Built in 1831, this Colonial-style home at 80 Castle Hill Ave. in Great Barrington offers one-and-a-half bathrooms, a deck, hot tub, fireplace and potentially as many as three bedrooms. It is being offered for sale at $395,000.

Once a sleepy community in southern Berkshire County, the town of Great Barrington has recently seen a commercial and cultural awakening. Although the population has remained fairly steady, there has been unprecedented expansion in its downtown area in the past few decades.

“There’s been an incredible growth in [Great Barrington’s] commercial center since 1978 at the end of the oil crisis. The town has become the hub for all of southern Berkshire County, the northwest corner of Connecticut and parts of abutting New York state,” said Joseph Carini, president of Wheeler & Taylor Realty, which has offices in Great Barrington and nearby Stockbridge.

“The nature of the growth has been mainly in the tourist industry and the service industry – things like banking, legal and business services,” added Carini.

Great Barrington was once a typical rural town with a small area of commerce and a few essential services for residents, but not anymore.

“[Great Barrington] has exploded from the town I knew 30 years ago,” said Eileen Taft of Stonehouse Properties in Stockbridge, who initially moved to the town because of its pastoral charm.

“Back then there was one restaurant called The Cricket that served tuna croquettes and not much else. And now it’s so very different,” said Taft.

The town has grown exponentially in terms of its restaurant industry, from the days of a single eatery to the current saturated state of the market.

“At one point last summer we had eight sushi restaurants and 56 or 57 other restaurants within the town limits,” said Carini.

“It got to be sort of a joke,” said Taft. “One sushi restaurant per capita.” Although a few of those eateries have closed, the industry remains strong, partially because of the allure of other amenities in the area.

When the Triplex Cinema opened in Great Barrington, “there were people in town in the evening looking for places to eat,” said Taft. Other attractions that draw people to the town include shops, a number of art galleries and a farmer’s market during the summer.

With full bellies, residents and tourists alike also can get their fill of cultural amusements. Tanglewood, the seasonal home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Boston Pops in nearby Lenox, and the Jacob’s Pillow dance studio in Lee are both only a short distance away.

With so many things to do and so many places to see, Great Barrington has become an increasingly popular destination for those looking to settle in a burgeoning community or those looking for a seasonal second home. And with so many people wanting to move to the town, Great Barrington has become increasingly expensive.

“The market is at a historic high in terms of prices,” said Carini, although the limit may not yet have been reached.

“Prices are still heading up,” noted Taft. “And some of the prices we’ve seen are pretty amazing.”

But no matter how surprising the price tag of a home, what may be even more impressive is that people are willing to pay.

“When I see some of the numbers I just shake my head in wonder, and then I find that it’s under contract,” said Taft. “But there is a huge demand. People want to live here.”

To accommodate the number of people who want to live in Great Barrington there has been “a fair amount of residential construction going on,” said Carini. “Land is a premium. There are mostly larger homes [being built], more homes in excess of 3,500 square feet, with some homes approaching 10,000 square feet.”

But no matter how many new people move in or new businesses set up, during Great Barrington’s transformation from small town to cultural center, the community has not lost its history.

“The old families are still here,” said Carini. “The town still has its core.”

Just the Facts:

Year incorporated:

As a town: 1761

Total area:

45.70 square miles

Population:

7,527

Density:

167 per square mile

Tax rates

Residential: $14.70
Commercial: $14.70

Total number of housing units:

3,352

Public school enrollment:

1,073