Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

Northampton, city, seat (1662) of Hampshire county, west-central Massachusetts, U.S. It lies along the Connecticut River, 17 miles (27 km) north-northwest of Springfield. The site, originally known as Nonotuck (an Algonquian word meaning “middle of the river”), was settled in 1654 and named for Northampton, England. It subsequently became a self-sufficient farming community. During King Philip’s War (1675–76) and Queen Anne’s War (1702–13), the area was the scene of brutal raids. In one such attack...