Western Mass (Springfield, Chicopee, Holyoke: low income, sale, rentals)

[12buttons]

Originally Posted by ConfusedGal

I live in western MA. westborough, MA to be exact. Its a lovely town! About 10 minutes from Natick where there is a lot going on! Tons of restaurant, shopping, and the new Natick collection (Huge NYC city high end shopping.) Its 45 minutes from Boston. I have lived in Boston as well. I am an urban gal and still like Western MA cause there is a decent amount going on! (But I dont like Worcester! Yuck)

is it franchise type ie barnes and noble or local more unique fare that is affordable housing to purchase?
got spoiled on NYC .....small stores, rich cultural life at your feet eveyday..of course on trips to small Euro cities....what towns around your area would fit the bill? I love western ma -would retire there if I found the right place.... love the new england vibe..lived in Fairfield CT too till it got too crowded and expensive.....thanks!

[Giantone]

Originally Posted by 12buttons

is it franchise type ie barnes and noble or local more unique fare that is affordable housing to purchase?
got spoiled on NYC .....small stores, rich cultural life at your feet eveyday..of course on trips to small Euro cities....what towns around your area would fit the bill? I love western ma -would retire there if I found the right place.... love the new england vibe..lived in Fairfield CT too till it got too crowded and expensive.....thanks!

To me anyway "Western Mass" is the Berkshires and there are lots of great towns ...Pittsfield is making a big comeback right now,yes there are some bad spots over by the Hospital but over all a nice place as is Lenox,Stockbridge ,West Stockbridge ,Richmond...etc(Williams)

[Xenos]

Just spent the day in Pittsfield. Really has been cleaned up, and in spite of needing a lot more redevelopment before it can be considered to be on the path to prosperity, it is looking better than it has for years. More than anything, it needs people. With jobs, that is.

[mommytotwo]

Originally Posted by Bostonian08

Western Mass (west of Worcester) is a fairly depressed and IMO depressing place. Coming from DC, I'm not sure you understand how much more impoverished those more remote places in America are. Dive bars, mud trucks keggers and dirtbikes are primary in the culture. Ther's a reason why it's so much cheaper.

What are you talking about? Primary in the culture? What the hell is a mud truck kegger? I don't know where you've been in Western Mass but apparently you missed out. There is a reason it is cheaper, because the people who can't afford the Boston area haven't found it necessary to start moving all the way out here....YET. Look what happened to property values in Worcester when they got the Commuter rail.

Wow! I have lived in Worcester, Natick, Framingham, Brooklyn, and your comments shock me. And western MA is beautiful. I wouldn't trade it. And I sure wouldn't want to live anywhere near you!

[rnhorser]

Originally Posted by Bostonian08

Western Mass (west of Worcester) is a fairly depressed and IMO depressing place. Coming from DC, I'm not sure you understand how much more impoverished those more remote places in America are. Dive bars, mud trucks keggers and dirtbikes are primary in the culture. Ther's a reason why it's so much cheaper.

Hellloooooo? Western Mass is full of culture, as well as well educated farmers. My neighbor is a pig farmer, who engages in that venue as a hobby. His pigs are blue ribbon winners. His main "job"? He's a fantastic oral surgeon, who might be found walking down the street in rubber boots and bib overalls. Farmers per se are required to have a lot of smarts, in order to run a successful farm. My best friend runs a fashionable boutique, and I possess a master's degree in nursing and Human Services. Oh yes, my husband drives a truck and wears Levis He also probably pays more in taxes than most people make as a salary.

[ruready1st]

I was born and raised in Springfield. Lived in Wilbraham for 15 years. My Mom still lives there.

It has been declining for decades. During the boom everyone else was experiencing in 2002-2007, Springfield was dying. Corrupt policiticians traded brides for liquor licenses and rezoned things for strip clubs. The mafia are alive and well in Springfield. Corruption is rampant. Downtown is a pit. There is no longer any theater in Springfield. If you want Arts and Entertainment you have to go to the Northhampton and Amherst area. Other than the local colleges (I love the WNEC campus) providing some culture, there is nothing else to do.

I went to Holyoke Community College and Westfield State College where I graduated from. I never plan to return. Yes, in theory it would like to raise my kids in Wilbraham and have them get the quality education that I did. However, Springfield has little to no industry anymore and the housing prices compared to what you get paid for a salary are way out of proportion.

You should understand that there is a deep seated hate in Western Mass for Boston. The Boston politicians flooded five towns North of Belchertown to create a reservoir for their city water supply. Western Mass residents have never forgiven that greed because it continues to this day. Steal all the resources from Western Mass to feed the needs of Bostonians. Don't even mention the Big Dig.

I have lived in Western Mass, New York, Pennsylvania, Southeast and the Southwest. Of all those places, Western Mass would be my third choice. If I had to work in Springfield, I would live in Hampden county. I would look to live in Monson, Wilbraham or Hampden. There are pluses to The Pioneer Valley, the winters are far milder than the Berkshires or Worcester and East. The river keeps the valley fairly protected from the worst of the winter. The Autumns are pretty.

There are pros and cons to most places, for me the cons of the Greater Springfield area outway the pros.

[east215]

Originally Posted by WestMass79

Regarding the crime mention of Springfield, like all cities if you aren't dealing drugs or buying drugs you are pretty safe. The neigborhoods in Springfield like East Forest Park, Sixteen Acres, Atwater, East Springfield and others are all as safe as suburban communities.

Somewhat related, it's too bad Northampton is dealing with such an intense panhandling problem these days, they are trying to formulate new ordinaces to react to this onslaught of homeless people. There's a lot of poverty out there, and it's everywhere.

Judging by all the "For Sale" signs in E. Springfield, it won't be a nice area for much longer. That many houses for sale in this depressed economy can only mean that people want out, and fast! My friend was driving through East Springfield near Carew St and St James Ave.
We drove approximately one mile down St James, heading toward I-291. In that one mile I counted 17 "For Sale" signs. The area is beginning to look rundown, and the blight seems to be spreading east from Hungry Hill, north from lower St James and west from Indian Orchard. Avoid that area like the plague!

[western mass and love it]

i just love how people can just drive down a street for 1 mile and come up with the state of a city. are you saying that if all those houses are for sale that the only people to buy them will be poor or minorities. so that is why they should stay away,or is just because people are selling there houses.i would love to hear why people should "avoid that area like the plague".just curious

[Woof Woof Woof!]

Originally Posted by ruready1st

You should understand that there is a deep seated hate in Western Mass for Boston.

This is news to me. Never heard anyone in Western mass talk about Boston that way....

[gouldmanj]

Originally Posted by Xenos

Definitely check out Longmeadow: the house price to school quality ratio is excellent. Longmeadow high school is in the top 10% of the state, and the home prices a reasonable as the town was built out 60 years ago and the housing stock is old yet relatively affordable. Preppy and WASPY, though, if that is an issue.

I am looking for EXCELLENT schools and checked out Longmeadow for our upcoming move. I just couldn't deal with the lack of diversity, the WASPY feeling and the small lot sizes.
I just felt like it was a community that I wouldn't be comfortable in.