The Berkshires

The Berkshires
Region of Massachusetts and Connecticut
A view of the Berkshires from near North Adams, Massachusetts.
Country	United States
States	Massachusetts and  Connecticut

Berkshires
Berkshire Hills, Berkshire Mountains
Highest point
Peak	Crum Hill
Elevation	2,841 ft (866 m)
Coordinates	42°42′40″N 73°01′11″W / 42.71111°N 73.01972°W / 42.71111; -73.01972
Dimensions
Length	98 mi (158 km) north-south
Geography
Berkshires labeled as B
Country	United States
State	Massachusetts and Connecticut
Range coordinates	42°10′00″N 73°08′59″W / 42.1668°N 73.1496°W / 42.1668; -73.1496Coordinates: 42°10′00″N 73°08′59″W / 42.1668°N 73.1496°W / 42.1668; -73.1496
Geology
Type of rock	metamorphic rock

The Berkshires (local /ˈbɜːrkʃɪərz, -ʃərz/) is a highland geologic region located in the western parts of Massachusetts and Connecticut. The term "Berkshires" is normally used by locals in reference to the portion of the Vermont-based Green Mountains that extends south into western Massachusetts; the portion extending further south into northwestern Connecticut is locally referred to as either the Northwest Hills or Litchfield Hills.

Also referred to as the Berkshire Hills, Berkshire Mountains, and Berkshire Plateau, the region enjoys a vibrant tourism industry based on music, arts, and recreation. Geologically, the mountains are a range of the Appalachian Mountains.

The Berkshires was named among the 200 Last Great Places by The Nature Conservancy.

The term "The Berkshires" has overlapping but non-identical political, cultural, and geographic definitions.

Politically, Berkshire County, Massachusetts was a governing body formed in 1761; it includes the western extremity of the state, with its western boundary bordering New York and its eastern boundary roughly paralleling the watershed divide separating the Connecticut River watershed from the Housatonic River-Hoosic River watersheds. Geologically and physically, the Berkshires are the southern continuation of the Green Mountains of Vermont, distinct from them only by their average lower elevation and by virtue of what side of the border they fall on. In physical geography, the Berkshires extend from the Housatonic River and Hoosic River valleys in western Massachusetts, to the Connecticut River valley in north central Massachusetts, and to the foot of the lower Westfield River valley in south central Massachusetts. In Connecticut, where they are referred to as "the Litchfield Hills," they extend from the upper Housatonic River valley in the north-west part of the state, south along the western border of the state, east to the Farmington River valley in north central Connecticut, south to the Quinnipiac River valley in central Connecticut, then south-west to the Housatonic River valley in southwest Connecticut.