PITTSFIELD, a city of western Massachusetts, U.S.A., the county seat of Berkshire county; on Federal highways 7 and 20, and served by the Boston and Albany and the New York, New Haven and Hartford railways. Pop. (1920) 41,763 (20% f oreign born white) ; 1930 Federal census 49,677. It occupies 41.4 sq.m., at an altitude of 1,000 ft., in the midst of the Berkshire hills. Three branches of the Housatonic river wind through the city, uniting about a mile from the central green. Within its limits are the villages of Barkerville, Coltsville Junction, Pontoosuc, Shaker, Stearnsville, Taconic, Tillotsons and West Pittsfield, and the whole or parts of five lakes (Pontoosuc, Onota, Morewood, Silver and Richmond). It is a well built city, with dignified public buildings, substantial business blocks, modern schools, shaded residential streets and on the outskirts large manufacturing plants. The assessed valuation for 1927 was $57,809,775. Pittsfield is a touring centre and a resort for winter sports. Its manufacturing industries are large and distinctive, with an output in 1927 valued at $50,191,653. They include a plant of the General
Electric Company, making monster transformers and other ma chinery and devices, where artificial lightning was produced in 1927; and the mill that makes all the paper used for the U.S. bank notes and Government bonds. The oldest industry (still one of the most important) is textile manufacturing, chiefly woollen goods. Fine stationery, paper-mill equipment, machine tools, spool silks and silk braids are other leading products. The first settlement within the present boundaries of Pittsfield (Boston Plantation or Pontoosuc), made in 1743, was soon abandoned because of trouble with the Indians. It was revived in 1749, and in 1761 was incorporated as the town of Pittsfield, named in honour of the elder William Pitt. The town was chartered as a city in 2889. Shaker Village was settled (by Shakers) about 1790. Elkanah Watson (1758-1842), while living (1807-16) at what is now the Country club, introduced the merino sheep.