resident looking at back yard field

Community Overview


With campuses in Northampton and Easthampton, Massachusetts, the Lathrop Community affords residents access to the vibrant cultural and educational life of the Pioneer Valley.

A Place to Call Home


As a unique destination community, new Lathrop residents from points near and far experience an incredibly rich, welcoming and friendly environment where all residents are free to be who they are and to continue along their individual paths while sharing the benefits of living “in community.”

Some Lathrop residents have spent their lifetimes in the Pioneer Valley. Others attended college here and moved elsewhere, before coming “home.” Many have adult children and grandchildren in the area. Still others are brand-new, drawn to this place known for its culture, beauty, values and quality of life.

Local long-timer or Valley newcomer, Lathrop residents consider this home.

  • Residents take classes at the area’s well-known colleges and universities.
  • They bike and hike trails on the Lathrop campuses and throughout the region.
  • They contribute their time and talents to a range of organizations to improve the well-being of all.

Lathrop residents shape, guide and help govern the community in which they live. And they do it all from a comfortable, peaceful place they call home.

Community Amenities


Campus Amenities

Wellness Features

  • Art Studios/Galleries
  • Community Gardens
  • Dining Room
  • Dog Park
  • Libraries
  • Local Transportation
  • Pool Table
  • Fitness Rooms / Equipment
  • Exercise Classes
  • Hiking / Walking Trails
  • Personal Trainer
  • Support Groups
  • Wellness Director

Shaping the Community


A resident-engaged life—Lathrop residents shape the way of life in the community. Active committees coordinate, manage and create their community and the programs they enjoy. If there is an activity or program missing, you have the freedom to create it.  All Lathrop residents are welcome to attend activities and programs on either campus. Feel free to join in and transform your experience of aging.

Resident-Led Programs and Activities


Lecture / Entertainment

Cultural Outings

Guest Speakers

Learning in Retirement

Play / Poetry Reading

Scheduled Movie Night

Weekly Concerts

Wine and Cheese Socials

Fitness / Health / Wellness

English Country Dancing

Healthy Bones and Balance Class

Hiking / Walking Groups

Meditation and Mindfulness

Support Groups

Tai Chi

Wellness Clinic

Yoga

Recreation and Enjoyment

Billiards

Bingo

Bird Watching

Bridge

Lane Luncheons

Poker

Scrabble Group

Walking / Hiking Groups

Weekly Sing ALong

Hobbies and Other Interests

Art Studio

Book Club

Computer Classes

Gardening / Landscaping

Knitting Group

Land Conservation Committee / Click here to visit the Resident Land Conservation website

Resident Newsletters

Resident Website

Resident Stories


Meet Judith

Meet Judith B.

Excerpted from “No Second Chances? Who Says?”
“…from the first time we drove into the Lathrop Community at Northampton, we felt at home…This time I was a grown-up, and could follow my own heart…Warmth is a characteristic of the Pioneer Valley, especially in Northampton … we’ve found the qualities of eagerness, enthusiasm, openness, idealism and the desire to share, all alive and flourishing here. “Cool” … was what my life till then had been. So the warmth here came as a marvelous surprise. It’s said that you can’t go back to the crossroads, take that other road … diverging, untaken … Well I’m no longer so sure of that. Daily I drive the streets of Northampton, daily I feel like I’m part of the bustle of Smith College. Every day I feel the buoyant sense of a second choice, a second chance. I breathe the air of a place where the importance of the mind is taken for granted. It’s in the air: learning is what people, both young and old, DO – it’s a natural activity. For me, a perpetual student, what bliss! … I am in my natural environment. It may have taken 50 whatever years, but here I am – where I’m supposed to be, at last, and after all….” —Judith

Meet Peter

Meet Peter V.

A Personal Story in Five Acts
Prologue: Fifty-eight years of marriage, international living, three children, home in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
Act 1: April, 2013. We visit Lathrop, accompanied by a daughter and son-in-law who live nearby. We compare it to Kendal at Oberlin, close to our other daughter.
Act 2: The next day. We pay a deposit on a vacant unit about to be renovated, in an attractive setting on the Northampton campus.
Act 3: July 2013. We pay balance of entry fee and move in.
Act 4: The next year. We begin to learn the neighborhood. Delighted with Forbes Library in Northampton, cultural events at Lathrop and Smith College, Lathrop van to Tanglewood and Jacob’s Pillow, trips to Boston and New York, new church, five supermarkets in easy reach, walking trails, new friends, new barber, and frequent visits with the children, not feasible in the U.P. of Michigan.
Act 5: September 2014. We attend the annual Lathrop picnic. Our picture is taken and we are asked for a story. It’s a work in progress.