Pittsfield

A mere agricultural backwater at the time of the American Revolution, the seat of Berkshire County grew steadily throughout the 19th century into an industrial powerhouse of textile, paper, and electrical machinery manufacturing. In the 1930s, the WPA guidebook on Massachusetts described Pittsfield as possessing a "prosperous, tranquil look of general comfort and cultivation which makes it one of the most attractive industrial cities in the state." The city's economy took a nosedive following World War II, and much of that apparent prosperity diminished.

Modern Pittsfield has reversed the downward slide of the past several decades and reclaimed a number of intriguing industrial buildings, actively courting artists with inexpensive work/living space downtown. Still, this is a workaday city without the monied urbanity of Great Barrington or the quaint, rural demeanor of the comparatively small Colonial towns that surround it. There's a positive buzz in Pittsfield these days, though. Symbols of the Pittsfield's resurgence include the gorgeous Colonial Theatre, which was restored in 2007. It hosts 250 nights of performances per year, and a spate of new shops and eateries along North Street, including Spice, one of the hottest restaurant/bars in the Berkshires. City-sponsored art walks and a major renovation of the venerable Berkshire Museum are more evidence of Pittsfield's comeback.