Named for Oliver Partridge, one of the three purchasers of the town (along with Governor Francis Bernard), the Western Parish officially broke away from its eastern half and incorporated in 1804, renaming itself for the family of Rev.

Hinsdale, along with neighboring Dalton, is home to two historic long-distance routes: the Appalachian Trail (a National Scenic Trail) and the Boston and Albany Railroad, on which operates the Lake Shore Limited passenger rail service that has run continuously from Boston to Chicago since 1897.

[6] Hinsdale is located in central Berkshire County, and is bordered by Windsor to the north, Peru to the east, Washington to the south, and Dalton to the west.

Much of the land around the river south of the town center is part of the Hinsdale Flats Wildlife Management Reserve, and is generally a swampy area.

Massachusetts Route 8 crosses the town from the south to the Dalton border in the northwest.

The town lies along a CSX Transportation rail line (former New York Central), which brings Amtrak and freight service to Pittsfield.

The town lies at the eastern terminus of the Berkshire Regional Transit Authority bus service.

City-stats.org data for Town of Hinsdale, Massachusetts reports 66.5% of the population are registered Democrats, 30.57% Republicans, and 2.9% independents.

[20] Hinsdale employs the open town meeting form of government, and is led by a board of selectmen.

The town has its own services, including police, fire and public works departments.

In the Massachusetts Senate, the town is part of the Berkshire, Hampshire and Franklin district, which includes all of Berkshire County and western Hampshire and Franklin counties, and is represented by Democrat Benjamin Downing.