Berkshire County

Berkshire County, Massachusetts
Berkshire County Courthouse
Seal
Motto: Firmus et Paratus (Latin "Steadfast and Ready")
Location in the U.S. state of Massachusetts
Massachusetts's location in the U.S.
Founded	April 24, 1761
Seat	Pittsfield
Largest city	Pittsfield
Area
• Total	946 sq mi (2,450 km2)
• Land	927 sq mi (2,401 km2)
• Water	20 sq mi (52 km2), 2.1%
Population (est.)
• (2015)	126,715
• Density	136/sq mi (53/km²)
Congressional district	1st
Time zone	Eastern: UTC-5/-4

Berkshire County, pronounced /bərkʃər/, is a county located on the western edge of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. As of the 2010 census, the population was 131,219. Its largest city and traditional county seat is Pittsfield. The county was founded in 1761.

The Berkshire Hills are centered on Berkshire County, and the county itself is often referred to simply as the Berkshires. It exists today only as a historical geographic region, and has no county government.

Of the fourteen Massachusetts counties, Berkshire County is one of eight that exists today only as a historical geographic region, and has no county government. Berkshire County government was abolished effective July 1, 2000, and all former county functions were assumed by state agencies, and there is no county council or commission. The sheriff became a Commonwealth employee, but remains locally elected to perform duties within the county region and retains administrative and operational control over the Berkshire Sheriff’s Office, an independent state agency that was created after the county government was abolished. The Berkshire Sheriff’s Office runs the county jail and house of correction.

Local communities were granted the right to form their own regional compacts for sharing services, and the towns of Berkshire County have formed such a regional compact known as the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission.

Berkshire County has three Registry of Deeds Districts, one for each district.