Hampshire County was created in May 1662, encompassed all of western Massachusetts until 1731. It was named for Hampshire, England, Amherst is the home of Amherst College (founded 1821), the University of Massachusetts (founded 1863), and Hampshire College (founded 1965) and was the lifelong home of poet Emily Dickinson. Located nearby are Mount Holyoke College (founded 1837) in South Hadley and Smith College (founded 1871) in Northhampton, the county seat.
Principal manufactures are textiles, paper products, and optical instruments and lenses.