<p>Location is an important factor for me in deciding where to apply to. I have looked over Google to find where Amherst is situated in Mass, ie. how far from Boston/Nearest big city, how much population, rural/urban/semi-? setting etc. but can’t seem to find categorical info</p>
<p>Could you please help me with this? As much detail about setting, location of Amherst College please :D</p>
<p>Thank you! All responses will be much appreciated</p>
<p>To most Massachusetts residents, if you say you attend Amherst, their first thought will be of the almost 30,000 student state flagship university on the other side of town. That’s a lot of students, considering that the whole town is only about 45,000. By the time you add nearby Northampton (home of Smith College) and Holyoke (home of Mount Holyoke College), you have a nearly continuous suburban sprawl consisting of malls, movie theaters and restaurants. It’s a bustling area during the day, but I wouldn’t call it a city. There’s a convenient Amtrak station a few steps from Amherst (the college, not UMass) that will get you into Boston in about three hours. I wouldn’t count on making it a weekly trip, but yes, you will probably visit the big city at least once during your time as an undergraduate. Basically, if there’s something you’re looking for that you can’t find along one of the highways connecting the five-college area, your next best bet is probably Springfield to the south. </p>
<p>Pull up the area on Google Maps. The main geographic features are the Connecticut River (which flows North and South through Connecticut and West/Central Massachusetts) and interstate 91 (which runs along the river and connects the 5 college area to Springfield, Hartford, and New Haven.) Colleges located more or less along this I91, Connecticut River corridor include Yale, Wesleyan, Trinity, and the 4 schools neighboring Amherst College (UMass, Hampshire, Mt. Holyoke and Smith). Rt. 9 is the main east-west avenue connecting Smith College (just west of I91 and the river) with Amherst College and its immediate neighbor, UMass (located a few mile east of I91 and the river). </p>
<p>You’d typically take a shuttle bus to get to Hampshire, Smith, or Mt. Holyoke College. Along Rt. 9 you’ll see a lot of strip-mall development with the usual American fast food franchises and such. Northampton (home of Smith College) retains more of the character of an old New England town, with upscale restaurants and shops now occupying many of the buildings. Outside the town areas, as you get away from interstate 91 and Rt. 9, the area is pretty much rural. </p>
<p>In demographic terms, you could characterize the 5 college area as basically 1 big college town. However, the physical geography is such that Smith, MoHo and Hampshire are far enough from UMass and Amherst College (and from each other) that you cannot just wander easily among them on foot. In that respect the area is not like, say, Cambridge (home of Harvard and MIT, where one can walk, bike, or take public transportation through miles of more or less contiguous academic buildings, shops, restaurants, clubs, etc.) </p>
<p>Boston is a trek away. Springfield is a shorter trek away (but I don’t imagine you’d want to go there too often.)</p>
<p>The town of Amherst is a lively small town. You’ll find everything you need in town or on the roads connecting the consortium colleges, but whether it’s everything you need depends on the kind of environment you prefer. The surrounding area is mostly rural. </p>
<p>My son’s experience at Williams, which is nearby but even more rural, was that he got to Boston or New York about once a term. </p>
<p>Right, thanks for the responses guys</p>