Amherst Center, Massachusetts

Amherst West Cemetery is a historic cemetery on Triangle Street in Amherst, Massachusetts. The 4 acres (1.6 ha) cemetery was first laid out in 1730, when the voters of Hadley elected to establish a new burying ground in its eastern precinct. When the area was separated as Amherst in 1786, the property was taken over by the newly established town. In addition to being the burial site of many of Amherst's early settlers and American Civil War veterans (both white and African American), it is also the burial site of members of the Dickinson family, most notably the poet Emily Dickinson. Their family plot is set off from the rest of the cemetery by a wrought iron fence.The oldest portion of the cemetery is in the southwest, where there are hundreds of older slate gravemarkers. The oldest marked site is dated 1737, although there may well be earlier unmarked burials. Over two dozen carvers have been identified as creators of the colonial-era markers. Markers placed during the Victorian era were made predominantly of limestone and brownstone, which gradually gave way to granite, especially for marking the sites of well-to-do families. A portion in the southeast of the cemetery contains mainly African American burials, with much simpler burial stones and markings than elsewhere in the cemetery.When first laid out, the cemetery was about 1 acre (0.40 ha), and was laid out very simply. As it grew during the 19th century, lanes were laid out and the property was fenced off. The present figure-eight pattern of lanes was adopted in 1854. The first main gate, the Gaylord Gates on Pleasant Street, was built in 1907, but was replaced in 1954 with the construction of the Burnham Gates on Triangle Street. The older gate is made of simple granite piers, and is normally chained. The Burnham Gates are made of ashlar stone piers, topped with molded cornices and pyramidal capstones.The cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2000.

The Amherst Central Business District is a historic district encompassing the heart of downtown Amherst, Massachusetts. Centered on the northern section of the long town common, the area has been the civic and commercial heart of the town since the 18th century. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991, and slightly enlarged in 2011.

Amherst ( ) is a city in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Connecticut River valley. Amherst has a council–manager form of government, and is considered a city under Massachusetts state law. Amherst is one of several Massachusetts municipalities that have city forms of government but retain "The Town of" in their official names. At the 2020 census, the population was 39,263, making it the highest populated municipality in Hampshire County (although the county seat is Northampton). The town is home to Amherst College, Hampshire College, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst, three of the Five Colleges. Amherst has three census-designated places: Amherst Center, North Amherst, and South Amherst. Amherst is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. Lying 22 miles (35 km) north of the city of Springfield, Amherst is considered the northernmost town in the Hartford–Springfield Metropolitan Region, "The Knowledge Corridor". Amherst is also located in the Pioneer Valley, which encompasses Hampshire, Hampden and Franklin counties.

Amity Street is a main east-west street in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. It is the continuation of Main Street, being renamed Amity Street west of Pleasant Street, which is the main north-south street in Amherst. Emily Dickinson lived on Main Street, while Eugene Field lived on 219 Amity Street. The street is about one mile (1.6 km) south of the University of Massachusetts Amherst campus and 0.3 miles (0.48 km) west of the town common. Route 9 runs about 0.5 miles (0.80 km) south of Amity Street. The street also features a number of grand old Victorian homes and historically significant buildings such as the Jones Library, the Strong House, the Amherst Cinema Building and the Solomon Boltwood House.

The Amherst Area Chamber of Commerce is the local chamber of commerce for portions of Hampshire and Franklin counties within the Pioneer Valley of Massachusetts. The chamber represents the business needs of over 600 businesses and 4,200 employees in the area.

The Strong House is a historic house at 67 Amity Street in Amherst, Massachusetts. Built about 1744, it is one of Amherst's oldest surviving houses, and a fine example of mid-18th century Connecticut River Valley architecture. It was given to the Amherst Historical Society in 1916. It currently houses the Amherst History Museum. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984, and included in the Amherst Central Business District in 1991.

The Political Economy Research Institute (PERI) is an independent research unit at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. According to its mission statement, it "...promotes human and ecological well-being through our original research". PERI was established in 1998 by co-directors Robert Pollin and Gerald Epstein, both economists at the university. Funding for its foundation came from Pollin and his businessman father, Abe Pollin.

The University of Massachusetts Amherst School of Public Policy is a school at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Formerly known and operated as the Center for Public Policy & Administration, the center was elevated to a school in 2016 to reflect its expanding mission. It offers an undergraduate major in Public Policy and professional master's degrees in Public Affairs (one-year MPA) and Public Policy & Administration (two-year MPPA). In October 2019, the school announced a five-year expansion plan that included the creation of an undergraduate public policy major, which launched in the fall of 2022, as well as expansion of the faculty through tenure lines for faculty appointments solely in the School of Public Policy.The school's alumni include Amy Ferrer, Director of the American Philosophical Association.

The Prospect—Gaylord Historic District is a historic district encompassing a residential area built up mostly in the late 19th century just outside the central business district of Amherst, Massachusetts. Contributing properties include most of the houses on Prospect Street, which parallels Pleasant Street, as well as properties on Gaylord and Amity Streets running west from Prospect. These houses are generally in late Victorian styles such as Queen Anne, although some, for example a workman's house at 24 Gaylord Street, are in a more vernacular style. A central element of the district is the Hope Community Church, a historically African American church built in 1912 for a congregation whose history dates to 1869. Funds for its construction were raised in part through the efforts of W.E.B. Du Bois. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993.Amherst, settled in the 17th century, remained a scattered agricultural community until the early 19th century. At that time, the town center began to take on a more pronounced commercial character, and its importance in the town was cemented by the establishment of Amherst College in 1825. Prospect Street was laid out in 1824 between Amity Street (1703) and Northampton Street, the original main road to the Connecticut River. This area was built up with modest Greek Revival houses set on small lots, while North Prospect Street, north of Amity Street, was developed later, with larger lots and more typical Victorian styling. Gaylord Street was laid out as a private lane in the early 1880s, and was subsequently lined with Queen Anne and later styles of housing.

The Inn on Boltwood, formerly known as the Lord Jeffrey Inn, in Amherst, Massachusetts, dates from 1926.It is associated with Amherst College via ownership by the Amherst Inn Company, an affiliate of the college. It was renovated in 2012 and has Silver LEED Certification, in part relating to its inclusion of 50 geothermal wells, each 500 feet (150 m) deep, providing heating and cooling.It includes Colonial Revival architecture.Poet Robert Frost was a frequent guest. Archibald MacLeish was also a guest. A gala honoring Frost's 80th birthday was held at the property in 1954.It is a member of the Historic Hotels of America.

The Dickinson Historic District is a historic district in Amherst, Massachusetts. Its centerpiece is the Emily Dickinson Home, a National Historic Landmark. The district boundaries encompass Main and Lessey Streets, east of Amherst center, from their junction eastward to Gray Street and the Amherst railroad station, which marks the eastern end of the district. In addition to a number of properties on Main and Lessey Streets, the district also includes Sweetser Park and contributing properties on Tyler Place as well as Triangle, Gray and Kellogg Streets. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. It was designated because of its architecture, and its connection with the locally influential Dickinson family, who (in addition to renowned poet Emily Dickinson) were a locally influential family with roots dating back to early colonial times. The Emily Dickinson House, built in 1813, is the oldest house within the district, with prominence beyond its association with the poet. Her grandfather Samuel, who built the house, was a founder of Amherst College, and a prominent local politician, as was her father Edward. Her brother William Austin Dickinson was also active in the political and economic life of Amherst, helping found its water and gas companies. Leonard Hills, who lived in two separate houses in the district, ran a distinctive business that manufactured hats out of palm leaves, and was a key figure in the founding of Massachusetts Agricultural College (now the University of Massachusetts at Amherst). The district also includes Amherst's Gothic First Congregational Church (1867), and the brick Italianate Central Vermont Railroad depot (1853), one of the oldest surviving railroad stations in the state.

The Emily Dickinson Museum is a historic house museum consisting of two houses: the Dickinson Homestead (also known as Emily Dickinson Home or Emily Dickinson House) and the Evergreens. The Dickinson Homestead was the birthplace and home from 1855 to 1886 of 19th-century American poet Emily Dickinson (1830–1886), whose poems were discovered in her bedroom there after her death. The house next door, called the Evergreens, was built by the poet's father, Edward Dickinson, in 1856 as a wedding present for her brother Austin. Located in Amherst, Massachusetts, the houses are preserved as a single museum and are open to the public on guided tours.The Emily Dickinson Home is a US National Historic Landmark, and properties contribute to the Dickinson Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places.