Clarksburg, Massachusetts

Clarksburg is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,686 at the 2000 census.

History

Clarksburg was first settled in 1764 and was officially incorporated in 1798.

Captain Matthew Ketchum, Colonel William Bullock, and Nicholas Clark are credited with having originally settled the eventual township in 1769, and the latter ultimately became Clarksburg's namesake. The town began as a mostly agrarian community, with mills springing up along the waterways in the nineteenth century. The major mills were a one to make cashmere, and several mills supplied gunpowder during the Civil War. However, the industry was stopped by the town after one of the mills exploded in 1869.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 12.8 square miles (33.3 km²), of which, 12.8 square miles (33.0 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km²) of it (0.62%) is water.

Clarksburg is located at 42°42'42.86"N,73°05'02.97"W. Clarksburg is bordered Pownal and Stamford, Vermont on the north, Florida on the east, North Adams on the south, and Williamstown on the west.

The town is bordered on two sides by mountains, with East Mountain and Bald Mountain to the west, and the Hoosac Range to the east. Between the two, the Hudson Brook and the north branch of the Hoosac River flow through the valley, merging just south of the town line. In the northern part of the valley is Clarksburg State Park, a small recreational area. On the Vermont side of the border lies Green Mountain National Forest. The Appalachian Trail crosses from north to south through the town, passing just west of the peak of East Mountain.

Route 8 is the only state route through town, and is the main road. The nearest interstate highway is Interstate 91, which is several miles east of town along Route 2, also known as the Mohawk Trail, which ends just south of town and whose hairpin turn is located just within the town border near the town's southeast corner.

There is no rail service in town, and the nearest bus services are located in North Adams. The nearest regional airport is Harriman and West Airport in North Adams, and the nearest airport with national service is the Albany International Airport.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,686 people, 659 households, and 512 families residing in the town. Clarksburg ranks 15th out of 32 towns in Berkshire County by population, and 299th out of 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts. The population density was 132.2 people per square mile (51.0/km²), making it the 9th most densely populated town in the county and the 273rd in the Commonwealth. There were 688 housing units at an average density of 53.9/sq mi (20.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 99.82% White, 0.06% African American, 0.12% from other races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.24% of the population.

There were 659 households out of which 31.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.0% were married couples living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.3% were non-families. 18.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 2.89.

In the town the population was spread out with 22.8% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 27.1% from 45 to 64, and 16.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 98.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.6 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $43,362, and the median income for a family was $47,411. Males had a median income of $33,750 versus $25,679 for females. The per capita income for the town was $19,389. About 5.1% of families and 6.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.3% of those under age 18 and 5.4% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Clarksburg uses the open town meeting form of government, and is governed by a board of selectmen and a town administrator. The town has its own police department and volunteer fire department, and has its own public services. The town has its own library, the Clarksburg Town Library, which is connected to the regional library system. The nearest hospital, North Adams Regional Hospital, is located in neighboring North Adams.

On the state level, Clarksburg is represented in the Massachusetts House of Representatives by the First Berkshire district, which covers northern Berkshire County, as well as portions of Franklin County. In the Massachusetts Senate, the town is represented by the Berkshire, Hampshire and Franklin district, which includes all of Berkshire County and western Hampshire and Franklin Counties. The town is patrolled by the Fourth (Cheshire) Station of Barracks "B" of the Massachusetts State Police.

On the national level, Clarksburg is represented in the United States House of Representatives as part of Massachusetts's 1st congressional district, and has been represented by John Olver of Amherst since June 1991. Massachusetts is represented in the United States Senate by senior Senator Ted Kennedy and junior Senator John Kerry.

Education

The town operates its own elementary school, Clarksburg Elementary, which serves students from kindergarten through eighth grade. The town sends its high school students to North Adams High School. There are also private schools in North Adams and Williamstown which accept students from the town.

The nearest community college is Berkshire Community College, located in Pittsfield. The nearest public college is Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts in neighboring North Adams, and the nearest university is the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The nearest private college is Williams College in Williamstown.

References