North Adams is a city in
Berkshire County, Massachusetts
Berkshire County (pronounced ) is the Western Massachusetts, westernmost County (United States), county in the U.S. state, U.S. state of Massachusetts. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 129,026. Its la ...
, United States. It is part of the
Pittsfield, Massachusetts
Pittsfield is the most populous city and the county seat of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the principal city of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Berkshire County. Pittsfi ...
Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its population was 12,961 as of the
2020 census.
Best known as the home of the largest
contemporary art
Contemporary art is a term used to describe the art of today, generally referring to art produced from the 1970s onwards. Contemporary artists work in a globally influenced, culturally diverse, and technologically advancing world. Their art is a ...
museum in the United States, the
Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, North Adams has in recent years become a center for tourism, culture and recreation.
History
Early history
North Adams was first settled in 1745 during
King George's War
King George's War (1744–1748) is the name given to the military operations in North America that formed part of the War of the Austrian Succession (1740–1748). It was the third of the four French and Indian Wars. It took place primarily in ...
, when the most western of a line of defensive forts was built along the bank of the
Hoosic River
The Hoosic River, also known as the Hoosac, the Hoosick (primarily in New York) and the Hoosuck (mostly archaic), is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed October 3, 2011 tr ...
, and occupied by Massachusetts militiamen and their families.
During the war,
Canadian
Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...
and Native American forces laid
siege to Fort Massachusetts and 30 prisoners were taken to
Quebec
Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...
; half died in captivity. In 1747
Fort Massachusetts was rebuilt with improved defenses, but was never attacked again. In a period of peace following the
Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle, many of the soldiers who had been garrisoned at the fort turned to farming instead by opting to each take a 190-acre package of nearby land in lieu of back-pay in the nearby township of West Hoosac (now known as
Williamstown).
The North Adams Women's Club began raising funds in 1895 to reconstruct the fort as a memorial site. It was dedicated in 1933 and operated as a historical tourist site until the 1960s. The 1933 Fort's replica chimney is located at the rear of the Central Markets Supermarket that opened at the site in 1960 and closed in 2016 as a Price Chopper Supermarket. The historic site was conveyed to the City of North Adams by the Golub family in 2017.
The town was incorporated separately from Adams in 1878, and reincorporated as a city in 1895. The city is named in honor of
Samuel Adams
Samuel Adams (, 1722 – October 2, 1803) was an American statesman, Political philosophy, political philosopher, and a Founding Father of the United States. He was a politician in Province of Massachusetts Bay, colonial Massachusetts, a le ...
, a leader in the
American Revolution
The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...
, signer of the
Declaration of Independence
A declaration of independence is an assertion by a polity in a defined territory that it is independent and constitutes a state. Such places are usually declared from part or all of the territory of another state or failed state, or are breaka ...
, and
governor of Massachusetts
The governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the head of government of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The governor is the chief executive, head of the state cabinet and the commander-in-chief of the commonw ...
.
For much of its history, North Adams was a
mill town
A mill town, also known as factory town or mill village, is typically a settlement that developed around one or more List of types of mill#Manufacturing facilities, mills or factories, often cotton mills or factories producing textiles.
Europe
...
. Manufacturing began in the city before the
Revolutionary War, largely because the confluence of the Hoosic River's two branches provided
water power
Hydropower (from Ancient Greek -, "water"), also known as water power or water energy, is the use of falling or fast-running water to produce electricity or to power machines. This is achieved by converting the gravitational potential or kin ...
for small-scale industry. By the late 1700s and early 1800s, businesses included wholesale
shoe manufacturers; a
brick yard; a
saw mill
A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logging, logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes ...
;
cabinet-makers; hat manufacturers;
machine shop
A machine shop or engineering workshop is a room, building, or company where machining, a form of subtractive manufacturing, is done. In a machine shop, machinists use machine tools and cutting tool (machining), cutting tools to make parts, usua ...
s for the construction of mill machines;
marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock consisting of carbonate minerals (most commonly calcite (CaCO3) or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) that have recrystallized under the influence of heat and pressure. It has a crystalline texture, and is ty ...
works; wagon and sleigh-makers; and an
ironworks
An ironworks or iron works is an industrial plant where iron is smelted and where heavy iron and steel products are made. The term is both singular and plural, i.e. the singular of ''ironworks'' is ''ironworks''.
Ironworks succeeded bloome ...
, which provided the
pig iron
Pig iron, also known as crude iron, is an intermediate good used by the iron industry in the production of steel. It is developed by smelting iron ore in a blast furnace. Pig iron has a high carbon content, typically 3.8–4.7%, along with si ...
for
armor plates on the
Civil War
A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...
ship, the ''
Monitor
Monitor or monitor may refer to:
Places
* Monitor, Alberta
* Monitor, Indiana, town in the United States
* Monitor, Kentucky
* Monitor, Oregon, unincorporated community in the United States
* Monitor, Washington
* Monitor, Logan County, Wes ...
''.
Expansion westwards started with the creation of three mill villages,
Blackinton in 1821, Greylock in 1846 and
Braytonville in 1832, located to take advantage of the Hoosac River's water power. The 1850 census marked the official shift of the town from agriculture to industry, since more factory workers than farmers now resided in the town.
In 1870 the use of Chinese
strikebreakers
A strikebreaker (sometimes pejoratively called a scab, blackleg, bootlicker, blackguard or knobstick) is a person who works despite an ongoing strike. Strikebreakers may be current employees ( union members or not), or new hires to keep the org ...
from
California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
to break the
North Adams strike at the Sampson Shoe Factory (today part of the Mass MoCA complex) was an important step in the movement of Chinese from the west coast to the east coast, resulting in east coast
Chinatowns in the United States. On a national scale, the North Adams strike became known as the primary trigger to the passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act by the U.S. Congress in 1882.
North Adams was also the headquarters for building the
Hoosac Tunnel starting in 1851 and completed in 1874, adding an east–west connection to Boston and Albany to the existing 1842 rail connection to New York. Prior to that time, inter-regional travel was limited to weekly stagecoaches from Albany and Greenfield.
Downtown in 1860, Oliver Arnold and Company was established with the latest equipment for printing cloth. Large government contracts to supply fabric for the
Union Army helped the business prosper. During the next four decades, Arnold Print Works became one of the world's leading manufacturers of printed
textiles
Textile is an Hyponymy and hypernymy, umbrella term that includes various Fiber, fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, Staple (textiles)#Filament fiber, filaments, Thread (yarn), threads, and different types of #Fabric, fabric. ...
. It also became the largest employer in North Adams, with some 3,200 workers by 1905. Despite decades of success, falling cloth prices and the lingering effects of the
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...
forced the company to close its Marshall Street operation in 1942 and consolidate at smaller facilities in Adams.
Sprague Electric
Later that year, the
Sprague Electric Company bought the former print works site. Sprague
physicist
A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe. Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate cau ...
s,
chemist
A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a graduated scientist trained in the study of chemistry, or an officially enrolled student in the field. Chemists study the composition of ...
s,
electrical engineer
Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems that use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the l ...
s, and skilled
technician
A technician is a worker in a field of technology who is proficient in the relevant skill and technique, with a relatively practical understanding of the theoretical principles.
Specialisation
The term technician covers many different special ...
s were called upon by the U.S. government during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
to design and manufacture crucial components of advanced weapons systems, including the
atomic bomb
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission or atomic bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions (thermonuclear weapon), producing a nuclear expl ...
.
With state-of-the-art equipment, Sprague was a major research and development center, conducting studies on
electricity
Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter possessing an electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described by Maxwel ...
and
semi-conducting materials. After the war, its products were used in the launch systems for NASA's
Gemini missions, and by 1966 Sprague employed 4,137 workers in a community of 18,000. From the post-war years to the mid-1980s, Sprague produced electrical components for the booming consumer electronics market, but competition from abroad led to declining sales and, in 1985, the company closed operations on Marshall Street. Its closure devastated the local economy. Unemployment rates rose and population declined.
MASS MoCA

After Sprague closed, business and political leaders in North Adams sought ways to re-use the vast complex.
Williams College Museum of Art director
Thomas Krens, who would later become Director of the
Guggenheim, was looking for space to exhibit large works of contemporary art that would not fit in conventional museum galleries. When mayor
John Barrett III (serving 1984–2009) suggested the vast Marshall Street complex as a possible exhibition site, the idea of creating a contemporary arts center in North Adams began to take shape.
The campaign to build support for the proposed institution, which would serve as a platform for presenting contemporary art and developing links to the region's other cultural institutions, began in earnest. The Massachusetts legislature announced its support for the project in 1988. Subsequent economic upheaval threatened the project, but broad-based support from the community and the private sector, which pledged more than $8 million, ensured that it moved forward. The eventual proposal used the scale and versatility of the industrial spaces to link the facility's past and its new life as the country's largest center for contemporary visual and performing arts.
Since it opened, the
Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA) has been part of a larger economic transformation in the region based on cultural, recreational, and educational offerings. North Adams has become home for several new restaurants, contemporary art galleries, and cultural organizations. In addition, once-shuttered area factories and mills have been rehabilitated as lofts for artists to live and work in.
Geography

According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, North Adams has a total area of , of which is land and , or 1.31%, is water.
North Adams is bordered by
Clarksburg to the north,
Florida
Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...
to the east,
Adams to the south, and
Williamstown to the west.
North Adams is located in the valley created by the
Hoosic River
The Hoosic River, also known as the Hoosac, the Hoosick (primarily in New York) and the Hoosuck (mostly archaic), is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed October 3, 2011 tr ...
, which has been walled and floored with concrete in portions to prevent floods. The city's
Natural Bridge State Park contains the only natural white marble bridge in North America. Formed by glacial melt by 11,000
BCE, the arch and abandoned quarry have long attracted attention from hikers, including
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Nathaniel Hawthorne (né Hathorne; July 4, 1804 – May 19, 1864) was an American novelist and short story writer. His works often focus on history, morality, and religion.
He was born in 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts, from a family long associat ...
in 1838, who wrote of it (among other local features) in his ''An American Notebook''. To the east, the city is bordered by the western face of the
Hoosac Range
The Hoosac Range is a mountain range that forms the western edge of the northwest Berkshire Plateau of western Massachusetts, an extension of the southern Green Mountains of Vermont
Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England reg ...
, with visibility on its West Summit extending throughout the tri-state area. To the southwest, the city has the northern end of
Mount Greylock State Reservation, ending at
Mount Williams, which at above sea level is the highest point in the city. The
Appalachian Trail
The Appalachian Trail, also called the A.T., is a hiking trail in the Eastern United States, extending almost between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine, and passing through 14 states.Gailey, Chris (2006)"Appalachian Tra ...
passes through the western part of the city, crossing the summit of Mount Williams and briefly passing through Williamstown before heading north towards Vermont.
Climate
North Adams has a
humid continental climate
A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...
(
Dfb). Winters can be harsh, with temperatures dropping to or colder nine times per year. Summers are warm and pleasant, with temperatures at or above four times per year. The record high is , recorded on July 8, 1988, and the record low is , recorded on January 24, 2011 and February 6, 2015. On average, 153 days see measurable precipitation per year.
Demographics

As of the
census
A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2010, there were 13,708 people, 5,652 households, and 3,156 families residing in the city. The city, which is the smallest in Massachusetts, ranks second (after Pittsfield) out of 32 cities and towns in Berkshire County by population. The population density was , ranking it 2nd in the county. There were 6,523 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 93.0%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...
, 1.8%
African American
African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
, 0.4%
Native American, 1.1%
Asian, 0.2%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...
, 0.8% from
other races, and 2.8% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...
or
Latino of any race were 2.4% of the population.
There were 5,652 households, out of which 23.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.4% were
married couples
Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...
living together, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.2% were non-families. 39.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.0% 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 2.98.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 21.74% under the age of 18, 16.9% from 18 to 24, 21.4% from 25 to 44, 23.7% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.75 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $35,020, and the median income for a family was $90,000. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year.
In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...
for the city was $19,857. About 9.0% of families and 22.3% of the population were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
, including 11.0% of those age 20 or over.
Arts and culture
Arts
Due to North Adams being the location of
MASS MoCA, there are numerous art galleries spread throughout the city, and a few of the old mills have been converted to lofts for artists to live and work in. A new,
Frank Gehry
Frank Owen Gehry ( ; ; born February 28, 1929) is a Canadian-American architect and designer. A number of his buildings, including his private residence in Santa Monica, California, have become attractions.
Gehry rose to prominence in th ...
-designed
Extreme Model Railroad and Contemporary Architecture Museum is proposed to be built in North Adams.
Sites and events
*
Houghton Mansion
*
Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts
The Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) formerly known as North Adams State College (NASC) is a Public college, public Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in North Adams, Massachusetts. It is part of the stat ...
*
Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art
*
Natural Bridge State Park
*
North Adams Museum of History and Science—North Adams Historical Society
*
Western Gateway Heritage State Park
* Fall Foliage Festival
* Solid Sound Festival
Sites listed on National Register of Historic Places
*
Armstrong House
*
Beaver Mill
*
Blackinton Historic District
*
The Boardman
*
Charles Browne House
*
Church Street-Caddy Hill Historic District
*
H. W. Clark Biscuit Company
*
Crowley House
*
Freeman's Grove Historic District
*
Freight Yard Historic District
*
Hathaway Tenement
*
Hillside Cemetery
*
Hoosac Tunnel
*
Johnson Manufacturing Company
*
Johnson School
*
Monument Square-Eagle Street Historic District
*
Norad Mill
*
Wells House
*
Windsor Print Works
Sports
The city is home to the
North Adams SteepleCats of the
New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL). The SteepleCats play at
Joe Wolfe Field in North Adams. The SteepleCats hold the NECBL record for highest single-game attendance. The record was made on
July 4
Events Pre-1600
* 362 BC – Battle of Mantinea: The Thebans, led by Epaminondas, defeated the Spartans.
* 414 – Emperor Theodosius II, age 13, yields power to his older sister Aelia Pulcheria, who reigned as regent and procla ...
, 2006, in a game against the
Holyoke Giants in front of 6,714 fans. Holyoke won the game 3–2.
North Adams' first professional sports franchise was the
Berkshire Battalion, an expansion team of the
Federal Hockey League, which played a single season in 2014–2015. Troubled by an embezzlement charge against its coach and general manager, who had also been manager of the municipal skating ring, and fractious lease negotiations with the city, the team relocated after its single season to
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton () is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, sixth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 137,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Dayton metro ...
.
There are many athletic complexes and recreational fields throughout the city, including the Noel Field Athletic Complex, just south of the downtown, and the recently constructed Alcombright Athletic Complex, in the city's west end.
Government
North Adams is governed by the
mayor-council form of government (
list of mayors of North Adams, Massachusetts). The city has its own services, including police, fire and public works. The city's public library is the largest in northern Berkshire County and has access to the regional library networks.
On the state level, North Adams is represented in the
Massachusetts House of Representatives
The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the State legislature (United States), state legislature of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from 14 counties each divided into ...
by the First Berkshire district, which covers northern Berkshire County, and is represented by former mayor John Barrett III of North Adams (elected in a special election in November, 2017). In the
Massachusetts Senate
The Massachusetts Senate is the upper house of the Massachusetts General Court, the bicameral state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Senate comprises 40 elected members from 40 single-member senatorial districts in the st ...
, the city is represented by Sen. Paul Mark (the Berkshire, Hampshire and Franklin district, which includes all of Berkshire County and western Hampshire and Franklin counties). North Adams is located in the Eighth
Massachusetts Governor's Council
The Massachusetts Governor's Council (also known as the Executive Council) is a governmental body that provides advice and consent in certain matterssuch as judicial nominations, pardons, and commutationsto the Governor of Massachusetts. Council ...
district and is represented by city resident Tara Jacobs. The city is patrolled by the Fourth (Cheshire) Station of Barracks "B" of the
Massachusetts State Police
The Massachusetts State Police (MSP) is an agency of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts' Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, responsible for law enforcement and vehicle regulation across the state. As of 2024, it has 2,500 sworn troop ...
.
On the national level, North Adams is represented in the
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...
as part of
Massachusetts's 1st congressional district, and is represented by
Richard Neal
Richard Edmund Neal (born February 14, 1949) is an American politician serving as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for since 1989. The district, numbered as the Massachusetts's 2nd congressional district, 2nd di ...
of
Springfield. Massachusetts is currently represented in the
United States Senate
The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...
by senior Senator
Elizabeth Warren
Elizabeth Ann Warren (née Herring; born June 22, 1949) is an American politician and former law professor who is the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States senator from the state of Massachusetts, serving since 2013. A mem ...
and junior Senator
Ed Markey
Edward John Markey (born July 11, 1946) is an American politician serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, junior United States Senate, United States senator from the state of Massachusetts, a seat he has held since 2013. A member of ...
.
Education
North Adams operates its own public school system, with three elementary schools (Brayton Elementary School, Greylock Elementary School and Colegrove Park Elementary School) and
Drury High School, which also serves several neighboring towns. The city is also home to
Charles H. McCann Technical High School, as well as several private and parochial schools.
Former schools
*
Johnson School (Closed 1994, Grades Pre-K–5)
*
Silvio O. Conte Middle School (Closed June 2009, Grades 6–8)
*Sullivan Elementary School (Closed December 2015, Grades K–7)
*
St. Joseph's School (North Adams, Massachusetts) (Closed in 1970s)
*Notre Dame school. Closed 1975. Grades K–8.
Higher education
Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts
The Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) formerly known as North Adams State College (NASC) is a Public college, public Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in North Adams, Massachusetts. It is part of the stat ...
(MCLA) enrolls about 1,980 students. Founded in 1894 as North Adams Normal School, in 1932, the Normal School became the State Teachers College of North Adams. In 1960, the college changed its name to North Adams State College and added professional degrees in Business Administration and Education. In 1997, the name changed to Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, reflective of specialty school status within the Massachusetts State College system.
Infrastructure
Roads and highways
North Adams is the western terminus of the
Mohawk Trail
The Mohawk Trail began as a Native American trade route which connected Atlantic tribes with tribes in Upstate New York and beyond. It followed the Millers River, Deerfield River and crossed the Hoosac Range, in the area that is now northwestern ...
, which ascends to the West Summit along a steep, curving road. While the trail ends here,
Massachusetts Route 2
Route 2 is a major east–west state highway in Massachusetts, United States. Along with Route 9 and U.S. Route 20 to the south, these highways are the main alternatives to the Massachusetts Turnpike/I-90 toll highway. Route ...
, which the trail is coextensive with, continues westward into Williamstown and towards
New York.
Route 8 also passes through the city, passing from Adams through the city and northward into Clarksburg.
Route 8A, also known as 8A-U (for "upper"), runs parallel to Route 8 east of the main route, and is located entirely within city limits.
The nearest interstate highway is
Interstate 91
Interstate 91 (I-91) is an Interstate Highway in the New England region of the United States. It is the primary north–south thoroughfare in the western part of the region. Its southern terminus is in New Haven, Connecticut, at I-95, whi ...
to the east, almost an hour away. North Adams appears on that highway's signs at Exit 26, located in
Greenfield.
Public transportation
The city is the northern terminus of several lines of the
Berkshire Regional Transit Authority (BRTA) and also has regional service. Intercity bus service is provided in nearby Williamstown by
Peter Pan Lines with connections to
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
, as well as towns and cities between. North Adams is home to
Harriman-and-West Airport, a small regional airport. The nearest airport with national service is
Albany International Airport. The freight rail line which passes through the city extends through the
Hoosac Tunnel towards the east. The nearest passenger rail service to North Adams is the recently re-routed
Amtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...
''
Vermonter'' in
Greenfield, Massachusetts
Greenfield is the county seat, and sole city, of Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. Greenfield was first settled in 1686. The population was 17,768 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Greenfield is home to Greenfield Commun ...
, an hour to the east.
Pittsfield, to the south, also has once-daily Amtrak service, the ''
Lake Shore Limited'', at its station. There is a proposal known as "Northern Tier Passenger Rail" in the early stages of planning which would extend MBTA's Fitchburg Line westward through Greenfield and terminate at North Adams. This would be the first passenger rail in the town since service ended in the 1950s.
Notable people
*
Amanda L. Aikens (1833–1892), Editor, philanthropist
*
Caleb Atwater (1778–1867), Archeologist, politician
*
Paul Babeau (born 1969), Sheriff, politician
*
Andrea Barrett (born 1954), Novelist
*
Jonah Bayliss (born 1980), MLB relief pitcher
*
Daniel E. Bosley (born 1953), State representative
*
Harry C. Browne (1878–1954), Banjo player and actor
*
Gailanne Cariddi (1953–2017), State representatives
*
Arthur P. Carpenter, US Marshal for Vermont
*
Jack Chesbro (1874–1931), Hall of Fame pitcher
*
Martha Coakley (born 1953), Massachusetts attorney general
*
Jeremiah Colegrove (1758–1836), Early leading citizen
*
John M. Darby (1804–1877), Botanist, chemist
*
Will Durant (1885–1981), Philosopher, historian
*
Paul Farmer (1959–2022), Physician, anthropologist
*
Joseph F. Finnegan (1904–1964), Labor mediator
*
Van Hansis (born 1981), Actor
*
John Henry Haynes (1849–1910), Archaeologist and photographer
*
Peter Laird (born 1954), Comic book artist
*
Amy Lee, Saxophonist
*
Frank J. Matrango (1926–1996), Massachusetts state legislator
*
Martin Melcher (1915–1968), Film producer and husband of
Doris Day
Doris Day (born Doris Mary Kappelhoff; April 3, 1922 – May 13, 2019) was an American actress and singer. She began her career as a big band singer in 1937, achieving commercial success in 1945 with two No. 1 recordings, "Sentimental Journey ...
*
Francis Millard (1914–1958), U.S. Olympic Silver Medalist Wrestler
*
Thomas Ward Osborn (1833–1898), U.S. Senator, Col. in Civil War
*
Harrison Potter (1891–1984), Classical pianist
*
Fritz Redl (1902–1988), Child psychoanalyst and educator
*
Robert Rheinlander (1880–1961), Architect and civil engineer
*
John Henry Schwarz, Theoretical physicist
*
Hiram Sibley (1807–1888), Industrialist, philanthropist
*
Frank J. Sprague (1857–1934), Electrical engineer, inventor
*
John St. Cyr (1936–2022), Massachusetts state legislator and judge
*
Jane Swift (born 1965), Massachusetts Lt. governor
*
Oswald Tower (1883–1968), Basketball official
*
Frank Vincent (1939–2017), Actor
*
Ashley B. Wright (1841–1897), U.S. representative
Sister city
*
Tremosine sul Garda, Italy
See also
*
List of mill towns in Massachusetts
References
Notes
Sources
History of Monument SquareHistory of Sprague Electric/MASS MoCA site
External links
City of North Adams official websiteNorthern Berkshire Chamber of CommerceArticles about North Adams and photos of the city
{{authority control
Populated places established in 1745
Cities in Massachusetts
Cities in Berkshire County, Massachusetts
1745 establishments in the Province of Massachusetts Bay