeting |
| Area | |
| - Total | 46.9 sq mi (121.5 km²) |
| - Land | 46.9 sq mi (121.4 km²) |
| - Water | 0.0 sq mi (0.1 km²) |
| Elevation | 638 ft (194 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| - Total | 8,424 |
| - Density | 179.7/sq mi (69.4/km²) |
| Time zone | Eastern (UTC-5) |
| - Summer (DST) | Eastern (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 01267 |
| Area code(s) | 413 |
| FIPS code | 25-79985 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0619430 |
| Website: http://williamstown.net/ | |
Williamstown is a town in Berkshire County, in the northwest corner of Massachusetts. It shares a border with Vermont to the north and New York to the west. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 8,424 at the 2000 census. A resort town, it is home to Williams College, the Clark Art Institute and the Tony-awarded Williamstown Theatre Festival, which runs every July and August.
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Originally called West Hoosac, the area was first settled in 1749. Fort West Hoosac, a blockhouse and stockade, was built in 1756. The town was incorporated in 1765 as Williamstown after Ephraim Williams, who was killed in the French and Indian War. He bequeathed a significant sum to the town on the condition that it were named after him and started a free school. In 1791, the school opened, becoming Williams College in 1793.
The primary industry was agriculture, particularly dairy farming, sheep herding and wool production. Sawmills and gristmills operated by water power at the streams. Eventually larger mills were added, including the Walley Mill and Williamstown Manufacturing Company (Station Mill), both of which produced textiles. The A. Loop & Company (Water Street Mill) produced twine. With the opening of the railroad, tourists arrived. Severals inns and hotels were established, including the Idlewild Hotel and Greylock Hotel. In the late 1930s and 1940s, E. Parmelee Prentice and his wife Alta, the daughter of John D. Rockefeller, created Mount Hope Farm. With a mansion designed by James Gamble Rogers, it was one of the outstanding experimental farms in the country. Today, it belongs to Williams College.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 46.9 square miles (121.5 km²), of which, 46.9 square miles (121.4 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (0.04%) is water. Located in the Berkshires, Williamstown is drained by the Hoosic River.
Williamstown is the northwesternmost town in Massachusetts; that is, it shares its northern border with Vermont and its western border with New York. The town is bordered on the north by Pownal, Vermont, on the east by Clarksburg, North Adams and Adams, on the south by New Ashford and Hancock, and on the west by Berlin, New York and Petersburg, New York.
See also: Williamstown (CDP), Massachusetts
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 8,424 people, 2,753 households, and 1,693 families residing in the town. The population density was 179.7 people per square mile (69.4/km²). There were 3,053 housing units at an average density of 65.1/sq mi (25.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 90.79% White, 2.72% Black or African American, 0.11% Native American, 3.12% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 0.77% from other races, and 2.37% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.77% of the population.
There were 2,753 households out of which 24.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.3% were married couples living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.5% were non-families. 32.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.80.
In the town the population was spread out with 15.3% under the age of 18, 27.5% from 18 to 24, 16.6% from 25 to 44, 21.0% from 45 to 64, and 19.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 87.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.8 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $51,875, and the median income for a family was $67,589. Males had a median income of $50,011 versus $32,845 for females. The per capita income for the town was $26,039. About 1.7% of families and 5.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.3% of those under age 18 and 6.8% of those age 65 or over.
- Clark Art Institute
- Williams College Museum of Art
- Williamstown House of Local History
- Willamstown Theatre Festival
- Herbert A. Allen, businessman
- Bernard Blair, congressman
- James MacGregor Burns, historian & biographer
- Albert Cummings, blues guitarist
- Daniel Dewey, congressman
- Dick Farley, football player & coach
- Carol Holloway, actress
- Peter H. Hunt, producer & director
- Prince Hussain Aga Khan, son of Aga Khan IV
- Elizabeth Kolbert, journalist & author
- Joe McGinniss, author
- Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, shah of Iran
- John Bennett Perry, actor
- Matthew Perry, actor
- Cole Porter, songwriter
- Roger Rees, actor
- Christopher Reeve, actor
- Dick Sabot, economist
- Jane Swift, acting governor
- William Henry Vanderbilt III, statesman
- Fay Vincent, baseball commissioner
