Where is the Best Place to Live in Massachusetts?

[btownboss4]

Originally Posted by SuperSparkle928

Well yes, as Worcester is 45 miles from the coast (and the NOAA definition is 50 miles). You can be playing in the Atlantic ocean for just an hour drive from Worcester. Sure beats driving from South Dakota ;-)

How close is Worcester to Narraganset Bay?

[FCMA]

Best places? If you like rural, hilly, and isolated, anywhere in Franklin County or the hilltowns of Franklin/Hampshire/Hampden in general. Greenfield and Shelburne Falls are great towns with interesting and dynamic downtowns. For the intrepid countrydweller looking at Franklin County - Colrain, Leyden, Heath, Ashfield, Conway, Northfield, Gill, are all breathtakingly beautiful - add Hampshire/Hampden towns - Worthington, Middlefield, Montgomery, Granville, and Cummington to the list too. Also, east of Springfield, in Hampden, Wales, Holland, Brimfield, Monson, though all tragically sniped by the tornadoes in June. Western Worcester County has rural gems as well - the highlights are Hardwick, the Brookfields, New Braintree, Petersham, Royalston.

If you're interested in the coast, Gloucester and Rockport, Newburyport, Mattapoisett. Ipswich too, if you can afford it!

Urban? Obviously Boston, Cambridge, Somerville, Medford, etc. Don't overlook Worcester - a thousand diamonds in the rough. Also, Lowell is reinventing itself, and New Bedford and Fall River will probably follow suit soon. Semiurban? Northampton is small, barely a city, but offers a LOT for its size. Pittsfield is way better than it gets credit for.

MA is wonderfully diverse in character. It's hard to pick a place!

[Woof]

How does Shelburne Falls rank among the small rural towns for you, FMCA? I've only seen pics, but it's very pretty. Have you ever lived in that area?

[SuperSparkle928]

Originally Posted by btownboss4

How close is Worcester to Narraganset Bay?

Well, it depends where on Narragansett you want to go....

But roughly 40 miles and 50 minutes to get there.

[FCMA]

The closest I lived to Shelburne Falls was Montague, about 15 miles away. S Falls is very small, but has a perfectly sufficient set of small businesses, from two small groceries to a hardware store to a florist, a coffeeshop/music venue, several diner joints and other restaurants, and a handful of art gallery/boutiques, not to mention a candlepin bowling alley. The beautiful theater, Memorial Hall, is attached to he Shelburne town hall complex and hosts movies on some weekends as well as musical events. S Falls was hard hit by a terrifying flood (
Historic Bridge of Flowers in Shelburne Falls Mass - YouTube ) during Hurricane Irene, but I understand it's recovered pretty well, though some businesses may still be closed. Natural beauty abounds in the area, from the glacial potholes below the dam in center of town, to the High Ledges, a high cliff-edge overlook on Mt. Massamet, overlooking the village, to a hundred other tucked away gems in a few miles radius.

Shelburne is probably a little pricy, but a lot less than Northampton. It has very little racial diversity, if that's what you're looking for - it's a mix of oldtimer (and white) townies and (and white) new-age newcomers who are often Trustafarians looking to meditate and herbally medicate their way to countryfried healing crystal enlightenment to spite their privileged upbringings in greater NYC and/or Boston. The latter brings an interesting creative edge, but I wonder if there are any culture clashes with the former...

Worth a visit, probably worth living in, but that depends on your preferences. Nearest big stores are in Greenfield, 15-20 min away, and nearest big BOX store hive in Hadley, about 40 minutes away.

[Woof]

Thanks! No, I'm not looking for racial diversity, I've seen enough of that already. I'm a plain vanilla kind of guy. Bill Cosby is enough diversity for me, if he still lives there.