Difference between revisions of "Northampton"

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(Copy from wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northampton%2C_Massachusetts)
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{{Infobox City
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'''Northampton''' is a city in Hampshire County, [[Massachusetts]].
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|official_name          = Northampton, Massachusetts
 
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|nickname              = Noho," "Hamp"
 
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|motto                  =
 
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|image_skyline          = Northampton massachusetts main street 20040912.jpg
 
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|image_caption          = Northampton, Massachusetts Main Street
 
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|image_seal            = {{#ifeq:Northampton, Massachusetts|Northampton, Massachusetts|NorthamptonMassachusettsSeal.png}}
 
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|image_flag            =
 
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|image_map              = Northampton_ma_highlight.png
 
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|map_caption            = Location in Massachusetts
 
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|subdivision_type      = Country
 
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|subdivision_name      = [[United States]]
 
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|subdivision_type1      = State
 
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|subdivision_name1      = [[Massachusetts]]
 
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|subdivision_type2      = County
 
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|subdivision_name2      = [[Hampshire County, Massachusetts|Hampshire County]]
 
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|established_title      = Settled
 
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|established_date      = 1654
 
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|established_title2    = Incorporated
 
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|established_date2      = 1656
 
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|established_title3    =
 
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|established_date3      =
 
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|government_type        = [[Mayor-council government|Mayor-council city]]
 
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|leader_title          = [[Mayor]]
 
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|leader_name            = Mary Clare Higgins
 
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|leader_title1          = <!--Board of <br>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Selectmen-->
 
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|leader_name1          =
 
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|area_total            = 92.2
 
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|TotalArea_sq_mi        = 35.6
 
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|area_land              = 89.3
 
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|LandArea_sq_mi        = 34.5
 
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|area_water            = 3.0
 
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|WaterArea_sq_mi        = 1.1
 
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|population_as_of      = 2000
 
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|settlement_type        =
 
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|population_total      = 28978
 
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|population_density    = 324.7
 
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|population_density_mi2 = 841.0
 
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|elevation              = 43
 
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|elevation_ft          = 140
 
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|timezone              = [[Eastern Standard Time Zone|Eastern]]
 
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|utc_offset            = -5
 
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|timezone_DST          = [[Eastern Standard Time Zone|Eastern]]
 
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|utc_offset_DST        = -4
 
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|latd=42 |latm=19 |lats=30 |latNS=N
 
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|longd=72 |longm=38 |longs=30 |longEW=W
 
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|website                = http://www.northamptonma.gov/
 
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|postal_code_type      = ZIP code
 
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|postal_code            = 01060
 
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|area_code              = [[Area code 413|413]]
 
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|footnotes              =
 
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}}
 
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'''Northampton''' is a city in [[Hampshire County, Massachusetts|Hampshire County]], [[Massachusetts]], [[USA]]. The population was 28,978 at the 2000 census.  It is the [[county seat]] of Hampshire County.
 
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==History==
 
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The area now known as Northampton was inhabited by [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]], such as the [[Pocomtuc]], Nonotuck [[Mohawk nation|Mohawk]], and [[Mahican]], for thousands of years before the [[European colonization of the Americas|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 [[Salem witch trials|witch trials]] in the [[18th century]], although no (accused) witches were executed. Members of the community were among the signatories of the [[United States Declaration of Independence|Declaration of Independence]]. (See the external link to Historic Northampton below for more.)
 
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Northampton was linked to the sea by the [[Hampshire and Hampden Canal]] in 1835, but the canal enterprise foundered and after about a decade was replaced by a railroad running along the same route. A [[flood]] on the [[Mill River (Hampshire Co., Massachusetts)|Mill River]] on [[May 16]], [[1874]], killed 51 people in the [[Leeds, Massachusetts|village of Leeds]] in the township of Northampton.
 
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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, which functioned as an independent movie house until recently. However, the 800 seat theatre now operates as a venue for rent for local and other productions. 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]]. [[Immigration|Immigrant]] groups that settled here in large numbers included [[Ireland|Irish]], [[Poland|Polish]], and [[French-Canadian]]; in more recent years, [[Puerto Rican]]s, [[India|Indians]], [[Vietnam|Vietnamese]] and [[Cambodia|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 Awards|Academy-Award]]-winning ''[[Cider House Rules]],'' ''[[Malice (movie)|Malice]]'' with [[Nicole Kidman]] and [[Alec Baldwin]], ''[[In Dreams]]'' with [[Annette Bening]] and [[Robert Downey Jr.]], and ''[[Sylvia (2003 film)|Sylvia]]'' with [[Gwyneth Paltrow]]. It is also known as the birthplace of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The concept was created and developed here by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird.
 
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Northampton today is a popular destination for [[tourism|tourists]], who come to sample the city's shopping and [[restaurant]]s. 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. The town has ties to the controversial children's book, "[[Heather Has Two Mommies]]."
 
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Author [[Tracy Kidder]] documented the many layers of Northampton society at the end of the 20th century in his nonfiction book ''Home Town.''
 
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==Geography==
 
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Northampton sits on the banks of the [[Connecticut River]], in the [[Pioneer Valley]] of [[Western Massachusetts]]. It is located at {{coor dms|42|19|39|N|72|39|28|W|city}} (42.327389, -72.657677).{{GR|1}}
 
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According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the city has a total area of 92.2 [[km²]] (35.6 [[square mile|mi²]]). 89.3 km² (34.5 mi²) of it is land and 3.0 km² (1.1 mi²) of it (3.20%) is water.
 
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Inclusive within the city limits are the villages of [[Florence, Massachusetts|Florence]], [[Bay State, Massachusetts|Bay State]] and [[Leeds, Massachusetts|Leeds]]. It is bordered to the north by the towns of [[Hatfield, Massachusetts|Hatfield]] and [[Williamsburg, Massachusetts|Williamsburg]], to the west by [[Westhampton, Massachusetts|Westhampton]], to the east by [[Hadley, Massachusetts|Hadley]] (across the [[Connecticut River]]), and to the south by [[Easthampton, Massachusetts|Easthampton]].
 
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==Politics==
 
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Northampton is also considered by many as something of a [[liberal]] mecca, due in part to the [[Five Colleges (Massachusetts)|five colleges]] in the area and the city's large [[GLBT]] community. [[Smith College]], which has an active and progressive lesbian community, is part of the center of the city's activities.
 
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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. <ref>http://www.google.com/search?q=cache:E5wNQ-A3_UgJ:www.dailyhampshiregazette.com/storytmp.cfm%3Fid_no%3D120700532004+Joseph+Krupczynski+%22smith+college%22&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=13</ref>
 
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The city is home to the national office of the [[BORDC|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 (antipsychiatry)|Freedom Center]] also operates out of Northampton.
 
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As of 2007, [[Clare Higgins|Mary Clare Higgins]] is the Mayor.
 
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The [http://www.paradisecityforum.net/ Paradise City Forum] was founded November, 2001 to provide a nonpartisan discussion tool for the community.
 
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In the 2004 presidential election, multiple wards within Northampton recorded 80%+ of the votes going to Kerry/Edwards.
 
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==Attractions==
 
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[[Image:Hampshirecountycourthouse.jpg|right|thumb|Hampshire County Courthouse in Northampton]]
 
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[[Image:Conn._River.JPG|right|thumb|The [[Connecticut River]] in Northampton]]
 
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* [[Smith College]] is a [[women's college]] (one of the [[Seven Sisters (colleges)|Seven Sisters]]) founded in [[1871]]. It is also one of the [[Five Colleges (Massachusetts)|Five Colleges]].
 
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* [[Clarke School For The Deaf]] specializes in oral education (speech and [[lip-reading]], as opposed to [[American Sign Language|signing]]), and holds an annual summer camp, the theme varying from summer to summer.
 
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* Fitzgerald Lake Conservation Area, Rainbow Beach, Roberts Hill Conservation Area, Mineral Hills Conservation Area, and Saw Mill Hills Conservation Area provide a portion of the protected open space that covers 15% of the City.
 
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* [http://www.lookpark.org/ Look Park] is a 150+ acre recreational [[park]] founded in [[1930]].
 
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* Northampton is becoming a [[rail trail]] hub.  Currently, the Norwottuck Rail Trail extends ten miles from Northampton to [[Amherst, Massachusetts|Amherst]] and [[Belchertown, Massachusetts|Belchertown]], the 2.5 mile Northampton Bike Path extends from downtown Northampton to [[Florence, Massachusetts|Florence]], and the Manhan Rail Trail Spur extends 0.5 miles from Route 66 to Florence Road.  Four other rail trail extensions are under construction, in the bidding process, or planned for the short term. 
 
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* [[The Botanic Garden of Smith College]] is a diverse outdoor collection of trees, shrubs, and plants, as well as a fine collection of plant conservatories for the tropics, semi-tropics, and desert regions. It also includes an indoor [[greenhouse]].
 
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* [http://www.3countyfair.com/ The Three County Fair] claims to be the "longest consecutive running [[agricultural show|agricultural fair]] in the country," having been established and incorporated in [[1818]].
 
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* Many concerts. Due to its relative proximity to Boston and strong arts community, many musicians perform in Northampton at local venues such as the Calvin theater, the Iron Horse Tavern, and the Pearl Street music hall.
 
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* The [http://www.niff.org/ Northampton Independent Film Festival] (NIFF) is held each fall. Founded as the Northampton Film Festival in 1995 by Howard Polonsky and Dee DeGeiso, it has continued to grow under a variety of directors. It is one of the largest in New England.
 
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* The Academy of Music, built in [[1890]] by Edward H.R. Lyman, is the only municipally owned [[theater (structure)|theatre]] in the nation, and was the first to be so owned; it is also one of the six oldest theatres, nationally. [[Boris Karloff]] and [[Harry Houdini]] (who installed a trap door in the stage) performed here. The Academy is still in operation today.
 
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* The [http://www.forbeslibrary.org/ Forbes Library] built in [[1894]] is the [[public library]] for Northampton.
 
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* [[Mirage Studios]], the Creators of the [[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]] Franchise. In the TMNT series, the turtles and [[Casey Jones (TMNT)|Casey Jones]] visit Casey Jones' grandmother's [[farm]] in Northampton, Massachusetts.
 
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* Each May, students from the [http://www.ncmc.net/ Northampton Community Music Center] (NCMC) fill the streets with music.
 
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* Thornes Marketplace in downtown Northampton contains shops, restaurants, a gallery and a performing space where local dance and theater performances occur regularly.
 
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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
 
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==Demographics==
 
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As of the [[census]]{{GR|2}} 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 (U.S. Census)|White]], 2.08% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.30% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 3.13% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.05% [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 2.41% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 2.03% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 5.24% of the population.
 
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There were 11,880 households out of which 22.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.7% were [[Marriage|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.
 
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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.
 
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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.
 
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Northampton has four [[elementary school]]s (kindergarten through 5th grade), one [[middle school]] (6th to 8th grade), one [[high school]] (9th to 12th grade), and one [[vocational school|vocational-agricultural high school]] (9th to 12th grade).
 
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==Notable residents==
 
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*[[Calvin Coolidge]]; served as mayor of Northampton before becoming [[governor]] of [[Massachusetts]] and [[President of the United States of America|U.S. president]]
 
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*[[Jonathan Edwards (theology)|Jonathan Edwards]], 18c Congregational theologian, philosopher, leader of [[First Great Awakening]] and local pastor
 
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*[[William Cullen Bryant]], 19c author and newspaper editor
 
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*[[Eric Carle]], children's book author and illustrator
 
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*[[Lydia Maria Child]], authoress of the [[Thanksgiving]] poem "Over the River and Through the Woods"
 
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*[[Kevin Eastman]] and [[Peter Laird]] published [[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]] comics from their Northampton studio
 
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*[[William Monahan]], novelist and screenwriter
 
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*[[Thurston Moore]] and [[Kim Gordon]] of the band [[Sonic Youth]]
 
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*[[Sylvester Graham]], namesake of the [[Graham Cracker]]
 
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*[[Sojourner Truth]], African American [[abolitionist]] and orator
 
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*[[Kurt Vonnegut]], author
 
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*[[Elinor Lipman]], author
 
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*[[Augusten Burroughs]], author, his bestseller Running with Scissors describes his strange childhood in Northampton
 
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*[[Chris Collingwood]], lead singer of the band [[Fountains of Wayne]]
 
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*[[Talisa Soto]], actress
 
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*[[Herbert Gintis]], economist
 
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*[[Anthony Giardina]], author
 
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*[[Tracy Kidder]], author
 
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*[[José Molina]], member, USA national [[Indoor field hockey]] team
 
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==Bibliography==
 
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* Kerry W. Buckley, ed. ''A Place Called Paradise: Culture and Community in Northampton, Massachusetts, 1654-2004''. Northampton: Historic Northampton Museum and Education Center, in association with University of Massachusetts Press, 2004. ix + 523 pp. ISBN 978-1-55849-485-5. reprints 20 essays by scholars
 
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* Tracy Kidder. ''Home Town'' [1999], nonfiction by reporter
 
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==External links==
 
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*[http://www.northamptonma.gov/ City of Northampton's official website]
 
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*[http://visitnorthampton.net/ Visit Northampton (city guide website)]
 
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*[http://www.smith.edu/ Smith College]
 
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*[http://www.northampton.k12.ma.us Northampton Public Schools]
 
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*[http://www.forbeslibrary.org/ Forbes Library (Northampton)]
 
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*[http://www.paradisecityforum.net/ Paradise City Forum-Northampton's public discussion group website]
 
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*[http://historic-northampton.org/ Historic Northampton (historical society website)]
 
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*[http://local.masslive.com Your Stories Northampton]
 
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*[http://www.gazettenet.com/ Daily Hampshire Gazette, the (Northampton newspaper)]
 
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*[http://www.midweekpolitics.com Midweek Politics], a nationally-syndicated political radio show produced and broadcast from Northampton, Massachusetts.
 
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*[http://valleyfreeradio.org Valley Free Radio], a [[low-power FM]] [[community radio]] station, has made its home in Northampton since August 2005.
 
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*[http://tomdevine.net Baystate Objectivist, website often featuring Northampton]
 
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[[Category:Cities in Massachusetts]]
 
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[[Category:Hampshire County, Massachusetts]]
 
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[[Category:Gay villages]]
 
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[[Category:County seats in Massachusetts]]
 
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[[Category:Northampton, Massachusetts]]
 

Revision as of 20:39, May 17, 2007

Northampton is a city in Hampshire County, Massachusetts.

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