The Surrounding Community

Northampton Pride March

We live in the lovely village of Florence, Massachusetts: a section of Northampton. Nestled in the Pioneer Valley, Northampton is known as Paradise City, because it is such a wonderful place to live.

It is a vibrant college town with many restaurants, music venues, art galleries, independent book stores and shops. It is home to Smith College with its beautiful campus, flower shows and world renowned art museum.

Here in the Pioneer Valley, we are surrounded by natural beauty, with hiking trails, cross country skiing, swimming, canoeing and kayaking, as well as famous cultural spots, including Tanglewood, Jacobs Pillow, the Clarke Art Museum and Mass Moca.

Miss Flo's Diner

Florence

Sojourner Truth Memorial

Smith Campus

Florence has a long history of activism for racial and gender equality. It was home to the Northampton Association of Education and Industry, founded in 1840. This was a utopian community committed to the abolition of slavery as well as equal rights for women and religious tolerance. Sojourner Truth joined "The Community" in 1843.

After the Rodney King protests in 1993, a group of Northampton residents came together to work towards racial justice and celebrating Truth. In 2002, a memorial statue honoring her was unveiled and sits in a small park in the center of Florence Village.