Northampton, Massachusetts

Geography Northampton is located at 42°19'39" North, 72°39'28" West (42.327389, -72.657677)¹.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 92.2 km² (35.6 mi²). 89.3 km² (34.5 mi²) of it is land and 3.0 km² (1.1 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 3.20% water.

Demographics As of the census of 2000, there are 28,978 people, 11,880 households, and 5,880 families residing in the city. The population density is 324.7/km² (841.0/mi²). There are 12,405 housing units at an average density of 139.0/km² (360.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 90.01% White, 2.08% African American, 0.30% Native American, 3.13% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 2.41% from other races, and 2.03% from two or more races. 5.24% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 11,880 households out of which 22.9% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.7% are married couples living together, 10.1% have a female householder with no husband present, and 50.5% are non-families. 37.3% of all households are made up of individuals and 10.7% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.14 and the average family size is 2.87.

In the city the population is spread out with 17.0% under the age of 18, 15.4% from 18 to 24, 29.9% from 25 to 44, 23.9% from 45 to 64, and 13.8% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 37 years. For every 100 females there are 75.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 71.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $41,808, and the median income for a family is $56,844. Males have a median income of $37,264 versus $30,728 for females. The per capita income for the city is $24,022. 9.8% of the population and 5.7% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 8.4% are under the age of 18 and 9.1% are 65 or older.

History

Northampton was founded in 1654. In 1851, the "Swedish Nightingale" Jenny Lind declared it to be the "paradise of America". Northampton was incorporated as a city in 1883.

Attractions

• Smith College is a women's college (one of the Seven Sisters) founded in 1871. It is also one of the Five Colleges.
• The Clarke School for the Deaf specializes in oral education (speech and lip-reading, as opposed to signing), and holds an annual summer camp, the theme varying from summer to summer.
• Look Park is a 150-plus acre recreational park founded in 1930.
• The Three County Fair[?] claims to be the "longest consecutive running agricultural fair in the country", having been established and incorporated in 1818.

External Links

• The Daily Hampshire Gazette (http://www.gazettenet.com/)