The Upper Housatonic Valley National Heritage Area’s operational goal is to provide a management framework to foster a close working relationship with all levels of government, the private sector, and the local communities in the upper Housatonic Valley region to conserve the region’s heritage while continuing to pursue compatible economic opportunities.

To that end, we are to assist communities, organizations, and citizens in the State of Connecticut and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in identifying, preserving, interpreting, and developing the historical, cultural, scenic, and natural resources of the region for the educational and inspirational benefit of current and future generations.

The heritage area is the watershed of the upper Housatonic River, extending 60 miles from Kent, CT, to Lanesboro, MA. The heritage area footprint was originally proposed to comprise 848 square miles, including eight towns in Connecticut and eighteen in Massachusetts. Three more communities were later included (Becket & Hinsdale, MA and Colebrook, CT), adding 116 square miles for a new total of 964 square miles.

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