Alford is a scenic community close to local town centers
Alford is a small, rural community of under 500 people, offering wooded lots and forested trails where locals go hiking or cross-country skiing. “Alford is very rural and picturesque with low taxes,” says Stephen Schoenfeld, a real estate agent with William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty and resident of the Berkshires region for over 30 years. “It’s got some exquisite views of the mountains. Well, we call them mountains, but they’re more like high hills.” Without any stores, motels, or even a post office, residents head 5 miles into Great Barrington for most necessities. Still, the community has its own volunteer fire department, a local garden club and high-speed internet connectivity.
Lots of acreage to go with ranch-style and custom homes
Homes in Alford sit on sprawling forested lots, ranging from a single acre to well over 30 acres; some use the extra space for personal farms, while others just want to enjoy the seclusion. “There’s not a lot of livestock, but some people have homes with cows and goats,” Schoenfeld says. Aside from lot size, properties also vary in style and age, including ranch-style homes and large custom contemporary estates — mostly built in the latter half of the 20th century — mixed in with a small number of late-19th-century Colonial Revival-style properties. The community has a median home price of $890,000. Smaller properties typically range from $300,000 to $800,000, while larger custom homes with more than 15 acres can sell for between $800,000 and $1.3 million. Some rare properties with more than 30 acres can range from $1.5 million to $4.5 million. There’s still plenty of room for new construction, and empty lots generally sell for between $300,000 and $1 million. Some homes near creeks are at risk of flooding during heavy rainfall, and federal mortgage lenders may require flood insurance.
Hiking and skiing through local nature preserves
Large swaths of land in Alford are undeveloped, consisting of pine and oak forests. The locally maintained Elizabeth’s Woods spans 84 acres with two miles of unpaved trails for walking and cross-country skiing in the winter. The woods teem with foxes, pheasants and other wildlife, alongside endangered species like bogbean flowers and certain kinds of bees. The nearly 900-acre Alford Springs Reserve has three trails through oak forests that are open for horseback riding, snowshoeing and skiing, totaling about 8 miles together. Deer and bobcats frequently visit the preserve. Visitors should note that as snow and ice thaw in the spring, unpaved trails can get excessively muddy, which may prevent locals from accessing certain areas until things dry out.
Small community programs include a local garden club
The small community comes together in October to support the annual Pancake Breakfast fundraiser for the Alford Fire Department. Locals also run a garden club, which has been in operation since 1932. The club meets every month from May until October, planting flowers around town buildings and decorating public spaces for the holidays. On Earth Day, the club meets to clean and pick up litter around major roadways.
Students attend Southern Berkshire Regional District schools
Alford is zoned for the Southern Berkshire Regional District, which has school choice. Undermountain Elementary, the largest elementary school in the district, earns a B-plus from Niche and serves prekindergarten through fifth grade. The B-rated Mt. Everett High serves sixth through 12th graders and offers manufacturing and information technology pathways. Some schools are over 10 miles away, and there are school bus routes that pick up students along major roads in Alford.
Locally owned restaurants and shops in Great Barrington
Alford has no stores, restaurants or gas stations, so residents travel 5 miles east to Great Barrington for those kinds of things. There, locals can visit locally owned grocery stores like Guido’s Fresh Marketplace and eateries like Barrington Brewery & Restaurant, which serves American fare along with house brews like the Berkshire Blond. The Marketplace Kitchen Table, another Great Barrington staple, serves sandwiches and salads using locally sourced ingredients.
Driving distance to other towns in Berkshire County
Pittsfield, the largest town in Berkshire County, is under 30 miles away. Albany, New York, is less than 45 miles away on Interstate 90, the closest major highway. There’s no public transit in the area, and some roads can get muddy in the spring, making it more challenging to get around by car. Fairview Hospital is 4 miles away, while Albany International Airport is about 50 miles away.
