View source for Northampton, Massachusetts

{{About|Northampton, Massachusetts|other places of the same name|Northampton (disambiguation)}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2018}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name               = Northampton, Massachusetts
| official_name      = 
| settlement_type    = [[City]]
| image_skyline      = {{multiple image
| border                   = infobox
| total_width              = 290
| image_style              = border:1;
| perrow                   = 1/2
| caption_align            = center
 |image1 = Northampton, Massachusetts (cropped).jpg
 |caption1 = [[Northampton Downtown Historic District|Downtown]]
 |image2 = First_Church,_Main_Street,_Northampton,_2011_(cropped).jpg
 |caption2 = [[First Church of Christ (Northampton, Massachusetts)|First Church of Christ]]
 |image3 = Forbes_Library,_November_2014.JPG
 |caption3 = [[Calvin Coolidge Presidential Library and Museum|Calvin Coolidge Presidential Library]]
}}
| image_flag         = Flag of Northampton, Massachusetts.svg
| image_seal         = Seal of Northampton, Massachusetts.png
| nickname           = The Meadow City<ref>For use in a standalone publication see– {{cite book |title=Northampton, the Meadow City |last=Kneeland |first=Frederick N. |year=1894 |place=Northampton, Massachusetts |publisher=F. N. Kneeland and L. P. Bryant |oclc= 24093077 |url=https://archive.org/stream/northamptonmeado00knee#page/n5/mode/2up}}</ref>
| motto = {{force singular}} {{lang|la|Caritas, educatio, justitia}} ([[Latin]])<br />"Caring, education and justice"
| image_map          = Hampshire County Massachusetts incorporated and unincorporated areas Northampton highlighted.svg
| map_caption        = Location of Northampton in [[Hampshire County, Massachusetts]]
| pushpin_map        = USA
| pushpin_label      = Northampton
| pushpin_map_caption = Location in the United States
| coordinates        = {{Coord|42|20|N|72|39|W|region:US-MA_type:city(30,000)|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type   = Country
| subdivision_name   = United States
| subdivision_type1  = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_name1  = [[Massachusetts]]
| subdivision_type2  = [[List of counties in Massachusetts|County]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[Hampshire County, Massachusetts|Hampshire]]
| established_title  = Charter for township granted
| established_date   = May 18, 1653<ref name="Trumbull">Trumbull, James Russell (1898). ''History of Northampton Massachusetts from Its Settlement in 1654''.</ref>{{rp|7}}
| established_title2 = European settlers arrive
| established_date2  = Early spring, 1654<ref name="Trumbull"/>{{rp|15–16}}
| established_title3 = Established as a city
| established_date3  = September 5, 1883<ref name="establish">Office of the City Clerk of Northampton, Ma. ''Records, Volume 1: 1884-1888, City of Northampton''. 1883, p. 2.</ref><ref name="establish2">Office of the Mayor of Northampton, Ma. "1883 – Chapter 250: Act to establish the city of Northampton." 1883, pp. 537-554.</ref>
| government_type    = [[Mayor–council government|Mayor-council]]
| leader_title       = [[Mayor]]
| leader_name        = Gina-Louise Sciarra ([[Democratic party (United States)|D]])
| leader_title1      = Board of Selectmen
| leader_name1       = 
| area_total_km2     = 92.59
| area_land_km2      = 88.70
| area_water_km2     = 3.90
| elevation_m        = 
| elevation_ft       = 190
| population_total   = 29571
| population_as_of   = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_density_km2 = 333.40
| timezone           = [[Eastern Standard Time Zone|Eastern]]
| utc_offset         = &minus;5
| timezone_DST       = [[Eastern Standard Time Zone|Eastern]]
| utc_offset_DST     = &minus;4
| postal_code_type   = [[ZIP Code]]s
| postal_code        = {{ubl|01060–01063 (Northampton)|01053 ([[Leeds, Massachusetts|Leeds]])}}
| area_code          = [[Area code 413|413]]
| blank_name         = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info         = 25-46330
| blank1_name        = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info        = 0606674
| population_density_sq_mi = 863.49
| unit_pref          = Imperial
| area_footnotes     = <ref name="CenPopGazetteer2020">{{cite web |title=2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files |url=https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2020_Gazetteer/2020_gaz_place_25.txt |publisher=United States Census Bureau |accessdate=May 21, 2022}}</ref>
| area_total_sq_mi   = 35.75
| area_land_sq_mi    = 34.25
| area_water_sq_mi   = 1.50
| website            = {{URL|www.northamptonma.gov}}
| pop_est_as_of      = 
| pop_est_footnotes  = 
| population_est     = 
| population_footnotes = 
}}

The city of '''Northampton''' {{IPAc-en|n|ɔr|θ|'|h|æ|m|p|t|ə|n}}<ref name=DictionaryNohoPronounce>{{cite web |title=Northampton |url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Northampton?s=t |publisher=Dictionary.com |access-date=November 9, 2014}}</ref> is the [[county seat]] of [[Hampshire County, Massachusetts]], United States.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.epodunk.com/cgi-bin/genInfo.php?locIndex=3069 |title= Profile for Northampton, Massachusetts, MA |publisher=ePodunk |access-date= September 26, 2012|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180808202543/http://www.epodunk.com/cgi-bin/genInfo.php?locIndex=3069|archive-date= August 8, 2018|url-status= dead}}</ref> As of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]], the population of Northampton (including its outer villages, [[Florence, Massachusetts|Florence]] and [[Leeds, Massachusetts|Leeds]]) was 29,571.<ref name="Census 2020">{{cite web| url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/profile?g=1600000US2546330| title=Census - Geography Profile: Northampton city, Massachusetts| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau| access-date=September 25, 2021}}</ref>

Northampton is known as an academic, artistic, musical, and [[countercultural]] hub. It features a large politically liberal community along with numerous alternative health and intellectual organizations.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2009/02/17/ST2009021701732.html |title=Northampton, Mass: Where Alternative Goes Main Street |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |access-date=November 20, 2011 |first=Andrea |last=Sachs}}</ref> Based on U.S. Census demographics, election returns, and other criteria, the website [[Epodunk]] rates Northampton as the most politically liberal medium-size city (population 25,000–99,000) in the United States.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.epodunk.com/top10/liberal/ |title=Most liberal places in America |publisher=ePodunk |access-date=November 20, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150105121243/http://www.epodunk.com/top10/liberal/ |archive-date=January 5, 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The city has a high proportion of residents who identify as gay and lesbian<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.hrc.org/files/assets/resources/MEI-2012_rev.pdf |title=Human Rights Campaign 2012 |access-date=March 3, 2015 |archive-date=September 24, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924044124/http://www.hrc.org/files/assets/resources/MEI-2012_rev.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/gaylesbianatlas0000gate |url-access=registration |page=[https://archive.org/details/gaylesbianatlas0000gate/page/n38 27] |quote=northampton. |title=The Gay & Lesbian Atlas |first1=Gary J. |last1=Gates |first2=Jason |last2=Ost |date=January 1, 2004 |publisher=The Urban Institute |via=the Internet Archive |isbn=9780877667216 }}</ref> and a high number of same-sex households<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.neighborhoodscout.com/ma/northampton/florence/ |title=Florence / Bay State 01062 Northampton, MA Neighborhood Profile }}</ref> and is a popular destination for the [[LGBT]] community.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/frommersnewengla00brok |url-access=registration |page=[https://archive.org/details/frommersnewengla00brok/page/55 55] |quote=gay population of northampton massachusetts. |title=Frommer's New England |first1=Paul |last1=Karr |first2=Leslie |last2=Brokaw |first3=Marie|last3=Morris |first4=Laura M. |last4=Reckford |date=November 3, 2008 |publisher=Wiley |via=Internet Archive|isbn=9780470417416 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MyKoAgAAQBAJ&q=gay+population+of+northampton+massachusetts&pg=PA457 |title=Understanding Deviance: Connecting Classical and Contemporary Perspectives |first=Tammy L. |last=Anderson |date=January 23, 2014 |publisher=Routledge |via=Google Books|isbn=9781134756308 }}</ref>

Northampton is part of the [[Pioneer Valley]] and is one of the northernmost cities in the [[Knowledge Corridor]]—a cross-state cultural and economic partnership with other [[Connecticut River Valley]] cities and towns. Northampton is part of the [[Springfield metropolitan area, Massachusetts|Springfield Metropolitan Area]], one of [[western Massachusetts]]'s two separate metropolitan areas. It sits approximately {{convert|19|mi}} north of the city of [[Springfield, Massachusetts|Springfield]].

Northampton is home to [[Smith College]], the Hotel Northampton, [[Northampton High School (Massachusetts)|Northampton High School]], [[Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School]], and the [[Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech]].

==History==
[[File:Northampton (Massachusetts) (NYPL b12610608-421421).jpg|thumb|''Northampton (Massachusetts)'', [https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Northampton_(Massachusetts)_(NYPL_b12610608-421421).jpg New York Public Library]]]

=== Early settlement ===
Northampton was known as "Norwottuck", or "Nonotuck", meaning "the midst of the river",<ref>{{cite web |author=languagehat at |url=http://www.languagehat.com/archives/002846.php |title=Norwottuck |publisher=Languagehat.com |date=August 19, 2007 |access-date=November 20, 2011}}</ref> named by its original [[Pocumtuc]] inhabitants. According to various accounts, Northampton was given its present name by John A. King (1629–1703), one of the first white settlers in Northampton, or possibly in King's honor, since it is supposed that he came to Massachusetts from [[Northampton|Northampton, England]], his birthplace.<ref>(Allen 9, Dwight 10, Leach 124)</ref>

The Pocumtuc confederacy occupied the [[Connecticut River]] Valley from what is now southern Vermont and [[New Hampshire]] into northern [[Connecticut]]. The Pocumtuc tribes were [[Algonquian peoples|Algonquian]] and traditionally allied with the [[Mahican]] confederacy to the west. By 1606 an ongoing struggle between the Mahican and [[Iroquois]] confederacies led to direct attacks on the Pocumtuc by the Iroquoian [[Mohawk nation]].<ref name="dickshovel.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.dickshovel.com/pocu.html |title=Pocumtuc |publisher=Dickshovel.com |access-date=November 20, 2011}}</ref> The Mahican confederacy had been defeated by 1628, limiting Pocumtuc access to trade routes to the west. The area suffered a major [[smallpox]] epidemic in the 1630s following the arrival of Dutch traders in the [[Hudson Valley]] and New England settlers in the [[Massachusetts Bay Colony]] during the previous two decades. It was in this context that the land making up the bulk of modern Northampton was sold to settlers from [[Springfield, Massachusetts|Springfield]] in 1653.<ref name=Trumbull/>{{rp|5–12}}

On May 18, 1653, a petition for township was approved by the general court of Springfield.<ref name=Trumbull/>{{rp|7}} While some settlers visited the land in the fall of 1653, they waited till early spring 1654 to arrive and establish a permanent settlement.<ref name="Trumbull" />{{rp|15–16}} <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chronos-historical.org/highway/maps/map07.jpg |title=Map of history of political boundaries, plantation period |access-date=November 20, 2011}}</ref> The situation in the region further deteriorated when the [[Mohawk people]] escalated hostilities against the [[Pocumtuc]] confederacy and other [[Algonquian peoples|Algonquian]] tribes after 1655, forcing many of the plague-devastated Algonquian groups into defensive mergers.<ref name="dickshovel.com"/> This coincided with a souring of relations between the [[Wampanoag people|Wampanoag]] and the Massachusetts Bay colonists, eventually leading to the expanded Algonquian alliance, which took part in [[King Philip's War]].

=== Partition ===
Northampton was part of the [[Equivalent Lands]] compromise.<ref>[https://archive.org/details/historicalcolle04barbgoog/page/n340 <!-- pg=313 --> ''Historical Collections'']; John Warner Barber; Dorr; 1841; P. 313.</ref> Its territory was enlarged beyond the original settlement, but later portions would be carved up into separate cities, towns, and municipalities. [[Southampton, Massachusetts|Southampton]], for example, was incorporated in 1775 and included parts of the territories of modern [[Montgomery, Massachusetts|Montgomery]] (incorporated in 1780) and [[Easthampton, Massachusetts|Easthampton]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chronos-historical.org/highway/maps/map11.jpg |title=Map of history of political boundaries c1775 |access-date=November 20, 2011}}</ref> [[Westhampton, Massachusetts|Westhampton]] was incorporated in 1778 and Easthampton in 1809.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chronos-historical.org/highway/maps/map14.jpg |title=Map of history of political boundaries, Federal period |access-date=November 20, 2011}}</ref> A hamlet of Northampton, called [[Smith's Ferry, Holyoke, Massachusetts|Smith's Ferry]], became separated from the rest of the city with the drawing of boundaries for Easthampton. Because the village was separated by [[Mount Tom (Massachusetts)|Mount Tom]], the shortest path to from the downtown to this area was a road near the Connecticut River [[The Oxbow (Connecticut river)|oxbow]], which was frequently subject to flooding. This led to many services such as fire and police being provided by the city of [[Holyoke]] rather than Northampton's own municipal departments, and after a number of negotiations between the two cities, Smith's Ferry was ceded to [[Holyoke, Massachusetts|Holyoke]] in 1909 for a sum of $62,000.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chronos-historical.org/highway/07.html |title=US-5: A Highway to History |publisher=Chronos-historical.org |access-date=November 20, 2011}}</ref><ref name="act">{{cite act| title = An act to establish the boundary line between the cities of Northampton and Holyoke| type = Massachusetts General Law| number = Ch. 480| date = June 9, 1909| page = 498-502| url = http://archives.lib.state.ma.us/actsResolves/1909/1909acts0480.pdf| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160630205430/http://archives.lib.state.ma.us/actsResolves/1909/1909acts0480.pdf| archive-date=30 June 2016| access-date = June 30, 2016
}}
</ref>

=== The Great Awakening ===
Congregational preacher, theologian and philosopher [[Jonathan Edwards (theologian)|Jonathan Edwards]] was a leading figure in a 1734 [[Christian revival]] in Northampton. In the winter of 1734 and the following spring it reached such intensity that it threatened the town's businesses. In the spring of 1735 the movement began to subside and a reaction set in. But the relapse was brief, and the Northampton revival, which had spread through the Connecticut River Valley and whose fame had reached England and Scotland, was followed in 1739–1740 by the [[Great Awakening]], under the leadership of Edwards.{{Citation needed|date=May 2011}}

For this achievement, Edwards is considered one of the founders of [[evangelical Christianity]].<ref>see Kidd, Thomas, ''The Great Awakening: The Roots of Evangelical Christianity in Colonial America''.</ref>

[[File:Cole Thomas The Oxbow (The Connecticut River near Northampton 1836).jpg|thumb|''[[The Oxbow]]'' (1836) by [[Thomas Cole]]]]
Northampton hosted its own [[Salem witch trials|witch trials]] in the 1700s, although no alleged witches were executed.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Ricci |first1=Monica |title=Before Salem: Northampton woman accused of witchcraft |url=https://www.wwlp.com/news/digital-first/before-salem-northampton-woman-accused-of-witchcraft/ |website=wwlp.com |date=October 31, 2019 |publisher=Nextar Broadcasting, Inc. |access-date=29 June 2020}}</ref>

=== After the Revolution ===
Members of the Northampton community were present at the [[Constitutional Convention (United States)|Constitutional Convention]] in [[Philadelphia]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.historic-northampton.org/highlights/strong.html |website=Historic Northampton |title=Caleb Strong |access-date=May 26, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090311051327/http://www.historic-northampton.org/highlights/strong.html |archive-date=March 11, 2009}}</ref>

On August 29, 1786, [[Daniel Shays]] and a group of Revolutionary War veterans (who called themselves Shaysites) stopped the civil court from sitting in Northampton, in an uprising known as [[Shays' Rebellion]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.historic-northampton.org/highlights/shays.html |website=Historic Northampton |title=Shays' Rebellion |access-date=May 26, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091213153020/http://www.historic-northampton.org/highlights/shays.html |archive-date=December 13, 2009}}</ref>

In 1805 a crowd of 15,000 gathered in Northampton to watch the executions of two Irishmen convicted of murder: [[Dominic Daley]], 34, and [[James Halligan (1778–1806)|James Halligan]], 27. The crowd, composed largely of New England [[White Anglo-Saxon Protestants]], lit bonfires and expressed virulently anti-Irish and anti-Catholic sentiments. The trial evidence against Daley and Halligan was sparse, circumstantial, contrived, and perjurious.<ref name="Historic-northampton.org">{{cite web |url=http://www.historic-northampton.org/daleyandhalligan/daleyandhalligan.html |title=Daley & Halligan – Historic Northampton Museum and Education Center |publisher=Historic-northampton.org |date=November 20, 2005 |access-date=November 20, 2011}}</ref> The men were hanged on June 5, 1806, on Pancake Plain. Their bodies were denied a burial; they were [[dissection|destroyed]] in the local slaughterhouse. This trial "later came to be seen as epitomizing the anti-Irish sentiment that was widespread in New England in the early 19th century."{{citation needed|date=August 2022}} Daley and Halligan were exonerated of all crimes by governor [[Michael Dukakis]] in 1984. Today a simple stone landmark stands marking the site of Daley and Halligan's executions.

In 1835 Northampton was linked to the ocean by the [[Hampshire and Hampden Canal|New Haven and Northampton Canal]], but the canal enterprise foundered and after about a decade was replaced by a railroad running along the same route.<ref name=copeland>Copeland, Alfred M. ''"Our County and Its People": A History of Hampden County, Massachusetts''. Century Memorial Publishing (1902), pp. 174–75.</ref> A flood on the [[Mill River (Northampton, Massachusetts)|Mill River]] on May 16, 1874, obliterated almost the entire Northampton [[Leeds, Massachusetts|neighborhood of Leeds]],  killing 139 people in Leeds and areas of neighboring towns.<ref>Andrews, E. Benjamin. ''The United States in Our Own Time: A History from Reconstruction to Expansion''. C. Scribner's Sons (1903), pp. 183–84.</ref>

=== The "Paradise of America" ===
[[File:Recto Northhampton Bank (Massachusetts) 1 dollar 1843 urn-3 HBS.Baker.AC 1141685.jpeg|alt=One dollar note with illustrations of a standing female figure, a seated female allegorical figure holding a scythe and rake; sailing vessels; steam engine, and a building|thumb|Northampton Bank one dollar note from 1843.]]
From 1842<ref name="Historic Northampton Museum and Education Center">{{cite web |url=http://www.historic-northampton.org/highlights/educationindustry.html |title=Northampton Association of Education and Industry |access-date=December 30, 2012}}</ref> until 1846, Northampton was home to a [[transcendentalist]] [[utopian community]] of [[Abolitionism in the United States|abolitionists]]. Called the [[Northampton Association of Education and Industry]], the community believed that the rights of all people should be "equal without distinction of sex, color or condition, sect or religion". It supported itself by producing mulberry trees and [[silk]]. [[Sojourner Truth]], a former slave who became a national advocate for equality and justice, lived in this community until its dissolution (and later in a house on Park Street until 1857).<ref>{{cite web |author=Gravity Switch, Inc – www.gravityswitch.com |url=http://www.northamptonma.gov/aboutNorthampton/History_of_Northampton/ |title=City of Northampton: History of Northampton |publisher=Northamptonma.gov |access-date=November 20, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111104090605/http://www.northamptonma.gov/aboutNorthampton/History%5Fof%5FNorthampton/ |archive-date=November 4, 2011 }}</ref>
[[File:Hampshirecountycourthouse.jpg|left|thumb|Hampshire County Courthouse in Northampton, designed by architect [[Henry Franklin Kilburn]].]]

In 1851, opera singer [[Jenny Lind]], the "[[Sweden|Swedish]] Nightingale", declared Northampton to be the "Paradise of America", from which Northampton took its nickname "The Paradise City".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.historic-northampton.org/events/jennylind.html |title=Nightingale Uncaged: Jenny Lind in Northampton |website=Historic Northampton |access-date=May 22, 2021}}</ref>

[[Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech]] (formerly the Clarke School for the Deaf) was founded in Northampton in 1867. It was the United States' first permanent oral school for the deaf. [[Alexander Graham Bell]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Our History |url=http://www.clarkeschools.org/about/history |website=clarkeschools.org |publisher=Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech |access-date=19 July 2020}}</ref> and [[Grace Coolidge]]<ref>{{cite book |last1=Sobel |first1=Robert |title=Coolidge: An American Enigma |date=1998 |publisher=Regnery History |location=1998 (Revised 2015) |page=55}}</ref> have served as heads of school.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Traynor |first1=Robert |title=The Sign of Grace |url=https://hearinghealthmatters.org/hearinginternational/2017/the-sign-of-grace/ |website=hearinghealthmatters.org |date=May 30, 2017 |publisher=HHTM |access-date=19 July 2020}}</ref>

[[Smith College]] for women was founded in Northampton in 1871. Today Smith is the largest of the [[Seven Sisters colleges]]. Well-known Smith alumnae include [[Sylvia Plath]], [[Barbara Bush]], [[Nancy Reagan]], [[Tammy Baldwin]], [[Gloria Steinem]], [[Madeleine L'Engle]], and [[Julia Child]]. The first game of [[women's basketball]] was played at Smith College in 1892.

A [[Northampton Bank robbery|theft of $1.6 million]] ($46.5 million in 2023) from the Northampton Bank took place on January 27, 1876.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Old Bank |url=https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=194870 |website=HMdb.org |publisher=THE HISTORICAL MARKER DATABASE |access-date=7 February 2024}}</ref>

Northampton officially became a city on September 5, 1883, when voters accepted the city charter, "The act to establish the city of Northampton. 1883-Chapter 250," as passed and approved.<ref name="establish" /><ref name="establish2" />

[[Immigration|Immigrant]] groups that settled Northampton in large numbers included [[Ireland|Irish]], [[Poland|Polish]], and [[French-Canadians]]. In 1890, a small number of German-Jewish families arrived in Northampton, most of them coming from New York or Boston.  By 1905 there were almost 5000 foreign-born residents among the 20,000 people of the city.<ref>Glazer, Penina and Glazer, Myron, The Jews of Paradise, Collective Copies Press, Florence, MA, 2004, {{ISBN|0-9600-828-2-4}}</ref>

=== Decline ===
During the mid-20th century, Northampton experienced several decades of economic decline, bottoming in the 1970s,{{Citation needed|date=June 2013}} related to the emergence of the [[Rust Belt]] phenomenon. Though western Massachusetts lies outside of the Rust Belt geographically, the centrality of commerce and the arts to Northampton's economy left it economically vulnerable, in particular when compounded with the decline of Springfield's manufacturing sector, Holyoke's paper industry, and massive plant closures in the [[Capital District, New York|New York Capital District]].

[[File:IMG 3811-On-the-Norwottuck-bridge.jpg|thumb|The [[Norwottuck Rail Trail]] Bridge across the Connecticut River]]

=== Cultural renaissance ===
Beginning in the final decades of the twentieth century, Northampton saw a resurgence as a thriving cultural center and a popular tourist destination. The city has many eclectic restaurants and a lively arts and music scene. Three Northampton farmers markets, held weekly, sell fresh produce from local farms.{{citation needed|date=October 2025}}

Since 1982, Northampton has been host to an annual LGBT Parade and Pride event held the first Saturday in May.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://nohopride.org/home.html |title=Noho Pride Homepage |website=Noho Pride |access-date=May 22, 2021}}</ref>

Since 1995 Northampton has been home to the twice-yearly Paradise City Arts Festival,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.paradisecityarts.com |title=Paradise City Arts Festivals |website=Paradise City Fairs of Fines and Functional Art |access-date=May 22, 2021}}</ref> held at the Three County Fairgrounds on [[Memorial Day]] weekend and [[Columbus Day]] weekend. The festival is a national juried showcase for contemporary craft and fine art.

Since 2004, Northampton has been the site of Django in June, a week-long [[gypsy jazz]] music camp held annually on the campus of Smith College.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.djangoinjune.com |title=Homepage |website=Django in June |access-date=May 22, 2021}}</ref>

In recent years, downtown Northampton has seen a decline, with nearly one out of five storefronts being vacant as of September 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-09-26 |title=Help on vacant storefronts: Northampton secures state designation to provide tax incentives for new businesses |url=https://www.gazettenet.com/Northampton-accepted-into-empty-storefronts-program-48185135 |access-date=2023-02-18 |website=Daily Hampshire Gazette}}</ref>

==Geography==
Northampton sits on the west side of the Connecticut River in the [[Pioneer Valley]] of [[western Massachusetts]]. It is located at {{coord|42|20|N|72|39|W|type:city|display=inline}}.<ref name="GR1">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=April 23, 2011|date=February 12, 2011|title=US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990}}</ref>

According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of {{convert|92.6|km2|order=flip}}, of which {{convert|88.7|km2|order=flip}} are land and {{convert|3.9|km2|order=flip}}, or 4.22%, are water.<ref name="Census 2010">{{cite web| url=https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/G001/1600000US2546330| title=Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Census Summary File 1 (G001): Northampton city, Massachusetts| work=American Factfinder| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau| access-date=August 7, 2017| archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213113537/https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/G001/1600000US2546330| archive-date=February 13, 2020| url-status=dead}}</ref> A total of 21% of the city is permanently protected open space.<ref name="ReferenceA">Northampton Open Space, Recreation and MultiUse Trail Plan: 2011-2017</ref>

Within Northampton's city limits are the villages of [[Florence, Massachusetts|Florence]] and Leeds.

Northampton is bordered to the north by the towns of [[Hatfield, Massachusetts|Hatfield]] and [[Williamsburg, Massachusetts|Williamsburg]], to the west by Westhampton, to the east by [[Hadley, Massachusetts|Hadley]] (across the Connecticut River), and to the south by Easthampton.

The [[art deco]] [[Calvin Coolidge Bridge]] connects Northampton with Hadley across the Connecticut River. The college town of [[Amherst, Massachusetts|Amherst]] is located {{convert|7|mi|0}} east of Northampton, next to Hadley. Springfield, the [[Connecticut River Valley]]'s most populous Massachusetts city, is located {{convert|19|mi}} southeast of Northampton.<!--City center to city center--> [[Boston]] is {{convert|104|mi}} by highway east of Northampton. New York City is {{convert|161|mi}} southwest of Northampton.

The Connecticut River's [[The Oxbow (Connecticut River)|Oxbow]] is within Northampton's city limits, at the northern base of [[Mount Nonotuck]].

==Climate==
Northampton has a [[humid continental climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]] ''Dfb''), typical of western Massachusetts. Winters are cold and snowy, and summers are warm and humid. Precipitation is evenly distributed year-around, with an annual average of {{convert|46.14|in|mm|abbr=off}}.<ref name="auto">{{cite web |url=http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/01060 |title=Monthly Averages for Northampton, MA |website=The Weather Channel |access-date=May 22, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140701230339/http://www.weather.com/weather/wxclimatology/monthly/01060 |archive-date=July 1, 2014}}</ref>

{{Weather box
|location = Northampton, Massachusetts (01060)
|single line = Y
|Jan record high F = 70
|Feb record high F = 70
|Mar record high F = 85
|Apr record high F = 93
|May record high F = 94
|Jun record high F = 98
|Jul record high F = 100
|Aug record high F = 100
|Sep record high F = 99
|Oct record high F = 89
|Nov record high F = 82
|Dec record high F = 72
|year record high F = 100
|Jan high F = 33
|Feb high F = 37
|Mar high F = 45
|Apr high F = 58
|May high F = 69
|Jun high F = 78
|Jul high F = 82
|Aug high F = 81
|Sep high F = 73
|Oct high F = 62
|Nov high F = 49
|Dec high F = 38

|Jan low F = 13
|Feb low F = 16
|Mar low F = 24
|Apr low F = 35
|May low F = 45
|Jun low F = 55
|Jul low F = 59
|Aug low F = 58
|Sep low F = 49
|Oct low F = 38
|Nov low F = 30
|Dec low F = 20
|Jan record low F = -30
|Feb record low F = -27
|Mar record low F = -17
|Apr record low F = 11
|May record low F = 24
|Jun record low F = 32
|Jul record low F = 40
|Aug record low F = 32
|Sep record low F = 25
|Oct record low F = 12
|Nov record low F = -4
|Dec record low F = -20
|year record low F = -30
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation inch = 3.34
|Feb precipitation inch = 3.23
|Mar precipitation inch = 3.57
|Apr precipitation inch = 3.87
|May precipitation inch = 4.14
|Jun precipitation inch = 4.10
|Jul precipitation inch = 4.03
|Aug precipitation inch = 3.76
|Sep precipitation inch = 4.19
|Oct precipitation inch = 4.64
|Nov precipitation inch = 3.83
|Dec precipitation inch = 3.44
|year precipitation inch=
|source 1 = Weather.com<ref name="auto"/>
|date=August 2013
}}

==Demographics==
{{Historical populations
|type= USA
|1790|1628
|1800|2190
|1810|2631
|1820|2854
|1830|3613
|1840|3750
|1850|5278
|1860|6788
|1870|10160
|1880|12172
|1890|14990
|1900|18643
|1910|19431
|1920|21951
|1930|24381
|1940|24794
|1950|29063
|1960|30058
|1970|29664
|1980|29286
|1990|29289
|2000|28978
|2010|28549
|2020|29571
|2024*|31315
|source={{center|U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref>}}
|footnote=* = population estimate.  {{Historical populations/Massachusetts municipalities references}}<ref name="Census 2010"/><ref name="1950_Census_Urban_populations_since_1790">{{cite web |url=http://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/23761117v1ch06.pdf |title=1950 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants |at=Section 6, Pages 21-7 through 21-09, Massachusetts Table 4. Population of Urban Places of 10,000 or more from Earliest Census to 1920 |publisher=Bureau of the Census |access-date=May 26, 2024 |year=1952 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721040747/http://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/23761117v1ch06.pdf |archive-date=July 21, 2011}}</ref><ref name="USCensusEst2016">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/popest/data/tables.2016.html|title=Population and Housing Unit Estimates|access-date=June 9, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title=City and Town Population Totals: 2020-2022| publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] | access-date=August 8, 2025 | url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-total-cities-and-towns.html}}</ref>
}}
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=July 31, 2014|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref> of 2010, there were 28,549 people, 12,000 households, and 5,895 families residing in the city. Northampton has the most lesbian couples per capita of any city in the US.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.city-data.com/top2/c15.html |title=City Data |publisher=City Data |access-date=November 20, 2011}}</ref> The population density was {{convert|833.7|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 12,728 housing units (12,000 occupied) at an average density of {{convert|360.0|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the city was 87.7% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 2.7% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.3% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 4.1% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.1% [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 2.4% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 2.7% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 6.8% of the population.

There were 12,000 households, out of which 21.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.6% were characterized as "husband-wife" married couples living together, 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 50.9% were non-families. Of all households 37.2% were made up of individuals, and 10.2% had someone living alone who was 65&nbsp;years of age or older. The average household size was 2.12 and the average family size was 2.81.<ref name="GR2" />

In the city, the population was spread out, with 20.7% age 19 and under, 9.8% from 20 to 24, 25.7% from 25 to 44, 30.2% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% who were 65&nbsp;years of age or older. The median age was 40&nbsp;years. For every 100 females, there were 75.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 71.9 males.<ref name="GR2" />

The median income for a household in the city was $56,999, and the median income for a family was $80,179. Males had a median income of $40,470 versus $32,003 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the city was $33,440. About 7.8% of families and 13.5% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 15.1% of those under age 18 and 7.2% of those age 65 or over.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_12_5YR_DP03|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200212213801/http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_12_5YR_DP03|url-status=dead|archive-date=2020-02-12|title=American FactFinder – Results|publisher=United States Census Bureau}}</ref>

Northampton's public schools include four [[elementary school]]s (kindergarten through 5th grade), one [[middle school]] (6th to 8th grade), one [[High school (North America)|high school]] (9th to 12th grade), and one [[vocational school|vocational-agricultural high school]] (9th to 12th grade). There are several private schools in Northampton and a number of charter schools in surrounding towns.

According to the website ePodunk's Gay Index, which is based on figures from the 2000 US Census, Northampton has a score of 535, vs. a national average score of 100 (i.e., Northampton's population includes 5.35 times the national average of same-sex unmarried households).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.epodunk.com/cgi-bin/gayInfo.php?locIndex=3069 |title=Northampton, MA (Hampshire County) – city gay Index |publisher=ePodunk |access-date=November 20, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141104025846/http://www.epodunk.com/cgi-bin/gayInfo.php?locIndex=3069 |archive-date=November 4, 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> According to the Human Rights Campaign, Northampton scored a 100 out of 100 on its Municipality Equality Index.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://hrc-prod-requests.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/MEI-2023-Assets/MEI-2023-Northampton-Massachusetts.pdf |title=Northampton, Massachusetts 2023 municipal equality index scorecard |publisher=Human Rights Campaign |access-date=May 24, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240515211205/https://hrc-prod-requests.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/MEI-2023-Assets/MEI-2023-Northampton-Massachusetts.pdf |archive-date=May 15, 2024}}</ref>

==Government==
Gina-Louise Sciarra is the mayor of Northampton.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.northamptonma.gov/720/Mayors-Office |title=Mayor's Office |publisher=Northamptonma.gov |access-date=January 21, 2022}}</ref> Previous mayors have included future President of the United States [[Calvin Coolidge]] (1910–1911) and James "Big Jim" Cahillane, who served from 1954 to 1960. Well-known Judge Sean M. Dunphy was the youngest elected mayor in its history, at age 28.

The city also has a nine-member city council, composed of seven ward representatives and two at-large members. Councilors are elected to two-year terms and the council meets twice monthly for 10 months out of the year. The three other elected city-wide bodies are the School Committee, the Trustees of Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School and the Trustees of Forbes Library.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.northamptonma.gov/755/Elections |title=Elections Information |publisher=Northamptonma.gov |access-date=January 21, 2022}}</ref>

Northampton is represented in the 1st Hampshire District of the [[Massachusetts House of Representatives]] by Democrat Lindsay Sabadosa,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://malegislature.gov/Legislators/Profile/L_S1 |title=Representative Lindsay N. Sabadosa, Democrat - 1st Hampshire |publisher=Mass.gov |access-date=11 September 2023}}</ref> in the Hampshire, Franklin and Worcester District of the [[Massachusetts Senate]] by Democrat Jo Comerford,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://malegislature.gov/Legislators/Profile/JMC0/District |title=Senator Joanne M. Comerford, Democrat - Hampshire, Franklin and Worcester |publisher=Mass.gov |access-date=11 September 2023}}</ref> and on the Eighth [[Massachusetts Governor's Council]] District by Democrat Tara Jacobs.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.mass.gov/info-details/councillors  |title=Councillors |publisher=Mass.gov |access-date=11 September 2023}}</ref>

{| class=wikitable
! colspan = 6 | Voter registration and party enrollment as of August 24, 2024<ref>{{cite web|title=Registration and Party Enrollment Statistics as of August 24, 2024 |publisher=Massachusetts Elections Division |access-date=May 8, 2010 |url=http://www.sec.state.ma.us/ele/elepdf/st_county_town_enroll_breakdown_08.pdf}}</ref>
|-
! colspan = 2 | Party
! Number of voters
! Percentage
|-
| {{party color cell|Democratic Party (United States)}}
| [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
| style="text-align:center;"| 10,459
| style="text-align:center;"| 45.29%
|-
| {{party color cell|Republican Party (United States)}}
| [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
| style="text-align:center;"| 596
| style="text-align:center;"| 2.58%
|-
| {{party color cell|Independent Party (United States)}}
| Unaffiliated
| style="text-align:center;"| 11,798
| style="text-align:center;"| 51.09%
|-
| {{party color cell|Libertarian Party (United States)}}
| [[Libertarian Party (United States)|Libertarian]]
| style="text-align:center;"| 54
| style="text-align:center;"| 0.23%
|-
! colspan = 2 | Total
! style="text-align:center;"| 23,090
! style="text-align:center;"| 100%
|}

==Education==

===Public schools===
{{main|Northampton Public Schools, Massachusetts}}

===Colleges and universities===
Northampton is home to [[Smith College]], founded in 1871, a [[women's college]] (one of the [[Seven Sisters (colleges)|Seven Sisters]]), it is also one of the [[Five Colleges Consortium]]. Smith students (along with those of the associated [[Five Colleges (Massachusetts)|Five Colleges]]) contribute to Northampton's [[college town]] atmosphere.

===Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech===
[[Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech]] (formerly the Clarke School for the Deaf) specializes in oral education (speech and [[lip-reading]], as opposed to [[American Sign Language|signing]]) and holds an annual summer camp, the theme varying from summer to summer. Clarke is the oldest oral school for the deaf in the country, established in 1867 on Round Hill Road overlooking the Connecticut River Valley.

==Media==
''[[The Daily Hampshire Gazette]]'', a six-day a week morning newspaper and the oldest surviving newspaper in Massachusetts,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/the-oldest-newspaper-in-each-new-england-state/|title=The Oldest Newspaper in Each New England State|date=2018-08-18|website=New England Historical Society|language=en-US|access-date=2019-10-20}}</ref> is based in Northampton, covering Hampshire and Franklin counties.

Northampton is the [[city of license]] for three commercial radio stations: [[WLZX-FM]], [[WEIB]], and [[WHMP]]. Northampton is also home to WXOJ-LP, a [[LPFM|low-power]] [[community radio]] station owned and operated by [[WXOJ-LP|Valley Free Radio]]. The station was built by more than 400 volunteers from Northampton and around the country in August 2005 at the eighth [[Prometheus Radio Project]] barnraising, in conjunction with the tenth annual [[Grassroots Radio Coalition]] conference. Valley Free Radio broadcasts music, news, public affairs, and locally produced radio content to listeners at 103.3 FM. Northampton also holds [[Smith College]]’s student-run radio station [[WOZQ]], which aired its first broadcast in 1982.

In addition, Northampton is home to Northampton Open Media (NOM), formally Northampton Community Television, which has existed in numerous forms since the mid-1980s but experienced a radical change in 2006 when it became an independently run nonprofit community media center.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://northamptonopenmedia.org/ |title=Homepage |website=Northampton Open Media |access-date=May 22, 2021}}</ref> After a new public unveiling in November 2007, NOM grew to over 200 active members in less than 18&nbsp;months and had already attracted statewide and national attention in the community media landscape. In 2012, 2013 and 2014 NOM won awards for best web sites (for two different sites) in the United States for community media organizations with budgets under $300,000.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.allcommunitymedia.org/?s=northampton+award |title=Website Awards – Northampton |work=Alliance for Community Media |access-date=January 16, 2015}}</ref>

==Transportation==

===Roads===
Northampton is served by four exits of [[Interstate 91]], which passes to the east of downtown along the Connecticut River. [[U.S. Route 5 in Massachusetts|U.S. Route 5]], [[Massachusetts Route 9]], and [[Massachusetts Route 10]] all intersect in the city's downtown area. [[Massachusetts Route 66]] also is partially in Northampton.

The city of Northampton faces daily traffic congestion in the downtown area and connector roads, often resulting in long delays and traffic buildup. The limitation of one bridge across the Connecticut River (the only route to the nearby college town of Amherst) and a busy main street results in unsafe driving behavior and danger to pedestrians.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://media.www.smithsophian.com/media/storage/paper587/news/2011/03/24/News/City-Officials.Address.Traffic.Problems.On.King.And.Main.Streets-3987530.shtml |title=City officials address traffic problems on King and Main Streets – News – The Sophian – Smith College |publisher=Media.www.smithsophian.com |access-date=November 20, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110403004512/http://media.www.smithsophian.com/media/storage/paper587/news/2011/03/24/News/City-Officials.Address.Traffic.Problems.On.King.And.Main.Streets-3987530.shtml |archive-date=April 3, 2011 }}</ref> The City of Northampton is attempting to solve this long-time problem by redesigning problematic intersections and installing traffic cameras.<ref>{{cite web|author=Diane Lederman, The Republican |url=http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2011/04/umass_webcams_keep_tabs_on_traffic_amherst_hadley_northampton.html |title=UMass webcams keep tabs on traffic in Amherst, Hadley, Northampton |date=April 21, 2011 |publisher=masslive.com |access-date=November 20, 2011}}</ref>

===Rail===
[[File:Amtrak Shuttle 463 Eng 18.JPG|left|thumb|An [[Amtrak]] locomotive and two coaches on a train serving Northampton. Three round-trips serve the city each day.]]Northampton enjoys a moderate amount of passenger rail service via [[Amtrak]]’s ''[[Vermonter (train)|Vermonter]]'' and ''[[Valley Flyer]]'' lines, with three daily round trips operating between [[Springfield Union Station (Springfield, Massachusetts)|Springfield]], Northampton, and [[Greenfield, Massachusetts|Greenfield]], Massachusetts.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.amtrak.com/stations/nht | title=Northampton, MA (NHT) &#124; Amtrak }}</ref> These trains serve intermediate and connecting points that include [[New York City]], [[Boston]], [[New Haven]], and other destinations along the [[Northeast Corridor]]. Additional and more frequent service is located a 25-minute drive south at [[Springfield Union Station (Springfield, Massachusetts)|Springfield Union Station]], which also houses the [[Peter Pan Bus Lines|Peter Pan]] bus terminal.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://trainsinthevalley.org/travel-options/ | title=Travel Options – Trains in the Valley | date=March 10, 2016 }}</ref>

In addition to passenger service, rail freight is offered by [[Pan Am Southern|Pan Am Southern LLC]] via the [[Berkshire and Eastern Railroad]], which is owned, in turn, by the [[Genesee & Wyoming]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/its-official-berkshire-eastern-to-take-over-pan-am-southern-operations-on-sept-1/ | title=It's official: Berkshire & Eastern to take over Pan Am Southern operations on Sept. 1 | date=August 31, 2023 }}</ref>

The rail route through Northampton was historically known as the [[Connecticut River Line]]. Although passenger service through the area lapsed in the later part of the twentieth century, service resumed in 2014 following decades of local advocacy and government investment.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.mass.gov/news/massachusetts-and-amtrak-officials-announce-valley-flyer-passenger-service-will-become-permanent | title=Massachusetts and Amtrak Officials Announce Valley Flyer Passenger Service Will Become Permanent }}</ref>

===Bus===
The [[Pioneer Valley Transit Authority]] operates several local passenger buses that originate in Northampton, with service to local towns such as Amherst, Williamsburg, Hadley, South Hadley, and Holyoke as well as the nearby universities and colleges: [[Mount Holyoke College]], [[Amherst College]], [[University of Massachusetts Amherst]], and [[Hampshire College]]. The [[Franklin Regional Transit Authority]] operates a bus to [[Greenfield, Massachusetts]], with seven round trips per day. There is a [[Peter Pan Bus]] stop with services to Springfield, [[Amherst, Massachusetts|Amherst]], and other locations in New England.

===Airports===
[[Northampton Airport]] is a small [[general aviation]] airport located one mile northeast of the Northampton central business district. The closest major airport is [[Bradley International Airport]], located roughly 27 miles to the south in [[Windsor Locks, Connecticut]], near the CT-MA state line.{{citation needed|date=September 2022}}

===Bicycle===
Northampton serves as the hub of a growing [[rail trail]] network. The north-south [[Manhan Rail Trail]] extends from the downtown into neighboring Easthampton, and as part of the [[Farmington Canal Trail]] is planned eventually to reach New Haven, Connecticut.  The [[Norwottuck Rail Trail]] runs eastward from Woodmont Road through Hadley, Amherst, and into [[Belchertown, Massachusetts|Belchertown]], with planned future integration into the [[Central Massachusetts Railroad#Rail trail plan|Central Mass Rail Trail]] to Boston. To the west, the Northampton Bikeway provides access to the city's Florence and Leeds neighborhoods, with a route through historic [[Look Park]], which continues into [[Haydenville, Massachusetts|Haydenville]], where it ends. While downtown, the bikeway runs alongside the train tracks, and provides an alternative route to King and Main Streets.<ref>Northampton Open Space, Recreation, and Rail Trail Plan: 2011-2017</ref>

==Points of interest==
{{more citations needed section|date=May 2023}}
[[File:Conn. River.JPG|right|thumb|The [[Connecticut River]] in Northampton]]
* [[First Church of Christ (Northampton, Massachusetts)|First Church]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.firstchurches.org|title=Home – First Churches of Northampton, MA}}</ref> on Main Street was the home church of [[Jonathan Edwards (theologian)|Jonathan Edwards]], 18th century theologian, philosopher, and leader of the [[First Great Awakening]].
*The [[Elm Street Historic District (Northampton, Massachusetts)|Elm Street/Round Hill Historic District]] runs from the commencement of Elm at State Street almost one mile westerly to Woodlawn Avenue and includes a section of Round Hill Road. A local historic district,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.northamptonma.gov/documentcenter/view/2148|title=City of Northampton Historic Properties Register, map}}</ref> it includes examples of a range of architectural styles from 18th century colonial to contemporary, with an abundance of Queen Anne and Colonial Revival homes and other styles.
* The [[Sojourner Truth]] Memorial at the intersection of Pine and Park Streets in Florence commemorates abolitionist, orator, and Florence resident Sojourner Truth.<ref name='Truth Memorial'>{{cite web |url=https://sojournertruthmemorial.org/about-us/memorial-statue/ |title=Memorial Statue |author=<!--Not stated--> |website=Sojourner Truth Memorial |access-date=June 13, 2019 }}</ref>
* The [[Connecticut River]] and [[The Oxbow (Connecticut river)|The Oxbow]] are popular areas for boaters.
* 21% of Northampton is protected open space; this includes the Broad Brook/Fitzgerald Lake Conservation Area, Connecticut River Greenway (Elwell and Rainbow Beach), Mill River Greenway, Mineral Hills Conservation Area, and Saw Mill Hills/Roberts Hill Conservation Area.<ref name="ReferenceA"/>
* [[Look Park]] is a recreational park covering over {{convert|150|acre}}, founded in 1930. The park is free for visitors arriving by foot or bicycle, consistent with the will of Frank Newhall Look, who left the property to the city and requested that the park would always have free admission for the public. A day-use fee or annual membership fee provides for parking. Musicians such as [[Bob Dylan]] have played at the park's amphitheater.
* Childs Park is a serene {{convert|40|acre|adj=on}} city park near [[Cooley Dickinson Hospital]]. It features two ponds, formal gardens and rose gardens, and an Italian-style garden house.
* [[The Botanic Garden of Smith College]] is a diverse, outdoor collection of trees, shrubs, and plants as well as a fine collection of plant conservatories for the tropics, semitropics, and desert regions. It also includes an indoor [[greenhouse]].
* The Mill River Greenway<ref>{{cite web|url=http://millrivergreenway.org/|title=millrivergreenway.org}}</ref> is a walking path on Smith College and adjacent land along the Mill River in the Bay State Village neighborhood of Northampton. The path is sometimes also called the Paradise Pond Trail based on a misleadingly named portion of the river near Smith College's boathouse and pier.
* Northampton is a [[rail trail]] hub. Currently, the [[Norwottuck Rail Trail]] extends {{convert|18|mi}} from Leeds, [[Florence, Massachusetts|Florence]], and the downtown sections of Northampton to [[Amherst, Massachusetts|Amherst]] and [[Belchertown, Massachusetts|Belchertown]]. The [[Manhan Rail Trail]] extends {{convert|8|mi|0}} from the Norwottuck Rail Trail through Northampton and Easthampton to Southampton. Four other rail trail extensions are in the planning process.
* The Three County Fair<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.3countyfair.com/|title=Welcome to The Three County Fair, Northampton MA|first=Three County|last=Fair}}</ref> is the "longest consecutive running [[agricultural show|agricultural fair]] in the country", having been established and incorporated in 1818.
* The Calvin Theater, [[Iron Horse Music Hall]], and Pearl Street Nightclub are among the many venues that play host to Northampton's music scene.
* The [[Academy of Music Theatre|Academy of Music]], built in 1890 by Edward H. R. Lyman, is the earliest known municipally owned [[theater (structure)|theater]] in the United States.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.aomtheatre.com/about/academy-of-music-history/ |title=History of Academy of Music |website=Academy of Music |access-date=May 22, 2021}}</ref> [[Boris Karloff]] and [[Harry Houdini]] (who installed a trap door in the stage) performed there. Today it serves as a music venue, cinema, and performance space.
* The Northampton Independent Film Festival<ref>{{cite web |url=http://niff.org/ |title=Homepage |website=NIFF |access-date=May 22, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20001109091200/http://niff.org/ |archive-date=November 9, 2000}}</ref> (NIFF) is held each fall. Founded as the Northampton Film Festival in 1995 by Howard Polonsky and Dee DeGeiso, it has continued to grow under a variety of directors. It is now one of the largest in New England.
* Forbes Library,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.forbeslibrary.org/ |title=Forbes Library – Northampton's Public Library }}</ref> built in 1894, is Northampton's [[public library]]. The second floor houses the [[Calvin Coolidge Presidential Library and Museum]]. [[Charles Ammi Cutter]], an important figure in American library science, was the library's first director, and the library is one of few in the world that use the [[Cutter Expansive Classification]] system, rather than Dewey Decimal or Library of Congress.<ref name='Cutter'>{{cite web |url=https://forbeslibrary.org/research/cutter-classification/ |title=Cutter Classification |author=<!--Not stated--> |website=Forbes Library |access-date=June 13, 2019 }}</ref>
* [[Mirage Studios]], creators of the [[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]] franchise, was based in Northampton.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://miragelicensing.com/comics/mirage/volume01/11/11.html |title=True Stories |publisher=Mirage Studios |date=June 1987 |access-date=January 31, 2012}}</ref>  
* As part of an annual Springfest celebration, students from the Northampton Community Music Center (NCMC)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ncmc.net/ |title=Homepage |website=Northampton Community Music Center |access-date=May 22, 2021}}</ref> fill the streets with music on the third Saturday of May.
* [[LGBT Pride]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.northamptonpride.org/|title=Lgbt Diversity, Lesbian Gay Transgender Bisexual Pride Equality – Noho Pride – Northampton, Ma}}</ref> on the first Saturday of May, is an annual lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender pride march and rally, with a colorful parade down Main Street that ends with an all-day festival at a designated location in town.
* Thornes Marketplace in downtown Northampton has many shops and eateries.
* [[Northampton State Hospital]] was a large [[psychiatric hospital]] constructed in 1856. All of the site has been redeveloped.
* On a small hill overlooking the city, near the site of the former Northampton State Hospital, a simple stone monument marks the spot of the hangings of Domenic Daley and James Halligan, two Irishmen wrongfully convicted of murder in 1806.<ref name="Historic-northampton.org"/>
* [[Pioneer Valley Roller Derby]], the first co-ed flat track roller derby league, trains in the village of [[Florence, Massachusetts|Florence]].

== Notable people ==
{{Main|List of people from Northampton, Massachusetts}}

U.S. President [[Calvin Coolidge]] worked as a lawyer in Northampton and served as the city's mayor from 1910 to 1911.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2013/02/calvin-coolidge-forefather-of-our-conservatism |title=Calvin Coolidge: Forefather of Our Conservatism |last=Postell |first=Joseph |date=February 20, 2013 |website=The Heritage Foundation |access-date=May 26, 2024 |url-status=unfit |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130602012728/http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2013/02/calvin-coolidge-forefather-of-our-conservatism |archive-date=June 2, 2013}}</ref> He went on to be a Massachusetts state senator, lieutenant governor, and governor before becoming vice-president and president of the United States. After retiring from the U.S. presidency in 1929, Coolidge moved back to Northampton. He died in the city on January 5, 1933.

==In popular culture==
Films shot in Northampton include ''[[Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (film)|Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?]]'' (1966),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.epodunk.com/cgi-bin/genInfo.php?locIndex=3069 |title=ePodunk community profile Northampton, Massachusetts |location=US-MA |publisher=Epodunk.com |access-date=November 20, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180808202543/http://www.epodunk.com/cgi-bin/genInfo.php?locIndex=3069 |archive-date=August 8, 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref> ''[[Malice (1993 film)|Malice]]'' (1993), ''[[In Dreams (film)|In Dreams]]'' (1999), ''[[The Cider House Rules (film)|The Cider House Rules]]'' (1999), ''[[Sylvia (2003 film)|Sylvia]]'' (2003),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.epodunk.com/cgi-bin/allProp.php?localID=3069&tpropID=filmLoc&sec=0 |title=filming locations |publisher=ePodunk |access-date=November 20, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150202073557/http://www.epodunk.com/cgi-bin/allProp.php?localID=3069&tpropID=filmLoc&sec=0 |archive-date=February 2, 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref> and ''[[Edge of Darkness (2010 film)|Edge of Darkness]]'' (2010).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.recorder.com/story.cfm?id_no=5330140|title=The Greenfield Recorder}}</ref> Other cultural references include:

* Northampton is the birthplace of the eponymous [[protagonist]] in [[Henry James]]'s 1875 novel ''[[Roderick Hudson]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.enotes.com/roderick-hudson-salem/roderick-hudson |title=Roderick Hudson |publisher=eNotes |access-date=November 20, 2011}}</ref>
* Northampton is the setting for several stories throughout various [[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]] media, especially the original [[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Mirage Studios)|Mirage comics]] (1984–2014) as well as the [[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2003 TV series)|2003 animated series]]. While not specifically referred to by name, the city is featured in the [[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990 film)|1990 live-action movie]]. It was also the real-life headquarters for [[Mirage Studios]], the original owners of the franchise.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://variety.com/2009/film/markets-festivals/ninja-turtles-move-to-nickelodeon-1118010193/ |title=Ninja Turtles move to Nickelodeon |work=Variety |date=October 21, 2009 |access-date=June 4, 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091025041209/http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118010193.html?categoryid=13&cs=1 |archive-date=October 25, 2009}}</ref>
* Writer [[Tracy Kidder]] documented the many layers of Northampton society at the end of the 20th century in his 1999 nonfiction book ''Home Town''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.gazettenet.com/Home-Town-turns-20-30772344 |title='A Place that Works': Tracy Kidder's 'Home Town' Turns 20 |last=Connors |first=Michael |date=December 27, 2019 |website=Daily Hampshire Gazette |access-date=May 22, 2021}}</ref>
* [[Augusten Burroughs|Augusten Burroughs']] 2002 memoir ''[[Running with Scissors (memoir)|Running with Scissors]]'' takes place in Northampton 
* A 2011 episode of ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' (season 37, episode 8) featured a sketch titled "Massachusetts Afternoon" set in Northampton.<ref>{{Citation |last=Gallant |first=Erik |title=Saturday Night Live's 'Blue Jean Committee' debuts a new Northampton anthem |publisher=Masslive.com |date=November 21, 2011 |url=http://www.masslive.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2011/11/is_saturday_night_lives_blue_jean_committee.html |access-date=July 8, 2014}}</ref>
* Northampton is the principal setting for the webcomic ''[[Questionable Content]]'', by [[Jeph Jacques]].

==See also==
* {{annotated link|Tofu Curtain}}
* [[USS Northampton|USS ''Northampton'']], three ships

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite speech |title=An Address, Delivered at Northampton, Massachusetts on the Evening of October 29, 1854 in Commemoration of the Close of the Second Century since the Settlement of the Town |author=William Allen D.D. |date=October 29, 1854 |location=Northampton, Mass. |url=https://archive.org/details/addressdelivered02alle |access-date=June 20, 2014 }}
* Kerry W. Buckley, ed. ''A Place Called Paradise: Culture and Community in Northampton, Massachusetts, 1654–2004''. Northampton: Historic Northampton Museum and Education Center, in association with University of Massachusetts Press, 2004. ix + 523 pp.&nbsp;{{ISBN|978-1-55849-485-5}}. reprints 20 essays by scholars
* {{cite book |last=Dwight |first=Benjamin |date=1871 |title=History of the Descendants of Elder John Strong, of Northampton, Massachusetts |url=https://archive.org/details/historyofdescend22dwig |location=Albany |publisher=Joel Munsell |isbn=978-1173841973 |access-date=June 20, 2014 }}
* Kidder, Tracy, ''Home Town''. Washington Square Press, 2000. 464 pp.&nbsp;{{ISBN|978-0671785215}}. 
* {{cite book |last=Manning |first=Alice H. |date=February 1987 |title=Meadow City Milestones: A Collection of Historical Sketches |publisher=The Daily Hampshire Gazette |oclc=19117944}}
* {{cite book |date=1883 |title=Northampton and Easthampton Directory |publisher=Price, Lee & Co. |ol= 23522376M}}

== External links ==
{{Sister project auto}}
* {{Official website}}
* [http://historic-northampton.org/ Historic Northampton]
* [http://www.explorenorthampton.com/ Northampton Chamber of Commerce] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180919100133/http://www.explorenorthampton.com/ |date=September 19, 2018 }}
* [http://www.visitnorthampton.net/ VisitNorthampton.net]

{{Hampshire County, Massachusetts}}
{{Massachusetts}}
{{American gay villages}}
{{Connecticut River}}
{{Northeast Megalopolis}}
{{Massachusetts county seats}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Northampton, Massachusetts| ]]
[[Category:1654 establishments in the Massachusetts Bay Colony]]
[[Category:Academic enclaves]]
[[Category:Cities in Hampshire County, Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Cities in Massachusetts]]
[[Category:County seats in Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Gay villages in Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1654]]
[[Category:Massachusetts populated places on the Connecticut River]]
[[Category:Springfield metropolitan area, Massachusetts]]