Great Barrington Real Estate

Great Barrington Real Estate

A tiny oasis in the Berkshires, Great Barrington has its own currency (the Berk Share) and two colleges (Simon’s Rock, now associated with Bard College in nearby New York State, and Berkshire Community College). From Aston Magna (an early music foundation) to Alice’s Restaurant (a legendary 1960s antiwar protest song written by Woody Guthrie’s son Arlo), culture and counter-culture commingle and thrive in this historic Berkshire town. .

One of Great Barrington’s most famous residents was W.E. B. DuBois, a civil rights activist, who in 1895 was the first African American to ever receive a PhD. from Harvard. In his autobiography Dusk of Dawn, DuBois describes Great Barrington: “The town and its surroundings were a boy's paradise:  there were mountains to climb and rivers to wade and swim; lakes to freeze and hills for coasting.” His description is still quite accurate today.

Great Barrington was founded in 1766 and is the Southern Berkshires’ largest town and commercial hub. Its Main Street was the first in the United States to have electric lights. The town is the site of the first armed resistance against the British, two years before the Revolutionary War, and is the site of the first freed slave. The vibrant downtown, with its tree-lined streets and mid-19th century charm, is easily walkable and infinitely enjoyable. The shopping experience can include galleries, culture, fine restaurants, boutiques and historic sites and landmarks. Great Barrington’s year-round residents include a mix of natives, transplants from metropolitan areas and students from nearby private schools.

Fairview Hospital in Great Barrington is a major employer in the south Berkshire area, providing positions in nursing, physician, other clinical areas, general staff, and management and administrative jobs to residents of the area and those who are moving to the region. As a major affiliate of Berkshire Health Systems, Fairview Hospital has close connections to Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield, the Berkshire Visiting Nurse Association and a host of Long-Term Care facilities.

The town also includes the village of Housatonic to the north, a former thriving mill town that is now home to many unique art galleries and other creative businesses and its own public library.  The website for the town of Great Barrington can be accessed by clicking the photo above.

Great Barrington Cultural Links

Alice’s Restaurant - Guthrie Center  
Aston Magna  
Berk Shares
E.F. Schumacher Society
Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center  
Great Barrington Historical Society & Museum