Becket, Massachusetts
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Becket, Massachusetts | |
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Country | United States |
| State | Massachusetts |
| County | Berkshire County |
| Settled | 1740 |
| Incorporated | 1765 |
| Government | |
| - Type | Open town meeting |
| Area | |
| - Town | 47.8 sq mi (123.7 km²) |
| - Land | 46.3 sq mi (119.8 km²) |
| - Water | 1.5 sq mi (3.9 km²) |
| Elevation | 1,200 ft (366 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| - Town | 1,755 |
| - Density | 37.9/sq mi (14.6/km²) |
| Time zone | Eastern (UTC-5) |
| - Summer (DST) | Eastern (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 01223 |
| Area code(s) | 413 |
| Website: http://www.townofbecket.org/ | |
- For other meanings of "Becket", see Becket (disambiguation)
Becket is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,755 at the 2000 census.
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[edit] History
Becket was first settled in 1740 and was officially incorporated in 1765.
[edit] Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 123.7 km² (47.8 mi²). 119.8 km² (46.3 mi²) of it is land and 3.9 km² (1.5 mi²) of it (3.12%) is water.
[edit] Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 1,755 people, 692 households, and 505 families residing in the town. The population density was 14.6/km² (37.9/mi²). There were 1,451 housing units at an average density of 12.1/km² (31.4/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 97.44% White, 0.68% African American, 0.17% Native American, 0.51% Asian, 0.11% from other races, and 1.08% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.08% of the population.
There were 692 households out of which 30.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.7% were married couples living together, 6.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.0% were non-families. 22.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.92.
In the town the population was spread out with 23.6% under the age of 18, 5.6% from 18 to 24, 29.2% from 25 to 44, 28.6% from 45 to 64, and 13.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 101.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.4 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $46,806, and the median income for a family was $53,417. Males had a median income of $40,774 versus $30,300 for females. The per capita income for the town was $21,861. About 3.2% of families and 4.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.0% of those under age 18 and 3.7% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Points of interest
- Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival
- Becket Arts Center http://www.becketartscenter.org/
Founded by pianist Emanuel Levenson and painter Fay Kleinman http://www.faykleinman.com/
- Becket Chimney Corners YMCA http://www.bccymca.org
- Canterbury Ski Farm.
- The population of Becket increases significantly in the summer, as it is home to several large summer camps, most notably Becket Chimney Corners YMCA. The town also includes the all-boys camp Camp Greylock.
