History
Florida was originally settled as part of the Equivalent Lands (specifically the "Berkshire Equivalent"). Most of what is now Florida was originally a grant to the town of Bernardston, Massachusetts, made sometime around 1771. The first settler, Dr. Daniel Nelson, arrived around 1783. The town was incorporated in 1805 and named "Florida," reportedly because Spanish Florida was a topic of much discussion in those years.
The town was mostly agrarian, with maple syrup, wool, and potatoes its main products for many years. However, in the mid-nineteenth century, the town was a boom town for the workers involved in the construction of the Hoosac Tunnel, a railroad tunnel which begins on the town's southeast corner and extends through the mountain.
Nathaniel Hawthorne, in his American Notebooks, names the town as Latrobe, not Florida, and describes portions of the Hoosac Range as "the Green Mountain" in his writings. It is possible that the name Latrobe was a corruption of Florida, or the other way around, since the reference to "the mountains" refers to the local tradition of the area (1838), and may in fact be what gave the entire region its name, as an extension rather than a reference to "the Green Mountain itself." There are no other state routes through the town and the nearest interstate highway is Interstate 91 to the east.
The official town line marker as seen from Route 2 Massachusetts, the Mohawk Trail, runs northward across the town north of center, passing over Whitcomb Summit, the highest mark in the town at the center of town. At Whitcomb Summit there is a monument to the Elk Club, which maintains the trails and worked on the Hoosac Tunnel. Whitcomb Summit is known for providing dramatic views of the Deerfield River valley and the Taconic Range further west.
Geography
The forest is the heart of Florida. 92.91% of its area is forested — among the highest percentages of total forest coverage of any Massachusetts municipality. Figures are from the Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 24.6 square miles (63.8 km²), of which 24.4 square miles (63.2 km²), or 99%, is land. Total water area covers less than 0.2 square miles (0.6 km²), or 0.9%, is water.
Florida is bordered on the north by Stamford, Vermont; on the east by Monroe; on the southeast by Charlemont; on the south by Savoy; on the southwest by Adams; and on the west and northwest by North Adams. The Mohawk Trail runs through the town, and its villages, Drury, are located along this route.
Florida is located near the highest points of the Hoosac Range, which runs through the western part of the town. There are several rivers and brooks, most of which lead to the Deerfield River, which runs much of the state's eastern border and extends in the valleys to the southeast. Florida is located in the northeast corner of Berkshire County, and also covers northern Franklin and western Hampshire counties. On the national level, Florida is in the United States House of Representatives' 1st congressional district, represented by Representative Richard Neal. On the state level, the town is represented in the Berkshire, Hampshire and Franklin Counties district, which includes all of Berkshire County and western Hampshire and Franklin counties. Florida is currently represented in the United States Senate by senior Senator Elizabeth Warren and junior Senator Ed Markey.
Government
Florida is governed by an open town meeting form of government, which is led by a board of selectmen, and a town's own services including the Florida Free Library, a small library with associations to the town. The board of selectmen and a town administrator lead its own services. The town is represented in the Massachusetts House of Representatives by the First Berkshire County, as it covers northern Berkshire County, including all of northern Berkshire County, and north by the Massachusetts Senate in the Berkshire, Hampshire and Franklin districts, which includes all of northern Berkshire County and western Hampshire County and the Franklin districts. On the national level, Florida is in the United States House of Representatives' 1st Congressional District, and is currently represented in the United States Senate by senior Senator Elizabeth Warren and junior Senator Ed Markey.
Education
The local school, the Gabriel Abbott Memorial School, which serves students from pre-K to 8th grade, is located in the town of Florida. The school union district is in neighboring Monroe. The town sends its high school students to either Drury High School or Charles H. McCann Technical High School, both of which are in North Adams. The town provides bus transportation for students to the high schools.
Multiple Zip Codes in the Town of Florida
The Town of Florida covers multiple zip codes across its villages and areas:
- Drury, MA 01343
- Florida, MA 01247
- Rowe, MA 01367
