Umass Amherst grad student, Noho a good place to reside?

[theh]

Originally Posted by VlyRoadKid

As for the commute, whoever said 10 minutes must have a jetpack!!!
Plan more on 45 min.-1 hr. one way from either town to the other. Most residents ( myself incl.) zoom up I-91 to Sunderland and back down Rte. 116 (right next to UMass) rather than wait in traffic for that long.

45 minutes to AN HOUR? Are you kidding? If that were the case, there sure wouldn't be too many UMass students living in Northampton and the five college system wouldn't work so well. Note that I mentioned the word "BACKROADS", which you obviously don't know if it's taking you that insane amount of time to get from Amherst to Northampton. I work in Amherst and live in Easthampton, which is even a longer commute. The longest it ever took me to get home during rush hour was an hour, and that was only because all the college kids were going home for spring break!! Traffic like that is NOT typical! Normally it takes me 25 minutes each way, and when I lived in Northampton it no joke took me 10-15 minutes taking the backroads through the farms to get to UMass every day. Not Rt 9, and definitely not 91 through Sunderland. I can understand it taking an hour if you're driving all the way up to Sunderland from Northampton to get to UMass!!

P.S.: DO NOT LISTEN TO THOSE WHO TRASH GREENFIELD! It has many of the amenities of Noho and Amherst (restaurants, health food stores, natural clothing shops etc.), it's RIGHT on the edge of some PRIMO hiking, canoeing and bicycling and has probably the lowest rental prices around. The people who speak against it have some kind of weird grudge against it which has NO basis in reality. If you don't have kids in primary school, it's FINE to live here!

When I lived in Greenfield, two people got murdered two houses down from me. There were also homeless people living in the woods in our backyard. While there are some nice areas in Greenfield, the town overall has some serious crime issues. That's why people don't generally recommend Greenfield as a great place to live, whether they have kids or not. There is a reason why the rents are so low in Greenfield.

[terrasurf]

Uuugh. Personally, Western MA was very pretty, but boring. You'll either love it (particularly if you're a gay woman), or lump it into the whole grad school experience at UMASS which I found quite tough, the least of which being the classes. Be careful of where you rent- there are a lot of locals that want to charge you exhorbitant prices for renting their back room- since accessory apts are allowed. If you stay in Amh or Noho in a traditional apt this may not be a problem, but its overly expensive for rural MA-the place just doesn't offer as much as people make it out to be. I concluded that if you come to UMass from the middle of nowhere America, the culture and vibe might be a nice change. But if you are from anywhere, its no big thing. Also be aware some places want you to sign a 15 month lease so they can have a tenant in the summer. Start looking asap, because everyone else does- its a very competitive place. But what a hassle to have to look for decent housing at the start of each semester. I just went through this and I'm so glad to be done. ALso, taking the back roads will shave off some time, but frankly there are a lot of inconsiderate students speeding on those local back roads. If you don't mind living with others, there are a lot of nice big farmhouses in the area, in between the two towns which students rent out for the school year. If you want to live alone things are more complicated unless you're loaded. Good luck.

[westernmass101]

Well I am entering UMass in the fall as a freshman. I live in Chicopee, MA which is liek a 45 min drive to UMass. Honestly, I don't think of it as being a bad drive. So, Basically commuting options anywhere in the region are great.

Northampton on the other hand is closer than Chicopee. If your not good with the back roads I would suggest any community near I-91, that would give you direct access to the campus.

For the whole college vibe feeling I would suggest Northampton or Amherst, they 're the true college towns.

For housing go to craigs list or get some information from the Greater Sringfield Visitors Center Bureau, they would provide you with a list of relocating to here.

Another good thign abotu UMass is the resources they offer. Ask them for assistance and they will provide you the resources.

[teachertype]

Originally Posted by VlyRoadKid

The good news is: W. Mass is MUCH more diverse, younger and hipper than the rest of the state.

As for the commute, whoever said 10 minutes must have a jetpack!!!
Plan more on 45 min.-1 hr. one way from either town to the other.

As for going south, then you're talking Holyoke & Easthampton and...you don't want to live there, trust me!

P.S.: DO NOT LISTEN TO THOSE WHO TRASH GREENFIELD! has probably the lowest rental prices around. The people who speak against it have some kind of weird grudge against it which has NO basis in reality. If you don't have kids in primary school, it's FINE to live here!

First point, WRONG. Western MA is generally very much less diverse and somewhat older than the rest of the state.

Second point, the commute being more than 45 minutes to and hour one way, WRONG. Noho to Umass around 20 minutes one way. The Coolidge Bridge reconstruction is long done and much improved. An hour? Not even during the worst of rush hour.

Third point. Holyoke has some fantastic neighborhoods and some impoverished aspects. People who talk it down often arent comfortable with the large Hispanic population. Easthampton has a lot going for it - low crime rate, old mills converted to artists/craftswork studios, a vibrant music scene, good housing stock, great schools and some academic, lesbian and hip new age types giving it a little edge.

Greenfield's rental prices are the lowest around because the housing is run down, substandard and shabby, the public school system is the worst in the state, most hostile town/people in western MA. I was there just after dark last night getting a take out pizza at Antonios. Streets were empty and desolate except for the overflow drunks spilling out of Taylors and the bars on Chapman St... and one crazy lady waving her arms around in the air talking to herself. Maybe the rents aree low for a reason LOL.

[icorvidae]

Hi There,

A Pre-Welcome-To-Amherst!

The area you are coming to really offers a lot. Noho is a very artsy, intellectual, progressive little town. There is a lot of night life consisting mostly of bars (dives to snooty cerebral) and restaurants, but also movies, concerts, occasionally the opera, and alternative lifestyles. Northampton is also rather expensive to live in. And the commute to UMass will shortly become a pain in the you know what. Rte 9 is congested and full of lights. You may want to consider living right in Amherst--the town offers a lot of the same nightlife, but without the progressiveness of Noho. You will encounter a lot of crunchy granolas in this area too! If you want out of the commotion and noise of these little cities, you can try Sunderland (10 minute commute to UMass), Hadley (10), Belchertown (10), South Deerfield (15), or Hatfield/Whately (20-25). As far as avoiding Greenfield like the plague-HA HA! Cheaper housing, some nightlife, but I grew up here and inaffectionately call it "Greenhell". It's okay, but your commute will be about 30 mins.

Lots of hiking, golf, biketrails, sports teams, etc. Good Luck!

[Woof Woof Woof!]

Originally Posted by teachertype

Second point, the commute being more than 45 minutes to and hour one way, WRONG. Noho to Umass around 20 minutes one way. The Coolidge Bridge reconstruction is long done and much improved. An hour? Not even during the worst of rush hour.

You must've either been walking or you fell asleep at the street light. Back roads, it's 15 minutes.

[teachertype]

20 minutes + or - on Rte 9/russell st but anyone who's been in the area more than week learns to shave a few minutes off by hitting River Rd, Hadley...the legendary "back way."