At a glance ...

Incorporated: 1784.

Settled: 1755.

Population: 6,892 (2000 U.S. Census); 6,882 (2005 town census).

Area: 21.81 square miles.

Elevation: 1,150 feet (average).

Average annual snowfall: 81 inches.

Median resident age: 40.1.

Median household income: $47,891 (national: $41,994) (2000 U.S. Census).

Median family income: $59,717 (U.S. Census, 2000).

Average house value: $212,119 (DOR, 2006).

Average property tax: $3,006, single-family home (DOR, 2007).

Unemployment rate: 3.5 percent (December 2006).

Races: White, 6,739; Black, 35; American Indian/Alaska native, 8; Asian, 49; other races, 30; mixed races, 31; Hispanic/Latino, 70 (U.S. Census, 2000).

Ancestries: Irish, 22 percent; Italian, 14 percent; English, 14 percent; German, 11 percent; French, 8 percent; Polish, 6 percent; French Canadian, 6 percent; Scottish, 4 percent; Dutch, 2 percent; Greek, 1 percent; Swedish, 1 percent; Scotch-Irish, 1 percent; Lebanese, 1 percent; Arab, 1 percent; Russian, 1 percent; Danish, 1 percent; Black or African American, 1 percent (U.S. Census, 2000).

Town Web site: www.dalton-ma.gov

The town ...

... was named for Tristram Dalton, the speaker of the Massachusetts House of Representatives at the time of the town's incorporation; there's no evidence he ever visited the town. ... is home to the Crane Papermaking Museum, which is open with limited weekday hours from June to mid-October and is housed in Zenas Crane's 1844 Old Stone Mill. The free museum has been open on the banks of the Housatonic River since 1930. ... draws golf enthusiasts to the semi-private Wahconah Country Club, established in 1930; the New England Journal of Golf ranks it 25th among 100 public access courses in New England. ... has more than 4,000 books and nearly 3,000 audio and visual materials at the Dalton Public Library; currently housed within Town Hall but with its own entrance, the library is open six days a week, 32 hours a week. ... has a 10-member police department, augmented by reserve officers, operates 24/7, with offices in the Town Hall basement.

Of interest ...

Wahconah Falls State Park, at the Dalton-Windsor line, is admired for its scenic waterfall and offers snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, picnicking, fireplaces, fishing and a horse trail.

Dicken Crane's Holiday Farm offers a variety of recreational and family-friendly activities.

The Historic Commission is studying a Gulf Road property recently acquired by the trown that may have been a hiding place for runaway slaves, and possibly a stop on the Underground Railroad.

Civic participation is high, although large turnouts for town meetings are seen only when there are hot-button issues. Of the 4,900 residents who are 21 and older, 4,203 were listed as active registered voters in the 2005 town census. Democrats outnumber Republicans two-to-one, but independent voters make up the majority.

The Dalton Development and Industrial Commission, established in 2002, is dedicated to economic development by attracting new business to the existing but vacant former Beloit facility (partially located in Pittsfield), and through the creation of an industrial park. Downtown revitalization is also a priority with the availability of state funding incentives.

The Dalton Communications Center also serves residents of Hinsdale and Windsor, and it handles emergency and non-emergency calls for the police, fire department, ambulance, highway/cemetery, water and animal control departments.

A decade of dramatic expansion beginning in 1873 placed such demands on the town's water wells that a shortage developed; fires consumed seven paper mills during that period. The Dalton Fire District, governed by the Board of Water Commissioners, was formed in 1884 to protect the town and supply water to its homes and businesses. To operate the 34-member fire department, the district taxes residents based on property values; the water department imposes fees based on usage.