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Hampshire College
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Hampshire College - Local Atmosphere - Local Atmosphere - College ProwlerCollege Prowler2.69

Local Atmosphere

C+
Where does this grade come from?View all Local Atmosphere rankingsReview this school to add your opinion

Comparable Schools' Local Atmosphere Grades:

Quick Stats

Fun Local Trivia
  1. Hampshire College's Yiddish Book Center houses the world's largest collection of Yiddish literature.
  2. Democrats outnumber Republicans in Amherst by more than eight to one.
  3. The student population of Amherst (including Amherst, Hampshire, and UMass) equals half the population of the entire town.
  4. Poet Emily Dickinson was born in Amherst and lived her entire life here. The house she was born in is now the site of a Mobil gas station and the house she lived in, the Dickinson Homestead, is now a museum.
  5. Unlike other towns its size, Amherst still governs itself in a town-meeting format, in contrast to the mayor-council or council-manager format.
Notable Natives
  • Lord Jeffery Amherst
  • Susan B. Anthony
  • Dr. Virginia Apgar
  • Madeline Blais
  • William Cullen Bryant
  • Eric Carle
  • Elaine Chao
  • Daniel Chester-French
  • Calvin Coolidge
  • Emily Dickinson
  • Jane Dyer
  • Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird
  • Martin Espada
  • Robert Francis
  • Robert Frost
  • Dr. Gloria Johnson-Powell
  • Joseph Langland
  • Herman Melville
  • Suzan-Lori Parks
  • Dr. Seuss
  • James Tate
  • Wendy Wasserstein
  • Noah Webster
  • Edith Whaton
Local Slang
  • Am'erst: Locals drop the "h," whereas new or resistant students will not. ("There's an 'h,' it should be pronounced 'Am-HERST'!")
  • Beantown: Boston
  • The Cape: Cape Cod
  • Grinder: A submarine sandwich
  • Jimmies: Sprinkles
  • The Pike: The Massachusetts turnpike
  • Pissa!: Massachusetts slang for "cool"
  • Sketchy: Suspicious; shady
  • Wicked: Slang word used to emphasize a description, like "very" ("It's wicked cold outside.")
Points of Interest
  • “Cultural Village”
  • Atkins Country Market
  • Eric Carle
  • Gallery TK
  • National Yiddish Book Center

Student Author OverviewWhat's This?

Nestled in the Pioneer Valley, Hampshire is surrounded by college towns: Amherst, Northampton, and South Hadley. The three towns are fairly consistently abuzz with lectures, indie music performances, art shows, and political protests. The local atmosphere is more distinct for its political activism, social awareness, and related events than its booming nightlife. With this in mind, those who are comforted more by the constant hum of traffic than the rustle of rural life might think twice before coming to the Valley. Weekend getaways to Boston or New York City can cure city slickers’ restlessness, though. There are also a number of bicycle and walking paths for those looking to wander aimlessly, and for the adventurous at heart, the College’s outdoors program is great.

Most socializing takes place on campus. Autumn inspires impromptu games like wrestling matches between dorm residents tumbling in person-sized brown boxes. Others warmly recount the collective playfulness that spreads during spring, luring students from their respective holes to sun bathe, play Frisbee or bocce ball, or even streak around campus. Overall, the Valley offers an interesting blend of rural life and college life, providing plenty of public events to give students something to do without the frenetic atmosphere of big city schools. Though it is an imperfect description, the area’s biggest selling point is the potential for community.

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Hampshire Student ReviewsWhat's This?

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Local Atmosphere at Hampshire College

smigliaccio

Political Science and Government '15

4.2
A-

Thumbs up

I have been very happy with the local atmosphere at Hampshire. There are tons of things to do in Amherst, which is no more than a 3 minute drive from campus. There is a great movie theater, numerous cafes and restaurants, book stores, etc. Northampton is also a great town with even more to offer. It is no more than 10/15 minutes from campus. There is free public transportation to get to both of these places.

Mar 15, 2012

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Local Atmosphere at Hampshire College

jlndrsn

Cognitive Science '14

3.5
B

Close to Amherst and Northampton

Close to Amherst and Northampton and a part of the five college consortium, so if you want to go out, you will for sure find something to do somewhere.

Apr 16, 2011

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Local Atmosphere at Hampshire College

hampshiregrrl

History '13

3.8
B+

Local Atmosphere

Hampshire is smack-dab in the center of the 5 College Consortium, which can make for a very lively environment if you take advantage of it. Because Hampshire can be isolating, it's really great to "get out of the Hampshire bubble," as people say, and go check out, for example, the Smith art museum. Amherst is a bit of a yuppy town, but it's nice. Northampton is typically where students go to shop, eat, and party, because it has more of an urban environment. Learn to love the buses, because they're your ticket off the farm.

Aug 16, 2010

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Page 1 of 6
User rating for Hampshire College - Local Atmosphere is 3.5 out of 5 based on 18 user reviews.

Student Survey Poll ResultsWhat's This?

Rate the local atmosphere on the following topics

What is the local atmosphere like at your school?

What is the proximity to other universities? Is there much interaction?

Can you see yourself living here after graduation?

Facts

Shopping Centers
  • Hampshire Mal
  • Holyoke Mall
  • Thorne’s Marketplace
Major Sports Teams
  • Boston Red Sox: baseball
  • New England Patriots: football
City Web Sites www.amherstma.gov
Distances to Nearest Major Cities
  • Boston: MA: 1 hour, 30 minutes
  • New York City: NY: 3 hours

Movie TheatersWhat's This?

Academy of Music Theatre
274 Main St.
Northampton
(413) 584-8435

Cinemark (Hampshire Mall)
367 Russell St.
Hadley
(413) 587-4233

Tower Theaters
19 College St.
South Hadley
(413) 532-3456

Become a Contributing Author Learn more »

Most Recent Student Author View all

Name
Tal Schechter
Hometown
Stamford, CT
Major
Health, Science, and Technology

College Prowler is seeking talented student authors to assist with writing and updating the College Prowler guides to their schools. This is a great opportunity for a student to gain experience and tremendous exposure, utilize new media techniques, and share advice with high school students about what life is really like at your college.

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How do we get our information? Find out here or report an error here. The statistics on our site are from the National Center for Education Statistics IPEDS database.
We update this information twice annually, most recently in May 2012, but it may not be the most recent information available for a particular school.
For additional information we encourage you to visit school websites or contact the schools directly.