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Northampton is a city in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, USA. The population was 28,978 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Hampshire County.
HistoryThe area now known as Northampton was inhabited by Native Americans, such as the Pocomtuc, Nonotuck Mohawk, and Mahican, 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 settlers and the Natives 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 (accused) witches were executed. Members of the community were among the signatories of the Declaration of Independence. (See the external link to Historic Northampton below for more.)
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, the Academy of Music, though the building now functions as an independent movie theatre. In 1851, opera singer Jenny Lind, the "Swedish Nightingale," declared Northampton to be the "Paradise of America." The first game of women's basketball was played 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 add to the cultural mosaic. Segments of the 1966 film Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? were filmed in and around Northampton during the fall of 1965. When not filming, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton frequented Northampton's Academy of Music, where they sat in the balcony to watch movies. Other films filmed in Northampton include the Academy-Award-winning Cider House Rules, Malice with Nicole Kidman and Alec Baldwin, In Dreams with Annette Bening and Robert Downey Jr., and Sylvia with Gwyneth Paltrow. 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." The town has ties to the controversial children's book, "Heather Has Two Mommies." Author Tracy Kidder documented the many layers of Northampton society at the end of the 20th century in his nonfiction book Home Town. Geography
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 (3.20%) is water. Inclusive within the city limits are the villages of Florence, Bay State and Leeds. It is bordered to the north by the towns of Hatfield and Williamsburg, to the west by Westhampton, to the east by Hadley (across the Connecticut River), and to the south by Easthampton. PoliticsNorthampton is also considered by many as something of a liberal mecca, due in part to the five colleges in the area and the city's large GLBT community. Smith College, which has an extremely active and progressive lesbian community, is part of the center of the city's activities. However, there is another aspect of Smith College's presence in the community which emerges politically. Smith College has also been at odds with the community from time-to-time, most recently with the construction of its new engineering and molecular sciences complex, which shall cause many low-income residents to be displaced. [1] The city is home to the national office of the Bill of Rights Defense Committee, a civil liberties advocacy group; as well as Free Press, a non-profit advocating media reform and citizen involvement in media public policy. The antipsychiatry community and advocacy group Freedom Center also operates out of Northampton. As of 2006, Mary Clare Higgins is the Mayor. The Paradise City Forum was founded November, 2001 to provide a nonpartisan discussion tool for the community. AttractionsImage:Hampshirecountycourthouse.jpg Hampshire County Courthouse in Northampton Image:Conn. River.JPG The Connecticut River in Northampton
On a small hill overlooking the city sits a simple stone monument marking the spot of the hangings of Daley and Halligan, two Irishmen wrongfully accused of murder in the early 1800s DemographicsAs of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 28,978 people, 11,880 households, and 5,880 families residing in the city. The population density was 324.7/km² (841.0/mi²). There were 12,405 housing units at an average density of 139.0/km² (360.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 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. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.24% of the population. There were 11,880 households out of which 22.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.7% were married couples living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 50.5% were non-families. 37.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.87. In the city the population was 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 were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 75.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 71.1 males. The median income for a household in the city was $41,808, and the median income for a family was $56,844. Males had a median income of $37,264 versus $30,728 for females. The per capita income for the city was $24,022. About 5.7% of families and 9.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.4% of those under age 18 and 9.1% of those age 65 or over. Northampton has four elementary schools (kindergarten through 5th grade), one middle school (6th to 8th grade), one high school (9th to 12th grade), and one vocational-agricultural high school (9th to 12th grade). Notable residents
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