Amherst

Town in Hampshire County, west-central Massachusetts, USA; population (1998 est) 35,250. It is situated in the Pioneer Valley, 35 km/22 mi northeast of Springfield. Settled in 1703, the town was agricultural before the Revolution, and then developed various industries including hat, textile, and carriage making in the 19th century. The local cattle industry gave rise to the foundation of an agricultural college, which became the University of Massachusetts (1863). Amherst is now primarily an educational centre, with around 23,000 students at the University of Massachusetts, and the presence of four other institutions, which together operate as the Five Colleges Consortium.

The other four institutions are Amherst College (1821; 1,600 students), Hampshire College (1970; 1,100 students), Mount Holyoke College (1837; 2,000 students, women only), and Smith College (1871; 2,500 students, women only). The Pratt Museum of natural history is on the Amherst College campus. The town was named after the English soldier Jeffrey Amherst. The poet Emily Dickinson was a native of Amherst, and the Emily Dickinson Homestead is a popular tourist destination.