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Northampton is a lively,
diverse community located in the heart of the Five College Area of the
Pioneer Valley. Home to Smith College, Northampton also serves as the county
seat of Hampshire County. It is located at the intersection of a major
east-west highway which links Amherst and the University of Massachusetts
with the hilltowns to the west, and the
north-south corridor of Route 91.
Calvin Coolidge once served as mayor, while the city's first woman mayor,
the Honorable Mary Ford, was elected in 1991; and today, Mary Claire Higgins
serves as mayor.
Residents see Northampton as both
traditional and innovative. Several village centers provide focal points
for outlying residential areas while the downtown is alive days and evenings
with a wide selection of restaurants, coffee and ice-cream shops, theaters
including the only
municipally owned theater in the
state, clubs featuring an array of music, street musicians and a Center
for the Arts. All of this provides a perfect atmosphere for strolling,
area. The city also offers strong municipal programs in education, recreation,
public safety and public works. It is known for its energy conservation
program and its initiative to improve
handicap access to downtown establishments.
The community has a strong and diverse
economic base consisting of a resilient retail and commercial sector, a
manufacturing sector which shows a mixture of traditional operations (wire
protrusion, plastic molding) and innovative ones (production of heat sensing
devices) and a large institutional base which includes county services,
three hospitals and
Smith College. The vibrant small
city atmosphere of the community is enhanced by rich natural resources,
which include the Connecticut River, agricultural and conservation lands
and the Acadia Wildlife Sanctuary. Residents believe Northampton has a
rich history and are confident that its future which will be built on its
diverse population base, solid economic
base and abundant resources.
Northampton Mass is located in Western
Massachusetts, bordered by Easthampton on the south, Westhampton on the
west, Williamsburg and Hatfield on the north, separated by the Connecticut
River from Hadley on the east. Northampton is 43 miles east of Pittsfield;
93 miles
west of Boston. |
