The region between the Connecticut River and near the
western edge of Massachusetts is most often referred to as
the Berkshire Hills. It is a mountainous region of wooded
hills with many small lakes and streams. Geographically, the
region consists of two separate landforms: the Western
Uplands and the Berkshire Valley.
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The Western Uplands run from Vermont through
Massachusetts down into Connecticut and are an extension of
the Green Mountains of Vermont, but the name, Berkshire
Hills, is generally applied to all highlands in Western
Massachusetts. The land in this area rises in elevation from
the Connecticut Valley to heights of over 2,000 feet above
sea level. Twenty to thirty miles wide in Massachusetts, the
Western New England Upland is home to the Berkshire Hills
and Mount Greylock, the highest point in Massachusetts at
3,487 feet above sea level. Because of the high elevations
in the Berkshires, winters are colder and receive more snow
than other parts of Massachusetts.
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To the west of the Western New England Upland and the
Berkshire Hills lies the Berkshire Valley running north to
south. This narrow valley, less than ten miles wide, runs
between the Berkshire Hills to the east and the Taconic
Mountains to the west. Dairy cows graze in the fertile green
meadows that cover the Berkshire Valley. The Housatonic,
Hoosic, and Westfield rivers drain the region. Pittsfield,
North Adams, Great Barrington, and Lenox are the largest
towns in the Berkshires.
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