Geez, Peg, I lived, worked, had my own ad agency, went out to eat, shopped, raised my kids, and had lots of local friends there. My son was considered a local by all of his friends who grew up there. He and his friends called it "NoHope" or Noho, as did most people we knew who lived there and most of whom had grown up there. He's got quite a few friends there still, who've grown up from being the movers and shakers of the punk scene (his penthouse parties with visiting bands in attendance were legendary)to being lawyers, contractors, etc. based out of there and they still call it Noho.

I did just ask him if he'd ever heard anyone use "'hamp." He said not in Northampton, that it was a "square" thing which he'd heard now and then in Amherst.