Amherst, Massachusetts
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Amherst is a town located in Hampshire County, Massachusetts. As of the 2000 census, the town had a total population of 34,874. It is located in the Connecticut River valley. It is home to Amherst College, Hampshire College, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst, three of the Five Colleges. The name of the town is properly pronounced without the h: "Ammerst".
For geographic and demographic information on specific parts of the town of Amherst, please see the articles on Amherst Center, North Amherst, and South Amherst.
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Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 71.9 km² (27.8 mi²). 71.8 km² (27.7 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.14% water.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 34,874 people, 9,174 households, and 4,550 families residing in the town. The population density was 485.7/km² (1,258.2/mi²). There were 9,427 housing units at an average density of 131.3/km² (340.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 79.33% White, 5.10% Black or African American, 0.21% Native American, 9.02% Asian, 0.09% Pacific Islander, 2.89% from other races, and 3.35% from two or more races. 6.19% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 9,174 households out of which 27.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.4% were married couples living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 50.4% were non-families. 28.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.97.
In the town the population was spread out with 12.8% under the age of 18, 50.0% from 18 to 24, 17.2% from 25 to 44, 13.4% from 45 to 64, and 6.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 22 years. For every 100 females there were 92.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.8 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $40,017, and the median income for a family was $61,237. Males had a median income of $44,795 versus $32,672 for females. The per capita income for the town was $17,427. 20.2% of the population and 7.2% of families were below the poverty line. 9.3% of those under the age of 18 and 3.5% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.
Of residents 25 years old or older, 41.7% have a graduate or professional degree, and only 4.9% did not graduate from high school. The largest industry is education, health, and social services, in which 51.9% of employed persons work.
These statistics are seriously affected by the large student population, and would look very different if they included only full-time residents of the town.
History
The earliest known document of the lands now comprising Amherst is the deed of purchase dated December 1658 between John Pynchon of Springfield and three native inhabitants, referred to as Umpanchla, Quonquont and Chickwolopp. According to the deed, "ye Indians of Nolwotogg (Norwottuck) upon ye River of Quinecticott (Connecticut)" sold the entire area in exchange for "two Hundred fatham of Wampam & Twenty fatham, and one large Coate at Eight fatham wch Chickwollop set of, of trusts, besides severall small giftes" (sic). When Amherst celebrates its 350th anniversary in 2008, as the nearby City of Northampton has recently done, they will implicitly be celebrating this initial purchase.
When the first permanent English settlements arrived in 1727, this land and the surrounding area (including present-day South Hadley and Granby) belonged to the town of Hadley. It gained precinct status in 1734 and eventually township in 1776, shortly before the colonies declared their independence.
Upon its incorporation, the colonial governor assigned to them the name Amherst after Jeffrey Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst. Amherst was a hero of the French and Indian War who, according to popular legend, singlehandedly won Canada for the English and banished France from North America. Many colonial governors at the time were scattering his name amidst the influx of new town applications, which is why several towns in the Northeast bear the name. Jeffery Amherst was also famous for considering, in a letter to a peer, the use of smallpox-covered blankets in warfare against the Native Americans. It is for this reason that there have been ad hoc movements from time to time around the notion of renaming the town. Smallpox can be spread by contact with contaminated clothing or bed linens used by an infected person because the virus can survive on objects for up to one week. Among the new names suggested for the town has been "Emily." (see below)
Amherst was the birthplace and lifelong residence of Emily Dickinson. The house she was born in and spent most of her life in, the Dickinson Homestead, is now a museum [1]. She is buried in a nearby cemetery. Amherst was also home to the poets Robert Frost and Robert Francis.
On October 29, 1901 nurse Jane Toppan was arrested in Amherst for the murder of the Davis family of Boston by an overdose of morphine.
Government
Amherst is relatively unique among towns of its size in not having moved to a mayor-council or council-manager form of government. Instead, it has maintained the traditional town meeting (legislative) and select board (executive), though with the important modification, allowed through a special state law, whereby Town Meeting is made up of elected representatives of each precinct in the town.
Perhaps because it has often clashed with town officials and business interests (particularly over land use issues), some have sought to abolish the 254-member Town Meeting with a new charter that would create a directly-elected mayor and a nine-member Town Council. The charter was rejected by voters in Spring 2003 by a mere fourteen votes, and defeated again on March 29, 2005 by 252 votes. Since it has now been defeated twice, it may not appear on the ballot in the same form in the near future.
The Pioneer Valley Transit Authority, funded by local governments and the Five Colleges, provides public transportation in the area.
External links
- Official Site
- University of Massachusetts Amherst
- Amherst College
- Hampshire College
- Amherst Downtown
- Amherst Bulletin newspaper
- Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce
