Amherst Center is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

(CDP) in the City of Amherst in Hampshire County,

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

, United States. The CDP covers the primary village in town. The population was 19,065 at the 2010 census, out of a total city population of 37,819. It is part of the

Springfield, Massachusetts Springfield is the most populous city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, and its county seat. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers: the western Westfield River, the ea ...

Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

Amherst Center is located in the west-central part of the town of Amherst at (42.380392, -72.519821). It is bordered to the north by

North Amherst North Amherst is a census-designated place (CDP) in the city of Amherst in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 6,819 at the 2010 census, up from 6,019 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachuse ...

, to the south by South Amherst, and to the west by the town of Hadley. The CDP extends north as far as Eastman Lane and Tilson Farm Road, east to the New England Central Railroad and East Street, and south to Mill Lane and East Hadley Road.

Amherst College Amherst College ( ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1821 as an attempt to relocate Williams College by its then-president Zepha ...

is in the center of the CDP, south of College Street and east of Pleasant Street, while the

University of Massachusetts Amherst The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst) is a public land-grant research university in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Massachusetts system and was founded in 1863 as the ...

is in the northwestern part of the CDP. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the CDP has a total area of , of which , or 0.41%, are water. The Fort River, a westward-flowing tributary of the

Connecticut River The Connecticut River is the longest river in the New England region of the United States, flowing roughly southward for through four states. It rises 300 yards (270 m) south of the U.S. border with Quebec, Canada, and discharges into Long Isl ...

, flows through the southeastern part of the CDP.

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 17,050 people, 3,055 households, and 1,209 families residing in the CDP. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 3,190 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 81.00%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 5.15%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.22% Native American, 8.02% Asian, 0.06%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 2.48% from other races, and 3.07% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 5.37% of the population. There were 3,055 households, out of which 19.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 28.4% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 60.4% were non-families. 40.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.82. In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 6.2% under the age of 18, 68.0% from 18 to 24, 12.3% from 25 to 44, 7.9% from 45 to 64, and 5.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 21 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.5 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $35,754, and the median income for a family was $57,050. Males had a median income of $38,547 versus $32,219 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the CDP was $13,791. About 6.2% of families and 21.6% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 11.8% of those under age 18 and 5.6% of those age 65 or over. This makes Amherst Center the poorest community in Massachusetts.

References

External links

* Property maps and more
Town of Amherst GIS
{{authority control Census-designated places in Hampshire County, Massachusetts Geography of Amherst, Massachusetts Springfield metropolitan area, Massachusetts Census-designated places in Massachusetts