There is a lot of collective knowledge in the Berkshires. There are famous authors of all stripes and physicians who have moved here with great understanding about the way things work.
We in the Berkshires enjoy a real sense of community that just won’t quit. This is not a New York City atmosphere where people are isolated and noncommunicative. We lived on 96th Street in Manhattan in a sixteen story (no thirteenth floor) building with four apartments on each floor. We were in the B apartment, and we never knew two of the other apartment’s occupants who had lived there as long as us which, essentially, was forever. Here, when someone moves in, the word gets out and people meet and get to know one another. Of course, there is always someone who will identify a nearby neighbor as a “Trumper” and that is never a compliment.
On my street alone, there are attorneys and psychologists, journalists and professors. If you just stop and talk for a few minutes with any of these folks, you will be blown away by the sheer level of knowledge they have. People know that I write this column and am on the radio and they don’t hesitate to tell me what they think. Trust me, they don’t hold back.
From what I can see, no one lords it over the others despite the degrees they have earned or the jobs they have. Maybe that’s one of the reasons why people move to the Berkshires. Something is pulling them in. There is something in the air; something in the spirit of our community that makes us all equal. People just seem to be nice. I have no real idea why that is, but it is clear that this area is attractive to them. It is not unusual for folks to come visit and then move here. That sort of makes us unique. Maybe someone will explain to me what is building some permanence into our population.
This is a place that people value, which may be the reason that housing prices continue to increase. This is both good and bad. We hear plenty of complaints from young people about how they are unable to find an affordable rental or a starter home. That has always been the case in places like the Berkshires and it’s a situation that is unlikely to change.
People come here for a lot of reasons. One is that we are two and a half hours from both New York City and Boston. It’s a great place to own or rent a home, although we are not the Hamptons. Most stay once they show up. Many of those folks start out as second homers but, like me, once they get here, they end up making it permanent. It may be the changing seasons, or the skiing, or the arts, or the restaurants, or the spirit of tolerance or the common understanding of equality and what that means to the people of our community. We live in a place where many of our citizens hang signs that proclaim, “Black lives matter,” even though they are white. That exemplifies the spirit of the Berkshires: We are rooted in equality.
We enjoy so many benefits living here. Sometimes it may be as simple as sitting in one of our coffee shops and overhearing a conversation. When a neighbor is in trouble, someone inevitably steps up to help out. In my neighborhood, when someone is ill or has been hurt, the word spreads quickly. Sometimes it’s observation that leads us into camaraderie of one kind or another. On Saturday mornings, one can go downtown to the Farmers Market until it gets too cold. There you can see people gathering to talk and interact and learn from each other. Put another way, I love it here.
