Amherst, Massachusetts is a town located in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, best known for being the home of poets Emily Dickinson and Robert Frost, and is named after Lord Jeffery Amherst.
The town is the home of the largest campus of the University of Massachusetts, as well as Amherst College and Hampshire College.
In 2000, the town had a population of 34,874 and a land area of 27.7 square miles. Amherst's geographic coordinates are 42 22' 25" N, 72 31' 15" W and it sits 312 feet above sea level.
The town is governed by a representative Town Meeting, a five-member Select Board, and an appointed Town Manager.