Post by Uplander on Jan 19, 2006 13:28:25 GMT -5
I was just a boy when Sprague’s closed down and North Adams went into tailspin. Then Pittsfield lost GE. Decades of economic depression meant few tourists, a shrinking population, and little to no real estate development. But, a positive impact of this economic bust was that the Berkshires largely missed the strip malling and development that has ravaged much of the rest of the country in recent decades.
However, in recent years North County has seen a slight uptick in its economic prospects. MassMoCA has filled empty factory space with art and crowds, “artists” are moving to the area and setting up shop, a building boom is taking place in certain spots, and tourists are actually seen on Main Street in North Adams. News today is that the old K-Mart building in North Adams will now house a Staples, a department store, a movie theater, etc.
The Berkshires are one of the last places on the eastern seaboard to harbor large tracts of wild lands and viable populations of wild creatures. Unbelievable when you consider how close New York City and Boston are.... The Nature Conservancy deems the Berkshires one of “The Last Best Places” in the world. So, I ask you, does this newfound economic growth possibly jeopardize the bucolic natural world of the Northern Berkshires? A prosperous South County has been impacted by burgeoning population growth, monstrous second homes dotting previously pristine ridgelines, etc. Does the same fate threaten North County? Will an increase in population hurt the wild places? Will the trout streams be bulldozed for housing developments? How do we keep the Berkshires rural and special, without stifling economic growth? What can/should be done?
However, in recent years North County has seen a slight uptick in its economic prospects. MassMoCA has filled empty factory space with art and crowds, “artists” are moving to the area and setting up shop, a building boom is taking place in certain spots, and tourists are actually seen on Main Street in North Adams. News today is that the old K-Mart building in North Adams will now house a Staples, a department store, a movie theater, etc.
The Berkshires are one of the last places on the eastern seaboard to harbor large tracts of wild lands and viable populations of wild creatures. Unbelievable when you consider how close New York City and Boston are.... The Nature Conservancy deems the Berkshires one of “The Last Best Places” in the world. So, I ask you, does this newfound economic growth possibly jeopardize the bucolic natural world of the Northern Berkshires? A prosperous South County has been impacted by burgeoning population growth, monstrous second homes dotting previously pristine ridgelines, etc. Does the same fate threaten North County? Will an increase in population hurt the wild places? Will the trout streams be bulldozed for housing developments? How do we keep the Berkshires rural and special, without stifling economic growth? What can/should be done?
