If America is a melting pot, few couples embody that ideal better than Andres Moya and Ruth Zuraw, who were picking up baby formula at Walmart in Hadley earlier this week.

Moya, a nurse, immigrated from Ecuador at age 17 nearly two decades ago. Zuraw, a researcher, is of Polish and Cuban heritage. They met in college and now live in Miami, but returned to Zuraw’s hometown in western Massachusetts to join family and celebrate the nation’s founding on Saturday.

There isn’t any other country in the world they’d rather live in, the couple shared during an interview outside the store on Tuesday.

“For us, the Fourth of July is an opportunity to say thank you to this country, to the people that welcomed us so nicely,” Moya said. “We want to do our part to give back. We work hard, we study hard, we do everything we can to learn and adapt, and to show our kids how to do it better every generation.”

“I’ve seen so many people come here with nothing and build something for themselves,” Zuraw said.

Moya said his experience as an immigrant has been far different than the divisive images and rhetoric often portrayed on television today.

“We were well received here,” he said. “I’ve never encountered the negative things you see on TV or the rejection — not at all.”

Despite deep political divisions in the country, dozens of people interviewed across Hampshire County this week said the nation’s 250th anniversary is still worth celebrating, even as many described the occasion as bittersweet.

Many blamed the media and cellphones for portraying America as deeply polarized. Nearly everyone returned to two themes: the need to reconnect with neighbors and the importance of voting.

Those interviewed described America as a land of opportunity offering freedom, prosperity, education, diversity and beautiful landscapes. At the same time, many criticized what they saw as the erosion of freedoms under the Trump administration, ongoing inequality and Supreme Court rulings they sharply opposed.

Some older respondents said today’s divisions are not unlike those surrounding the bicentennial in 1976, after the Vietnam War and the Watergate scandal. Most, however, believe the country is in worse shape today.

University of Massachusetts Amherst history lecturer and visiting scholar Justin Jackson said he is “not pessimistic, but quite optimistic” as the nation marks its anniversary.

The story of the American Revolution shows that people can resist tyranny and win, but not without pain, suffering and sacrifice, he said. Jackson sees the anniversary as an opportunity to connect the present with the past while remembering how fragile and precious freedom is.

“Some pessimism is born in isolation from the rest of the world,” he said, adding that the current media climate “traps us in an infinite present.”

Katie Munson of Northampton sees the nation’s anniversary as an opportunity to look back on America’s progress.

“I do think that it is worth celebrating the history of our country and how far we’ve come in terms of advancements and diversity,” she said during an interview while sipping lemonade during a visit to downtown.

“I think that we need to embrace the world as a bigger place than just the portion that we’re living in,” said Munson. “I think that isolating ourselves in this bubble, or thinking that we’re the only people in this world, is a dangerous, dangerous idea. I think that especially in this town, we do a great job of celebrating diversity to an extent, but I think that there’s always more progress to be made.”

James Crawford of Easthampton said this year’s anniversary has been politicized, but that won’t keep him from celebrating.

“Sometimes it is hard to celebrate being an American, but I think you kind of have to separate your government from the people who live here,” he said while riding his bike in Easthampton. “I’m very proud to have my neighbors. I’m proud to live in this community and this state, and we are, as a country, very capable, and I’m proud of the people who live here.”

Having Grown up in a European town more than 500 years old, Natasa Polovic of Williamsburg said “Yay!” for America making it to 250.

“Of course it’s worth celebrating, and especially the times now when you know the country is kind of divided and we really don’t know what’s going on and where it’s heading, people should get together and celebrate the good that is still in this country,” she said.

Spending the Fourth of July with family, Polovic added: “I think the government is almost trying to divide us now, but it’s all about caring for your neighbor, making friends wherever you go, just being together. That’s what it’s all about.”

Shopping in downtown Williamsburg, Goshen residents Nina Pinger and Dina Raymond said the holiday is both celebratory and bittersweet.

“I love our country, it’s worth celebrating our country,” Pinger said. “I don’t like our government currently, but the United States is a wonderful country, and unfortunately it’s in a bad place right now, and I’m hoping that’s going to change next election.”

Pinger said America has offered her opportunities previous generations of her family never had.

“I had things that my ancestors didn’t: I got an education, I had the right to vote,” she said. “There’s a few things that have changed, but we certainly had way more opportunities than people in other countries.

“It’s a beautiful country too.”

“I find it a bit of a bittersweet time to be celebrating when I’m so upset about so many of the political issues,” Raymond added.

Jerry Mallari of Williamsburg immigrated from the Philippines as a child with his nine siblings. A Vietnam-era veteran, he recalled how his father served in the U.S. Army during World War II and insisted all 10 of his children be educated in the United States.

“The Founding Fathers have given us the kind of freedom that we’re all enjoying. It’s worth keeping, and it’s worth remembering,” Mallari said. “It’s based on a wonderful foundation that all men are created equal. It’s very important. We forget sometimes.”

He said immigrants should assimilate when coming to the country.

“If you’re going to live in this great country, you need to assimilate. English is not my first language,” he said. “I went to school and learned the language, served my country when I was called to serve during the Vietnam era.”

John and Kathleen Weigel reflected on the holiday after playing bingo at the South Hadley Senior Center.

“I feel our country needs a celebration to come together,” said John Weigel, a veteran. “Our country is divided, becoming more individualistic instead of coming together. I attribute most of that to cellphones. The next generation is here, and they’re not interacting with people.”

He said the country has strayed from its founding ideals of faith, family and freedom.

“The government is running us, we’re not running the government anymore,” he said. “There are pockets of individuals still helping each other, but on the average we’ve become too cynical.”

Kathleen Weigel said she plans to celebrate the freedoms offered in the United States.

“People grumble and it’s like, well if you don’t like our country, why don’t you leave? But they know if they’ve been any other place, they wouldn’t have what they have here and they take things for granted. There are countries that are very, very poor. We have been blessed as a nation.”

She also expressed one regret: only voting in presidential elections.

“I’m realizing now that I was wrong,” she said. “I needed to take more of an interest, because there’s a lot of apathy.”

John added: “People don’t care enough to get involved unless something goes wrong.”

Not everyone interviewed felt the nation’s 250th anniversary was cause for celebration.

“I don’t think it really means anything to me,” said Hayley Green of Northampton. “I feel like there’s been a strong lack of care about it. I mean, how much is there to really celebrate, right?”

Ezekiel Baskin of Belchertown rarely celebrates the Fourth of July and instead sees the anniversary as an opportunity for reflection.

“Generally speaking I don’t feel like there’s much to celebrate,” they said. “I guess it’s a good invitation to reflect on history, which is generally a useful thing to do. There might be opportunities to look back and learn.”

Northampton resident Will Halloran, who was riding his bike in Easthampton, said the years since the COVID-19 pandemic have made it difficult to be optimistic.

“With how bad the last years have been since COVID-19, it’s kind of hard to focus on the positivity,” he said.

Still, Halloran said the recent election of several Democratic socialists in New York gives him hope that the country can change course, adding that lobbyists and large corporations wield too much influence.

“I’m a big believer in small communities,” he said. “I think that’s one of the great things about New England, is the small businesses and the communal aspects. Once you kind of head out from this area, you see the strip mall kind of lifestyle that most of America is used to.”

Ed Preissler was playing pool with a group of fellow octogenarians in South Hadley this week.

“Trump sucks,” he said.

His friend Peter Kennedy agreed, but said he still planned to “have a family picnic, wave the flag, watch the fireworks and pretend this nightmare isn’t going on.”

The two disagreed over whether the country is in better shape than it was during the bicentennial in 1976.

“This is worse. We’re losing our democracy potentially,” Preissler said. “You got one party [the Democrats] who won’t do anything. You’ve got a Supreme Court who’s in the president’s pocket.”

Kennedy countered that “people weren’t angry at one another, we could disagree and just talk about things” and that “protests were more peaceful back then.”

Then Preissler argued many of the conflicts from that era are still prevalent today.

“You forget about Kent State? Where the National Guard shot students?” he said, referring to the 1970 shooting in which National Guard troops killed four student protesters. “We got ICE now that does that.”

Carlos Cordova, a Chicopee resident who works in Hatfield, also remembers the bicentennial. While he recalls the gas shortages of the 1970s, he said today’s challenges — including wars, tariffs, higher taxes and gas prices — feel more daunting.

“Back then, there was a lot of stuff going on too, but it wasn’t as difficult as it is now,” he said. “I feel that the Fourth of July is always something to celebrate, because it’s our anniversary. But needless to say, we are having a hard time.”