Boston vs Northamptom vs White Plains (Springfield, Holyoke: houses, universities, camping)

[eastcoaster111]

I am originally from the Poconos in PA, and considering jobs in Northampton and Boston, as well as White Plains. I am recently married, and have no immediate plans for children. My wife and I like a walkable community with plenty of bars, restaurants, and accessibility to airports, biking, and the ocean. We have lived in Philadelphia for years and liked it there, and now in Cincinnati and fairly bored here.

So which city is best?

[skytrekker]

Go to Northampton- the area is peaceful, low traffic and lower costs. Much sophistication.

[in_newengland]

Northampton doesn't have ocean or the proximity of an airport. The nearest airport is Bradley in CT, probably about an hour's drive. Ocean is on Long Island Sound in CT, about a two hour horrible drive across CT. If you want to get to the Cape it's about 3 hours away by the Mass Pike. One reason I moved to EMass was to be closer to the ocean -- you only see it once a year if you life in WMass/Northampton. You get a river but it's not really for swimming, it's dangerous. Great for boating though.

It does have lots of culture and good restaurants -- the downtown area is really fun and you probably won't run out of things to do there.

But if you want it all (high prices too) go for Boston.

[michael49]

I live near Noho. The Valley (Pioneer Valley) is a very pretty area, but housing can be a bit frustrating; very pricey for what you get and limited availability due to the strong anti-development sentiment here. A very, very liberal vibe prevails, extremely green. This does keep the area beautiful, however.

There are many great restaurants, wonderful coffee shops, lots of small shops with character, etc. The culture here is fueled by the academic atmosphere - the 5 colleges - Smith College, Amherst College, Mt Holyoke College, Hampshire College and UMASS Amherst.

Bradley airport is about 45min away and a very easy to use airport.

Noho has a great arts scene; tons of things in this arena.

Noho is about 90 min from Boston, an hour to the Berkshires and VT is only about an 90 min as well. Great hiking/biking/camping around here if your into that - the Noho rail trail is really nice. We also kayak on the Deerfield river (crystal clear water) and on the endless lakes and ponds in the area.

Do some research on Noho - its really a unique area. Some very cool bars/breweries, like The Tunnel bar, The Dirty Truth (more beers on tap than you can count), The Northampton Brewery, etc. Its a bit far from the ocean though. My wife and I usually visit the Cape at least once/year.

Unfortunately Springfield is your nearest city though, which is a Hell-hole, IMO.

Boston is great, but its a bit to crazy for me to live there; I do enjoy visiting, however. My wife and I usually drive to Boston at least twice/year, park our car in the Boston Commons garage and then do the entire city on our mountain bikes in one day - that's the way see Boston!





Here are some photos from the area....






They hold an outdoor Shakespere series here each summer and this is the back-drop; its just beautiful...





Mt Norwottuck; about 5 min from our place - we hike here all the time....






Quabbin Resevoir....(where many Bostonians get their drinking water!).....














Many quaint small towns nearby....







Spring "snow" in Amherst....







Two shots taken on my drive to work last Fall....

[MovingForward]

Nice photos, Michael.

Just one additional note: The strong anti-development sentiment not only keeps it beautiful, but keeps it healthy, as well--sustaining ecosystems and ensuring that many species still have a place to live. Added bonus: Your children will grow up in a world in which the natural landscape and the nonhuman have value beyond "use value."

[NY'er lost in MA]

Just to chime in- I spent several years as a child in White Plains. Although it does have some things going for it: proximity to NYC, beaches- closest being Rye, but also LI, and CT shore, it is very urban and not the prettiest city IMO.

Boston and Northampton- really you have to city vs. the country.

If you plan a long weekend in the Boston area you can probably scout the city out and then drive out to Northampton- 2 days in each just to get the vibe. And then White Plains is a whole other story.

[eastcoaster111]

Thanks for all the advise. My wife and I have visited all these areas and really like Northampton, but are concerned we would be bored after a few months. Do you agree?

[missionhill]

Don't think you'd be bored in Northampton. There's a lot going on, but if you were happy in Philly then maybe Boston is the better choice. Substitute three deckers for rowhouses, the Emerald Necklace for Fairmount Park, the Charles for the Schuylkill, and you'll feel right at home. And Boston has the ocean too, which beats the Delaware river in my judgment.

[ctman1987]

I personally would go either with Northampton or Boston. Currently I live in NYC and view White Plains as a suburb that happens to have tall buildings.

Northampton is a great little town with lots of New England charm, a great downtown, lots of great colleges and universities, is fairly close to an airport that is easy to use (much easier then say JFK or Newark) and is within easy driving distance of Springfield, Hartford and Boston.

Ultimatly if it were my decision I would choose Boston because I have to be in a city - all the action, the people, the culture, shopping, etc. - but thats just me