Good cities near Springfield for families... (Amherst, Northampton: good schools, to live in, vs.)

[Cdas]

Looking at relocating near Springfield. I would love others thoughts on schools, culture, and overall sense of community. We have been looking most recently at Longmeadow, East Longmeadow, and Wilbraham. Amherst, I know is popular, but too far of a commute. Any thoughts??

[wmass]

Longmeadow may be best for schools, but kind of quiet and upitty which may turn off some people. You might look at Northampton as a center of western mass for culture and arts, strong (liberal) community and decent schools. Unlike Amherst, it is right on I-91 so a trip to Springfield is only about 20 minutes.

[missionhill]

Cdas, have you checked out previous threads about Longmeadow, etc? People have said a lot recently about Longmeadow and East Longmeadow and you might find what you want to know or at least enough to ask more specific questions. What are you looking for?

[in_newengland]

East Longmeadow. Wilbraham, Hampden. These are all nice suburban towns with good schools and are good towns to live in.
I would avoid Longmeadow (not East Longmeadow) even though its schools are great, but it's very socially and academically competitive. Some people thrive on this but most people seem happier in the other three towns.

It depends on what you want--E. Longmeadow is more built up and usually has smaller lots but it's very family friendly with good sports teams and a pleasant non pretentious town. Hampden and Wilbraham are a bit farther removed from the "hustle and bustle" (relatively speaking) and seem quieter and just a bit more rural and more spread out, maybe a bit more isolated. You really have to see the towns for yourself to get a good idea. I think Hampden and Wilbraham are probably more upscale than East Longmeadow but there's nothing wrong with East Longmeadow either.

These are not cities though, these are towns. I can't really think of an actual city near Springfield--West Springfield? Agawam? Probably not cities in the way you are thinking of a city.

[Cdas]

Thank you everyone for your thoughts. They are extremely helpful. I am very, very interested in the quality of the schools for sure as I have young children, but want an environment that is welcoming and accessible. As far as town vs. city, for this purpose I am using the terms interchangeably. If anyone has more comments or thoughts I would love them!! Thanks again!

[Boston_Burbs]

I would rank them:

1) Longmeadow
2) Amherst
3) Northampton
4) Minnechaug (Hampden, Wilbraham)
5) Belchertown
6) Hopkins (Hadley)
7) Hampshire ( Westhampton, Southampton, Williamsburg, Goshen and Chesterfield)
8)Smith (Hatfield)
9) Frontier (Conway, Sunderland, Deerfield, Whatley)
10) South Hadley

[Cdas]

Awesome, thank you. I appreciate it! I will be heading down in a few weeks to visit all the schools and then make our decision. Thank you all again, it has been extremely helpful!