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Berkley MA Real Estate and Town Profile
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Berkley, Massachusetts is located in
Southeastern Massachusetts, bordered by Dighton on the west, Taunton on the
north, Lakeville on the east, and Freetown on the south. Berkley is 12 miles
north of Fall River; 42 miles south of Boston; 21 miles east of Providence,
Rhode Island; and 198 miles from New York. The principal highway is State Route 24, the Fall River Expressway. There is no passenger or freight rail service in Berkley, but the network
of intermodal facilities serving eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island is
easily accessible.
The notably stony soil of Berkley did not discourage the early settlers of
the community who did some shipbuilding but essentially concentrated on
agriculture. The town is still rural in character, and has retained much
of its 18th century landscape.
Berkley was a well known Indian settlement area because of the rich
shellfish and water fowl resources to be found there. These and the
woodlands in the town also drew the first European settlers. But the town
was abandoned by residents because of its vulnerability to Indian or French
attack at the outbreak of King Philip's war, when townspeople sought
shelter and safety in Taunton. These wars delayed development of the
community, as did the lack of water power to fuel the industrial mills of
Colonial times. However, there were sufficient clay deposits to stimulate
a small pottery industry for a time.
Still a small, rural community, Berkley is well loved by its residents for
its peacefulness and its reminders of the past, among which is the
Berkley-Dighton Bridge, possibly the oldest swing span bridge in the state.
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Map of Berkley
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Some information gathered on Berkley, MA is courtesy of Commonwealth Communities at Mass.gov
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