Amherst, Massachusetts

kittykalii
2y ago
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There is a lot to do in this area! I moved here for grad school in 2015 and have lived here since. There’s a small downtown area in Amherst (walking distance from campus) with restaurants, bars, and small businesses. About a 5 min drive from campus is a strip with grocery stores and general shopping (target, wal mart, Michael’s, Marshall’s, home depot etc. + many fast food/fast casual restaurants). Northampton is about a 15 min drive and has a ton of stuff to do— restaurants, bars, shopping, music. There’s great hiking in the area. About 2 hours to Boston, 3/4 to New York. The Berkshires are about an hour/hour and a half away— it’s super picturesque with a lot to do (including skiing if that’s your thing!). I’ve lived here for almost a decade and have settled nicely in the area. There are cows and farms, too, but that’s only part of what’s going on. Good luck!

old_books86
2y ago
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Each campus of the five college consortium have their own gems. Amherst, Smith, and Mount Holyoke have world class art museums, and UMass has its own impressive contemporary art museum. Amherst College also has a natural history museum and an observatory. Mount Holyoke and Smith have really gorgeous victorian greenhouses that are open year round but especially essential in the cold winter months. There are some good restaurants but even more unique to the area is the local produce. There are farmers markets on campus and in the local villages. There are also tons of farm stands where you can find fresh and inexpensive ingredients to explore. There are outdoor opportunities for any comfort level. There are hiking trails, boating/water sports on the Connecticut river, and rock climbing opportunities. Skiing, ice skating, sledding in the winter. Bookstores, libraries, antique stores, local history. And of course, UMass Hockey.

It's definitely not a city but we have access to so much, and most of the things I mentioned above are completely free with a student ID. Thanks for asking!

NesquikKnight
2y ago
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My wife and I went to UMass and ended up moving back out here from Eastern MA a couple of years ago and love it.

As far as the town goes, South Amherst is sleepier than North Amherst and Downtown, with lots of conservation land and access to the New England hiking trail (CT->Canada). Downtown is ever changing with a lot of great restaurants and a music scene that's starting to pick up steam. As you move closer to North Amherst you'll see quite a bit of rental properties for students and during the school year there will be nightly foot traffic as you get closer to UMass.

I will say the tax situation is annoying in Amherst where the property taxes are considerably higher than the surrounding areas, and almost twice as much as Eastern MA.

Health care options are fine but not fantastic, there are a few urgent care centers but the quality of care is hit or miss. The closest hospital is a 20-25min drive. If you need a specialist your best bet would be to drive out to Burlington or Boston, about 1hr40min away, granted Boston has some of the best hospitals in the world.

There are plenty of community/volunteer opportunities in the area of all varieties.

Overall, it's a great little rural college town, I think the year round population is 14k and it jumps up to 45-49k when the schools are in session. Between Northampton, Hadley, and Amherst you can find most of what you need locally and if not at worst the closest big mall is about 25 minutes away. There is a big emphasis here on locally sourced goods and rightfully so with all of the great little farms in the area. A note on that, Amherst is in a right to farm county, meaning if you've ever wanted a little hobby farm, have at it.

Fit-Bullfrog6681
2y ago
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Biggest frustration from west coast and NYC transplants is the comparative restaurant scene.

In fact there are bunch of good restaurants in the area, including Northampton, but it cannot possibly compete with SF or NYC.

Health care is an issue in terms of supply and quality.

Folks with serious issues — cardiac, cancer, other specialized areas — might make day round trips to Boston for treatment.

The few people with money don’t show it off. Few if any Porsche or BMW. Plenty of Subaru, Toyota… Strong biking and hiking culture. Strong loyalty to local businesses and opposition to chains.

Fall is spectacular. Winter is tough but the equipment to plow roads is agricultural industrial unlike places like DC and North Carolina where a dusting of snow shuts down the world.

No one cares about high fashion. Wear whatever you want and you’ll fit in. Karma is calm and simple. Food is local and fresh. Seafood is not a strength, being 80 miles from the ocean.

Beachfront means a small lake. One of the main centers of western Buddhism and “mindfulness.”
Small town. Word gets around. Peaceful, quiet, and calm as long as you are not close to a fraternity. If you don’t want college noise, you have to carefully evaluate locations and other houses on a street and nearby.

This is farmland and woods primarily.

Pros and Cons of living in Amherst, MA