Amherst Center is a census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Amherst in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The CDP covers the primary village in town. The population was 19,065 at the 2010 census, out of a total town population of 37,819. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area.GeographyAmherst Center is located in the west-central part of the town of Amherst at . It is bordered to the north by North Amherst, to the south by South Amherst, and to the west by the town of Hadley. The CDP extends north as far as Eastman Lane and Tilson Farm Road, east to the New England Central Railroad and East Street, and south to Mill Lane and East Hadley Road.Amherst College is in the center of the CDP, south of College Street and east of Pleasant Street, while the University of Massachusetts Amherst is in the northwest part of the CDP.According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 12.8sqkm, of which 0.05sqkm, or 0.41%, are water. The Fort River, a west-flowing tributary of the Connecticut River, flows through the southeast part of the CDP.
