The town of Amherst is located in central Massachusetts encompassing 27.8 square miles with a population of 34,874. It is home to Amherst College as well as the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Points of interest in Amherst include the Amherst Cinema Arts Center, Amherst College Museum of Natural History and Dickinson Homestead Museum, which is the birthplace and residence of poet Emily Dickinson. In addition, the DuBois Library, which is the tallest library in the United States at 26 stories, is located in Amherst.
Amherst will be celebrating their 250th anniversary in 2009 and have already started planning a celebration festival to commemorate the event. Winterfest is another annual event held each February in which sledding, sleigh rides, skiing, chili cook-off, and fireworks display.
In the summer, visitors can enjoy the KO Festival, Jazz in July, as well as many open theatre productions and festivals. Fishing, hiking and golf are other outdoor activities that folks can take advantage of, too.
The climate in Amherst is fairly moderate ranging from the 20s in winter to the 70s in summer. Westover Arb/Metropolitan Airport is the closest at 14 miles away. Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, CT is about 33 miles away.