Pittsfield, Massachusetts

Pittsfield is the largest 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. Its area code is 413. Its ZIP code is 01201 (01202 and 01203 are ZIP codes for Pittsfield post office boxes only). The population was 44,737 at the 2010 census. Although the population has declined in recent decades, Pittsfield remains the third largest municipality in Western Massachusetts, behind only Springfield and Chicopee.

In 2005, Farmers Insurance ranked Pittsfield 20th in the United States as “Most Secure Place To Live” among small towns with fewer than 150,000 residents. In 2006, Forbes ranked Pittsfield as number 61 in its list of Best Small Places for Business. In 2008, Country Home Magazine ranked Pittsfield as #24 in a listing of "green cities" East of the Mississippi. In 2009, the City of Pittsfield was chosen to receive a 2009 Commonwealth Award, Massachusetts' highest award in the arts, humanities, and sciences. More recently, in 2010, the Financial Times proclaimed Pittsfield the "Brooklyn of the Berkshires", in an article covering its recent renaissance.

History
Pittsfield and the surrounding area was originally inhabited by the Mohican (Muh-he-kann) Native American tribe, an Algonquian people, until the early 18th century.

In 1738, a wealthy Bostonian, Col. Jacob Wendell, bought 24000 acre of lands known originally as Pontoosuck, a Mohican Indian word meaning “a field or haven for winter deer,” as a speculative investment, which he planned to subdivide and resell to others who would settle here. He formed a partnership with Philip Livingston, a wealthy kinsman from Albany, and Col. John Stoddard of Northampton, who already had claim to 1000 acre here.

A group of young men came and began to clear the land in 1743, but threats of Indian raids associated with the conflict of the French and Indian War soon forced them to leave, and the land remained unoccupied by whites for several more years.

Soon, many others arrived from Westfield, Massachusetts, and a village began to grow, which was incorporated as Pontoosuck Plantation in 1753 by Solomon Deming, Simeon Crofoot, Stephen Crofoot, Charles Goodrich, Jacob Ensign, Samuel Taylor, and Elias Woodward. Mrs. Deming was both the first and the last of the original settlers, and she died in March, 1818 at the age of 92. Solomon Deming died in 1815 at the age of 96.

Pittsfield was officially incorporated in 1761. Royal Governor, Sir Francis Bernard named Pittsfield after British nobleman and politician William Pitt. By 1761 there were 200 residents and the plantation became the Township of Pittsfield.

By the end of the revolutionary war, Pittsfield had expanded to nearly 2,000 residents, including Colonel John Brown, who began accusing Benedict Arnold as a traitor in 1776, several years before Arnold defected to the British. Brown wrote in his winter 1776-77 handbill "Money is this man's God, and to get enough of it he would sacrifice his country".

While primarily an agricultural area, because of the many brooks that flowed into the Housatonic River, the landscape was dotted with mills that produced lumber, grist, paper and textiles. With the introduction of Merino sheep from Spain in 1807, the area became the center of woolen manufacturing in the United States, an industry that would dominate the community’s employment opportunities for almost a century.



The town was a bustling metropolis by the late 19th century. In 1891, the City of Pittsfield was incorporated, and William Stanley, who had recently relocated his Electric Manufacturing Company to Pittsfield from Great Barrington, produced the first electric transformer. Stanley’s enterprise was the forerunner of the internationally known corporate giant, General Electric (GE). Thanks to the success of GE, Pittsfield’s population in 1930 had grown to more than 50,000. While GE Advanced Materials (now owned by SABIC-Innovative Plastics, a subsidiary of the Riyadh-based Saudi Basic Industries Corporation) continues to be one of the City’s largest employers, a workforce that once topped 13,000 was reduced to less than 700 with the demise and/or relocation of the transformer and aerospace portions of the General Electric empire.

1902 Presidential visit
On September 3, 1902 at 10:15 AM, during a two-week tour through New England campaigning for Republican congressmen, the barouche transporting President Theodore Roosevelt from downtown Pittsfield to the Pittsfield Country Club (see historic photos above) collided head-on with a trolley. Roosevelt, Massachusetts Governor Winthrop Murray Crane, secretary to the president George Bruce Cortelyou, and bodyguard William Craig were thrown into the street. Craig was killed; he was the first Secret Service agent killed while on a presidential protection detail. Roosevelt, whose face and left shin were badly bruised, nearly came to blows with the trolley motorman, Euclid Madden. Madden was later charged with manslaughter, to which he pleaded guilty. He was sentenced to six months in jail and a heavy fine.

Baseball in Pittsfield
In 2004, historian John Thorn discovered a reference to a 1791 by-law prohibiting anyone from playing "baseball" within 80 yd of the new meeting house in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. A librarian found the actual by-law in the Berkshire Athenaeum library, and its age was verified by researchers at the Williamstown Art Conservation Center. If authentic and if actually referring to a recognizable version of the modern game, the 1791 document, would be, as of 2004, the earliest known reference to the game in America. See, Origins of baseball. The city has “reprinted” the by-law with auxiliary documents.

The so-called Broken Window By-Law is the earliest known reference to “baseball” in North America. A finding that baseball was invented in 1839 by Abner Doubleday in Cooperstown provided the rationale for baseball centennial celebrations in 1939, including the opening of a National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in that city. But few historians ever believed it and even the Hall's vice president, Jeff Idelson, has stated that “Baseball wasn't really born anywhere.”

In 1859, the first intercollegiate baseball game was played in Pittsfield, MA. Amherst defeated Williams College 73-32.

Professional baseball was played in Pittsfield's Wahconah Park from 1919 through 2003. Teams included the Pittsfield Electrics of the 1940's, the Pittsfield Red Sox from 1965-69 with such then A-league players and future greats as George Scott, Carlton Fisk, and Reggie Smith, the Pittsfield Senators (later Rangers) of the 1970's, and the 1985-88 AA Pittsfield Cubs (Chicago) featuring future greats Mark Grace and Rafael Palmeiro.

From 1989 to 2001, the Pittsfield Mets and Pittsfield Astros (2001 only) represented the city in the New York - Penn League. The Astros have since moved to Troy, New York and are now known as the Tri-City ValleyCats.

In 2005, Wahconah Park became the home stadium of the Pittsfield Dukes, a summer collegiate baseball franchise of the New England Collegiate Baseball League owned by Dan Duquette, former Boston Red Sox general manager. The Dukes had played the 2004 season in Hinsdale, Massachusetts as the Berkshire Dukes. In 2009, the franchise changed its name to the Pittsfield American Defenders. The American Defenders name refers to both the United States Military and a line of baseball gloves produced by Nocona Athletic Goods Company. Duqette's ownership group also owns the American Defenders of New Hampshire, members of the independent Can-Am League.

Ulysses Frank Grant, born August 1, 1865 in Pittsfield, MA (died May 27, 1937), was an African American baseball player in the 19th century, who played in the International League and for various independent teams. Mark Belanger, eight-time Golden Glove winning shortstop for the Baltimore Orioles, Turk Wendell, relief pitcher for the New York Mets, and Tom Grieve, outfielder for the Texas Rangers were all from Pittsfield.

Arienti, Stephen ‘Nails McGee,’ born July 4, 1880, died December 24, 1945. A Major League Baseball player. He made his major league debut for the Brooklyn Superbas on May 15, 1900, and hit a home run in his first at bat. Nails McGee was known for his temper, and developed a reputation as being one of baseball’s first hot heads. This resulted in his being hit with several bean balls, ultimately leading to a career ending concussion. Arienti died in his hometown of Pittsfield Mass, in 1945, and is buried in St. Joseph’s cemetery.

Geography
Pittsfield is located at °N, °W (42.452184, -73.251530).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 42.3 square miles (109.6 km²), of which, 40.7 square miles (105.5 km²) of it is land and 1.6 square miles (4.1 km²) of it (3.76%) is water. Pittsfield is bordered by Lanesborough to the north, Dalton to the east, Washington to the southeast, Lenox to the south, Richmond to the southwest, and Hancock to the west. Pittsfield is located 48 mi northwest of Springfield and 135 mi west of Boston.

Most of the population occupies roughly one quarter of the city's land. Pittsfield lies at the confluence of the east and west branches of the Housatonic River, which flows south from the city towards its mouth at Long Island Sound, some 149 mi (240 km) distance. The eastern branch leads down from the hills, while the western branch is fed from Onota Lake and Pontoosuc Lake (which lies partly in Lanesborough). Like much of western Berkshire County, the city lies between the Berkshire Hills to the east, and the Taconic Range to the west. Sections of the Housatonic Valley Wildlife Management Area also dot the banks of the river.

The western portion of the city contains Pittsfield State Forest, an 11000 acre facility with hiking and cross-country skiing trails, camping, picnic areas, and a swimming beach. Pittsfield is located at the crossroads of U.S. Route 7 and U.S. Route 20 which join together in the city. Route 8 passes through the northeast corner of town, with a portion of it combined with Route 9, the central east-west road through the western part of the state, whose western terminus is in the city at Route 7. Route 41 also begins in the southwest corner of town, heading south from Route 20. The nearest interstate, Interstate 90 (the Massachusetts Turnpike) is located about 10 mi south in Lee.



Long-distance ground transportation in Pittsfield is based at the Joseph Scelsi Intermodal Transportation Center which serves as the station for Amtrak trains and Peter Pan buses. The Berkshire Regional Transit Authority(BRTA), the transit provider for Pittsfield and vicinity, is based at the Intermodal Center and also uses it as a hub for most of its lines. Rail freight transportation is provided by CSX Transportation and the Housatonic Railroad.

The FBO located at Pittsfield Municipal Airport offers access to the region via private and chartered aircraft ranging from single engine piston to multi-engine jet. They also offer scenic rides and flight training. The nearest airport with national service is Albany International Airport.

Background and historical overview


A historically rural area, the Housatonic River attracted increased industrialization in the late 19th century. William Stanley, Jr. founded the Stanley Electric Manufacturing Company in 1890 at Pittsfield. The company manufactured small transformers, electrical motors and appliances. In 1903, GE acquired Stanley Electric, and subsequently operated three major manufacturing operations in Pittsfield: transformer, ordnance, and plastics.

Environmental Issues
During the mid-20th century, the Housatonic River and its floodplain were contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and other hazardous substances released from the General Electric Company (GE) facility located in Pittsfield. The contaminated area, known as the General Electric/Housatonic River Site, includes the GE manufacturing facility; the Housatonic River, its riverbanks and floodplains from Pittsfield to Long Island Sound, and former river oxbows that have been filled; Allendale School; Silver Lake; and other areas contaminated as a result of GE’s operations in Pittsfield.

Consent decree and cleanup
Starting in 1991, legal proceedings by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) established the General Electric/Housatonic River Site. Initial cleanup work began in 1996 when EPA issued a unilateral order to GE that required the removal of highly contaminated sediments and bank soils. EPA added the site to the Superfund list in September 1997.

The year 1999 was a milestone for Pittsfield, when negotiations between EPA, the state, General Electric and the City resulted in a settlement agreement – valued at over $250 million – to clean up Pittsfield and the Housatonic River. The settlement was memorialized in a Consent Decree that was entered in federal court the following year, making it a binding legal agreement.

Groundwater and long-term monitoring
In the years since the settlement was reached, the EPA, state agencies, the City and GE accomplished one of the largest and most complex cleanups in the country. Clean up work on the first previously PCB-laden ½ mile of the Housatonic River, adjacent to the GE facility was completed in September 2002. $90 million was spent cleaning up the 1½ Mile Reach between Lyman Street and Fred Garner Park, which was completed in June 2007. Biological and sediment samples showed reductions of approximately 99% of PCB concentrations compared to conditions before remediation. GE removed contaminated soil and restored 27 residential properties abutting the river. To date, more than 115000 cuyd of PCB-contaminated sediment, bank, and floodplain soil have been removed from the river, and residential property.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 45,793 people, 19,704 households, and 11,822 families residing in the city. Pittsfield is the largest city by population in Berkshire County, and ranks 27th out of the 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts. The population density was 1,124.3 people per square mile (434.1/km²), making it the most densely populated community in county and 92nd overall in the Commonwealth. There were 21,366 housing units at an average density of 524.6 per square mile (202.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 92.58% White, 3.66% African American, 0.14% Native American, 1.16% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.77% from other races, and 1.64% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.04% of the population.

There were 19,704 households out of which 27.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.9% were married couples living together, 13.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.0% were non-families. 34.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.89.

In the city the population was spread out with 23.2% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 28.3% from 25 to 44, 23.0% from 45 to 64, and 18.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 90.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $35,655, and the median income for a family was $46,228. Males had a median income of $35,538 versus $26,341 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,549. About 8.9% of families and 11.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.7% of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over.



Government
Pittsfield employs the mayor-council form of government. The current mayor is James M. Ruberto, who was elected in 2003 and re-elected in 2005, 2007, and 2009. The city is fully functioning, with all the major public services, including Berkshire Medical Center and the region's only VA medical clinic. The city's library, the Berkshire Athenaeum, is one of the largest in western Massachusetts, and is connected to the regional library system. Pittsfield is also the county seat of Berkshire County, and as such has many state facilities for the county. In 2011, the City of Pittsfield will receive designs of flags for Pittsfield from citizens on March 1, 2011.

On the state level, Pittsfield has three representatives to the Massachusetts House of Representatives: the Second Berkshire, which serves most of central Berkshire County as well as portions of Hampshire County and Franklin County, represented by Paul Mark; the Third Berkshire, which covers most of the city proper and is represented by Christopher Speranzo; and the Fourth Berkshire, which covers southern Berkshire County as well as Chester and is represented by William Pignatelli, Blandford and Tolland in Hampden County. In the Massachusetts Senate, the city is represented by the Berkshire, Hampshire and Franklin district, which includes all of Berkshire County and western Hampshire and Franklin Counties and is represented by Ben Downing. The city is patrolled by the Fourth (Cheshire) Station of Barracks "B" of the Massachusetts State Police.

On the national level, Pittsfield is represented in the United States House of Representatives as part of Massachusetts's 1st congressional district, and has been represented by John Olver of Amherst since June 1991. Massachusetts is currently represented in the United States Senate by senior Senator John Kerry[D] and junior Senator Scott Brown[R].

Education
Pittsfield operates a public school system which currently has over 6,000 students. There are eight elementary schools (Allendale, Robert T. Capeless, Crosby, Egremont, Morningside, Silvio O. Conte, Stearns and Williams), two middle schools (Theodore Herberg and John T. Reid), and two high schools (Pittsfield High School and Taconic High School). The high schools both offer internal vocational programs. Students also come to the high schools from neighboring Richmond. Additionally, there are two parochial schools (Saint Mark's for elementary and middle school students, and St. Joseph Central High School for high school students) and one private school, Miss Hall's School, as well as an alternative school.

Pittsfield is the home to the main campus of Berkshire Community College and Mildred Elley's Pittsfield, MA Campus. The nearest state colleges are Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts in North Adams and Westfield State University, and the nearest state university is the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The nearest private colleges are Williams College in Williamstown and Bard College at Simon's Rock in Great Barrington.

Culture
Pittsfield is the geographic and commercial hub of the Berkshires—a historic area that includes Tanglewood, the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and author Edith Wharton's estate The Mount. Many buildings in Pittsfield are National Register of Historic Places listings in Berkshire County, Massachusetts. Downtown Pittsfield is home to the gilded-age Colonial Theatre, the Berkshire Museum, the Beacon Cinema (multi-plex), the Barrington Stage Company, Berkshire Athenaeum, Wahconah Park and Hebert Arboretum. In recent years, the city has undergone a transformation with significant investment in the historic downtown, including a variety of new restaurants (French, Japanese, Sushi, Mexican, American, etc.), condominium and other residential developments and cultural attractions.



The Colonial Theatre, dating from 1903, was named by Hillary Clinton as a National Historic Treasure in 1998. The community invested more than $22 million to refurbish the 100-year old Colonial Theatre, one of the only theaters of its kind from the Vaudeville age and has been described as the "one of the finest acoustical theaters in the world."

Barrington Stage Company, the Tony Award-winning producer of 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee invested millions into its newly-renovated stage in downtown Pittsfield, along with the development of other stages within the downtown for smaller performances. Barrington Stage's renowned head of its Musical Theatre Lab, William Finn, told the Boston Globe that he is determined to make Pittsfield the "epicenter of the musical theater universe."

The Berkshire Museum, the oldest and most diverse museum in the Berkshires, recently underwent a multi-million dollar renovation that incorporated a state-of-the-art air control system that will allow it to attract world-class exhibits, which will make the institution an even greater draw.



Many of the Berkshires' oldest homes, dating to the mid-18th century, can be found in Pittsfield, as well as many historic neighborhoods dating from the late 19th century and early 20th century. Several small multi-generational farms can still be found in Pittsfield, though suburban sprawl and land development have recently claimed some of this land.

Additional Cultural Attractions:


 * Arrowhead, home of author Herman Melville (1850–1863). It was here that Melville wrote Moby Dick.
 * Silvio O. Conte National Archives and Records Administration.

Recreation
Pittsfield has several country clubs, including the Pontoosuc Lake Country Club. Pittsfield is also home to the Berkshire Rowing and Sculling Society, located on Onota Lake.



Pittsfield is home to Canoe Meadows Wildlife Sanctuary, 264 acres (1.1 km²) of woods, fields, and wetlands maintained by the Massachusetts Audubon Society. Bousquet Ski Area and Summer Resort entertains visitors and residents year-round with skiing, water slides, go-karts, and other fun activities.

Pittsfield State Forest, a 65 acre park provides residents and tourist with hiking and cross-country skiing trails, camping, picnic areas, and a swimming beach.

The Berkshire Bike Path Council is presently working with the City of Pittsfield and local residents to extend the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail, a popular 10.8 mile (17.6 km) paved trail located just North of Pittsfield through Pittsfield to Great Barrington, south of Pittsfield and Lenox.

Topless sunbathing at Onota Lake?



Recently, a local artist and equal rights activist, Katherine Gundelfinger, filed a petition with the City Council requesting that a portion of Burbank Park’s frontage on Onota Lake be designated as an area that would allow both women and men to sunbathe without bathing suit tops. If successful, Pittsfield could join the topfreedom movement of cities like Miami Beach, Florida and Boulder, Colorado, that allow toplessness for both men and women.

A petition containing the names of 50 city residents backing the proposal for top-free sunbathing on Onota Lake for both men and women was submitted and gained public supporters, including Alan Chartock, president of WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

According to City Council President Gerald M. Lee, councilors voted down the petition, 9-2, because it raised two separate questions, making it an invalid petition.

City Councilor Anthony Maffuccio, who voted down the initial petition, said, "She's looking for equal rights for women, and she can still file with the Parks Commission and see what they tell her."

The current City Code appears to allow "topfree equality" under anti-discrimination laws:

"It is the policy of the City of Pittsfield to see that each individual, regardless of his race, color, religious creed, marital status, handicap, national origin, sex, age, ancestry, sexual orientation, or source of income, shall have equal opportunity in or access to employment, housing, education, recreation and public accommodations; to assure that each individual shall have equal access to and benefit from all public services; to protect each individual in the enjoyment of his civil rights; and to encourage and bring about mutual understanding and respect among all individuals in the City by the elimination of prejudice, intolerance, bigotry, discrimination and the disorder occasioned thereby.

(Ord. No. 666,§ 1, 10-29-1990; Ord. No. 702,§ 1, 4-29-1992)"

Supporters apparently plan to continue to their efforts to sunbathe without fear of harassment or legal prosecution, citing legal precedents. In 1991 in Canada, Gwen Jacob was arrested for walking down a street in Guelph, Ontario while topless. She was acquitted in 1996 by the highest court in Ontario. A similar case had arisen for the Rochester Topfree Seven, charged in 1986 in Rochester, New York but acquitted in 1992 under equal rights laws.

Most recently, 200 local residents, led by Ms. Gundelfinger, placed a non-binding question on the November 2010 ballot asking whether State Laws should be clarified to allow men and women equal top-free sunbathing rights. The Third Berkshire District ballot question failed on Election Night by a more than 2-1 margin, with 2,934 votes in favor of the measure and 6,855 against. In 2009, Massachusetts became the third State to protect a woman's right to expose the breast in public for the purposes of breastfeeding, providing civil penalties for harassment of women nursing a child; Pittsfield's ballot question would have expanded the law to protect women who removed their tops anywhere where men are allowed to be barechested.

Newspapers

 * The Berkshire Eagle, the main daily newspaper for the Pittsfield area
 * The Pittsfield Gazette, a weekly newspaper devoted to local news, viewpoints, investigative journalism, and city politics
 * The Advocate, a weekly newspaper devoted to the Berkshires and nearby Bennington County

Television
Pittsfield is located in the Albany television market and is the community of license for two stations in that market, My Network TV affiliate WNYA, and a low power TV station, W28DA, which rebroadcasts WNYT on channel 13 from a location on South Mountain in the city. Springfield stations also serve the market with three (WWLP-NBC, WSHM-LP-CBS, WGBY-PBS) on cable. WGGB has never been carried on the cable system in Pittsfield, but is viewable over the air in some sections. Also carried on cable, but not necessarily serving Pittsfield, is Boston's WCVB (ABC).

Cable television subscribers of Time Warner Cable (TWC) in the City of Pittsfield receive Public, educational, and government access (PEG) Channels, provided by Pittsfield Community Television (PCTV), on channels 16, 17 and 18:
 * Access Pittsfield, channel 16, Public-access television
 * Pittsfield ETV, channel 17, Education-access television
 * Citylink, channel 18, Government-access television (GATV)

Pittsfield Community Television is a not-for-profit, 501 (c)(3) organization and a member of the Alliance for Community Media. Programming on PCTV is available 24 hours per day, year-long, and is available online at www.pittsfieldtv.org.

Radio
Pittsfield is home to (or obtains strong signals from) the following radio stations:
 * 89.7 MHz WTBR-FM (Rock)
 * 860 kHz WSBS (AC, licensed to Great Barrington)
 * 1110 kHz WUPE (Oldies, simulcast of WUPE-FM
 * 1340 kHz WBRK (Adult Standards)
 * 1420 kHz WBEC (Talk)
 * 90.3 MHz WAMC-FM (NPR, licensed to Albany, New York, tower on Mount Greylock)
 * 91.1 MHz WHVP (Christian-Sound of Life Radio, licensed to Hudson, NY, tower in Chatham, NY)
 * 95.9 MHz WBEC-FM (AC, Tower on Bosquet Mountain)
 * 100.1 MHz WUPE-FM (Oldies, licensed to North Adams)
 * 101.7 MHz WBRK-FM (AC)
 * 102.7 MHz WEQX (Modern Rock, licensed to Manchester, Vermont)
 * 104.3 MHz WRRS-LP (Radio Reading Service)
 * 105.1 MHz WAMQ (NPR Simulcast of WAMC, licensed to Great Barrington)
 * 106.1 MHz W291CH (Simulcast of WFCR, Western Massachusetts NPR affiliate out of Amherst)

Signals from Albany, New York and Springfield, Massachusetts also reach Pittsfield as well as some signals from Hartford, Connecticut and even Boston depending on location.

One of Pittsfield's oldest radio stations, WBEC-FM 105.5, was sold and relocated to Mount Tom in Holyoke, Massachusetts, where it became a Springfield radio station (technically licensed to Easthampton). It relays Boston's WEEI. The move changed over two decades of programming on the Pittsfield dial which moved WBEC-FM as a TOP40 station on 105.5 down to 95.9, WUPE (as oldies) up to 100.1 in North Adams, replacing the Beautiful/EZ format on 100.1 known as WMNB. Recently WBEC 95.9 changed from a HOT AC to an Adult Contemporary format, which was on 95.9 prior to the changes, as "Lite 95.9 WUPE", a mostly satellite driven format.

Business
Pittsfield is home to several businesses, including:
 * SABIC-Innovative Plastics (formerly known as General Electric (Plastics/Advanced Materials Division) and now a subsidiary of the Riyadh-based Saudi Basic Industries Corporation).
 * Chemex Corporation.
 * General Systems.
 * Blue-Q - A design and gift manufacturer owned by two Pittsfield natives.
 * Laurin Publishing, publisher of an international photonics-industry directory, as well as several related periodicals.
 * Thaddeus Clapp House, a historic bed and breakfast inn.
 * General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems.
 * Interprint Incorporated - Located on the Pittsfield, Richmond line.
 * New England Acupuncture and Herb Clinic.
 * The Moscow Ballet, national touring dance company and producer of the Great Russian Nutcracker.
 * Berkshire Gas, provides natural gas services to more than 36,000 customers in western Massachusetts.

Notable residents

 * Thomas Allen, railroad builder and member of the United States Congress
 * William Allen, compiler of the first work of general biography published in the United States
 * Elizabeth Banks, actress who performed in the films Seabiscuit, Spider-Man, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, and W.
 * William Francis Bartlett- Civil War general
 * Mark Belanger, Golden Glove shortstop for the Baltimore Orioles
 * Henry Shaw Briggs, brigadier general during the American Civil War
 * Colonel John Brown, Revolutionary War patriot, first to accuse Benedict Arnold
 * Silvio O. Conte, congressman
 * Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge, U.S. philanthropist and music patron, founded the Berkshire Music Festival at South Mountain in 1918
 * Kevin Davis, pilot who died in the 2007 Blue Angels South Carolina crash
 * Adam Dean, Philosopher
 * Art Ditmar, 1950s pitcher for Pittsburgh Pirates
 * Michael Durwin, Boston creative director and entrepreneur
 * Cy Ferry, major league baseball player for the Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Naps in the early years of the American League
 * Jack Ferry, major league baseball player for the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 1910s
 * Marshall Field, founded Chicago's Marshall Field's department stores, took his first job in 1853 as a clerk in a Pittsfield. The white terra-cotta Pittsfield Building in downtown Chicago is so named because of Field's connection to Pittsfield.
 * Daniel Fox, shares credit for the invention of LEXAN plastic
 * Frank Grant, famous 19th century African American baseball player
 * Nancy Graves, sculptor and painter
 * Tom Grieve, former player, General Manager, & present-day television broadcaster for the Texas Rangers
 * Samuel Harrison, Chaplain for the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, one of the first African-American units in the American Civil War. The Samuel Harrison House was placed on the list of National Historic Places in 2006.
 * Oliver Wendell Holmes, poet, summered in Pittsfield. His mother's family owned 26,000 acres (105 km²) in Pittsfield
 * Sean Hurley, bassist and rock star, former member of Vertical Horizon, graduate of Pittsfield High School
 * Hung Huynh, season three winner of the reality television show Top Chef, graduate of Pittsfield High School
 * Donald Kaufman, Co-founder of KB Toys and Antique Toy collector.
 * Gary H. Kitmacher, NASA manager, Mir Orbital Station integration, designer, International Space Station and lunar base, author, Pittsfield High School graduate
 * Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, poet, educator, linguist owned a home on East Street now site of Pittsfield High School (see photos above)
 * Jay McInerney, author of Bright Lights, Big City (1984) on which the popular film is based
 * Gordon McKay, 19th century inventor and industrialist
 * Herman Melville, author, resided at Arrowhead in Pittsfield, MA where he wrote his most famous novel, Moby Dick. Herman Melville lived in Pittsfield from 1850 to 1863, during which time he wrote Moby-Dick, Pierre: or, The Ambiguities, The Confidence-Man: His Masquerade, and The Piazza Tales. His home, Arrowhead, is maintained as a museum by the Berkshire Historical Society, and visitors can see the peaks of Mount Greylock through the study-window, peaks which reminded Melville of a whale's back. Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote "On the hither side of Pittsfield sits Herman Melville, shaping out the gigantic conception of his 'White Whale,' while the gigantic shape of Graylock[sic] looms upon him from his study-window."
 * William Miller, famous 19th century preacher
 * Elaine Cancilla Orbach, Broadway Actress, Actor Jerry Orbach's Widow
 * Adrian Pasdar, actor
 * Chad Paronto, Houston Astros relief pitcher
 * Brian Piccolo, Chicago Bears halfback, subject of movie Brian's Song
 * Dorothy Reid-Amos Educator and political activist. A small park on West Street near the old Briggs School bears her name.
 * William Stanley, Jr., invented the first alternating current electrical transformer
 * Howie Storie, catcher for the Boston Red Sox during the early 1930s
 * James Walter Thompson, 19th century advertising pioneer
 * Elkanah Watson, author and agriculturist, in 1810 held the first county fair in the country in Pittsfield
 * Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric
 * Robin Williams, actor who maintains a summer home in Pittsfield
 * Stephanie Wilson, astronaut

Sister cities
Pittsfield has four sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International:
 * 🇮🇪 Ballina, County Mayo, Ireland
 * 🇮🇹 Cava de' Tirreni, Italy
 * 🇰🇷 Cheongju, South Korea
 * 🇳🇮 Malpaisillo, Nicaragua

Historic Photo Gallery
Many of the following scenes can still be seen today:


 * Public Domain Postcards