Page 10 - BusinessWest May 12, 2021

Community Spotlight
Pittsfield Sees Increase in Residents, Visitors
By Mark Morris
As COVID-19 has encouraged many Americans to move out of large urban areas, a good number of them are moving to Pittsfield.
In April, the New York Times reported on a U.S. Postal Service survey that tracked the top metro areas where people moved during the
after their experiences during the pandemic,” said Butler, who is president and CEO of 1Berkshire, the economic-development and tourism organization for Berkshire County.
A USA Today article in March suggested that, as more people work from home, big cit- ies may lose population to smaller areas that
“Our location positioned us well for people who have decided to move to a more rural setting and take advantage of telecommuting.”
cost less and offer better qual- ity of life. Using data from Moody’s Analytics, the article included Pittsfield among
the top five cities that could stand to gain from the shift to remote work. Moody’s ranked Pittsfield in the 53rd percen- tile for affordability, and for quality of life it scored 90.2.
More than a statistical exercise, Butler said these
pandemic. Pittsfield ranked sixth on the list. According to Jonathan Butler, Pittsfield’s
proximity to both New York City and Boston certainly put the city in a good spot to benefit from the migration away from larger metro areas.
“Our location positioned us well for people who have decided to move to a more rural setting and take advantage of telecommuting
trends are reflected in reality.
“There has been a 40% increase in net
real-estate sales compared to last year,” he said, noting that the increase represents more properties selling, and selling at higher prices. “We’ve seen real-estate prices skyrocket in the Berkshires, anywhere from 10% to 30%.”
Still, while the pandemic may present many opportunities for Pittsfield, the city cer-
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10 MAY 12, 2021
COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT
Pittsfield at a glance
YEAR INCORPORATED: 1761
POPULATION: 44,737
AREA: 42.5 square miles
COUNTY: Berkshire
RESIDENTIAL TAX RATE: $19.25 COMMERCIAL TAX RATE: $39.99
MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME: $35,655 MEDIAN FAMILY INCOME: $46,228
TYPE OF GOVERNMENT: Mayor, City Council
LARGEST EMPLOYERS: Berkshire Health Systems; General Dynamics; Petricca Industries Inc.; SABIC Innovative Plastics; Berkshire Bank
* Latest information available
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