Northampton, Massachusetts

Northampton is a city located in Hampshire County, Massachusetts in the USA. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 28,978. It is the county seat of Hampshire County{{GR|6}}.

History

The area now known as Northampton was inhabited by Native Americans for thousands of years before the arrival of Europeans. They called it Norwottuck, or Nonotuck, meaning: "the midst of the river." Colonial Northampton was founded in 1654 by settlers from Springfield, Massachusetts. Initial cooperation between the two populations gave way to conflict, evidence of which can today be seen most clearly in nearby Historic Deerfield. Northampton hosted its own witch trials in the 18th century, although no witches were burned at the stake. Members of the community were among the signatories of the Declaration of Independence. (See the external link to Historic Northampton below for more.)

Related Topics:
Native Americans - Arrival of Europeans - 1654 - Springfield, Massachusetts - Historic Deerfield - Witch trials - 18th century - Declaration of Independence

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Northampton, which was incorporated as a city in 1883, developed into a thriving community and a local center for commerce, education, and the arts, even supporting a still-extant opera house, (though it now functions as an independent movie theatre) the Academy of Music. In 1851, opera singer Jenny Lind, the "Swedish Nightingale", declared it to be the "Paradise of America". Among the city's famous residents are: author William Cullen Bryant, the fire and brimstone preacher Jonathan Edwards; the ascetic health guru Sylvester Graham, namesake of the Graham Cracker;musicians Kim Gordon and Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth;and Calvin Coolidge, who served as mayor of Northampton before becoming governor of Massachusetts and U.S. president. The first game of women's basketball was played there in 1892, at Smith College. Immigrant groups that settled here in large numbers included Irish, Polish, and French-Canadian; in more recent years, Puerto Ricans, Indians, Vietnamese and Cambodians have continued to enrich the cultural mosaic.

Related Topics:
1883 - 1851 - Jenny Lind - Swedish - William Cullen Bryant - Jonathan Edwards - Sylvester Graham - Graham Cracker - Calvin Coolidge - Governor - Massachusetts - U.S. president - Basketball - 1892 - Smith College - Immigrant - Irish - Polish - French-Canadian - Puerto Ricans - Indians - Vietnamese - Cambodians

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Northampton today is a popular destination for tourists, who come to sample the city's shopping and restaurants. It remains a showplace for the arts, and was rated as the top "Small Arts Town" in the country by travel writer John Villani, author of "The 100 Best Small Art Towns in America" (3rd edition, published by John Muir Publications). It is an open and tolerant community, and is home to a sizeable lesbian community, earning it the nickname, "Lesbianville, USA". Author Tracy Kidder documented the many layers of "Noho" society at the end of the 20th century in Home Town.

Related Topics:
Tourists - Restaurants - Arts - Lesbian - Tracy Kidder

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