CBS - Why Stay in Massachusetts

[moving_on_south]

I have grew up in Western Mass, moved to CT, then to Oregon and now I live near Boston and hope to move again soon to a southern state. Of all the places I lived Western Mass was the only one I would never return to. To me it is a very depressed area that seems to get worse year after year. Yes there is MassMutual but that is it for big business. There is nothing in the technology field which is what my husband does so even if we liked it there it could never be an option. I went to Umass Amherst and I would say that Amherst/Northampton is probably the only area out there that has any kind of culture to offer.

I think people leave MA for many reasons and for me those reasons are better weather, more affordable homes (newer and larger on more land for far less), the chance to build a home, planned communities (which I personally love and they don't exist here), lower property taxes, and all around a more welcoming feel. Not saying people aren't kind here, but in my moves I have found that people take longer to come around here than they do in other areas. Just more stand-offish. I used to say...in MA you are guilty until proven innocent! LOL. For me its not political, and no one can argue the schools here are amazing but I just think there is an easier way to live. My hubby used to be home by 5pm the latest in Oregon, the good weather allowed us to outside year round which made us feel so healthy! Also yes MA is beautiful but you haven't seen anything until you've stood at the bottom of Multnomah Falls!!

At the end of the day, none of these things are facts, they are all our opinions. I will say that I hear very often that people want to move but will they? And when they stay its almost always for the same thing...family!

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by JuJu83

Your commentary on Western Massachusetts is just plain ignorant -- and I truly hope that you don't "speak for many." There are a lot of high paying jobs out here (ever heard of MassMutual--it's a Fortune 50 company.) I've spent some time in New Hampshire and Maine and they are beautiful; however, here, I have access (within 2 hours) to Boston, Providence, NYC. Also, I have access to all the cultural benefits of Massachusetts at a third of the price of living in Swellesley or Boston.

No offense meant to New Hampshire or Maine, but I think that the Knowledge Corridor can offer people quite a lot in terms of, well, anything you could want in NE except "ocean."

Glad to hear you and your family have been blessed financially, that's certainly the exception rather than the rule in Western Mass.

My point is that most of NH and much of ME has access to Boston within 2 hours as well. And Portland and Manchester have just as much to offer as Springfield does, with much less crime and riff-raff to go along. People are generally friendlier, and you don't have the same level of political corruption and nanny state "government knows whats best for you and your kids" insanity. So unless there are other personal circumstances involved there is really no reason to live in Western Mass over other NE states.

Originally Posted by JuJu83

and I truly hope that you don't "speak for many."

keep hoping

[SCGMetroWest]

Originally Posted by massnative71

In Eastern MA I have my family, a decent job and it is home (and of course the Ocean!). Western Mass has none of those. If I want to move that distance away to a lesser economy I will move to New Hampshire or Maine for a better quality of life than anyplace in Massachusetts can offer. I think I speak for many.

Originally Posted by brent s

Agreed.

I agree as well. I can't forsee a time I'd pick Western MA over NH or ME. I don't plan to leave MetroWest, but if I did, I'd probably go north before I went further west. I've lived on the S. Shore, in the city, slightly north of the city and here in Metro West. Personally I like Metro West over all other areas I've lived, but that's my own personal preference. I have access to Boston, my family on the S. Shore, NH mountains, etc. all within a resonable driving distance.

[LeavingMA]

I always found it interesting that many of my friends and other people I know make a big deal about driving an hour to visit me or something, but then brag about how they can go to the beach or mountains in 2 hours. And then, they basically stay on their side of their town all the time and never really go anywhere.

[Mathguy]

Originally Posted by Browsing Duo

And if you want to get some of that tax money back, move to a low-tax red state, which takes in more federal money, which it gets from our true, blue Massachusetts! There's a graph and article by Ezra Klein about that in the major Washington, D.C. paper, which was also linked in my deleted post. Sorry, folks, you have to look it up.

That study is actually pretty poor. For example, if you build a nuclear waste depository in New Mexico it benefits the entire country but shows up as New Mexico just *getting* federal monies. Ditto for ICBM silos in the Dakota's, military bases and so on and so forth.

Then there are all the national parks, indian reservations etc. not to mention that if you live in NY but own farmland in Iowa....any crop subsidy money shows up as going to Iowa.

I would suggest a little economics brush-up before attempting to link government payments to specific states and imply the monies are solely for that states benefit.

Public good - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Mathguy]

Originally Posted by LeavingMA

I always found it interesting that many of my friends and other people I know make a big deal about driving an hour to visit me or something, but then brag about how they can go to the beach or mountains in 2 hours. And then, they basically stay on their side of their town all the time and never really go anywhere.

Good point.

I am constantly amazed by people that BOTH work 50+ hours a week have another 15+ hours of commuting time and don't take vacations because they have a 600,000 mortgage on a mediocre house.

They then poo-poo "fly over country" because they would miss the museums, history, culture, ocean etc.....basically all the things they never actually do because they don't have the time or money.