Windsor, Massachusetts
Encyclopedia
Windsor is a town
in Berkshire County
, Massachusetts
, United States
. It is part of the Pittsfield
, Massachusetts
Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 875 at the 2000 census.
, where many of the settlers emigrated from. Originally, the town was named Gageborough, but was changed due to the general's Revolutionary War
affiliation.
, the town has a total area of 35.1 square miles (91.0 km²), of which 35.0 square miles (90.6 km²) is land and 0.1 square mile (0.4 km²) (0.40%) is water. Windsor is mostly rectangular-shaped, and lies along the eastern border of Berkshire County with Hampshire County. It is bordered by Savoy
to the north, Plainfield
to the northeast and east; Cummington
to the southeast, Peru
and Hinsdale
to the south, and Dalton
to the southwest, and Cheshire
to the northwest. Windsor is twelve miles (19 km) northeast of Pittsfield
, 45 miles (72.4 km) northwest of Springfield
, and 120 miles (193.1 km) west-northwest of Boston.
Windsor is located on a plateau in the Berkshire Hills, and lies near the source of the Westfield River. The river runs southward through the northeast part of town, flowing through Windsor State Forest. Additionally, one of the feeder brooks flows through the Windsor Jambs, a series of rocky waterfalls. The town is also dotted with wildlife management areas, including all of Eugene Moran Wildlife Management Area, as well as portions of the Chalet, Peru and Savoy Wildlife Management Areas.
Windsor is located at the junction of Route 9 and Route 8A, with the two running concurrently west from the junction. Near the northeast corner of town, Route 8A grazes the border (at which point it is combined with Route 116
), with a small neighborhood lying around Windsor Pond.
The town has no bus or rail service, with the nearest access to both being in Pittsfield. The Pittsfield Municipal Airport
is the nearest regional airport, and the town is located roughly equidistantly between Albany International Airport
and Bradley International Airport
, the two nearest airports with national service.
of 2000, there were 875 people, 328 households, and 248 families residing in the town. By population, Windsor ranks 22nd out of the 32 cities and town in Berkshire County, and 329th out of 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts. The population density
was 25.0 people per square mile (9.7/km²), and ranks 25th in the county and 334th in the commonwealth. There were 474 housing units at an average density of 13.5 per square mile (5.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.86% White, 0.34% from other races
, and 0.80% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.11% of the population.
There were 328 households out of which 35.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.7% were married couples
living together, 5.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.1% were non-families. 19.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.05.
In the town the population was spread out with 26.6% under the age of 18, 4.2% from 18 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 32.2% from 45 to 64, and 10.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 101.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.1 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $51,389, and the median income for a family was $57,500. Males had a median income of $41,053 versus $24,808 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $21,794. About 4.3% of families and 5.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.4% of those under age 18 and 1.2% of those age 65 or over.
form of government, and is led by a board of selectmen
. The town has its own services, including police, fire and public works departments. The town's public library is located adjacent to the town hall, and is connected to the regional library system. The nearest hospital, Berkshire Medical Center, is located in Pittsfield.
On the state level, Windsor is represented in the Massachusetts House of Representatives
as part of the Second Berkshire district, represented by Paul Mark, which covers central Berkshire County, as well as portions of Hampshire and Franklin Counties. In the Massachusetts Senate
, the town is part of the Berkshire, Hampshire and Franklin district, represented by Ben Downing, which includes all of Berkshire County and western Hampshire and Franklin Counties. The town is patrolled by the Fourth (Cheshire) Station of Barracks "B" of the Massachusetts State Police
.
On the national level, Windsor 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
and junior senator Scott Brown.
. Elementary school students attend the Berkshire Trail Elementary School in Cummington, which serves both towns. All students in the district attend the Nessacus Regional Middle School for the middle grades, and Wahconah Regional High School for the upper grades. Both schools are located in Dalton. The nearest parochial school is in Dalton, and the nearest private schools are in Pittsfield.
The nearest community college is Berkshire Community College
in Pittsfield. The nearest state college is Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts
in North Adams, and the nearest state university is the University of Massachusetts Amherst
.
New England town
The New England town is the basic unit of local government in each of the six New England states. Without a direct counterpart in most other U.S. states, New England towns are conceptually similar to civil townships in other states, but are incorporated, possessing powers like cities in other...
in Berkshire County
Berkshire County, Massachusetts
Berkshire County is a non-governmental county located on the western edge of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. As of the 2010 census, the population was 131,219. Its largest city and traditional county seat is Pittsfield...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is part of the Pittsfield
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...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 875 at the 2000 census.
History
Windsor was first settled in 1767 and was officially incorporated in 1771. The town was named for Windsor Locks, ConnecticutWindsor Locks, Connecticut
Windsor Locks is a town located in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2000 census, its population was 12,043. It is the site of Bradley International Airport, which serves the Greater Hartford-Springfield region. It is also the site of the New England Air Museum...
, where many of the settlers emigrated from. Originally, the town was named Gageborough, but was changed due to the general's Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
affiliation.
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 35.1 square miles (91.0 km²), of which 35.0 square miles (90.6 km²) is land and 0.1 square mile (0.4 km²) (0.40%) is water. Windsor is mostly rectangular-shaped, and lies along the eastern border of Berkshire County with Hampshire County. It is bordered by Savoy
Savoy, Massachusetts
Savoy is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 705 at the 2000 census.- History :...
to the north, Plainfield
Plainfield, Massachusetts
Plainfield is a town on the northwestern edge of Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States, about 25 miles east of Pittsfield and 30 miles northwest of Northampton. The population was 589 at the 2000 census...
to the northeast and east; Cummington
Cummington, Massachusetts
Cummington is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 978 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area.- History :...
to the southeast, Peru
Peru, Massachusetts
Peru is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 821 at the 2000 census.- History :Originally known as Northern Berkshire Township Number 2 and including all of Hinsdale and part of Middlefield, the town was first settled in 1767 and was officially incorporated...
and Hinsdale
Hinsdale, Massachusetts
Hinsdale is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area...
to the south, and Dalton
Dalton, Massachusetts
Dalton is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. Dalton is the transition town between the urban and rural pieces of Berkshire County, Massachusetts. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 6,892 at the 2000 census.- History...
to the southwest, and Cheshire
Cheshire, Massachusetts
Cheshire is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 3,401 at the 2000 census.-History:...
to the northwest. Windsor is twelve miles (19 km) northeast of Pittsfield
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...
, 45 miles (72.4 km) northwest of Springfield
Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield is the most populous city in Western New England, and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers; the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern...
, and 120 miles (193.1 km) west-northwest of Boston.
Windsor is located on a plateau in the Berkshire Hills, and lies near the source of the Westfield River. The river runs southward through the northeast part of town, flowing through Windsor State Forest. Additionally, one of the feeder brooks flows through the Windsor Jambs, a series of rocky waterfalls. The town is also dotted with wildlife management areas, including all of Eugene Moran Wildlife Management Area, as well as portions of the Chalet, Peru and Savoy Wildlife Management Areas.
Windsor is located at the junction of Route 9 and Route 8A, with the two running concurrently west from the junction. Near the northeast corner of town, Route 8A grazes the border (at which point it is combined with Route 116
Massachusetts Route 116
Route 116 is a south–north state highway in Massachusetts. The route runs from Springfield through mill towns, college towns and rural towns, crossing the Connecticut River three times before finally ending in Adams.-Route description:...
), with a small neighborhood lying around Windsor Pond.
The town has no bus or rail service, with the nearest access to both being in Pittsfield. The Pittsfield Municipal Airport
Pittsfield Municipal Airport
Pittsfield Municipal Airport, in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, is a public airport owned and operated by the city of Pittsfield. It has two runways, averages 133 flights per day, and has approximately 57 aircraft based on its field....
is the nearest regional airport, and the town is located roughly equidistantly between Albany International Airport
Albany International Airport
Albany International Airport is a public use airport located six nautical miles northwest of the central business district of Albany, in Albany County, New York, United States. It is owned by the Albany County Airport Authority....
and Bradley International Airport
Bradley International Airport
Bradley International Airport is a joint civil-military public airport located in Windsor Locks on the border with East Granby and Suffield, in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. It is owned by the State of Connecticut....
, the two nearest airports with national service.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 875 people, 328 households, and 248 families residing in the town. By population, Windsor ranks 22nd out of the 32 cities and town in Berkshire County, and 329th out of 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 25.0 people per square mile (9.7/km²), and ranks 25th in the county and 334th in the commonwealth. There were 474 housing units at an average density of 13.5 per square mile (5.2/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 98.86% White, 0.34% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.80% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.11% of the population.
There were 328 households out of which 35.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.7% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 5.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.1% were non-families. 19.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.05.
In the town the population was spread out with 26.6% under the age of 18, 4.2% from 18 to 24, 26.6% from 25 to 44, 32.2% from 45 to 64, and 10.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 101.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.1 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $51,389, and the median income for a family was $57,500. Males had a median income of $41,053 versus $24,808 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $21,794. About 4.3% of families and 5.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.4% of those under age 18 and 1.2% of those age 65 or over.
Government
Windsor employs the open town meetingOpen town meeting
An open town meeting is a form of town meeting in which all registered voters of a town may vote . This form of government is typical of smaller municipalities in the New England region of the United States....
form of government, and is led by a board of selectmen
Board of selectmen
The board of selectmen is commonly the executive arm of the government of New England towns in the United States. The board typically consists of three or five members, with or without staggered terms.-History:...
. The town has its own services, including police, fire and public works departments. The town's public library is located adjacent to the town hall, and is connected to the regional library system. The nearest hospital, Berkshire Medical Center, is located in Pittsfield.
On the state level, Windsor is represented in the Massachusetts House of Representatives
Massachusetts House of Representatives
The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from single-member electoral districts across the Commonwealth. Representatives serve two-year terms...
as part of the Second Berkshire district, represented by Paul Mark, which covers central Berkshire County, as well as portions of Hampshire and Franklin Counties. In the Massachusetts Senate
Massachusetts Senate
The Massachusetts Senate is the upper house of the Massachusetts General Court, the bicameral state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Senate comprises 40 elected members from 40 single-member senatorial districts in the state...
, the town is part of the Berkshire, Hampshire and Franklin district, represented by Ben Downing, which includes all of Berkshire County and western Hampshire and Franklin Counties. The town is patrolled by the Fourth (Cheshire) Station of Barracks "B" of the Massachusetts State Police
Massachusetts State Police
The Massachusetts State Police is an agency of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts' Executive Office of Public Safety and Security responsible for criminal law enforcement and traffic vehicle regulation across the state...
.
On the national level, Windsor is represented in the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
as part of Massachusetts's 1st congressional district
Massachusetts's 1st congressional district
Massachusetts's 1st congressional district is in western and central Massachusetts. The largest Massachusetts district in area, it covers about one-third of the state and is more rural than the rest. It has the state's highest point, Mount Greylock...
, and has been represented by John Olver
John Olver
John Walter Olver is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1991. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Early in his career, he was a chemistry professor and served in both chambers of the Massachusetts General Court....
of Amherst
Amherst, Massachusetts
Amherst is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States in the Connecticut River valley. As of the 2010 census, the population was 37,819, making it the largest community in Hampshire County . The town is home to Amherst College, Hampshire College, and the University of Massachusetts...
since June 1991. Massachusetts is currently represented in the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
by senior Senator John Kerry
John Kerry
John Forbes Kerry is the senior United States Senator from Massachusetts, the 10th most senior U.S. Senator and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He was the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2004 presidential election, but lost to former President George W...
and junior senator Scott Brown.
Education
Windsor is a member town of the Central Berkshire Regional School DistrictCentral Berkshire Regional School District
The Central Berkshire Regional School District is the largest school district in the state of Massachusetts, covering over 214 square miles. It serves seven towns, six in central Berkshire County, Massachusetts; Becket, Dalton, Hinsdale, Peru, Washington, and Windsor; the seventh is the town of...
. Elementary school students attend the Berkshire Trail Elementary School in Cummington, which serves both towns. All students in the district attend the Nessacus Regional Middle School for the middle grades, and Wahconah Regional High School for the upper grades. Both schools are located in Dalton. The nearest parochial school is in Dalton, and the nearest private schools are in Pittsfield.
The nearest community college is Berkshire Community College
Berkshire Community College
Berkshire Community College is a two-year community college in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It offers associate degrees as well as a transfer program for students to earn credits for transfer to other colleges...
in Pittsfield. The nearest state college is Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts
Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts
The Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts is a public, residential, liberal arts college that offers both undergraduate and graduate programs. Located in North Adams, Massachusetts, it is part of the state university system of Massachusetts. It is a member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts...
in North Adams, and the nearest state university is the University of Massachusetts Amherst
University of Massachusetts Amherst
The University of Massachusetts Amherst is a public research and land-grant university in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States and the flagship of the University of Massachusetts system...
.
Points of interest
- NotchviewNotchviewNotchview, located in Windsor, Massachusetts in the Berkshire County, United States, is a property currently managed by the Trustees of Reservations.-History:...
, a 3100 acres (12.5 km²) Reservation managed by the Trustees of Reservations open to cross country skiers along with other forms of outdoor recreation.