Western Massachusetts: Home

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Western Massachusetts is a geographic region comprised of the four westernmost counties of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and is notable for its wealth of cultural, academic, and recreational destinations and its diverse topography, which includes the Connecticut River valley, the Holyoke, Mount Tom, and Berkshire mountain ranges,  

Hamden, Hampshire, and Franklin counties straddle the Connecticut River and form what is colloquially called the Pioneer Valley. The area has long been well known for its rich agricultural heritage and farmland, numerous prestigious universities and colleges, impressive museums, and important cultural and historic landmarks such as the Emily Dickinson House, Historic Deerfield, the Springfield Armory National Park, the Quabbin Reservoir and Watershed, and the Basketball Hall of Fame. 

Farther to the west, the Berkshires are home to famed cultural institutions such as Tanglewood, Jacob's Pillow, and Mass MoCA, as well as Gilded Age vacation and ski resorts, and several small liberal arts colleges. The Berkshire mountains are an extension of the Green Mountain range that begins in Vermont and extends into the Litchfield Hills area of Connecticut, and include Mount Greylock, the highest land mass in Massachusetts.