Akron vs Springfield, MA (living, state, crime, places)

[Northeasterner1970]

New thread to replace the Fort Wayne vs Springfield one because it was a poor comparasion. I feel like Akron and Springfield are more comparable.

Rate them based on these categories or anything else:

Downtown:

Neighborhoods outside of Downtown:

Entertainment:

Crime:

Economy:

Suburbs:

Education:

Climate:

Suburbs:

Architecture:

[lrfox]

I've spend Zero time in Akron, so I'm guessing. But here's what I would guess (interested to see what people have to say)

Originally Posted by Northeasterner1970

New thread to replace the Fort Wayne vs Springfield one because it was a poor comparasion. I feel like Akron and Springfield are more comparable.

Rate them based on these categories or anything else:

Downtown: Akron. Springfield's downtown is a shell. Just from viewing Akron on Streetview (I know, I know), it seems like there's a LOT more activity there, and fewer vacant storefronts. It also seems like there are nice, newer residential buildings there which help the vibrancy of downtown. A large university downtown certainly doesn't hurt. Springfield's downtown area is a shell. A gutted out void. The casino may end up helping a bit, but it's a miserable place to be. It's one of the most blighted places I've seen in Massachusetts (up there with Holyoke and much of Lawrence).

Neighborhoods outside of Downtown: No idea. From Streetview Akron seems to have some nice ones. Highland Square looks to have an urban walkable neighborhood center. Springfield has Forest Park and the Armory area which are nice enough, but the rest of it is pretty bad.

Entertainment: Akron? Both towns have minor league sports. Akron has college sports. Springfield has the NBA Hall of Fame and a Six Flags a few miles out of downtown. Akron is close to Canton (NFL HoF). I don't know anything about Akron's nightlife but Sprinfield is terrible. Worthington Street is about it.

Crime: Springfield has worst crime according to City-Data's data, and It's consistently among the worst in the U.S.

Economy: Akron I'd assume. Springfield, again, is a shell.

Suburbs: MAYBE Springfield? Outside of Springfield (and Holyoke), it's a pretty nice area with some nice suburbs. Northampton is one of the coolest towns in MA. Longmeadow and Wilbraham are nice. Agawam is a classic American suburb. I could be wrong- I don't know about suburban Akron, but the Springfield area is nice.

Education: I don't know about k-12, but Springfield is pretty decent for higher ed. Especially if you consider the overall area. You have UMass, Westfield, Western New England, Smith, Amherst, Mt. Holyoke, etc. Akron has University of Akron and Kent State nearby. But I don't know if it offers as much overall in the area.

Climate: Tie? It looks like they're pretty comparable.

Architecture: Slight edge to Springfield? It actually has a lot going on as far as architecture. Great old bones from wealthy industrial days (Akron has this too), but a lot of great Victorian architecture too.

Natural Beauty: Springfield. Springfield is on the edge of the Berkshires which are naturally charming. Not as dramatic as the white or green mountains, but picturesque. It's also not too far from the coast and there are a ton of outdoor activities to be had nearby (hiking, biking, skiing, whitewater rafting, etc.). Akron isn't far from a lot (the lakes, and beautiful countryside), but it's not right in the middle of anything remarkable either.

Overall I give the edge to Akron.

[bjimmy24]

Grew up in Cleveland, currently live in Boston. I've been to both (though more experience in Akron, where some family lives).

I'd say Akron and by a decent margin. Akron has a few neighborhoods that are pretty much awesome places regardless of city (Highland Square comes to mind). If you want something bigger, you're 40 minutes from Cleveland, which is a lot closer than Springfield is to Boston. For me, one awesome perk about living in Akron is the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, which I could visit every weekend for 3 years and not get tired of I think. It's also home of Thirsty Dog brewery, which is one of my favorites. The University of Akron is also gaining I've heard. LeBron James name dropping Akron all the time certainly raises the city's profile.

In my opinion, it's lived in the shadows of Cleveland for too long. Though it certainly shares some issues that Cleveland also faces, Akron does have some unique characteristics to it.

I think if I had a decent job offer in Akron, I'd take it. If I had a decent job offer in Springfield, I probably wouldn't.

[JMatl]

Originally Posted by bjimmy24

Grew up in Cleveland, currently live in Boston. I've been to both (though more experience in Akron, where some family lives).

I'd say Akron and by a decent margin. Akron has a few neighborhoods that are pretty much awesome places regardless of city (Highland Square comes to mind). If you want something bigger, you're 40 minutes from Cleveland, which is a lot closer than Springfield is to Boston. For me, one awesome perk about living in Akron is the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, which I could visit every weekend for 3 years and not get tired of I think. It's also home of Thirsty Dog brewery, which is one of my favorites. The University of Akron is also gaining I've heard. LeBron James name dropping Akron all the time certainly raises the city's profile.

In my opinion, it's lived in the shadows of Cleveland for too long. Though it certainly shares some issues that Cleveland also faces, Akron does have some unique characteristics to it.

I think if I had a decent job offer in Akron, I'd take it. If I had a decent job offer in Springfield, I probably wouldn't.

I spent my 'formative' years in the burbs between Akron & Cleveland, and this is pretty spot on bjimmy24.

Although Springfield is in a beautiful setting, I would give this to Akron as well. It hasn't fallen nearly as hard as Springfield has, and it's as close to Cleveland as Framingham is to Boston.