Located south of Bridge Street east of the main railroad right-of-way, it was one of the city's most desirable residential neighborhoods of the 19th century, retaining many fine examples of residential architecture from that period.

[1] Northampton was settled in 1654, and the Pomeroy Terrace area was home to one of its first civic institutions, the Bridge Street Cemetery, located at the northern end of the historic district.

[3] The historic district is defined primarily by the north-south roads of Pomeroy Terrace and Hawley Street, and is about 32 acres (13 ha) in size.

The principal buildings in the district were all built as residences with wooden framing, although some have since been adapted to commercial or professional office use.

Stylistically they are diverse, ranging from Federal period houses of the late 18th century on Bridge Street, to Stick Style and Colonial Revival houses of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.