Creative Generation In: The Life and Breath of a College Town

By Valerie HD Killebrew

While I wasn’t born here, I moved to the Pioneer Valley in Western Massachusetts when I was 12 years old. When people ask me where I’m from, I claim Amherst. If we want to get technical, I live in the town of Shutesbury- a small, country town just outside Amherst- but spend the majority of time around Amherst. While the town of Amherst has a population of just over 40,000, thousands of students arrive annually to attend the five colleges surrounding the area. The small town of Amherst is home to three major schools: the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Hampshire College and Amherst College. Eight miles up the road in Northampton is Smith College and nine miles in the other direction in South Hadley is Mount Holyoke College. These dynamic institutions of higher education bring rich diversity and culture to the area, not just in their student population but faculty and events as well. There is no shortage of opportunities both students and area residents can take advantage of at each school. 

While I transferred three times pursuing my undergraduate degree, I landed at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst (UMass) and completed a Bachelor’s degree with individualized concentration in arts, education, and human development. This flexible major allowed me to teach high school dance during the day and complete my courses supporting studies I was interested in at night. Each of the five colleges allows their students to take courses not only at your home campus, but at any of the five surrounding colleges as part of the five college consortium. I took full advantage of this as a student, taking classes at all five schools. I valued the opportunity as well and the change of pace and culture at each school.

Having grown up in the area and graduated from the Amherst Regional School district, I haven’t always enjoyed living in a “college town”. Plenty of times I’ve rolled my eyes at the traffic congestion on our tiny town streets caused by students or the crowds of them at the beach of our local pond. It’s completely normal to pass several games of outdoor beer pong as you drive to town on a warm afternoon or see piles of discarded furniture at corners as students move out of rentals at the end of the year. Often I’ve felt myself wondering if these students feel any pride or connection to the town of Amherst or if it just feels like an extension of their campus. Many students have actually grown up in the area or continue to reside here after school. In any case, here I sit again, September, move-in weekend. I watch in awe as my sleepy town now becomes bright and busy, overflowing with out of town license plates, global accents, and countless events and activities daily. Eye rolls aside, I always learn a lot from these students who bring their unique worlds to all collide in a very small location. For this, I am grateful. It’s a humbling experience! 

Outnumbering students by the thousands are the trees. This bustling college community is surrounded by glorious woods with famous trails such as the Robert Frost Trail and Metacomet-Monadnock Trail. Avid hikers and woodland wanderers alike find refuge among the countless trails, ponds, lakes and mountain summits. This is my favorite aspect of my community. Any time you want you can escape under a canopy of trees, treading over a bed of pine needles, your thoughts accompanied by trickling water. It feels magical. 

I live at the top of a small mountain and now as I drive up the switchback “S curves”, I look to the trees who are just beginning to show the first glimpses of the dazzling fall foliage. It’s as if they are taking a collective inhale, sucking in the last of the green, and exhaling the bright show that is a New England autumn. Leaves in red, orange, brown, yellow and purple will soon illuminate the hillsides. Pumpkins, squash and mums already dotting the farms across the valley. Next comes apple picking and apple cider doughnuts from the countless farm stands and orchards. Tourists travel to towns across the region on “leaf peeping” ventures. This is New England at its finest. 

It’s always interesting to watch the life and breath of a college town over the years. The fall brings a collective inhale- students rush in, the trees begin their transformation. Winter brings an exhale of snow and student departures as they travel for holidays and nature rests in the cold. In spring you can inhale glorious blooms while touring local gardens like Lilacland and attend local events around the community, as schools culminate in graduation. Summer brings the exhale again as students depart, families travel to the coast or for other vacation destinations, and the trees and nature are busy with greenery and growth. 

While every community has its specialness, I feel grateful to be witness to mine, as I ready myself for a busy and beautiful fall. I inhale, and exhale. 

Read Valerie’s previous blog from our Redefining Eldership series: Earth Elders.