Massachusetts Research: 3 Berkshire Cities Could Eventually Become Ghost Towns

This is somewhat scary news. Not just for Berkshire County residents but for all Massachusetts residents in general. New research indicates the strong possibility that 11 towns in the Commonwealth could eventually become ghost towns.

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According to an in-depth study conducted by researchers at the Department of Civil, Materials, and Environmental Engineering at the University of Illinois Chicago, Massachusetts will be the victim of serious downsizing by the turn of the century.

The study, published earlier this year on Nature.com, essentially concludes that by the year 2100, half of the cities in the United States (eleven cities in Massachusetts alone) could be in jeopardy of a major population decline.

And, out of those eleven Massachusetts cities, three of them are located here in Berkshire County. Give that thought some consideration. Eleven Massachusetts towns will be losing approximately one-quarter of their population.

Before we delve any further into the study, let's first examine what causes population decline. Well, several events can lead to a decline in population numbers ranging from high mortality rates, low birth rates, and continuous emigration to big events such as famine or some kind of viral outbreak.

Sadly, most of the cities set to potentially lose major populations are located in either Franklin County or Berkshire County. Outside of a few areas in and around Cape Cod, all of the towns are here in Western Massachusetts.

According to the report, here are the 11 Massachusetts cities that could see major population declines of more than 25% by the end of the century:

1. Millers Falls/Northfield (2-way tie for #1)
2. Northfield/Millers Falls (2-way tie for #1)
3. Greenfield
4. Orange
5. Williamstown
6. Lee
7. Pittsfield
8. East Dennis
9. Chatham
10. Shelburne Falls/West Falmouth (2-way tie for #10)
11. West Falmouth/Shelburne Falls (2-way tie for #10)

Take a look at the full study (which is pretty fascinating) by visiting Nature's website here. You may want to set aside some time, though. As I mentioned, it's pretty in-depth. But certainly well worth it.