I live and work in Massachusett's Pioneer Valley. Tucked away in the western part of Massachusetts, the Valley is a beautiful! Two hours from Boston, three from New York and an hour from Hartford the Valley offers all the features of a big city in the comfort of a rural setting. Ringed with low mountain ranges, the valley is very fertile and is filled with a special creative energy. The Native American inhabitants of years gone by, as well as the settlers that followed them, always agreed on one fact, things grow in the Pioneer Valley. Whether it's potatoes, strawberries, asparagus or christmas trees, crops thrive in the rich river valley. What is "right" about the soil is also what is right about the Valley as a whole...it is fertile!

Today painters, potters, musicians, dancers and authors are growing new creations in the Valley and are helping forge a new identity for the area, once a center of agriculture and industry. Our agricultural heritage is still evident even though, today, the valley is better known as a mecca for arts and education. Colleges and universities abound in the Valley with the University of Massachusetts, Amherst College, Hamphsire College, Mt. Holyoke College and Smith College perhaps the most well known. In recent years, the Pioneer Valley has been rediscovered by the world as a place that combines splendid rural beauty, the intellectual stimulation of the Five Colleges, and an atmosphere where the arts do more than flourish, they explode!

Amherst, Massachusetts was incorporated in 1759 on land purchased from the Norwottuck Indians and named for Lord Jeffrey Amherst, a British general who gained fame, and notoriety, in the French and Indian War.

Known far and wide for its cultural heritage, Amherst has attracted many famous writers and scholars over the years. Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost, Robert Francis, Helen Hunt Jackson, Ray Standard Baker, Howard Garris, Eugene Fields and many others have made their homes in Amherst. To this day, the town continues to be a haven for intellectual curiosity and endeavor.(Pictured right - Jones Library in downtown Amherst).

Amherst is comprised of 29 square miles and a population of about 35,000. It offers an excellent public school system and is the home of three institutions of higher learning: Amherst College, Hampshire College, and the University of Massachusetts.

The town also offers an attractive downtown shopping area located near the edge of the large tree-lined town common. Each year the Common is host to a variety of events including the Annual Town Fair in May, The Taste of Amherst, a number of very fine craft fairs and the Amherst Teddy Bear Rally. Adjacent to the Common is the renovated Amherst Town Hall.(Pictured left - Amherst Town Hall)

Sweester Park is a lovely little downtown park that has undergone extensive renovation. The project, headed up by the Rotary Club of Amherst, included the restoration of the beautiful fountain and the placement of new benches and landscaping. The result is a delightful spot to sit and contemplate or to enjoy people watching or an outdoor concert.(Pictured right - Fountain in Sweester Park).

Amherst offers many miles of hiking trails on town owned conservation lands and offers recreation areas in North Amherst at the Mill River Recreation Area and in South Amherst at Groff Park. The Norwottuck Rail Trail is great for recreational biking, rollerblading and just plain walking but is also used by those who commute via bicycle! Beginning in South Amherst near the Lawrence Swamp the rail trail winds it's way through some unique scenery on it's way to the terminus in Northampton.

Being an active college town, Amherst offers an unusual selection of ongoing cultural and educational activities. There are over 80 civic and fraternal organizations in town, as well as museums, libraries, theaters, sporting events - something for everybody, anytime!