Berkley is a New England town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 5,749 at the 2000 census, making it the least populated town in the county.

History
Berkley was first settled in 1638 and was officially incorporated in 1735. It was named for the philosopher and Bishop George Berkeley (1685-1753), who lived in Newport, Rhode Island from 1728 to 1731. The extra e was apparently dropped by mistake when officially registered by the State House. The town was formerly part of Taunton, Massachusetts and Dighton, Massachusetts.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town...

Berkley is a New England town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 5,749 at the 2000 census, making it the least populated town in the county.

History
Berkley was first settled in 1638 and was officially incorporated in 1735. It was named for the philosopher and Bishop George Berkeley (1685-1753), who lived in Newport, Rhode Island from 1728 to 1731. The extra e was apparently dropped by mistake when officially registered by the State House. The town was formerly part of Taunton, Massachusetts and Dighton, Massachusetts.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 17.4 square miles (45.0 km²), of which, 16.5 square miles (42.8 km²) is land and 0.8 square miles (2.1 km²) (4.72%) is water. The town is bordered by the Taunton River and Dighton, Massachusetts to the west, Taunton, Massachusetts to the north and northeast, Lakeville, Massachusetts to the east, and the Assonet Bay and Freetown, Massachusetts to the south.

The mostly rural town is also the home to Dighton Rock State Park, the home of Dighton Rock, a tidal boulder well known for its strange markings, which have been totally or partly attributed to Vikings, Wampanoags, or Portuguse explorer Miguel Corte-Real. At the southern tip of the'Berkley Neck'which hangs into the confluence of the Taunton River and the Assonet Bay, there is a small island, named'Conspiracy Island'', whose name origin remains obscure.

The town can be accessed by two state routes, Route 24 (Massachusetts) and Route 79 (Massachusetts). Route 24, a four-lane divided freeway, bisects the town, and includes one exit for the town at Padelford Street. Route 79 passes along the town's border with Lakeville, and meets Route 140 (Massachusetts) just across the town line in Taunton. The town is also known for the Berkley-Dighton Bridge, which crosses the Taunton River to Dighton. The one-lane bridge, designed in 1896 was built in the 1890s, is the only bridge to cross the river between the Brightman Street Bridge between Fall River and Somerset, and the Plain Street Bridge in Taunton, a distance of 12.5 miles (20.1 km).