Relocating to Western Mass working in Westfield and planning on living in Northampton

[kenyon]

I grew up in Western Mass my whole life and Northampton is and always will be my favorite place. I guarantee you that a move to this place would never be regretted. There is ALWAYS something to do. Every season of the year offers a variety of things to do. Along with the attractions in the area the people are so down to earth and absolutely open minded and warm, intellectual and free of any and all judgement. Also, it is so centrally located you are a hop skip and a jump other towns, cities, and states. I promise you that Westfield would be the wrong choice. It is the exact OPPOSITE of Northampton. Out of all the areas in New England, Northampton is the place that fits the missing piece of a puzzle to complete your life experience.

Originally Posted by redes12

Seeking advice: I am a (lesbian) professional in my early 30's that is moving to Western Mass to work as a professor. My partner and I are relocating from Los Angeles (West Hollywood) and people have suggested to live in Northampton. We are planning to make a trip there this month to look at real estate and hopefully buy a house. We will not move until later this summer. Looking online at real estate we found that housing is much cheaper in Westfield than in Northampton but I think the change will be hard going from a big city and a gay friendly area to a small town. Can anybody give me suggestions as to where to live around Westfield? Should we buy in Northampton? where in Northampton should we buy? We would like to buy a starter home in the 250-350k range. For us that is considerable cheaper than buying anything in Los Angeles. I also never really lived as an adult in a city where it snows, so I am wondering about snow removal, shoveling snow in winter, can you hire someone to do that or is that something as a homeowner you have to do yourself?
Any advise would be appreciated.
thanks

[KH02]

since you're lesbian i would recommend Northhampton, as they have a very high G&L community

[clevedark]

Another point about this area--The Pioneer Valley, or "The Happy Valley"--it is a huge university center, and pretty liberal. There are UMass (enormous) and Amherst (small) in Amherst itself, Smith in Northampton, Mount Holyoke in S. Hadley and Hampshire College in ??? (can't remember). If you stay within a general radius of the colleges there is a good chance your neighbors and community will be a good fit for you.

I don't think it's necessary for you to live in Northampton if you are a lesbian, is what I'm getting at, especially if it's out of your budget.

If I were making a big move like this I would seriously consider renting for a bit to get my bearings and see what interests me once I get to know the area. Who knows, once you get there you may decide you are drawn to real country living, or really need to be in Northampton, no matter what the cost.

Of course, this only applies if you are without kids--I would have a harder time moving my kids from school to school anymore than absolutely necessary.

[Woof Woof Woof!]

If you're a lesbian, Northampton is the place! The lesbian community in the area is huge. They have TON of social events happening all the time. Someone is always have a party or a dinner or putting on a dance. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, they meet at Ole Watering Hole for pool and beer. Everyone goes to Diva's nightclub and the list goes on. If you are a lesbian new to the area, you will make friends fast!

[westernmass101]

Well, as a professor I take it you're probably going to work in the 5 college area: UMass, Amherst, Smith, Mount Holyoke, and Hampshire. Or, the other colleges in the southern region of the area.

Northampton is a LGBT Community that has a lot to offer no matter who you are. Northampton serves as a major cultural city. It's downtown offers a lot to do from shopping, dinning, entertainment, culture, art galleries, etc.... The region also has many outdoor activities. However, LA to Northampton is going to be a major change for you and your partner. Northampton is located in Hampshire County, which lies in the Pioneer Valley. It serves as the county seat for Hampshire County. However, it's the largest city in the county, but not the region. Northampton is basically a small city (no high-rise) and is located in the center of the county, surrounded by countryside. The reason why we call it the countryside is because the city of Northampton is separated from the region by a mountain range (Holyoke Mt. Range).

But, no need to worry. It's not what you think. The countryside does have a lot of farms and parks that make it be considered that. But, it's not like soem other states where countryside means places liek Kansas or Vermont. The region (Pioneer Valley) has a lot to offer. Northampton is somewhat like an escape from the metro area.

The metro-area makes up Chicopee-Springfield- Holyoke. Springfield is the closests identity of high-rise in the valley. But, close by is Hartford, CT.So, you don't have to worry about that. Plus, everywhere in the region is populated so no need to worry about not socializing.

Each city has plenty of shopping and cultural activities/museums. But, nothing can be compared to Northampton, unless your thinking of the museums part.

Take note that here in Western Mass. we don't separate or ignore peopel who are gay or anything. We all are one down to earth community. I'm saying this because I know some palces do that.

But, you are concerned about pricing. You are thinking something in the $250k-350k. Our region really doesn't have that high of prices on most of our houses, however they do exist. Northampton is actually pretty cheap, so be careful where you look for your real estate options. The downtown apartments are great, but residential homes actually are good choices too. Other cities/towns are Easthampton, Southampton, etc... But, further north is Greenfield. The more north you go the more vast areas fo forests and land are. In the metro area, Springfield has a high tax rate. Holyoke is really nice, especially around Mt. Tom. Chicopee is however very affordable as I live here. However, it sorta isn't what you are looking for. East Longmeadow is sorta out of way from Northampton and colleges. It borders Connecticut. Wherever, you look in Northampton or else where. People are good about the whole LGBT idea. It's just Northampton is the best place.

Westfield however is very nice, but in terms of access to colleges the only one your near is Westfield State.

In terms of winter conditions: our weather is four seasons not two. We have spring, summer, fall, and winter. All have something to do in the time. The seasons actually provide a change of scenery which is nice. Fall offers a lot of stuff. Summer we may not have an ocean, but we do have plenty of public pools, recreation areas, and lakes/ponds. Some parts of the CT River you can swim in, but the further south you go, please take my advice and don't swim in the water.The spring weather recently has reached the 90's.

But, back to your concern in winter. It does get cold, the coldest being the month of February. But, as long as you have warm clothes you'll be fine. We all hate sno and lately we have been actually lucky in terms of snow storms. But, local municipalites are good about paving the roads. Most citizens shovel there own snow or use a snowblower. But, if you live in a condiminium they have peopel do it for you. You can higher people to shovel the snow for you, but it's sorta expensive. If you try to find some high schoolers or people with trucks sometimes they do it cheaply.

Hopefully, this will provide some help.

I wish you and your partner the best of luck.