Great Barrington, Massachusetts
| Great Barrington, Massachusetts | ||
| Town | ||
 View from Main Street in the spring
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| Name origin: Village of Great Barrington in Gloucestershire, England | ||
| Country |  United States |
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| State |  Massachusetts |
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| Region | Western Massachusetts | |
| County | Berkshire County, Massachusetts | |
| Landmark | W.E.B. Du Bois Homesite | |
| River | Housatonic | |
| Coordinates | 42°11′45″N 73°21′45″W / 42.19583°N 73.36250°WCoordinates: 42°11′45″N 73°21′45″W / 42.19583°N 73.36250°W | |
| Highest point | Monument Mountain | |
| - elevation | 1,642 ft (500 m) | |
| - coordinates | 42°14′50.4″N 73°20′26.6″W / 42.247333°N 73.340722°W | |
| Area | 45.8 sq mi (119 km2) | |
| - land | 44.8 sq mi (116 km2) | |
| - water | 1.0 sq mi (3 km2) | |
| Population | 7,104 (2010) | |
| Density | 158.5/sq mi (61/km2) | |
| Settled | 1726 | |
| Incorporation as town | 1761 | |
| Government | Open town meeting | |
| - location | 334 Main Street (Town Hall) | |
| Timezone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) | |
| - summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) | |
| ZIP Code | 01230 | |
| Area code | 413 | |
| FIPS code | 25-26815 | |
| GNIS feature ID | 0619420 | |
 Location in Berkshire County and the state of Massachusetts.
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.svg) Location of Massachusetts in the United States
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Great Barrington is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 7,104 at the 2010 census. Both a summer resort and home to Ski Butternut, Great Barrington includes the villages of Van Deusenville and Housatonic. It is the birthplace of W. E. B. Du Bois. In 2012, Smithsonian magazine ranked Great Barrington #1 in its list of "The 20 Best Small Towns in America".
Great Barrington today is a vibrant small town acting as the hub for "South County". The town and its surroundings support a year-round population as well as second homes. Great Barrington is home to over 70 restaurants catering to a wide spectrum. The recently renovated Mahaiwe Theater has become a center for year-round music and cultural events.
The Mahican Indians called the area Mahaiwe, meaning "the place downstream". It lay on the New England Path, which connected Fort Orange near Albany, New York, with Springfield and Massachusetts Bay.
On April 25, 1724 Captain John Ashley of Westfield, Massachusetts bought on behalf of himself and a committee of the Massachusetts General Court the land that became the towns of Great Barrington, Sheffield, Egremont, Alford, Mount Washington, and Boston Corner for £460, three barrels of "sider," and thirty quarts of rum from 21 Native American sachems headed by Conkepot Poneyote. The Konkapot River in southwestern Massachusetts is named after him.
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Wikipedia